Visual Symbolism Project onThe Scarlet Letter

(This is NOT a poster!)

Your task in this project is to come up with a way to create a visually striking intellectual experience for your classmates, based on a SINGLE QUOTE from The Scarlet Letter.

Here are the basic expectations of this project:

1. Choose your quote from THE SCARLET LETTER wisely.

Post your quote to my Google Doc by Friday, 1/15/16.

The novel is filled with strange and evocative images, ripe for interpretation. Such moments are imbued with what Carl Jung called the NUMINOUS. The quote you choose should be an IMAGE that has a powerful pull upon you that feels irresistible. It should strike you as both profoundly mysterious and worthy of analysis. If you’re interested in a further explanation of the concept of the numinous, a nice basic intro can be found here:

2. Use research to give your quote a context.

EMAIL ME YOUR THREE CONTEXT QUOTES BY Tuesday, 1/19/16.

You are not delivering some secret “correct” interpretation of your quotes to students, but are instead helping them to see how different perspectives on the text will yield different interpretive results, and connect to real life in thought-provoking ways. To that end, you should do some research into the concepts of transcendentalism and puritanism that we’ve discussed in class. Ultimately, you should seek out a single quote from a transcendentalist author (using some of the websites linked on my School Wires site as resources) as well as a single quote from a puritan author (again, using some of the links I will provide you as resources). These two quotes should create a sort of “dialogue” with the line you’ve chosen from the novel. Finally, add a single quote from some contemporary piece of non-fiction writing. Something from, say, the New York Times or the Atlantic Monthly, that will provide some insight into our present-day culture.

Think of what you’re doing with these three quotes as creating a constellation of ideas that will invite contemplation on the part of the viewer. You’re not offering a settled argument so much as a spark of inspiration, an opportunity for insight.

3. You must create something both visually striking and clearly organized. There are two elements to strong visual design—visual appeal and clarity of presentation. Your VSP should be designed to be eye-catching, and also, upon further inspection, thought-provoking. The key here is to provide striking, uncluttered visuals that will impress your audience with your visual creativity and provide them with opportunities for unexpected connections. So, while stunning in its visual creativity, your VSP should also entice the attentive viewer into a complex intellectual experience; they should be able to learn something about symbolism, The Scarlet Letter, America, and perhaps even themselves, simply by looking at the striking visual you create and reading the four quotes that you weave into it.

FINAL PROJECT DUE: Friday, 1/22/16

Remember, your project should “speak for itself.” It should need no explanation, but be a complete and comprehensive learning experience for its viewer. Your finished project should not only provide students with unexpected insights into the text, but also should demonstrate how your quote from the text, transcendentalism, and puritanism all remain relevant to 21st century American readers.