In this 2300-2800 word research paper, you will discuss how a novel of your choosing represents the culture (or particular subset of the culture) that the author focuses on in his or her novel. To do so you will be conducting a comparative analysis that will demand you do several things. First, select and carefully read a novel written by a non-American and non-British author. You must select one of the titles from the approved list. Next, conduct ample research on the culture discussed in the novel, compose a clear and sophisticated claim that takes into account both the author’s background and the culture presented in his or her novel, and research any additional themes, literary critiques, or historical documents that you think will be helpful as you construct your argument. Adhere to all MLA 8 guidelines in this work. Your essay will be well organized, grammatically sound, and provocative. Support all your statements and claims using textual support. Textual support should come from the novel and the additional, academic sources that you find. Your novel will be your primary source.
However, you must evaluate all your sources, cite them correctly, and take care to incorporate them into your work; you must always introduce, restate, and relate all quotes. This will help give your multicultural report one single voice—yours. A single voice is important because it will keep your essay from sounding like a collage of research and historical data. This paper should not read like a history report, book report, or biography.
In addition to making a valid claim and developing that claim by way of close reading and carefully conducted research, you will want to offer a brief yet useful summary of your book. Be careful that you do not spend too much time on a plot summary, but in order for your paper to make sense to readers, you will need to hit the high points for them. This is an excellent place to use key terms and vocabulary from our class. Discuss the structure of the narrative, the conflict, climax, and resolution, the protagonist and antagonist, and anything else that an unfamiliar audience would need to know to fully understand your own argument. You may also find it necessary to include some biographical information about the author and historical context. Remember that while you may find existing interpretations of your chosen novel helpful, it can be easy to rely too heavily on what others have said about the work. Be sure to move quickly from other scholars’ interpretations to your own claims about the text and the culture that it portrays.
Basics:
2300-2800 words (this does not count the works-cited page)
5 sources in addition to the novel (at a minimum of 6 total sources—you may exceed 6 sources)
MLA style (in-text citations and a work cited page)
List of possible titles: Posted in the syllabus in the Getting Started tab on Blackboard. Recycled papers will not be accepted.
