Prof. Derek P. Royal

ENG 442 –Survey of American Literature II

Paper Assignment

First, your class paper should reflect the historical scope of ENG 442—in other words, you must focus on a writer or text(s) written between 1865 to the present. I would prefer that you write on an author and a novel/story/poem that we’ve covered in class. However, if you have an idea for a work of literature that we haven’t read as a class, then you need to talk with me about this.

Here are some strategies for getting started:

Ø In deciding on a paper topic, begin by thinking of a text (prose or poetry) that you particularly enjoyed reading (or maybe even enjoyed arguing against) and consider that as your literary focus. Remember, you’re going to spend a good number of days and weeks dealing closely with this text, so choose something you can live with for a while.

Ø Next you will need to decide how you will approach your author/text. Think in terms of focusing on one particular aspect of your narrative or poem. Over a period of several days, engage in various pre-writing exercises (e.g., brainstorming, free writing, branching) and see what ideas occur to you.

o In coming up with a specific focus, you could consider one of the basic literary elements found on our handout, “Strategies on Reading Literature.” Keep in mind that in your paper you should concentrated on one literary element (for instance, either plot, or character, or irony, or imagery, etc.) and not feel that you have to cover several (plot and character and irony and imagery, etc.) in a laundry list fashion.

o You can most certainly discuss more than one literary element, but keep in mind that only one should be your thesis focus. For instance, if you want to look at the way that a writer deals with characterization (such as his or her handling of the central protagonist), you might need to bring in a discussion of setting and symbolism to illustrate your main points. In other words, you would be using aspects of setting and symbolism as it relates to issues of character.

o You can also think in terms of larger themes that would reach beyond the text. Here you might want to approach a narrative or poem in terms of a particular social, psychological, political, or cultural theme. You might consider these questions: What does your work say about a certain theme within its historical moment? What might the work reveal about the writer in his or her place or time? How might you apply your reading of this narrative or poem to contemporary cultural issues?

Ø After you decide on your paper’s focus, you’ll need to craft a well-written and finely-tuned thesis statement. This can be a working thesis at first, and as you write you may find that your thesis focus will shift. That’s okay. But please keep in mind that when it comes time for your final draft, your paper should have one, and only one, central thesis and that your paper should follow its trajectory throughout.

When it comes to the finalization of your class essay, here are the basic guidelines that you will need to follow:

Ø Your essay must be typed.

Ø Your paper must be written in MLA style. Please refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6^th edition. Every aspect of your paper must adhere to MLA guidelines.

Ø It must be 5-7 pages in length (not counting the Works Cited page).

Ø There must be a separate Works Cited page that contains all of the sources, and only the sources, that you cite in your essay.

Ø When citing (either in quote or paraphrase) your primary source, use the page numbers from our textbook (or line number, if you’re quoting poetry…see the MLA Handbook). If you’re citing a text outside of the one we’re using in class, you would obviously use those page numbers.

Ø Although ideally there is no set limit as to the number of sources needed to write a good literary research essay, for this assignment you must utilize at least three secondary sources:

o Your three sources must come from either a journal article, an essay from an edited collection of essays, or a part of a single-author book.

o Avoid brief reviews.

o You cannot use any information found on the general World Wide Web (this does not include the full-text sources you can find through one of the many databases our library subscribes to…those are perfectly fine).

o Your three sources must be critical sources, not primary sources (such as another story or poem by the author you’re writing on). You may use primary sources (other stories, novels, or poems), but they should not be counted as part of the three secondary sources.

Ø You paper must have one, and only one, thesis focus.

Please keep in mind that I am interested in what you have to say about a particular author and text(s), not what someone else has to say about your topic. In order to please your primary reader—me—you should keep in mind the following:

Ø Avoid sustained plot summaries. If you catch yourself doing nothing more than recounting the events of a narrative, stop yourself immediately. A literary research essay is not a summarization exercise. It’s okay to recount or describe a particular scene or event, and you may need to do so contextually in order to set up a particular point you’re making. But do not fall into the trap of pointless summarization.

Ø Avoid lengthy quotes. It’s appropriate to quote from your primary, and even secondary, sources. But make sure that when you do quote, you do so because the author’s words are of the utmost importance and a paraphrase will not do it justice.

Ø Avoid spending too much time on your secondary sources. You will need to incorporate what other critics have said into your own arguments, but you must never lose site of your own arguments. If you find yourself going into too much detail in summarizing your secondary sources, stop and think of ways to refocus your writing back on your thesis.

Ø It’s okay to critique or disagree with the secondary sources that you use. Just do it in a civil and professional manner.

Ø Don’t be afraid to make literary judgments. Remember, in engaging in this act of writing, you become a literary critic.

Ø Back up your arguments with textual evidence. This is very important! It’s one thing to claim that an author is saying something; but your statement takes on more authority when you can demonstrate your point through the text itself.

Ø Make sure that you cite your sources appropriately and give credit to words or ideas that aren’t your own. As stated in the syllabus, plagiarism is a capital literary offense. Anyone caught doing so, off with their heads!!!!

And on that happy note, enjoy doing your essay!