The Kubrick Paper

Pictured: a student visualizes the horror of essay writing.

Your film analysis papers, due Friday, October 17th, need to consist of a scholarly analysis of one or more of the major interpretative theories concerning the film, The Shining.

• I strongly recommend picking only one to focus on, unless you pick related theories, i.e. mythology and fairy tales.

Here are some ideas to consider in your paper:

• The Native American Genocide 
• The Holocaust
• Greek Mythology: Theseus, the Minotaur, and the Labryinth
• Apollo 11 and the faked moon landing
• The Shining as a parody/update of Gothic Horror [Easiest topic, in my opinion]
• Fairy Tales
• The Blood on Which Nations Are Built: A Judgment on Humanity
• Freudian analysis
• Compare/contrast The Shining to 2001: A Space Odyssey [Ooh... this one is interesting!]

Outline

I. Intro 

   A. Introduction/explanation of your theory

   B. Thesis: a complex sentence or sentences indicating specifically what your paper will prove

II. Body 1 

   A. Quote or idea from a source

   B. Analysis of the aforementioned idea supported by specific references to the film

III. Body 2

   A. Quote or idea from a source

   B. Analysis of the aforementioned idea supported by specific references to the film

IV. Body 3

   A. Quote or idea from a source

   B. Analysis of the aforementioned idea supported by specific references to the film

V. Conclusion - Revisit the thesis and the main ideas explored in the paper

VI. Works Cited - Appears on a separate page; does not count towards the overall length

Sources

• You may use information that appears from the excerpt from the book, On Kubrick. We read chapter V: "Horrorshow."
• I also recommend the following site: http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/
• You must find a third source on your own. It must come from a book, an article, or a scholarly website.
• This site lists the basic elements of Gothic fiction: http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm

Format/Citation

• The paper must be properly MLA formatted. It must contain multiple in-text citations, and the works cited must be properly formatted.
• If there are no in-text citations and no works cited page, the paper is technically plagiarized. Anticipate an automatic failure.

• The best source of information regarding MLA formatting is the Online Writing Lab of Purdue University: The OWL.

• The proper MLA works cited entry for the book, On Kubrick, is as follows:
• Naremore, James. On Kubrick. London: British Film Institute, 2007. Print.

• To use information from the book in the essay, you must use an in-text citation. There are two ways to do this correctly.

• Firstly, you may opt to simply mention the title of the book and the author. Then, you simply need to include the page number in paranthesis.
• In On Kubrick, the author, James Naremore, postulates that The Shining is a Freudian horror film that portrays Jack Torrance as a terrifying, nightmarish father figure (287).

• Secondly, you may simply include a quote or idea from the excerpt without mentioning the author or the title. In this case, the parenthetical in-text citation must include the author's last name and a page number.
• The Shining is a Freudian horror film that portrays Jack Torrance as a terrifying, nightmarish father figure (Naremore 287).

Due Date/Requirements

• Size 12, Times New Roman font
• Double-spaced
• No cover page!
• MLA header/page numbers
• 1" margins
• No hanging indents
• Complex thesis statement
• At least 6 in-text citations
• Multiple specific references to the film itself
• 3 scholarly sources all of which must be used in the body of the paper
• 3-5 pages; the works cited page gets its own page; it does not count towards the overall length
• The completed paper is due on Friday, October 17th.
• A hard copy must be submitted in person!