Writing Resources

Assignment: Tying It All Together

Comparative Literature

Final Research Paper

• Goal: Integrating the skills you've learned in previous assignments — summarizing theoretical arguments and applying them to problems that arise in comparing literary works — adding to them a research component, which requires critically synthesizing secondary sources.

• Assignment sequence and deadlines:

  1. Tuesday, 4/20. Submit a research proposal of two paragraphs (the first stating the problem, the second a plan for researching a solutions).
  2. Friday, 4/23. Bring two sources to class (one from an online database search, one from a physical book or journal in the library).
  3. Tuesday, 4/27. Bring a (word-processed) outline of your paper to class (no more than one page).
  4. Friday, 4/20. Bring a draft of your introductory paragraph.
  5. Final paper due:
     • Seniors: 12 p.m. Sunday, 5/9
     • All others: 5 p.m. Monday, 5/10
• Assignment: Write an 8- to 10-page research paper (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font) that makes a comparative argument that engages the following sources:

  1. At least two literary texts. You may:

     • Choose one or both from the course readings; or

     • Choose one or both from elsewhere. If you do this, please attach copies of your texts to you paper when you submit it.

     • Additional considerations: Shorter works such as poems or short stories (rather than, say, novels) will be easier to manage for this assignment. If you are interested in writing about something longer, be sure that you can find a particular passage or two to focus on that will suffice to make your points, and which is short enough to copy and attach to your submission.

  2. At least four relevant critical sources (articles or books), at least two of which must be theoretical in the sense defined below:

     • Relevant critical works can be of two types:
       1. Interpretive— In the sense that they analyze one or both of your literary texts. These might not directly address the comparative problem of your paper in a theoretical, but (obviously) they should be relevant in some significant way for your paper’s argument.
       2. Theoretical — In the sense that they address a general literary problem or question that is directly relevant to the comparative dimension of your argument. These might or might not address your particular literary texts, but they must engage the comparative problem. NB: theoretical does not mean "jargony and impenetrable" (Ryan's phrase). If you've clearly defined your comparative problem, you should have searchable keywords that will yield accessible, relevant sources. Please do not hesitate to ask for help in defining your problem and search strategies! This really is part of what you are learning in completing this assignment.
     • When you work with critical sources in composing your argument, the goal is to put your critical sources into dialogue with one another, with you as the arbiter. Make sure that you select sources that are capable of speaking to one another in this way.

• Starting points:

  • By now you have worked with at least one theoretical article and at least two literary texts. You may continue to work with any, all or none of these.

  • Hopefully you will have identified a comparative problem, or set of comparative problems, which might serve as the kernel of your final research paper. This might be a problem you've already written about, a new one that arose in the writing of the first papers, or an entirely new one. In any of these cases, you may wish to continue to use any, all or none the literary and theoretical texts you have already used.

• Next steps:
  • Look for additional articles and books related to the comparative problem you have identified. It's great if these treat one or more of your chosen literary texts, but not mandatory. (See the requirements for critical sources, above.)
  • In researching your comparative problem, it is crucial to develop a set of keywords, which will help you use library resources to find what you need. Don't hesitate to ask for help!
  • Consult with reference librarians, and feel free to consult with RW and/or DP as you refine and research your topic and thesis.
  • We will soon have a special session with a reference librarian to acquaint you with the relevant library resources and search strategies.
• Comparative argument:
  • Something should be constant across texts: a theme, a genre, a motif, a symbol, etc.
  • Think about what differs across texts and why.
  • Do not feel like you have to get too fancy in your comparative strategy. Soundness, clarity and illumination of the primary texts are more important than theoretical sophistication. Let the literary texts drive (and justify) your comparative argument rather than using the texts to prove a theoretical point. Literary theory and literary analysis are thinking about literature. If they don't speak to the literary texts, they are not doing their job. The goal in using multiple critical sources is to illuminate and refine your literary comparison.
• References and formatting
  • Include an MLA format list of Works Cited at the end of your paper.
  • Use MLA in-text citations.

Please email your paper in Word (.doc) or RTF (.rtf) format to both Ryan Wepler and David Powelstock by then. Please also post it to your ePortfolio as full text (i.e., not as an attachment).

Feel free to consult RW and/or DP at any and all stages of your work!

David Powelstock and Ryan Wepler
Developed at Brandeis University through a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation