RESEARCH PAPER

Research Question  Who is ________________ and why is he/she a significant literary figure?  II. Subtopic #1: History of author’s life  Dates he/she were born and died  Mother and father  Important events and people (where they lived, who they married, influential friends, etc.)

III. Subtopic 1  Story of how author began writing  How did author begin to get interested in writing?  What was the first book he/she published? How did it get published? What is the story behind this happening?

IV. Subtopic 1  Literary criticism of most popular/important work  You must include opinions from 2 different literary critics in this paragraph.  Compare and contrast how the 2 critics view the author.  You can also mention how this author is generally viewed by both fans and critics.  You need to use at least 1 source from the database on AVL called “Literature Resources from Gale.”

Example: Today, Jane Austen’s novels continue to be analyzed by scholars, re-imagined by movie studios, or simply enjoyed by her fans. Critics generally have appreciated her style and her tone that is consistent in her novels (Hirsch). As early as 1813, one critic was praising her characters in Pride and Prejudice and states: “This rises very superior to any novel we have lately met with in the delineation of domestic scenes” (“Review of Pride and Prejudice”). Recent analysis has begun to look at the psychological content in this particular novel, including the role of shame in the lives of its characters. Hirsch concluded that because shame and its effects are still so prevalent in our society, we can still learn from her “exploration of these feelings nearly two centuries ago” (Hirsch 78).

Works Cited “Review of Pride and Prejudice.” The Critical Review 3.3 (Mar. 1813): Rpt. In Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jay Parini. Vol. 13. Detroit Gale Research, Literature Resource Center. Web 4 Dec Hirsch, Gordon. “Shame, Pride, and Prejudice: Jane Austen’s Psychological Sophistication.” Mosaic 25 (Winter 1992): Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Russel Whitaker: Vol Detroit: Gale, Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Dec

Homework:  Rough Draft of paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 due tomorrow (the body of the paper).

Introduction  Your thesis statement should be the last sentence of the first paragraph.  Your thesis is restating the research question.  The beginning of your paragraph should be something interesting to “hook” your reader. You want your reader to be interested.  You can lead with a quote by the author, a quote from one of his or her own novels, or a quote about the author.  It could also be an interesting fact about the author.

Conclusion  You should conclude your paper by coming to a conclusion based on your research about why this author is a significant literary figure.  You can briefly summarize your paper, but the main point of the conclusion is not to repeat your earlier paper, but to make your own conclusion.

Listening to a Speaker:  We will listen to a short presentation today from Michael Doran. He will explain about his job as a computer programmer.  You will then write a paragraph summary about on what he said. This will be a classwork grade to show how well you listened.