Write
the whole essay in past tense. Read and
write a polished essay of 750-1000 words that makes a historical argument based
on what you can learn about the era of stagnation from Vladimir Sorokin’s The Queue.
When you wrote about Maria Botchkareva’s Yashka,
you were writing about a non-fiction memoir written by a historical figure
about her personal experiences. In this essay, you will instead write about a
novel–a work of fiction–but you will use that novel to consider the
historical era in which it was written. This essay asks you to explore what you
can learn about a particular historical era from a cultural product of that
time.
Written in 1983 but initially banned in the Soviet
Union, The Queue is a fascinating satirical novel, written as if you are
eavesdropping on people standing for hours in a long line to purchase some
unknown shortage good. [Please do not make the same
mistake that others have in the past. This novel was written prior to the era
of Gorbachev’s reforms. It is a document of the era of stagnation, not the era
of reform and collapse.] You can go many different directions with this essay, and
part of your assignment is to devise an appropriate historical question and
answer it. Your essay could focus on the particular cultural norms that develop
in a culture of queueing, or you could focus on the ambivalent Soviet attitude
toward materialism under socialist rule. You might write an essay that looks at
the role of humor in living through the last years of “stagnation” or
contemplates attitudes toward men, women, and sexual relationships in the late
Soviet Union. You could write about privilege in Soviet society, or compare the
portrayal of Soviet society in The Queue with
that which you see in Moscow Does Not Believe in
Tears (though if you do this, make sure the book is the central
focus). You could write about a growing cynicism among the population about the
promise of building Communism in the Soviet Union. Or you can choose any other
topic that you find relevant to the novel. In short, you may write on any topic
that interests you and relates the novel to the history of the period in which
it was written. Be creative.
When reading Sorokin’s novel, keep in mind that it is
satire. Satire often takes a kernel of truth and blows it up into absurdity to
highlight and poke fun at reality. No, Soviet citizens did not stand in line
for days waiting for a product, when they did not know what the product was.
Yes, standing in lines was an important part of late Soviet culture, and the
novel captures and satirizes that culture.
Many students in the past have made comments in their
essays that compare the world portrayed in The Queue with
their own experiences in the capitalist United States. Although this should not
be the central component of your essay, such comparison is acceptable if it
helps to highlight features of your analysis. However, if you make such
comparisons, please base them in reality rather than in some fictional ideal
that does not really exist in American culture. For example, some students have
written that waiting in long lines is simply unknown in capitalist culture. The
idea is absurd on its face. (Think about lines for Black Friday sales, lines at
Disney World, lines to purchase tickets for the opening night of Star Wars
films, lines at the supermarket, lines at the airport ticket counter or
security, the order of boarding a plane, and the like.) Rather than asserting
that long lines do not exist in American culture, think about the conditions
and the implicit rules of those lines and how they might differ. Some have
focused on privilege in the novel and how some are able to skip the line or cut
ahead of others. This is usually portrayed as a sign of corruption and as
something non-existent in American culture. Again, the notion that the American
system always operates on a first-come, first-served basis is absurd on its
face. Whether we think of separate lines for first-class passengers at the
airport, paid Fast Pass options at amusement parks, or pre-boarding of planes
by passengers needing special accommodations or uniformed military personnel,
the principle of first-come, first-served is often violated in practice. Think
about the rules that governs those who board out of turn and whether those
privileges seem legitimate or not. The interesting comparison is in the
specific rules, their basis, and their perceived legitimacy. While the culture
of queueing in late Soviet culture is a fascinating and telling aspect of the
society we are studying, should you decide to make comparisons with how the
American economic system works, make sure you have thought carefully about that
comparison and about how the American economy actually works.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
This is NOT a book review or a book report. For this essay, I
do not care if you like the book, find it well-written, engaging, or any other
conclusion that would be appropriate in a published book review. This is
an argumentative subject essay drawing upon the book as
evidence.
You
should assume that your professor is the audience for this essay. As such, you
know that your audience has read the book and already knows what it is about.
The essay SHOULD
NOT start with a sentence or a paragraph
recounting the basic details of the book. If you come have a conversation about
the book with me, you are not going to start by telling me what the book is
about. Rather, jump
immediately into the topic of your essay,
which is more than just the book. The book is the evidence you will use to
explore your topic.
Your essay
should have a brief paragraph that
introduces the question you will answer and provides an argument—a thesis
statement. (Think of it as a one-sentence summary answer to your question.) It
should be narrow, clear, and specific. Your essay should have something you are
trying to prove, and the body of the essay should be trying to draw evidence
from the novel to prove that argument.
The body of your essay then provides detailed
discussion of the novel, drawing evidence to support your thesis
statement. The evidence should be specific and detailed.
If you never find a reason to cite a specific page of the novel, your use of
evidence is too general and too vague. Be sure to keep in mind
that not all things can be answered based on the novel’s contents. Do not be
afraid to be uncertain. No single source can ever answer all of our historical
questions. Every historical source provides but a limited slice of history, a
single point of view on events. The key is to understand what you can and
cannot answer from a particular source.
The
conclusion sums up earlier points and gives the significance of the
information.
You may also make use of any other readings done for
this class, lectures, and films. You MAY
NOT use
other sources whether published or from the internet without explicit permission from
the instructor.
Re-read your essays for grammar and spelling. Essays
with more than four spelling mistakes may be returned without a grade for
resubmission. Please type and double-space the essays with margins no greater
than 1 ¼ inches using Times New Roman 12-point font. The essays are due via
Blackboard on the due date stated herein.
When
you include short quotes, paraphrases, or reference to specific events or
moments from the novel, cite the page number. Citations to the novel should
simply be parenthetical notations. In-text citation should be like Ex: (Sorokin’s chapter
4 page 29.)
The best and highest graded essays will be well-written with a clear,
narrowly-focused, and creative thesis, will show clear engagement with
Sorokin’s novel including substantial use of specific evidence from the
novel, and will explore the possible answers to the main question in some depth,
raising important issues for discussion. Among the things you must do in your
essay is show that you have completed the entire reading assignment.
As such, it is your responsibility to cite evidence from throughout the
reading. If all citations are confined to a few pages, the professor will
assume you only read those few pages and your grade will reflect that fact.