LiteraryAnalysis Research Paper

by

David A. James

The type of research paper required in most sophomore literature courses is

generally referred to as a literary analysis research paper because its focus must be on

an element of the literary work’s construction as a piece of literature—for example, an

element such as the work’s characters or conflict or symbolism or theme, or perhaps two or

more related literary elements [such as the interrelated elements of conflict

development and theme, or symbolism’s contribution to the creation of theme(s)]. It

would not focus on such ideas as the author’s life (biography), the historical events and

beliefs of the period in which it was written (historical and/or sociological aspects of

the work), or psychoanalysis of the characters (psychology), as these are not elements of

literary analysis, though passing reference to one or more of these is usually acceptable.

If there’s any doubt regarding the acceptability of a particular idea you’re considering,

it’s essential to consult with the professor before proceeding further in order to avoid

wasted time on an inappropriate writing topic.

While individual approaches to a research paper involving literary analysis may

vary, one standard approach can be presented as follows:

YOUR IDEAS + TEXTUAL
EVIDENCE

+ RESEARCH = LITERARY
ANALYSIS

RESEARCH PAPER
about the work
of literature
(presented in the
form of a thesis
opinion)

from the work
supporting your

analytic ideas and
thesis opinion

to gather and
incorporate
critical works
of scholarly
analysis that
relate to or
support your
thesis opinion

This ‘formula’ for producing an effective literary analysis research paper can be detailed

by the following process, or series of steps taken to achieve the ultimate goal.

James 2

Selecting an Author and Literary Work

Select an appropriate author (one whose works fall within the time parameters of

the literature course in question) and one (possibly two, if brief) literary work(s) to

analyze. For example, one novel/novella or two brief short stories would generally be

selected to produce a research paper of 1500 or more words. In courses where long,

complex works are covered (such as Homer’s Iliad or Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales), it

is probably wise to attempt to analyze only a particular portion of the work. Again,

consult with the professor about an appropriate choice of work or portion thereof.

It is also helpful, though not necessary, to have previously read the literary work(s).

This allows you to begin right away to direct your focus toward particular elements of

the work(s) as you are re-reading because you already have familiarity with the basic

plot and characters.

Read and Re-read

Read (re-read?) the selected work(s), keeping a close watch for the particular

literary element that interests you. You might choose to analyze the character and

conflicts of Huckleberry Finn, for instance, or satirical devices in Gulliver’s Travels or

theme and symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. As you read and note the presence of the

particular element(s) in the work, you should begin to formulate mentally (and take

notes on) your ideas on it. These ideas will later be turned into a working thesis or

opinion about the work and the element(s).

Taking Notes

Take careful notes for each instance in the work where the literary element seems

present. These places in the work will be used later (when writing the paper) as the

textual evidence necessary to properly support your analytic opinion and thus produce

a convincing argument for your thesis. As you take these notes (in whatever fashion is

most comfortable or useful for you), be certain that you record accurate quotes and

page numbers (for proper MLA—Modern Language Association– citations when

James 3

writing the paper). Carelessness in this area can affect the clarity of the paper, as well

as result in unintentional plagiarism.

Literary Focus

When you begin to encounter later instances in the work where you detect the

literary element (or see them in the other work being analyzed, if analyzing more than

one work of literature), compare the separate instances, cross-referencing them by page

numbers in your notes. For example, if it occurs to you that the author is using a

particular object (for example, Faith and her pink ribbons in “Young Goodman Brown”

or the Bibles in “Good Country People”) to symbolize an abstract concept, the cross-

referenced notes will allow you to more easily recognize and discuss the author’s use of

the symbol, perhaps forming the basis for a working outline. It might also allow you to

recognize the symbol’s function in the work (i.e., does it help the author direct focus

toward a theme? Is it assisting in character development in some way?).

Organizing Your Ideas and Notes into a Working Thesis

When through reading the work(s)—preferably after multiple readings and

substantial note-taking—assimilate all your ideas and notes into a clear overview,

stated as concisely as possible in an opinion or claim. This will be your working thesis.

It may change some as you proceed, but it will allow you to better direct your research

efforts for appropriate critical analytic support.

A working thesis will be a complete sentence that names the author and the

literary work(s)—or portion of the work if very lengthy—and makes a clear statement

of your opinion to be supported in the paper. For example, the following could be a

working thesis about symbolism in the previously mentioned Hawthorne short story:

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” the author uses the

character Faith to symbolize Goodman Brown’s religious faith, in order to

suggest a theme that loss of one’s religious faith will cause one to question

other beliefs as well.

You’ll note that the thesis presents an opinion about both symbolism and theme that its

writer would then have to support by offering persuasive proof or evidence from the

James 4

story itself, along with the explanations necessary to convince a reader that the opinion

is a reasonable one.

Library Search

Begin your library search for appropriate scholarly critical analytic material that

you can use to support your own analytic discussion in the research paper. Important

note: Waiting until you have completed your initial efforts at reading and note-taking

will make it less likely that your paper will simply present other people’s ideas instead

of your own. It will also substantially reduce the time and effort involved in research.

Because you have read the work(s) of literature by your author and come to your own

conclusions regarding the particular literary element, you will limit your research

efforts to sources that make at least some reference to your topic. And when you are

examining these sources, you will be able to more quickly determine their usefulness as

support for your argument.

The following represents a possible search pattern in the library:

 Computer Catalog. A place to begin your library search will likely be in the

computer catalog, where you’ll search for the author and his works as subjects of

books held in that library (or in the library system as a whole). Under each

listing, find the Library of Congress information and scan it for references to

your topic. Again, this is something you can’t do if you don’t already have a

topic and working thesis because you won’t know what to look for and will thus

have to look at everything. If a source appears to have potential, list it on a piece

of paper or a note card, along with all the information necessary to present it in a

research paper. A few minutes spent at this point will save time and effort later

on.

 Anthologies. Of particular interest in any search of the computer catalog will be

listings for anthologies of critical scholarly material dealing with your author’s

work. These anthologies are not sources themselves, but collections of

individual articles or excerpts that may prove useful as sources in your paper.

Several major publishing companies offer entire series of critical anthologies

James 5

dealing with major authors and their work. Prentice-Hall, for instance, has a

series entitled Twentieth Century Views, which covers writers from the modern

era.

 Critical Edition/Casebook. Similar to the anthology is what is referred to as a

‘critical edition’ or ‘casebook.’ What distinguishes these from a simple critical

anthology is the inclusion of one or more literary works by the author, as well as

scholarly articles or excerpts. Norton publishes a complete line of critical editions

on most major authors.

 Reference Anthologies. Next you’ll wish to check whatever literary reference

works the library has, consulting the index and finding the author and any

listings for articles on the literary work(s) you’re analyzing. Companies such as

Gale Research and others have greatly simplified the student’s research efforts

by gathering a variety of critical sources together into convenient bound volumes

(anthologies) containing entire scholarly articles (or excerpts) for easy access by

students. In addition, there are also electronic anthologies or databases available

through most college libraries. Since the databases are purchased by the library

by subscription, these typically can be accessed only by currently enrolled

students.

 Reader’s Guides. Further search might involve reader’s guides to periodical

literature for listings of articles and essays on your author and his work. The

MLA Bibliography and the Cambridge Guide to English Literature are perhaps the

most essential of these for student research, though there are others.

The Working Bibliography

A working bibliography is a list of critical scholarly sources you intend to consult

as possible analytic support for your thesis opinion. This list will include all

information necessary for an MLA Works Cited page (author, title, and publishing

information), as well as a brief note or summary of the source’s potential relevance to

your research paper (to aid your memory later). A proper working bibliography will

usually consist of at least ten potential sources, as some sources may be unable to be

James 6

located or have no relevance for your thesis as it develops over the course of drafting.

The bibliography will not include the literary work(s), though the work(s) will

eventually be part of the finished paper’s Works Cited page.

