1. What Makes a Good Literature Paper?
An argument
When you write an extended literary essay, often one requiring research, you are essentially making an argument. You are arguing that your perspective-an interpretation, an evaluative judgment, or a critical evaluation-is a valid one. A debatable thesis statement
Like any argument paper you have ever written for a first-year composition course, you must have a specific, detailed thesis statement that reveals your perspective, and, like any good argument, your perspective must be one which is debatable.
Examples
You would not want to make an argument of this sort:
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play about a young man who seeks revenge. That doesn’t say anything-it’s basically just a summary and is hardly debatable.
A better thesis would be this:
Hamlet experiences internal conflict because he is in love with his mother. That is debatable, controversial even. The rest of a paper with this argument as its thesis will be an attempt to show, using specific examples from the text and evidence from scholars, (1) how Hamlet is in love with his mother, (2) why he’s in love with her, and (3) what implications there are for reading the play in this manner.
You also want to avoid a thesis statement like this:
Spirituality means different things to different people. King Lear, The Book of Romans, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance each view the spirit differently. Again, that says nothing that’s not already self-evident. Why bother writing a paper about that? You’re not writing an essay to list works that have nothing in common other than a general topic like “spirituality.” You want to find certain works or authors that, while they may have several differences, do have some specific, unifying point. That point is your thesis.
The Essay on Madness Of Hamlet
Madness may be a mental incapacity caused by an unmentionable injury. Madness is one of the major themes in Shakespeare s play Hamlet. Almost all the characters in the play have moments where, there are irrational actions. Their actions have significant consequences as the play progresses. Ophelia is one of these characters that by the end of the play go insane. However, Ophelia did not choose to ...
A better thesis would be this:
Lear, Romans, and Zen each view the soul as the center of human personality. Then you prove it, using examples from the texts that show that the soul is the center of personality. 2. On Literature Topics & Research
What kinds of topics are good ones?
The best topics are ones that originate out of your own reading of a work of literature, but here are some common approaches to consider: A discussion of a work’s characters: are they realistic, symbolic, historically-based? A comparison/contrast of the choices different authors or characters make in a work A reading of a work based on an outside philosophical perspective (Ex. how would a Freudian read Hamlet?) A study of the sources or historical events that occasioned a particular work (Ex. comparing G.B. Shaw’s Pygmalion with the original Greek myth of Pygmalion)
An analysis of a specific image occurring in several works (Ex. the use of moon imagery in certain plays, poems, novels) A “deconstruction” of a particular work (Ex. unfolding an underlying racist worldview in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness) A reading from a political perspective (Ex. how would a Marxist read William Blake’s “London”?) A study of the social, political, or economic context in which a work was written — how does the context influence the work? How do I start research?
The Internet
Once you have decided on an interesting topic and work (or works), the best place to start is probably the Internet. Here you can usually find basic biographical data on authors, brief summaries of works, possibly some rudimentary analyses, and even bibliographies of sources related to your topic.
The library
The Internet, however, rarely offers serious direct scholarship; you will have to use sources found in the library, sources like journal articles and scholarly books, to get information that you can use to build your own scholarship-your literary paper. Consult the library’s on-line catalog and the MLA Periodical Index. Avoid citing dictionary or encyclopedic sources in your final paper. How do I use the information I find?
Extemporaneous speech outline and speech with Cosplay as topic
Specific Speech Purpose: To share to my audience about the cosplay scene in the Philippines and answer inquiries in their minds about cosplay. Statement: Cosplay’s popularity growth is fast and there are lot of questions in the mind of people about cosplay. It’s meaning and reason varies from person to person and there are negativities to it. Introduction Attention Step: “Cosplay. I know a lot of ...
The secondary sources you find are only to be used as an aid. Your thoughts should make up most of the essay. As you develop your thesis, you will bring in the ideas of the scholars to back up what you have already said. For example, say you are arguing that Huck Finn is a Christ figure; that’s your basic thesis. You give evidence from the novel that allows this reading, and then, at the right place, you might say the following, a paraphrase: According to Susan Thomas, Huck sacrifices himself because he wants to set Jim free (129).
If the scholar states an important idea in a memorable way, use a direct quote. “Huck’s altruism and feelings of compassion for Jim force him to surrender to the danger” (Thomas 129).
Either way, you will then link that idea to your thesis.
3. Literature Paper Formatting
What about the MLA format?
All research papers on literature use the MLA format, as it is the universal citation method for the field of literary studies. Whenever you use a primary or secondary source, whether you are quoting or paraphrasing, you will make parenthetical citations in the MLA format [Ex. (Smith 67).] Your Works Cited list will be the last page of your essay. Consult the OWL handout on MLA for further instructions. Note, however, the following minor things about the MLA format: Titles of books, plays, or works published singularly (not anthologized) should be underlined. (Ex. Hamlet, Great Expectations) Titles of poems, short stories, or works published in an anthology will have quotation marks around them. (Ex. “Ode on a Nightingale,” “The Cask of Amontillado”) All pages in your essay should have your last name the page number in the top right hand corner. (Ex. Jones 12)
Tip
If you’re using Microsoft Word, you can easily include your name and page number on each page by following the these steps: 1. Open “View” (on the top menu).
The Research paper on Mla and Apa
When doing a formal, informal essay or a research paper, there are two major styles that one can format it in, those two styles being the MLA or APA style. When approaching the paper one must decide which style there going to use due to the fact that both the MLA and APA styles have many differences from each other in many ways. Both MLA and APA are different when it comes to the way your paper is ...
2. Open “Header and Footer.” (A box will appear at the top of the page you’re on. And a “Header and Footer” menu box will also appear).
3. Click on the “allign right” button at the top of the screen. (If you’re not sure which button it is, hold the mouse over the buttons and a small window should pop up telling you which button you’re on.)
4. Type in your last name and a space.
5. Click on the “#” button which is located on the “Header and Footer” menu box. It will insert the appropriate page number. 6. Click “Close” on the “Header and Footer” window.
That’s all you need to do. Word will automatically insert your name and the page number on every page of your document. What else should I remember?
Don’t leave a quote or paraphrase by itself-you must introduce it, explain it, and show how it relates to your thesis. Block format all quotations of more than four lines.
When you quote brief passages of poetry, line and stanza divisions are shown as a slash (Ex. “Roses are red, / Violets are blue / You love me / And I like you”).
For more help, see the OWL handout on using quotes.
Source:
Dallar, Mark. “Writing about Literature.” The OWL at Purdue. Purdue University: 1995 – 2008. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/618/
