English1B-ResearchPaperAssignmentFA18LATE-_2 x
- Type of paperResearch Paper
- SubjectEnglish
- Number of pages9
- Format of citationMLA
- Number of cited resources8
- Type of serviceWriting
Majority of instructions are on the upload. I want the paper to focus on Grendel by John Gardner. The papers instructions along with the format of the paper are on the upload. If you can write a paper connecting Grendel to the instructions of the research paper for example how society and Grendel relate, and more. minimum 2500 words about 6 to 8 cited sources 250 words must be on literature review must be MLA format I believe he has a layout of how the paper should turn out, such as introduction, thesis, literature review, etc which is on page 4 of the upload under paper components. link to several examples: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzBOp9O4MlQSWV9mNFZJZW51N0E
“Monster” Research Paper Assignment
English 1B
J. Lerma – West Valley College
“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.”
―
Stephen King
,
The Shining
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
―
Friedrich Nietzsche
Overview of your Assignment
For this assignment, I would like to see you choose a topic related to your favorite monster story, so a work of
fiction
. It should be something that you find interesting, puzzling or challenging. This assignment gives you a lot of control over what and how you write your paper, so take advantage of this freedom!
You will:
· Find a short story, play, poem or novel focused on a monster.
· You will be writing a Research Proposal (see assignment in this folder) that will be due during Week 4.
· The paper will also have to have a “Literary Approach” – which we’ll talk about in more detail.
· Avoid books that are more interested in simply entertaining, such as the
Twilight
series. They will not meet our academic standard and you may not have time to find a new book!
If in doubt, please ask me about your choices.
Of course older monster stories like
Frankenstein
,
Dracula
, and
Beowulf
will have more analyses written about them. That doesn’t necessarily make them better than new stories, it just means that there has been more time and research done. So, if you decide to do something newer, then you will have to spend a bit more time and effort setting up the discussion – be cautious not to let too much time go by before you start it.
Read the following articles to help orient you further.
1. “
The Art of Literary Fiction
“, by Umberto Eco
2.
“The Great Divide: Commercial vs. Literary Fiction
“, by Louisa Burton
What they both say is, basically, yesterday’s “light/popular fiction” is tomorrow’s literature – given that it is
good
fiction. There is a lot of bad literature out there that is tough to read, and in fact isn’t really that good. So, if you have a book in mind, run it by me and we can have a conversation about it. This is the beginning of the research process!
Initial Steps: Finding a Topic
1. I strongly suggest that you first choose a monster or monster story that interests you. Don’t pick something that you think just might be “easy.” Typically, they aren’t.
2. Once you’ve done this, consider going to a website such as Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble to explore versions of the story and critical analyses of the book.
3. There will be a limited number of papers written about the same monsters – as that gets kind of boring, right? You will be writing a research proposal that will be due
week 4 – see calendar.
Warning: don’t simply recycle a paper from high school or a book you read a long time ago. Students often try this thinking that because they did well before, they will do well again. That isn’t so! Books read for class are not eligible.
Not only is this plagiarism, but the standards are much higher in college.
4. From here, you should start looking at what critics have to say and then consider a literary approach. You should have made this decision at least by the end of
week
What is Literary Analysis?
Take on one piece of literature, a writer, or a genre and analyze it according to current literary theory. Most students choose to write a comparison and contrast paper focusing on the development of one author’s work compared to another author’s.
So, for example, if you are interested in children’s literature, you may write about Dr. Seuss and choose one story, comparing it to what other authors are writing for children. Or if you like mysteries, as a genre, you may choose Edgar Allen Poe and closely examine the “Purloined Letter.” Or you may want to compare a story of his with a more modern mystery.
In order to complete this assignment, I recommend that you choose an aspect of one of the “scholarly conversations” we have been reading and use that as the basis for your research. The discussion may overlap with other Schools of Literary Theory, so don’t concentrate on staying within any “artificial/rigid” academic boundaries.
So, for example, you may choose to analyze Dr. Seuss’ stories using a New Criticism approach. Or you may want to write about Wuthering Heights by using a Feminist approach. You could also write about a work like Brave New World using a psychoanalytic view. The idea here is to prove that you understand that stories can be seen from different viewpoints, as perceived by literary critics and the authors that write them.
The Literature Review
Most scholarly articles contain some sort of “Literature Review,” so I’d like for you to demonstrate your familiarity with the literature pertaining to your topic. Where/how you include that review is up to you, but it should be at least
one page long
and
clearly labeled “Literature Review
.” It is usually placed at the beginning or end of the paper with a subtitle to signify its purpose and
is a part of the 2500 word length
.
