ENGL 3122             Research Paper            Dr. Robinson

Most of the writers we have looked at share a common concern:   What
does it mean to be human in the contemporary world, a world  changing
at an unprecedented pace, a world where traditional  beliefs, values,
and life styles are increasingly being swept  away before a tide of
technology, commerce, and urbanization?   Also, as artists, they are
worried about the place of the arts  (in particular literature) in a
world where the spiritual is  being replaced by the scientific and the
rational, and where the  only determinant of value is the marketplace.
I want you to  examine one author from each of two periods (Romantic,
Victorian, Modernist) and discuss how they address the problems  of
art's place in their world.  So you'll be discussing two authors
altogether.  In doing this, do not just look at the  thematic aspect
of their works -- look also at the styles they  employ, at the ways
they say what they say.  What major  differences can you discern?
Warning:  Don't try to make  generalizations about the "periods"
themselves; stick to the  authors and discuss their works.

The Research Paper will be a 7-8 page interpretive essay making use of
at least five critical resources, no more than two of which can be
Internet resources. In other words, you need to use the library to
track down relevant critical articles or books that pertain to your
selected authors. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, heading on
the first page, no title  page, but the essay should have a
title. Follow MLA style for documentation.
 
I suggest that you wait a while before picking one of your authors, so
that you can also consider the ones we will be reading from the early
twentieth century. However, you can begin researching an earlier
author immediately.

Thesis paragraph due:  Thursday, April 4

Final draft due:  Thursday, April 18 (last day of class)