Eng1600 Paper1 - Murray Eng 3263x Paper 1 Close Reading Due...

Murray
Eng 3263x
Paper 1: Close Reading
Due in my mailbox, in 602 Philosophy Hall, by 3:00 PM October 17
Please choose a short (less than 20-line) poem or excerpt by Donne, Jonson, Herrick or Herbert
that we have not discussed in class (if in doubt, check with me or Emily Cersonsky).
Begin by committing what one critic calls the “heresy of paraphrase.” Write a prose version of
the poem, explaining all its essential ideas as clearly as you can, without any indirection of
language (try to use only one-syllable words). This may end up being much longer than the
poem, or much shorter. But it should be accurate and complete. Take your time doing this – you
want to make sure that you really understand what the poem means .
Dear All,
A few clarifications about Paper 1:
1) It is due OCTOBER 17, by 3:00PM in MY MAILBOX (located in 602 Philosophy).
2) Your essay should be handed in along with your prose paraphrase (on a separate sheet) as well
as a photocopy of the original poem in the edition you're using.
3) In terms of the prose paraphrase - you will, of course, feel as if you are failing to convey the
subtlety and complexity of the original poem - that is the point. Your essay will advance a
reading based precisely on those nuances and subtleties of meaning that make the poem better
and more interesting than "mere" paraphrase. So don't worry about turning in a prose version
that seems "flat" - it's meant to. Your essay is the place in which you will show your brilliant
critical grasp of the complexity of the poem itself.
Again, please feel free to come to my office hours to discuss - TTh 4:30-6 in 408c Philosophy.

Jun-Hao Rosalyn Shih
October 17 th , 2008
Professor Molly Murray
Eng 3263x
Direction and indirection in Donne’s erotic journey
Elegy XVIII: Love’s Progress, Lines 37-72
It is no better to love a woman for her soul than it is to love her for her body. It is easy to get
carried away with the journey from her face to her genitals. Her hair is tangled. We are safe
when she isn’t frowning. Otherwise, wrinkles on her forehead mean we are in trouble. Her nose
is lengthwise, between two eyes. She has two red cheeks, and below them sweet lips. We make
out with the lips for a while. Her lips also sing and talk. In her mouth she has white teeth, and
tongue that is like a sucking fish. We pass all this and her jutting chin and travel down her
cleavage. The space between her breasts and her navel is vast and boring, but every now and
then there are some moles. We roam towards her genitals, but first stay at her navel. And though
you would like to have sex with her, you have to travel through her pubic hair, where many fail.
Now that you have reached her genitalia, you realize the time you have wasted by starting at her
face.

Jun-Hao Rosalyn Shih
October 17 th , 2008
Professor Molly Murray
Eng 3263x
Direction and indirection in Donne’s erotic journey