Consider questions like:
Was she respected then or did something happen over time? How did other writers of the time write about the same topics? Why was your chosen author different or similar than her contemporaries?
Literary Theory/Reminder:
Remember how one of the essays we read talked about the necessity of talking about flaws (or characteristics) of others’ opinions and then responding to them in some new way? That’s what I’d like for you to do.
I’m looking for you to interact with the other scholars who find interest in the subject matter of your particular literature/topic. The research doesn’t have to be anything “earth shattering,” but should show the insight you’ve gained through your research. I’d like to see that you’ve been engaged in the literary discussion of your topic – and not dismiss literary conversations as “oh, they’re just digging too deeply into something.”
· I won’t give you a list of topics, thus allowing you an opportunity to search out your topic based upon your individual literary interests.
· If you are having a hard time coming up with a topic, let me know and we can discuss possibilities.
Paper Components
1. Heading
In your heading, please put the name, date, class, section, instructor and word count. Also, don’t forget to include a title!
2. The Paper!
This is where you get to develop the main discussion. Be sure to start writing in advance of the deadline. You have all semester to write it, so make use of that time. Use your writing groups for support and consider heading to the WVC Writing Center for assistance.
3. The Literature Review (no more than 250 words)
The first paragraph will discuss the literary criticism you chose to use in writing your paper. Give an overview of what it is, details that separate it from other types of criticism and consider discussing how it fits into your paper’s analysis.
The second paragraph should discuss what type of writing was done during the book’s time period, making note of the author’s contemporaries and how her work fits with the rest. So if you were writing about Walt Whitman, you would also discuss other Transcendentalists such as Thoreau, Emerson and Margaret Fuller. This is the EASY part of the essay, so be sure to do a good job with this.
4. Works Cited Page
I know you are laughing that I shouldn’t have to say this, but as a research paper, it has to have a works cited page to document your work. This is NOT part of your paper’s word count.
Format
·
Preparation
: Write a research proposal, Complete Enhancements & Peer Discussion
·
Length
: Your paper should be approximately 2500 words
, but no more than 3200 words, excluding the works cited page.
·
Style
: MLA style. You must have a handbook that clarifies MLA style. Since English 1A was a research class, I expect you to now appropriate parenthetical notation, as well as literary documentation (although we will review the latter here).
·
Peer Letters
: These are not required but you may still write them for extra credit – see deadlines below.
Please keep these things in mind:
Thesis: The paper must have a clearly stated thesis, without using something trite like “my paper will be about,” and develop it using paragraphs focused on this one topic.
The thesis should have a “topic” stating the main idea discussed and an “argument” that clarifies “WHY” it is important. You will have a proposal due before the paper, so start working on it now.
Literature Review: Your paper will include a one page (250-300 word) review that will place your book, poem or drama in a specific genre, period and identify what other writers, historical events or details that may be relevant. This is required no matter what your theoretical framework.
Examples: Be sure that examples from your chosen text are included, ALONG with scholarly references. This is not a book report (summarizing the story) but should be a critical analysis of why this subject is important and what scholars have to say about it.
Works Cited: This paper differs from an English 1A paper, in that the majority of your sources will be scholarly journals.
· Academic Journals
· Books
· online sources (academic online resources)
· Sample:
Works Cited Page – Purdue OWL
Sample papers will be posted at the beginning of class.
Writing Situation:
This is a formal paper assignment so it should follow the criteria for each formal paper:
·
Discovery Draft:
A rough typed draft should be ready for writing workshop and be prepared to share with the instructor and your peers. This is OPTIONAL and not required.
·
Final Draft
: As a draft that is handed in to the instructor, as well as a
final receipt
from Turnitin.com. This paper cannot receive full credit when it is graded without these.
·
Turnitin:
Before you hand your paper in, you will need to send an electronic copy to
http://www.turnitin.com
. AND attach a final receipt with the percentage given. See explanation one website.
Timeline
· Research Paper Proposal – Week 4.
· Optional: Writing Workshop – Week 8 (Feel free to write peer letters for extra credit, but
none
are required of you).
· Your paper is due to
www.turnitin.com
by – Week 8
Websites Dedicated to Monsters:
·
10 Best Science Fiction Stories Where Humans Are The Monsters
·
Washington State University Class Website
·
Goodreads Top 100 Monster Stories
·
10 Terrifying Monsters That Still Give Us Nightmares
·
Wikipedia: Monsters in Literature
Websites that might offer insight into research writing:
· Solid discussion of
Literary analysis: HCC Learning Hub
· Using
Literary Quotations
·
MLA Overview Workshop
·
Literary Criticism In-text Citations
Videos
·
Review of In-text Citations
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Formatting
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