Research Assignment (20%)

In this essay assignment for our course, you will have an opportunity to reflect, research and write about the role and value of truth in Life Writing. In this 4-6 page paper, you will be asked to write about the depiction of truth in one of the readings as you consider whether truth is a requirement, obstacle or impossibility for authors of Life Writing. 

On this page you will find

• STEP 1: Select a Reading 

• STEP 2: Select an Essay Question to Answer

• STEP 3: Organize, Draft and Submit your Essay

• Guidelines for Submission

STEP 1: Select a Reading  

Examples of Life Writing surround us: we can find them in novels, audio-books, graphic novels and or simply in our Fetherling anthology. For that reason, there are a few options available for you when deciding which example of Life Writing you would like to explore. 

Excerpt in The Vintage Book of Canadian Memoirs. Select one of the readings from Ondaatje, Fraser, or Choy available in the Excerpts from The Vintage Book of Canadian Memoirs.  

OR

(Social) Media Memoir. Many vlogs and blogs online meet the criteria for Life Writing as well. If you have a blog/vlog that you follow, consider selecting 2-3 blog posts to use as your selected reading.  

OR 

Selected Chapters in a Memoir. Pick 1-2 chapters maximum to discuss in this short paper. You may may use either Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid or Running with Scissors. Or, if you’d like to pick a memoir famous for being a fake, check out this list  five famous fakes that fooled the literary world.

Whether you choose the Written, Media or Selected Chapters format, this reading must

• meet the definition of Life Writing as described in Module 1

• relate to themes of truthfulness and deception as discussed in Module 3

• must be a reasonable length (20-30 pages; you don’t need to read an entire novel for this assignment)

 STEP 2: Select an Essay Question to Answer

The essay must answer one of the following questions. 

Option One: In the article, “Literary hoaxes and the Ethics of Authorship,” Louis Menard (2018) discusses at length the defenses, dangers, examples and forms of hoaxes that have been exposed in the Life Writing genre over the years. Menard (2018) focuses particularly on the idea of intercultural hoaxes which are defined as follows: “literary impersonations, in which the author assumes the racial or ethnic identity of someone else [which] are usually memoirs, autofictions, or books that pretend to speak for the group to which the fake author is assumed to belong”.

In your essay, argue whether (or not) intercultural hoaxes should be removed from publication and book shelves once the hoax is revealed. In your essay, include 3-5 cited examples from Menard’s article as well as 5+ cited examples from your selected reading. (NOTE: if you select this question, you will also need to select a reading that is known to be a false memoir) 

OR

Option Two: In his 2006 article “The truth about Lying,” Joseph Kertes provided the following insight on the role of truth in memoir writing: “You have to tell the truth in literature, even if you have to lie. All great authors lie. They have to, regardless of the genre they’ve selected.”

In your essay, discuss the representations of truth in your selected reading and whether you feel that “telling the truth” was an obstacle, requirement or impossibility for your author . In your essay, include 3-5 cited examples from Kerte’s article as well as 5+ cited examples from your selected reading. 

STEP 3: Organize, Draft and Submit your Essay

Organizing an essay can be fairly personal. Here is one suggested framework to help get you started. 

INTRODUCTION: introduce the memoir you will be examining and your thesis (a thesis is your one-sentence answer to the assigned question, and should be the last sentence of your introduction paragraph)

BACKGROUND:  if you selected question 1, then this section should provide a clear definition of intercultural hoax as defined in Menard’s article; if you selected question 2, then this section should provide a definition of truth referencing Kerte’s article. In both options, also integrate information and links from  the course content in SLATE.

DEPICTIONS OF TRUTH: in 2-4 paragraphs, provide support for your thesis. Include specific examples from your selected reading.

CONCLUSION: restate your thesis and provide a brief summary of the key points in your paper.

NOTE: This assignment does not require any additional research beyond the two linked articles above; instead, you will be asked to reflect on the material posted here in SLATE as well as in your selected reading. If you choose to add additional credible sources, you can. 

General assignment guidelines 

• Length: approximately 1000-1250 words (4-6 pages)

• Cited Examples: references to course readings, articles and slate content must be cited

• Long Quotations (40 words or more): may be excluded from the word count

• Organization: include an introduction and conclusion; use the headings above to organize ideas (see APA or MLA style guides for format requirements) 

• Final Submission: upload your final paper as a PDF file to the dropbox after you have confirmed that the essay 
  • is properly formatted using APA  or MLA (ie. headers, font, title page, margins)
  • has the required minimum number of cited examples from the article and readings
  • has an accurate reference page or works cited
  • meets all of the requirements as outlined in the rubric