My initial essay had described a scene where Morgan Le Fay convinced Accolon to attempt to kill Arthur and she tried to take his sword, and used disguise and deceit to try and defeat Arthur. Once I wrote this, I told my professor I don't think I can really do enough with Arthur so I asked if I could try and talk more about a character or character(s) that use disguise against him and HOW.

I had struggled finding situations of disguise used by Arthur because most of the time, disguise was used against him. So I asked my professor this, "But I have a question and am asking for guidance. You know that I am planning to write / have my argument be something along the lines of: although it may be titled after King Arthur, a key concept of disguise is used not by Arthur himself, but is used by his fellow characters against him. Obviously that's not my thesis but that is what I had to adapt to since I thought Arthur would be the one to transform and have more situations of disguise, but it was always really used against him. So is that a good route to go about?"

And this is what he responded with:

1. Thesis/argument. It is along the right lines: focusing on how, say, Morgan le Fay's disguises affect Arthur is a great topic. I encourage you to be specific on two points: the character(s) you are using (focus on a specific character's disguises) and on how you think they affect Arthur. (Example: you may have a good argument for Morgan's disguises hurting Arthur's signs of authority: Excalibur, its scabbard, and/or the loyalty of a knight like Accolon.)

So, below are the instructions for the research article.

Project 2: Research Article

You will write a research article building an argument about how disguise is used in Sir Thomas Malory’s book Le Morte Darthur. (Contact me after 3/1 if you would rather write about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.)

Purpose
To persuade and inform someone about how this late medieval text can depict transformations of identity. You will focus on one character who undergoes a disguise or a similar shift in identity and make an evidence-based claim about that transformation.

Audience
Readers of a hypothetical undergraduate research journal or an arts-and-letters-based online website (e.g. The Atlantic or the sorts of sites featured through aldaily.com). These readers will be interested in learning something about medieval culture, disguise, or something like that. Many will have read parts of Le Morte Darthur or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and will be interested in thinking more about it.

Genre

The final product has many similarities to an academic essay. It is also something that should be easily adapted to online reading, so it should seek to be (a) rigorous and (b) plain-spoken in visual and written style.

For example, like an essay you want to

• feature your thesis or claim early on
• present textual and visual evidence (at least two tables, charts, images)
• cite supporting sources in a credible citation format (MLA or APA)

However, you are not locked into double-spacing or a specific font choice. Instead, you should tailor your document design to suit your genre. This means making it look like either a peer-reviewed journal article or like an article from a website.

Process
You will propose a character to follow as you read Le Morte Darthur. Then you will develop an “initial essay” where you will analyze a key example of your character’s transformation breaking down your thoughts on textual material and writing them down. Then you will reverse outline, do more research, and produce an article substantially revised from the early draft.

Due Dates and Descriptions

2/27 Proposal

• In-class
• Aim for at least 1000 words
• Format as an academic “white paper”
  • Double-spaced, 12-point font
  • Follow the general guidelines here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/24/

3/13 Initial Essay

3/27 Reverse Outline

• Take the initial essay and produce a reverse outline
• One version is described here:
  https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/689/1/

4/3 Annotated Bibliography

• Prepare an annotated bibliography
• For each item you research and plan to use:
  • List the bibliographic citation
  • Follow that citation with a paragraph where you summarize the source’s argument and how you may use it
  • e.g. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

4/10 Research Article

Intellectual Benchmarks

1. Rhetorical Awareness. Investigate and replicate a new genre.
2. Stance/Argument. Do primary research (reading the text) and secondary research (finding sources).
3. Stance/Argument. Use a research process to develop a controversial argument about a feature of a literary text.
4. Development of Ideas. Use support, analysis, and counterarguments to support your argument.
5. Organization. Create and revise an organizational structure for your article that (a) introduces your point, (b) guides your audience through a relevant topical pattern, and (c) conclude by gesturing the broader stakes of your argument.
6. Conventions. Write in a clear style with active-voice verbs.
7. Conventions. Cite and format all references according to MLA or APA style.
8. Design of Medium. Incorporate visual design features to advance the argument and fit the genre.

Review and Evaluation

Most intermediate stages will be reviewed either in-class (peer review) or out of class (instructor comments).

The initial essay will count as 10% of the grade. The low-stakes grading will focus on the quality of analysis and writing – think development of ideas and conventions.

The final research article will count as 90% of the grade. It will be evaluated holistically using the Writing and Communication Program rubric, and comments will emphasize the eight intellectual benchmarks above. I am happy to discuss specific questions in class or via office hours.

WOVENText Resources

Besides the Purdue OWL and other online resources, our own textbook has a lot of advice for how to proceed. We’ll read some of this for class; I encourage you to take a look on your own.

“Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles,” 395-399
This is one of our key genre-cousins. This part is especially useful for its general guidelines and descriptions of what the genre does.

“Researched Arguments,” 478-488
The second genre-cousin. This one is more web-based. The advice on making a thesis-driven argument and so on is generally pertinent.

“Process: Composing in Genres and Designing Your Project”
“Evaluating and Choosing Sources”
“Integrating and Documenting Sources”
“Revising and Delivering Your Project", 658-818
These four chapters near the end of the book provide an exhaustive look at the process of writing for research. These are especially useful for understanding how to find sources, how to prepare an annotated bibliography, how to think about writing and designing this project, and how to put the finishing touches on your work.

Appendix: List of Characters that May Be Suitable for Study

Nota bene: not all of these characters undergo a literal disguise. Nonetheless, they may undergo a transformation (Arthur goes from boy to king; Gawain becomes a wiser knight). Pick one.

If you wish to change characters, let me know.

Uther

Igrayne

Arthur

Morgause

Gawain

Lancelot

Morgan le Fay

Accolon

Torre

Pellinore

Gareth

Kay

Balin

Balan

Garlonde

Merlin

The Ladies of the Lake