Object Assignment : June 1st; 2000-2500 words

Select one nineteenth-century British or Canadian object, building or literary work that evokes neo-medievalism and discuss the cultural processes that influenced its creation, reception, use and appearance (if applicable). This assignment is informed by exhibition catalogues which, ideally, unite description and contextualization. Your object’s description should comprise approximately one-quarter of the assignment’s word length. The remainder of the word length should be devoted to the more substantive issues of cultural context, lasting influence, etc. Your assignment must include the following:

1) Describe the “object” using clear, precise terminology. Your description should include (if applicable) dimensions, material, method of manufacture and decoration. Augment this description with a good-quality, referenced, image of your subject. If you are discussing a literary work, identify its genre, its publication details and its printed format. (For example, was it published as a monograph? Was it a “triple-decker”? Was it serialized? Was its cover and/or binding decorated? Were images included in the text? If you discuss decoration or illustrations vis à vis a literary work, you must include a good-quality, referenced, image of that visual content.)

2) How does your subject reflect its cultural context? For example, does it preserve evidence of evolution in philosophical thought? Does it celebrate an idealized/fictionalized past? Does it connote a cultural identity? Consider your subject carefully and determine how it can be “read” as a cultural artifact.

3) Why is your “object” important today? Does it have a lasting influence on contemporary societies that form the British diaspora? What are the implications of such “lasting influence” in that diaspora?

MUST include a bibliography and citations; footnotes (i.e. Chicago format) are preferred, though parenthetical references (i.e. MLA format) are acceptable. Your assignments must utilize scholarly sources (i.e. refereed works supported by citations and full bibliographies).