Summative Assignment #2 on 'Where is History Going?'

Deadline: 12pm on Wednesday 28 February 2024

This assignment builds on the assignments of the first term and on the first summative assignment. Select one of the secondary essays from the current unit and use it to develop a close reading of W.G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn. This assignment has the same dual components as the previous one: a précis of a part of an essay and an analysis of a part of the novel. As before, these are “components,” and you should arrange them in the manner that you think makes the most sense.

As examples of how you might apply the secondary readings to the core text: one of the distinctive aspects of Sebald’s work is his use of first-person narration, which often serve to draw our attention to peripheral or hidden aspects of the places he visits. How does this narrative point of view relate to the contrasting perceptual modes of ‘distraction’ and ‘contemplation’ that Michael Taussig adopts from Walter Benjamin? Alternatively, how might the essays by Michel Callon or Dipesh Chakrabarty draw our attention to the ‘non-human’ in Sebald’s text? Or you could examine the global connections that Sebald’s narrator draws from the places he visits in Suffolk, by examining those passages in the light of an essay on global history. These are just examples, of course: part of the assignment is to identify a topic and think independently about it.

Further details on the content and objectives of a précis and a close reading are provided in the previous assignment instructions, which you should bear in mind while completing this one. In addition, since The Rings of Saturn, like all Sebald’s prose fictions, makes extensive use of images, you may wish to include some consideration of any images in the passage of the book you select for your close reading. Be sure to read and reflect on the feedback from your last assignment, and discuss it with us if any clarification or elaboration is required.

 

Length: 500 words (excluding references)

Format: 12-point, double-spaced Times New Roman

Student ID#: At top of the page and in document name. E.G. 1771883 – Assessed Assignment 1.docx. Do not include your name.

Paragraphs. Use standard-length indents for paragraph breaks. No line breaks. Eliminate the extra spacing that Microsoft Word automatically inserts by going to “Format,” then “Paragraph.” Tick off the “Don’t add space between paragraphs” box.