Survey of English Literature I - Extra Credit Options for Final Exam

James Madison University

Instructions: This is an optional, extra credit assignment related to artistic creativity and/or performance. You may choose to do just ONE of these options and submit it for five points extra credit on the final exam. Your work must clearly show time, care, and effort, but as long as that is the case, you will get full credit. (In other words, you will not be judged on ability! :) ) This extra credit assignment must be submitted no later than with your final exam.

  1. Write your own poem either in the style of or in response to a poem we read and discussed in this course. Your poem should be at least 14 lines long. Just to give you an idea, here are a few of the many possibilities: a sonnet in the Shakespearean sonnet form, a poem that looks at John Donne's "The Flea" from the perspective of the flea, a mock epic in the style of "The Rape of the Lock" (but shorter :) ), etc. Make sure to include a typed paragraph explaining what poem or type of poem your work is related to and how.


  2. Do an artistic representation -- a drawing, painting, etc. -- of a character, scene or image in one of the literary works we read and discussed in this course. Just to give you an idea, here are a few possibilities: sketching a portrayal of the cliff scene with Gloucester and Edgar in King Lear
    3. or of Fausus's first encounter with Mephistopheles in Doctor Faustus, using the descriptions of Satan found in Book I of Paradise Lost to paint an image of Satan (or using Chaucer's descriptions to do the same for the Wife of Bath), draw an impression of Nature as she falls "a-doting" on the "master mistress" of the poet's passion in Shakespeare's Sonnet 20, etc. Make sure to include a typed paragraph explaining what literary text your work is related to and how.


  3. Record or video a musical or dramatic performance either of a poem we've read and discussed (remember - they were often "lyrical" and intended to be set to music) or of a scene from one of the plays. Modernized performances and/or unusual interpretations are possible, but not required. Just to give you an idea, here are a few possibilities: setting "To the Virgins, to Make Much of time" to music, delivering Dr. Faustus' final soliloquy, performing the interactions between Everyman and his first few potential companions, producing a rap performance of "To Althea, from Prison," etc. Make sure to include a typed paragraph explaining what literary text your performance is related to and how. These performances cannot be emailed (at least not without prior permission), but I will try to set up the Blackboard dropbox for this purpose. Use a format that is universally available, and doublecheck with me if if you're not sure.




    4. Syllabus for GENG235 Writing Resources Oxford English Dictionary Send email to Prof. Cote