ENGL 2328 Davis Writing Studio

Reality versus illusion workspace

Reality versus illusion Studio

A practice room for Reality versus illusion. Build a thesis about the literary work(s), gather evidence, apply theory, and revise with peer notes.

Practice path Practice tools Resources All essays

Purpose

Explore reality versus illusion in one or two early-arc stories (1,500 to 2,000 words). Analyze narrative techniques that blur reality and illusion and how they shape the reader’s experience. Use MLA or APA citations; revise after peer review.

On this page

Required reading / assignment overview

Titles and how to use them live here. This course uses open educational resources (OER) and Canvas-hosted texts, not a Norton anthology purchase. Library: SAC Library · A–Z databases.

How to use this studio
  1. Read the Purpose above.
  2. Open the overview and required reading dropdowns.
  3. Use Tools; pick this essay when a helper asks.
  4. Keep AI at Level 2 (support, not composition).
Assignment overview (Reality versus illusion)
  • Length: 1,500 to 2,000 words.
  • Focus: Reality versus illusion in American horror literature. Select one or two stories from the early-arc authors.
  • Analyze narrative techniques that blur reality and illusion (unreliable narrators, time manipulation, supernatural or surreal elements) and the effect on the reader.
  • Structure: introduction with thesis; body with textual evidence; conclusion. Citations in MLA or APA.
  • Revise after peer review for thesis clarity, argument, evidence, and style.
Required reading (OER / open links)

Primary story links used in Sp26 modules (open web or Canvas-hosted). Bios linked when useful.

  • Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” - americanliterature.com
  • Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” - Poe Museum
  • Henry James, “The Turn of the Screw” - Project Gutenberg
  • Edith Wharton, “Afterward” (Canvas-hosted); “The Lady’s Maid’s Bell” - open school PDF / Canvas file
  • Charles W. Chesnutt, “The Conjurer’s Revenge” (Canvas-hosted; discussion also cites The Conjure Woman)
  • Mary E. Wilkins Freeman - discussion cites “The Wind in the Rose-Bush” (confirm Canvas file for your week)
  • H.P. Lovecraft, “The Colour Out of Space” - Project Gutenberg · HTML · H.P. Lovecraft Archive (Canvas also hosts support files / media)
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” - USF Lit2Go
  • William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” - school-hosted PDF used in module
  • Zora Neale Hurston, “Spunk” - CommonLit
  • Jean Toomer, Cane (includes “Blood-Burning Moon” and “Kabnis”) - Project Gutenberg · HTML full text · optional “Kabnis” Wikisource (prompt-named; no Sp26 module page; use the excerpt your instructor assigns)
Practice helpers

Pick Reality versus illusion in Tools.

Tools