Construct a list of as many of these critical articles as possible, excluding those that

appear to have no relevance to your topic area. This will be your working

bibliography for the research paper. You should not change your topic after the

working thesis and working bibliography are submitted and approved by your

professor, since it almost certainly will be too late to begin research on a different topic.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Locate and gather the critical articles and begin reading them, again taking careful

notes (either on note cards or in a notebook) of material you can use from them to

support your argument in the paper. Important note: It is absolutely essential that a

scholar’s words or ideas be offered accurately in the paper. Presenting them out of

context or in any way distorting them will call all your efforts into question. Any

material used from a scholar’s work—whether quoted, paraphrased, or

summarized—must be credited within the research paper with a proper MLA

citation. Failure to do so will constitute plagiarism (whether unintentional or

otherwise), which could cause the research paper to be severely penalized. Intentional

plagiarism, if discovered, is cause for a paper to receive a grade as low as a zero, and

perhaps an F in the course. Thus, a simple rule of thumb for avoiding plagiarism in a

research paper is as follows: If the ideas or words were not generated in your own

head, credit is necessary in the paper. For information about the proper incorporation

and citation of research material, see the later section devoted to those tasks.

Organizing Your Notes

Connect the notes gathered from the critical articles with the appropriate textual

evidence from the literary work(s). If your note taking has been done on standard note

cards all along, this will be a fairly simple process of grouping cards together.

James 7

The Rough Draft

Begin the synthesis of a rough draft, clearly stating your thesis opinion in the

introduction. In the body of the paper, follow a systematic, well-organized exploration

of your argument by presenting:

 your idea clearly explained

 the textual evidence from the work(s) supporting the idea

 the supporting critical analytic material obtained from your research

The previously offered example of a thesis about Hawthorne’s use of Faith as a

symbol in “Young Goodman Brown” might involve the following material in support,

with the MLA in-text citations from the work referring to the Norton anthology, 5th ed.,

version of the story, and the source citation being from a hypothetical source discussing

the work:

Hawthorne very deliberately uses the name “Faith” for Brown’s wife so that

Brown’s words in the story can function as indicators of his internal conflict as

he struggles with his decision to go into the forest and engage in the evil ritual.

In fact, he’s barely left his house and wife before saying to himself, “’Poor little

Faith!…What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand!’” (1236). Thoughtful

readers will soon connect his words with his powerful internal struggle to

remain true to his religious faith, though ‘leaving it behind’ this one night in his

life. Critic John Doe suggests that the use of the name “Faith” is a bit obvious to

some yet contends, “The name is perhaps not as heavy-handed a symbol on

Hawthorne’s part as some scholars have suggested, since he was obviously

producing his tales for a broad popular audience of his day and not literature

scholars of a later era” (54).

In the sample above, the proper approach has been followed, with the writer first

presenting a statement of opinion about the symbol, then offering a quote from the

work as textual evidence, followed by further analytic discussion, and finally

presenting a supporting quote from a research source uncovered.

James 8

Important reminder: Make certain that everything (including quotes from the literary

work) has the necessary MLA citation.

Revising and Rewriting

Revise/rewrite until the best draft is achieved. Prepare a careful Works Cited page

indicating all literary works and scholarly material used and cited in the paper.

Prepare your final copy. In the package to be turned in, be sure to include your rough

draft and highlighted copies of all cited critical source material, if required by the

professor. Do not include highlighted copies of material quoted from the literary

work(s), unless requested.

WORKS CITED PAGE

Any formal paper involving research requires accurate information to be presented

regarding the source material being used in the paper, and this is typically offered after

the body of the paper in a Works Cited page. Preparing an accurate Works Cited page

is an essential part of any Modern Language Association-style research paper, and it is

even recommended that it be prepared prior to final revisions to the draft to insure

complete correspondence between source citations in the paper and the source listing

on the Works Cited page. Any discrepancies must be corrected before finalizing the

paper. In order to properly prepare this page, you must correctly identify the nature of

the research source in order to determine the appropriate model from among the many

possible samples encountered in any MLA guide, including this one. Following the

wrong sample model will result in confusion, not only on the Works Cited page, but

also within the body of the research paper itself. So take your time to properly identify

the source, and if you’re uncertain, consult your professor and show him/her the

source itself.

