Readings:
“The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism” by Jonathan Lethem (pg. 210)
Selections from “Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do and Become” by Barbara Fredrickson (pg. 105)
“Homo religiosus” by Karen Armstrong (pg. 1)

Final Draft Due: Tuesday, April 21st (Sakai submissions by 11:59 pm. Place a hard copy of this paper in your folder for Final Folder Review.)
**Folders will be collected in class on Tuesday, April 21s. Make sure that all drafts with comments and peer review sheets are in your folder.

Question: In “The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism” Jonathan Lethem argues that rather than being a crime, the act of sharing and appropriating the words and expressions of other individuals provides tremendous value to both the so-called artistic fugitive and society as a whole. Contrary to the idea that an artist is drawn to their respective discipline solely as a result of the urges of their inner creative voice, Lethem argues that for most artists the initial urge to create begins with the admiration of the work of another revered artist. Lethem says, “Most artists are brought to their vocation when their own nascent gifts are awakened by the work of a master. That is to say, most artists are converted to art by art itself” (Lethem 214).

Considering Lethem’s ideas along with Barbara Fredrickson’s biological perspective of love and Karen Armstrong’s artistic approach to religion and spirituality, respond to the following prompt:

To what extent is our connection to art and ideas a form of love?

While you are not obligated to respond to the following questions, they may assist you in thinking about your response to the prompt:
To what extent does our connection to art and ideas enhance our personal relationships?
What aspects, if any, of Frederickson’s biological science are at play in Lethem’s larger thesis project?
To what degree is Lethem’s celebration of art and literature like Armstrong’s celebration of spirituality?
How can art and ideas enhance and expand the boundaries of self?

Use the author’s examples to inform YOUR analysis.  Expand your ideas based on close reading of the texts.

Features of Your Paper:

Rough Draft:
Four FULL typed pages: one-inch margins, double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman.
Name, course, assignment, my name and date should be in the upper left-hand corner.
Page numbers should be in the bottom right corner.
Original title in regular type and centered.
Cite in MLA format found in Wadsworth Handbook on page 188, also found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Submit paper as a hardcopy in class, and also as a raw MS Word file in Assignments II on Sakai no later than before class on due date.
Half a grade off Final Draft for each late day.
Half a grade off Final Draft for not participating in all aspects of papers including rough drafts, peer review and Sakai discussion posts.

Final Draft:
Five FULL typed pages: one-inch margins, double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman.
Name, course and section, semester, assignment #, version and due date should be in upper left-hand corner.
Page numbers should be in the bottom right corner.
Original title in regular type and centered.
Cite in MLA format found in Wadsworth Handbook on page 188, also found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Submit paper as a hardcopy in class, and also as a raw MS Word file in Assignments II on Sakai no later than before class on due date.
Half a grade off for each day late.