Personal Anthology - Our 2nd Semester Project
The objective of this assignment is to encourage you to read from a wide variety of literature and to select from among the works read those that seem to have a special significance or appeal to you personally. You will be expected to compile your anthology according to these guidelines:
Contents:
I. Works by living authors at least two of whom must be American
1 poem
1 work of short fiction
1 essay/article (non-fiction)
1 work from a genre of your choice
II. Works by Indiana authors (living or dead)
1 poem
3 works from a genre of your choice (poem, short fiction, essay, article, play excerpt, novel excerpt)
III. Works by peers
3 works from a genre of your choice (poem, short fiction, essay, article, play excerpt, novel excerpt)
IV. Samples from one or more published journals, diaries, or letters
3 samples
V. One work of fiction published within the last 50 years
VI. Poems of your choice from poets who are still living or have died within the last 75 years.
5 poems
VII. Works that fit into none of the above categories but you wish to include
3 poems
2 works from genre of your choice
Presentation:
You may wish to divide your anthology into "chapters" indicated by dividing pages.
You will want to allow yourself plenty of time to collate your anthology and write your preface. Since the preface is your own input into the “why?” and “how?” of this collection, you will want to allow yourself sufficient time to look through the works after you have read and selected them in order o see any patterns, themes, common ideas, etc. that emerge.
Contents:
I. Works by living authors at least two of whom must be American
1 poem
1 work of short fiction
1 essay/article (non-fiction)
1 work from a genre of your choice
II. Works by Indiana authors (living or dead)
1 poem
3 works from a genre of your choice (poem, short fiction, essay, article, play excerpt, novel excerpt)
III. Works by peers
3 works from a genre of your choice (poem, short fiction, essay, article, play excerpt, novel excerpt)
IV. Samples from one or more published journals, diaries, or letters
3 samples
V. One work of fiction published within the last 50 years
VI. Poems of your choice from poets who are still living or have died within the last 75 years.
5 poems
VII. Works that fit into none of the above categories but you wish to include
3 poems
2 works from genre of your choice
Presentation:
- The anthology will be securely bound and include a cover page that reflects the mood or theme of the anthology.
- The title page will include the title you created for your anthology; the subtitle: A Personal Anthology; your name, and year.
- The table of contents must be clearly organized by genre, theme, or some other logical pattern. Title, author, and page number will be given for each work.
- The preface will introduce your anthology. It reflects your thoughts, observations, and/or feelings about the works you’ve chosen and the process of choosing them; it should be 2-3 pages in length.
- All works will be typed, copy/pasted, or photocopied
- Introductory remarks (2-3 sentences) will accompany each each entry that connect the entry to the larger theme or place it in an historical or literary context. Create these as you go; you can revise later.
- Selections may be accompanied by illustrations or images.
- Pages will be numbered consecutively.
- The bibliography delineating your sources will appear at the end of the anthology. It should be prepared according to current MLA guidelines and be organized alphabetically by the authors’ last names. Creating these as you go will save time at the end.
- Biographic data concerning authors may be presented as endnotes or footnotes. Refer to MLA for format. Creating these as you go will also save you time at the end
- The anthology will contain all required materials as stated in the Contents section.
- Contents should strongly suggest a broad range of exploratory reading.
You may wish to divide your anthology into "chapters" indicated by dividing pages.
You will want to allow yourself plenty of time to collate your anthology and write your preface. Since the preface is your own input into the “why?” and “how?” of this collection, you will want to allow yourself sufficient time to look through the works after you have read and selected them in order o see any patterns, themes, common ideas, etc. that emerge.
Writing Your Preface
As it is an introduction to your anthology, a preface should include information about the anthology. Consider including a few or all of the following ideas:
- Discuss how the anthology came about. Why did you write it? You can say it was a class assignment and your reaction to it. Why did you choose the particular subject? What was your motivation?
- Give a brief description of the anthology, the main sections or themes. Give just enough to get the reader interested in reading more; don't give anything away.
- Describe the journey of writing the anthology—how you found your selections, what you chose not to include, what you learned along the way.
- Talk about any problems that came up during the writing and how you dealt with these trials and tribulations.
- Include any suggestions about how to read the anthology if there is a special structure.