Object Assignment : June 1st; 2000-2500 words
Select one nineteenth-century British or Canadian object, building or literary work thatevokes neo-medievalism and discuss the cultural processes that influenced its creation,reception, use and appearance (if applicable). This assignment is informed by exhibitioncatalogues which, ideally, unite description and contextualization. Your object’s descriptionshould comprise approximately one-quarter of the assignment’s word length. Theremainder of the word length should be devoted to the more substantive issues of culturalcontext, lasting influence, etc. Your assignment must include the following:
1) Describe the “object” using clear, precise terminology. Your description shouldinclude (if applicable) dimensions, material, method of manufacture anddecoration. Augment this description with a good-quality, referenced, image ofyour subject. If you are discussing a literary work, identify its genre, itspublication details and its printed format.(For example, was it published as a monograph? Was it a “triple-decker”? Was itserialized? Was its cover and/or binding decorated? Were images included in thetext? If you discuss decoration or illustrations vis à vis a literary work, you mustinclude a good-quality, referenced, image of that visual content.)
2) How does your subject reflect its cultural context? For example, does it preserveevidence of evolution in philosophical thought? Does it celebrate anidealized/fictionalized past? Does it connote a cultural identity? Consider yoursubject carefully and determine how it can be “read” as a cultural artifact.
3) Why is your “object” important today? Does it have a lasting influence oncontemporary societies that form the British diaspora? What are the implicationsof such “lasting influence” in that diaspora?
MUST include a bibliography and citations; footnotes (i.e. Chicago format) arepreferred, though parenthetical references (i.e. MLA format) are acceptable. Yourassignments must utilize scholarly sources (i.e. refereed works supported by citationsand full bibliographies).