 Unlike a Working Bibliography, a Works Cited page includes only those scholarly

sources and literary works actually used and cited in the body of the paper (thus the

term “Works Cited”). And these sources and works are always listed alphabetically

James 9

by the author’s (or editor’s) last name. When a source (perhaps a newspaper article)

has no author indicated (anonymous), the listing will be alphabetized by the title.

 You should also be aware that MLA format is generally very abbreviated, or

streamlined, in its approach to listing entries so that publication information for

books is limited to the city of publication, with the state omitted, and the key name

in the publisher name (for example, Prentice, rather than Prentice-Hall).

 Publishing information is found in nearly all books on the bottom of the book’s title

page, and the year of publication will be found on the reverse side of the title page.

When multiple cities of publication are listed, as a general rule, you should select

the first one in the list. The choice can be verified by checking against the publisher’s

address, sometimes found on the reverse side of the title page. When multiple dates

of publication appear, select the most recent, as that will correspond to the edition

in hand.

 When citing a book that has more than one volume or more than one edition, be

careful to list that information in the appropriate place.

 For the book title, use the version on the title page. For book titles that have

subtitles, separate the title from the subtitle with a colon, even though the title page

does not indicate one. But be aware that many subtitles can be omitted in MLA’s

streamlined style, unless the subtitle is an essential part of the overall title and its

meaning.

 Incorrect punctuation of a title will result in confusion and must therefore be

avoided at all costs. The titles of major works (books, epic poems, etc.) are always

italicized (or underlined if the professor prefers that approach). The titles of lesser

works (short stories, essays, or journal articles, etc.) are always placed in quotation

marks (which go outside any separating punctuation in the listing).

 Capitalization of titles is also important. Only the key words of the title are usually

capitalized, with articles (a, an, the) left in lower case. The initial article in a title will,

of course, be capitalized.

James 10

 Due to the use of computers and the Internet as a common means of accessing

source material, current MLA format indicates the nature of the basic medium being

accessed: Print or Web, for example.

 MLA format uses a hanging indentation for all lines below the first, with the first

word of the line being five letters or characters in from the margin.

Sample MLA Works Cited Entries:

 A book with one author (fiction or nonfiction)

McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. New York: Vintage, 2006. Print.

 A book by two or three authors (fiction or nonfiction)

Burroughs, William, and Allen Ginsberg. The Yage Letters. San Francisco: City

Lights, 1963. Print.

 A book by more than three authors (“et al.” stands for “and others”)

Johnson, Philip J., et al. Psychosis in the Modern Male. Boston: Harley, 1999.

Print.

 Two or more books by the same author (the books will be listed alphabetically by

title, with the author’s name replaced by three unspaced hyphens, after the first title)

Hemingway, Ernest. A Moveable Feast. New York: Scribner’s, 1964. Print.

– – -. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner’s, 1952. Print.

 A book with an editor (for multiple editors, follow the same pattern as for authors)

Arnold, Edwin T., and Dianne C. Luce, eds. A Cormac McCarthy Companion: The

Border Trilogy. Jackson: U P of Mississippi, 2001. Print.

 A republished book

Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 1884. Berkeley: U of California

P, 1985. Print.

 An essay in an anthology (include the pages of the entire essay, not just the ones

cited)

Fussell, Edwin. “Fitzgerald’s Brave New World.” F. Scott Fitzgerald: A

James 11

Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Arthur Mizener. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice,

1963. 43-56. Print.

 A previously published essay in an anthology (include data for first publication,

and the abbreviation ‘Rpt. in’ [Reprinted in])

Carpenter, Frederic I. “Scarlet A Minus.” College English 5.4 (Jan. 1944): 173-80.

Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Vol. 10. Eds. Laurie Lanzen

Harris and Emily B. Tennyson. Detroit: Gale, 1985. 284-87. Print.

 More than one essay in the same anthology (This is known as a cross-reference.)

List the essay alphabetically, with a cross-reference to the anthology, usually by the

editor’s last name, followed by the pages from the individual essay. The anthology

is then listed alphabetically with all the necessary publication information.)

Bewley, Marius. “Scott Fitzgerald’s Criticism of America.” Mizener 125-41.

Mizener, Arthur, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood

Cliffs: Prentice, 1963. Print.

Raleigh, John Henry. “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.” Mizener 99-103.

 An introduction, preface, or afterward in a book

Allen, Hervey. Introduction. The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.

By Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Modern, 1965. v-viii. Print.

 An essay in a scholarly journal

Roth, Elizabeth Elam. “Terror and Tragedy: Divergent Roads in the Poetry of

Robert Frost and Joseph Brodsky.” CCTE Studies 61 (1996): 9-18. Print.

 A lecture (Information and ideas obtained during a classroom lecture warrant

citation, just as does the information used from a print or electronic source.)

Johnson, Jonas. “Shakespeare’s Parallel Plot Structures.” Survey of Brit.

Literature, Eng. Dept., Houston Community College—NW. 20 Oct. 2010.

Lecture.

 A short story, poem, or play in an anthology

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Imp of the Perverse.” The Norton Anthology of

American Literature. Vol. 1. Ed. Nina Baym. 5th ed. New York: Norton,

James 12

1998. 1563-67. Print.

 More than one short story or poem from the same anthology (Use a cross-

reference, as would be used for multiple critical essays from an anthology, but follow

the pattern for ‘more than one work by the same author’ for listing the works and the

author’s name.)

Baym, Nina, ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 1. 5th ed.

New York: Norton, 1998. Print.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birth-Mark.” Baym 1261-73.

– – -. “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” Baym 1286-1305.

– – -. “Young Goodman Brown.” Baym 1236-45.

Citing Electronic Sources

(sources accessed via computer)

The widespread use of the personal computer as a tool for doing scholarly research

has created new types of sources necessary to be cited and properly incorporated into a

research paper. The World Wide Web, or Internet, has allowed the rapid spread of–and

access to–both scholarly research material and the works of literature themselves

(Those authors whose works are legally in the public domain and no longer protected

by copyright laws—Edgar Allan Poe, for example– can be readily found at many

websites.). The demands for proper crediting of these materials is no less critical than

for those accessed through conventional print media and is often more complicated. As

with print sources, electronic sources must be carefully identified in order to be

properly cited on the Works Cited page. In addition, they should be very carefully

evaluated for credibility, as the Internet allows anyone to post information via personal

or group web sites. Students need to be aware that convenience of access is no excuse

for using poor-quality information in a research paper.

In general, current MLA guidelines for citing electronic sources on a Works Cited

page call for inclusion of all the information appropriate to any print version of a

source (if one exists), as well as certain information peculiar to the posting of Internet

James 13

information. The following are common examples of electronic sources. For further

guidance and examples, you should consult the most recent version of the MLA Style

Manual, often available in the library’s reference section.

 An essay from a Subscription Internet Database

Paulits, Walter J. “Ambivalence in ‘Young Goodman Brown’.” American Literature

41.4 (Jan. 1970): 577-584. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Anna J. Sheets. Vol. 29.

Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 Sept. 2010.

 An essay on the Web with prior Print Publication Data

Robinson, E. Arthur. “Thoreau and the Deathwatch in Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’.”

Poe Studies 4.1 (June 1971): 14-16. Poe Studies/Dark Romanticism. Edgar Allan Poe

Society of Baltimore. Web. 5 Sep. 2010.

 An essay from a scholarly project

Grantz, David. “Stricken Eagle: Women in Poe.” The Poe Decoder. Wed. 6 Sep. 2010.

 A literary work in the Public Domain on the Web

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” Edgar Allan Poe: Tales,

Sketches and Selected Criticism. University of Virginia. Web. 5 Sep. 2010.

