Compare the accounts of the Lycurgan reforms in Plutarch's Lycurgus and Xenophon's Spartan Society. To what extent do they agree about the nature of Sparta after Lycurgus' reforms? In what respects do their portrayals of Spartan society differ?
No outside research will be necessary for this paper, nor is any encouraged. The idea here is for you to think about the topic yourself, come up with your own view on the issue based on your reading of Plutarch's Lycurgus and Xenophon's Spartan Society, and then use analysis of passages from the texts to argue your case in the paper. (Note: Xenophon's Spartan Society can be found in the Appendix of your Plutarch On Sparta book.)
A good paper will do all of the following:
- Answer the question posed.
- Be well organized. Generally this will mean having an introduction at the beginning of the paper with a statement of your thesis, a conclusion at the end of the paper, and the body of the paper in the middle presenting a clear and logical argument designed to prove your thesis.
- Use passages quoted from the text of the two works to support your position. When you quote them remember to analyze the passages, explaining their context and their significance for your argument. Do not just pile up quotations in your paper undigested.
- Be smoothly and engagingly written, with proper grammar, spelling, and citations.
- Finish in the allotted number of pages (4-6). Please, no extremes of margin or font manipulation to stretch or compress the result. You should double-space, with 12-point type and 1-inch margins. The word count should fall in the 1500-1800 range.
Citations: When quoting or referring to passages from Plutarch's or Xenophon's text, simply follow the quotation or reference with a parenthetical citation of the work's title and section number. For example: "Quoted text blah blah blah" (Lycurgus, 18). If you haven't already identified the author of the quotation, include the author: "Quoted text blah blah blah" (Xenophon, Spartan Society, 2)