Textual Analysis of Drafts Assignment

Letter from Flannery O'Connor to Sally Fitzgerald

Introduction

For this assignment, students examine drafts to analyze the changes made to a work of literature before its publication. It is an informal assignment that does not require a thesis or introduction, instead pushing students to focus entirely on the significances of the changes to the draft. Students will not need to return to the reading room to complete this assignment

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Learning Outcomes

After completing this assignment, students will be able to

conduct archival research
read library catalogue and finding aid information
practice appropriate care and handling of archival materials
use close reading skills for textual analysis
understand writing as a process

Preparation for Session

In order to make the most of your time during your Rose Library Session, please be sure to prepare your students in advance.

Instructor should provide a clear goal of what students should accomplish during rotations
Prior to the session, students should understand what they are looking for while examining the materials
Students should have a clear sense of what they need to know about an object to complete the assignment successfully
We strongly recommend using digitized materials as a brief example in class so that students will know what to expect during the session

Visit

Here’s what you can expect during your class session

Introduction to the Rose Library (if this is the first class visit)
Introduction to the materials in use
Care and handling instructions
Student will examine materials either individually or in groups, depending on instructor preference.

Final Products

Students will write a paper of approximately three pages analyzing the changes in the drafts.

Recommended Collections

Most of our collections containing drafts are suitable for this assignment. Please consult with Rose Library staff to determine how our materials can best serve your course goals. The following are particularly good options:
Sally Fitzgerald Papers
Salman Rushdie Papers
Ted Hughes Papers
Alice Walker Papers
Lucille Clifton Papers

Citation

To cite this page:

Chase, Elizabeth. "Textual Analysis of Drafts," Rose Library Teaching with Archives Portal, [date of access], http://rose.library.emory.edu/instruction/portal/assignments/textual-analysis.html.

Please cite this portal and give credit to the creator when using this assignment.

Creator

^{Dr Elizabeth Chase}

^{Laney Graduate School alumnus and former Coordinator of Research Services at the Rose Library}

^{Head of Collections, Assessment and User Engagement for the MacPhaidin Library at Stonehill College}

Used In

^{English 181 Writing About Literature: Writers on Writing}

^{Intensive writing course fulfilling first-year writing requirement, with a focus on writers writing about writing.}

Adaptability

^{suitable for 100-level literature and composition classes in English or Comparative Literature}
^{can easily be adapted to emphasize either literary close reading or rhetorical analysis}
^{can be adapted as a low- or high-stakes assignment}