Incorporating Literary and Source Material into the Paper

Equally important as the proper creation of a Works Cited page is the proper

incorporation of material from the work of literature and the scholarly sources

uncovered through research. As previously indicated, the listings on the Works Cited

page must correspond to the sources named and cited in the body of the paper, or

serious confusion will result. And since the analytic research paper will necessarily

involve textual evidence from the literary work, it too must be carefully cited and

included on the Works Cited page.

In general, information from the literary work or a scholarly research source which

has been summarized or paraphrased (which involves restating the material in entirely

James 14

your own words to avoid plagiarism) may be incorporated into your paper at any time

by offering a parenthetical citation which names the source and the page on which the

information was found. This source named in the citation must then correspond to a

source listed alphabetically on the Works Cited page.

Using the earlier Hawthorne sample paragraph, the following would be an

acceptable summary of the source material:

The use of the name ‘Faith’ for symbolic purposes by Hawthorne would perhaps

have gone unnoticed by contemporary readers (Doe 54).

It’s important to note that a paraphrase is generally of approximately the same length—

and perhaps longer—than the original it is restating, and is used when clarity or the

student’s writing style might be sacrificed by using a direct quote. Thus, the following

would be an appropriate paraphrase of the same original source material:

Hawthorne’s use of the name ’Faith’ is not as obvious a symbol as some critics have

argued, because he was writing stories for an audience of the mid-nineteenth

century, and not for critics who later analyzed his creations (Doe 54).

And here then is the same material from the hypothetical Doe source, as it was offered

in the earlier sample paragraph, but as a direct quotation, with the source named in the

text :

Critic John Doe suggests that the use of the name “Faith” is a bit obvious to some

yet contends, “The name is perhaps not as heavy-handed a symbol on

Hawthorne’s part as some scholars have suggested, since he was obviously
producing his tales for a broad popular audience of his day and not literature
scholars of a later era” (54).

What should be seen here is that, with a direct quotation, proper incorporation of the

quoted material involves what is known as an introduction or attribution for the

quotation, just as would be seen for quotations offered in a newspaper or magazine

article. The introductory phrase usually consists of the name of the source and an

appropriate verb such as ‘suggests,’ ‘points out,’ ‘writes,’ ‘contends,’ or some such

variation, followed by a comma and the source material (in quotation marks), and then

James 15

the page citation. Note that if the source is named in the introductory phrase (as in the

above example), the parenthetical citation does not include the name again. If the source

is not specifically named in the introduction, then the citation must include the source,

as for the following anonymous introduction:

One Hawthorne scholar suggests, “Faith’s pink ribbons are symbolic of her

innocence, and when she loses them in the forest, she then is susceptible to the forces of

evil” (Doe 55).

At times, a paper will need longer quotes for support than the brief example above.

When the material to be quoted appears on four lines or more in the original source

(and will require at least four or more lines in the paper), a different form is required

from the previous examples. The quotation must be introduced by naming the source

and offering a brief sentence of synopsis, followed by a colon. The quotation is then

indented ten letters or characters from the left-hand margin and is not placed in

quotation marks. It is followed by a period and the parenthetical citation, as in the

following sample, which might appear along with the earlier Hawthorne discussion:

Themes offered for “Young Goodman Brown” are numerous, depending on the

particular scholar’s focus in the story. The ending of the tale, closely scrutinized

by many scholars, appears to offer Hawthorne’s best hint at his intended theme:

Obsession with evil in the world prevents a person from seeing the good, and from

being happy. Doe supports this view, countering those critics who overly

emphasize the words put into the mouth of the devil:

The narrow focus on the part of some Hawthorne analysts, choosing to

see Hawthorne’s thematic opinion in the words of the devil (“Evil is the

communion of your race”), results from paying attention to an idea very

deliberately repeated by a central figure in the story. Yet Hawthorne

does not end the story with the devil’s pronouncements, and the reader

must take into account the somber conclusion: a life in which Brown sees

evil wherever he looks, even in wife Faith. (56)

James 16

The approach to the literary analysis research paper offered here is intended as a

helpful, if necessarily incomplete, guide for students. Further questions should be

addressed to the professor. And it’s important to remember that individual professors

may take very different approaches to their research paper assignments than the one

outlined here.

Note: This document is the property of Professor David A. James, Houston

Community College—Northwest, and may only be used by permission.

English

This week, we will discuss the differences between an essay without credible outside sources and an essay in which you incorporate quotes from outside sources that have been properly vetted.

For many students, the Internet is their primary research tool, and too often there is only cursory evaluation of the source of the accessed material. The textbook gives specific examples of reliable websites and why those sites can be regarded as trustworthy. For example, 123helpme.com, Spark notes, Cliff notes, and many other sites are not credible sources. Why? because they have not been properly vetted which means we do not know who wrote the summary (this matters). When developing your research paper assignment, determine the number and type of Internet sources that you will allow students to use. Students should understand that they need to use printed as well as electronic sources. Obviously, search engines such as Google have transformed the landscape of research and the Internet should never be banned out of hand as a place to find research material, yet much valuable scholarship is still not available online. To reduce the chance of plagiarism

(unintended or blatant) from the web, and to ensure that Internet-referenced material is from a reliable source, you might require students to turn in a printed copy of the Internet source material with their final papers. The Reference Librarian (Mrs. Felder Johnson) will conduct a class session via zoom on March 11th at 11 am devoted to doing literary research. Many students do not know how to use all the resources available in their college library which is why Mrs. Felder Johnson will be conducting a zoom session on credible versus non credible sources and introducting students to the online databases.

Documenting sources, especially Internet sources, is challenging for most students. For your last paper in E151, you need to learn how to choose a credible source and integrate that source seamlessly in your essay. The book for this class provides detailed information for citing print and Internet sources, a sample Works Cited list, and a comprehensive guide to the types of citations that students will likely use in their papers. I encourage students to allow sufficient time to prepare their Works Cited page, and review their papers for scrupulous documentation. Your last essay is not a 10 page research paper which I would ideally give for this course. Instead, the essay is going to be four pages in length exclusing the Works Cited page and you’ll need to demonstrate that you know how to integrate a source into your essay as well as prepare a proper Works Cited page. Because we humans procrastinate, it is advisable to break the task of generating a research essay into dated steps. This week in addition to a zoom session with Mrs. Felder Johnson, I am going to ask you to think about a topic for the zoom session on Thursday. For example, suppose you want to write a short 4 page paper on one of Flannery O’Connor’s works, then you should find the theme such as redemption in a Good Man is Hard to Find, then begin to think about what your working thesis will be and finally, by Thursday have some tentative idea so that you can ask Mrs. Felder Johnson questions. The goal should be to have students engage in the real writing process—that process by which writing, thinking, rewriting, and rethinking lead to real re-vision. We want our students to realize the depths of meaning present in the literature that they read and the depths of their own responses and ideas through continued exploration.

Tasks to Complete:

Think about a topic you would like to write on for a 4 page critical literary analysis that includes one outside credible source. For example, one topic could be what the Chrysanthemums in John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums symbolizes in terms of her marriage? If we read the short story, then you can’t write on it with the exception of Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” in which you could analyze the man’s motivations for ignoring the old timer’s advice about walking in the blizzard and how his stubborness proves fatal. You could write how the grandmother’s hypocrisy in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, redemption in Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelations”, Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat”, Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill”, Zz Packer’s “Brownies” and if you need a short story please email me. Please note with the exception of “To Build a Fire” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the other short stories are not posted. This time, you’ll need to find the actual story.

Once you have a tentative thesis, email me that so I can decide whether or not it should be stronger.

Mrs. Felder Johnson will be given us a library orientation on Zoom on Thursday at 11, make sure you have questions to ask her about finding credible sources for your paper.

Complete the Integrating Source exercise for extra credit.

Watch the youtube video on sources and literary analysis papers.

Read everything in this unit including the overview.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html

Documented Essay Instructions

Due Date: March 31st (no exceptions)

Format: MLA.

