British Author Research Paper

British Author Research PaperEnglish 10 Honors Fossum 1

Your task is to research a British literary movement and assemble (1) a visual collage and (2) a written analysis of themes relevant to the time, works celebrated, and interesting facts about at least one prominent writer who lived and wrote during that time. Ultimately, your goal is to make a case for how theliteratureof this time period influenced future generations and why it is still worthy of study today.

Collage

First, conduct Internet and print searches of information relevant to the time period, names of authors, famous works of the times, historical events. Choose an author you have never studied before and look up about.com and Wikipedia searches (ok, just this once) to first get a PREVIEW of types of works/themes/styles.

Go to the BBC British Timeline on my website to check out events from the period. Then use the corresponding years to find images that reflect the food, fashion, entertainment, cultural norms, customs, architecture, government of the time period.

Find examples of the writing style, vernacular, and just what was popular among readers at the time. You may include the works of one or more writers.

Put together a visual collage---powerpoint ok in which you organize creatively the words, faces, and cultural and historical themes of the time.

Type up a one-paragraph explanation of the choices you made in designing your collage.

*Revision: Add a typed Bibliography of Works Consulted to accompany this visual (this can be adapted for future use for the final paper due in January)

The Research/I-Search Paper (Can choose from either format---see me for clarification)

Next, find at least four poems, one play, or one novel (depending on your reading speed!) and research these in depth. Read them first, then check out lit notes, criticisms, and anything else you can get your hands on to understand the texts further.

Decide upon a specific literary style or technique your author employs in his/her work and why it is effective in illustrating the challenges and/or values of the time period in which he/she wrote. Generate a THESIS STATEMENT in which you state this and map out what you intend to prove in your paper.

Be sure to highlight or copy individual passages and quotations you plan to use in your paper and give the correct MLA in-text citations for each.
Go back to review the time period, the author’s life story, and anything else that may be relevant in making a case for how important or representative this author was to the time period.

Organize your notes using the Magic 3 technique and write your paper. Use smiley face tricks when possible to emphasize your point, to show and not “tell,” and to persuade your reader that this author or time period is one of importance to us even today. In other words, make this interesting to read. Wow us with your new found knowledge and experience.

Content of Your Paper

The three areas to cover on your writer are:

1. Biography--don’t get too detailed on little stuff…focus on how your writer represented the time period and how his/her personal experiences influenced his/her works.

2. MajorWorks--

-at least twoexcerpts of the writer’s work that reflected the time period (poem, novel or play)

-brief noting of major works (this can be woven throughout the paper or several can be noted in a sentence or two—do not simply “list.”

-a quotation the author is known for having said and/or a quotation/criticism written about him/her

3. Information about the erain which writer wrote (keep in mind some authors’ lives overlap time periods)--

-political events

-social changes of significance

-writing style

-other writers

Your overriding intent is to give us a preview of the time period and make a case for why this author is representative of his or her time and/or why his writing should be of interest to us still.

Format of Your Paper

The body of the paper is to be at least 3 pages long but no longer than 6 pages.
The paper should be double-spaced with a 1-inch margin all around.
The header should include your last name and page number.
A heading on the left should include your name, my name, the course name, and the date of submission.
The paper should be stapled; no cover necessary; no plastic folder.
The paper should be printed in 12 point font (Times New Roman)
The paper should contain at LEAST three quotations, correctly cited, either from the works themselves or from the writer or other persons of the time period.

You should also include a Works Cited page AND an Appendix with a print out of an excerpt of one of the works (or a hefty sampling).

Works Cited Page

Center the words Works Cited on the first line.
Type the entries in alphabetical order by author’s last name or by the first word in the title not counting the words “a, an, or, the.”
Double-space everything on this page—within entries and between entries.

Documentation and Citations

Please use the MLA Format for parenthetical citations. Whether you paraphrase, summarize or quote, you must cite every source used in your paper. The citations follow the last word in the material and are enclosed in parentheses and followed by a period. At least one of those quotes needs to be longer than four typed lines, thus it is a “block quote” that has different punctuation and spacing. Remember to cite EVERYTHING! Ex) (Shelley 14)

Miscellaneous Notes

Each assignment is listed with due date and point value (see schedule). If you do not have the assignment ready on the listed date, you won’t receive the points. However, you must still turn in or show me that assignment before I will accept the next assignment. I will not accept the final draft unless I have seen the rough draft. All notes, photocopies and downloaded notes are to be turned in with the final draft.

Select Your Time Period by ______

Choose a selection of poems, a play, and/or a novel by the author by ______

Turn in your collage by ______

Turn in your thesis statement and outline by ______

Show me your rough draft and notes by ______

Finished Paper due ______

British Author Research PaperEnglish 10 Honors Fossum 1