Your goal is to describe how the literary aims, styles, genres/forms, attitudes, beliefs of one era differ or overlap with another. You will reference at least three texts from each era that help you demonstrate the comparison. Note: you are not doing close readings of these texts but rather using them as reference points to support your larger claims about the periods in general. You should quote strategically.
Before You Start Writing:
Select two literary periods you’d like to compare: Romantic, Victorian, or Modern (your choices need not be chronological).
Identify key themes of each period that are ripe for comparison.
Choose texts from each period that best demonstrate the key differences you are describing in the paper.
Your Task:
Introduce some of the main characteristics of each period that you’d like to compare.
Discuss texts that illuminate or capture the characteristics of each period.
Make Claims about the differences of similarities between the two periods using your text selections as evidence.
Writing Suggestions
When you quote, quote purposefully. Quote important words, phrases or lines that exemplify the comparison. Avoid extended quotation or spending time close reading specific passages. This paper is more of an overview in its objectives.
Make sure to reference at least 3 texts per period.