Purpose: To demonstrate knowledge of using an outside source within a documented paper and to show integration of this source within an essay.

Topic: Write a literary analysis in which you incorporate an outside source (an article from Academic Search Complete). Your outside source must be submitted along with a Works Cited page). Your Works Cited page should be on a separate sheet of paper. This last paper is worth 15% of your overall grade. You must include a properly formatted Works Cited page. You must use in text citation from your source. Failure to include in text citation from your source and a Works Cited page will result in a grade of no higher than a 60. If you have significant grammatical errors and development problems in addition to submitting a plot summary, then a grade of no higher than a 60 will be marked on your essay. You can write your analysis on yet another short story, poem, OR a play from the anthology. You may not use a source OUTSIDE of Academic Search Complete and if you do so, then you will receive a failing grade on this assignment. Proper in text citation and a properly formatted Works Cited page is crucial to earning a passing grade on this final essay assignment.

Your paper should include the following:

 A literary thesis (three points)

 Multiple paragraphs

 Analysis supported by references to specific moments in the text, to include at least one properly cited and MLA formatted direct quotation and paraphrase (I have made many comments on papers for those who are not putting in direct quotes from the story. Essays that fail to incorporate quotes from the story will receive a grade of no higher than a C assuming there are not many grammatical errors!)

 Writing that reflects knowledge of the conventions of standard American language and the literary terminology associated with fiction.

This paper should have a thesis and a clear beginning, middle, and end. It should consist of multiple paragraphs. It should be supported with evidence from the short story and one outside source. You should be using formal, academic language, including some of the literary vocabulary you have been exposed to over the last few weeks. Finally, the paper should show that you have a good grasp of grammar, mechanics, and spelling. These are the elements that every paper, regardless of course, should have.

Thesis:

By now, you know that I require a three-point thesis and supporting paragraphs!

This is not a literary thesis: Everyday Use is the story of two sisters and a mother who do not get along with each other. The reader already knows this.

Note that this “thesis”.

 is a statement of a self-evident fact or plot-point instead of a debatable position;

 does not offer an analytical perspective on any of the concepts we associate with fiction (plot, character, setting, theme, point of view); and

 includes an incorrectly punctuated title of the story.

Like most bad thesis statements, the second statement does not answer the “So what?” question, by which I mean that it does not explain why an attentive reader should care about the fact mentioned. If the writer of this thesis statement were to offer a well-founded theory of why the members of this family do not get along, this sentence could work as a thesis.

Here is an example of a paragraph that simply does not work in a literary analysis paper:

They had been pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and I had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them. The quilts hold a special place in the history of the Johnson family, and Dee do not really deserve them.

Although this paragraph has a quotation, notice that it comes at the beginning of the paragraph (no context is provided), fails to link the quotation back to important ideas or concepts introduced in the thesis, does not include appropriate MLA parenthetical citations, and includes incorrect grammar. There is no real “moment of interpretation,” which means the writer has not done his or her job.

For this paper, you MUST include direct quotes from the story IN ADDITION to direct quotes from a source that you find in Academic Search Complete. The very first time you use a quote you must introduce it. For example, if you are discussing “Everyday Use” and you find a good source to use, then you MUST write “According to Jane Doe, “Dee’s only awareness of her heritage occurs when she joins the Black Muslim Movement” (1). Note where the quotation marks are located as well as the page number.

For the works cited page note that you must center WORKS CITED (not in caps)

Doe, Jane. “Dee’s Identity Crisis in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use”. African American

Journal, vol 6, no 6, 2014. 12-25. Academic Search Complete. Accessed 1 April.

2019.

Note the way this source is cited. Last name first, first name period. Title of the article. Name of the journal, volume number, issue number, year the article was published, the page numbers, the database, and the date the article was accessed. ALL this information must appear on the Works Cited page in the order listed above.

You may not write on a short story that we read in class. You may write on John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” (the relationship between Clarissa and her husband, the symbol of Chrysanthemums), Flannery O’Connor’s works, Zora Neale Hurston and others in the anthology.