Paper Topic Options
Choose one of these little gems and make it shine.
3 to 5 pages emailed as an attachment by 6:00 p. m. Friday the 18th.
1. Offer your understanding of the allegory of The Old Man of Crete- Bonus points for a good inventive reading.
2. Make sense of the Centaurs- do a bit of research on Chiron and Nessus
3. Related to the previous question. Make sense out of Dante's use of some specific elements of "Classical Machinery."
4. Raise questions about Capaneus- is he a test case about punishment and transformation?
5.Explain how a punishment or two fits the sin.
6. Look for a few moments of tension between the Poet and Pilgrim.
7. Read closely and deeply one of the lyric poems I posted on Moodle.
8. Take two or three consecutive Cantos and explore their narrative coherence.
9. Explore the issue of Sodomy and Lust.
10. How does the poem explore home and exile?
11. Look at "Pity" and the tension it creates.
12. What seems to be the real role of Virgil.
13. Use the Bildungsroman tradition to offer some insight into Dante's travels.
14. How does the design of The Inferno as a place get used in a key moment or two.
15. Why is a poet granted this journey?