Preparing Your Annotated Bibliography

 

Annotation versus Abstract:

Abstract = a descriptive summary of a book, journal, or essay

Annotation = a descriptive and critical discussion of a book, journal, or essay

 

The Process

1.         Provide a citation.

2.         Present concisely the thesis or key argument of the piece.

3.         Discuss briefly how this piece might fit into your overall research project.

 

Your statement of the key argument and discussion of how the source might work with your essay should only be 100-150 words. At least half of the citation should be your critical engagement with the ideas presented by your source.

 

Let’s say that I am doing a project on the nature of Ovid’s gods, and I am curious about why Ovid presents the gods as he does. I have found an article by Fulkerson about remorse and repentance in Apollo throughout the poem.

 

1.         Fulkerson, L. 2006. “Apollo, Paenitentia, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.” Mnemosyne 59: 388-402.

 

2.         Fulkerson highlights the use of the Latin term paenitentia (remorse or repentance) in connection with Apollo in order to highlight a key difference between Apollo’s experience of remorse and the experiences of remorse that mortals show throughout the poem. Because there are no consequences for gods for their

actions, it is impossible for the gods to experience a kind of remorse or repentance that is recuperative or beneficial for the mortals who have been affected.

 

3.         Fulkerson’s approach suggests that there is something fundamentally deficient about the gods which makes them unsuitable models for human actions. Rather than being perfect beings, the gods betray their moral inferiority to humans which comes out of their consequence-free world. In order for moral action to take

place, we must choose to take the morally right action in lieu of the morally wrong options.

 

My annotated entry would thus look like this:

 

Fulkerson, L. 2006. “Apollo, Paenitentia, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.” Mnemosyne 59:

388-402.

 

Fulkerson highlights the use of the Latin term paenitentia (remorse or repentance) in connection with Apollo in order to highlight a key difference between Apollo’s experience of remorse and the experiences of remorse that mortals show throughout the poem. Because there are no consequences for gods for their actions, it is impossible for the gods to experience a kind of remorse or repentance that is recuperative or beneficial

 

 

for the mortals who have been affected. Fulkerson’s approach suggests that there is something fundamentally deficient about the gods which makes them unsuitable models for human actions. Rather than being perfect beings, the gods betray their moral inferiority to humans which comes out of their consequence-free world. In order for moral action to take place, we must choose to take the morally right action in lieu of the morally wrong options.

 

The Assignment:

 

Prepare an annotated bibliography of 5-10 sources that you think will be helpful for your final research project. Make sure you use the format of the annotation above. It is imperative that you use a consistent and approved citation style (Chicago, MLA, APA).

 

FYS 062

 

 

Research Essay Annotated Bibliography

 

 

 

Bergren, Ann. “The (Re)Marriage of Penelope and Odysseus: Architecture Gender

Philosophy”. The MIT Press. No.  21. (Aug., 1993): pp. 6-23. Print.

 

This source is very unique in that it is based centrally on something I believe the reader of The Odyssey might not initially consider a main theme – architecture. Bergren uses architecture to explain the steadfastness of Odysseus’ and Penelope’s marriage. She focuses on things like weaving and their marriage bed to describe the gender differences faced in Homeric texts by the sexes and how Odysseus and his wife reunited cautiously. This will be a very good source when it comes time to explain Homer’s tactics in describing “true love”. Homer’s true

love is never-ending and can stand strong through anything – including a ten-year separation.

 

Bryce, T.R.. “The Dido-Aeneas Relationship: A Re-examination”. Classical Association of the Atlantic States. Volume 67, No. 5.  (1974): pp. 257-269. Print.

 

The significance of this source lies in Bryce’s decision to highlight the negatives of the relationship between Dido and Aeneas. The author goes into each encounter between the two with the intention of analyzing each of their actions and feelings for each other. By the end, he or she has decided that the two are incompatible, though the author does raise interesting points about why Virgil condemns their relationship to end. I will be able to use this source to show what Virgil sees as criteria for “true love” by exploring what issues this relationship had. I believe a relationship as famous and well documented as this one is, although it is fated to fail, has plenty of aspects to work with to predict Virgil’s definition of true love.