My R level student is having trouble with poetic analysis because she feels like there are an "infinite" number of possibilities for answers. Even for something as seemingly straightforward as genres, she says the answers I'm giving her from the TN's are genres she's not yet seen and doesn't have as one of her literary terms cards.
Is there somewhere I can get a list of all those terms that are grouped by category so she can have a list to look at each time?
I remember somewhere seeing them all listed alphabetically, but there seem to be a million of them and before I start trying to compile a list on my own, I'd like to know if I"m re-inventing the wheel.
Thanks-
Tami in TN

Hi Tami! Are you working with first printing or second printing of Y2? In either case, I'm afraid we don't have genres grouped by category (we tried once, but it got really confusing really fast!). I can understand your daughter's perspective, since Y2 does introduce more literary genres than any other year-plan and it's easy to get confused. My suggestion for that particular problem is that you just give her the genre and don't require her to puzzle it out for herself. If this problem extends to more than just genres, you might try going over the analysis outlines with her in class but not requiring her to fill them out beforehand. :-)

Hope this helps! Please let me know if it doesn't or if you have more questions.

Christy Somerville
Staff Author
Director for Rhetoric Literature Studies
Lampstand Press

Hi, Christy-
Thanks for answering.
We're using the 2nd printing.
It's helpful to know that Y2 adds more literary genres than any other.
Can you elaborate on what happens when you try to categorize the terms and why that is confusing? I haven't yet tried it, and may not, but if I do I'd like to know what I"m in for.
I've been doing as you suggest, but while both of us understand there are often more than one "right" answer, and the need to defend whatever answer we give, neither of us are satisfied with the ambiguity we presently have.
I'm thinking this may work itself out to some extent like the frustration I had in year one with not being able to find answers to all the AQs and TQs in the TNs, and with the writing genres not being specified in the early weeks of comp assignments for year 1. Once I gained confidence in using the material, I was able to blow off these type things without obsessing over what I might be missing and what snowball effect that may have.
Thanks for your help.
Tami

Hi Tami! Basically, it gets confusing because there is tons of overlap and because literature doesn't categorize very easily. For instance: should an allegorical estate satire written in poetry, such as The Vision of Piers Plowman, be classified as an allegory, a satire, or a poem? Or all three? That's the kind of thing that happens.

I definitely wouldn't let the analysis exercises worry you too much. In Years 3 and 4 I think you will find it a lot easier to work with your student on that kind of thing, both because there are far fewer options and because we've been able to integrate more teaching/review of them into the class plans.

So yes, not obsessing about it sounds like a very good plan to me! And remember: most everything your student really NEEDS to know about literary analysis gets repeated in each year-plan, so she'll have several more chances to learn whatever she misses this year. :-) I would focus on the things that she will never see again (such as the specific worldviews and content of the Year 2 literary works).

Hope this helps!

Christy

Thanks, Christy.
<taking deep breaths>
Diving in...

Tami