This page includes the GUIDELINES for the final paper due 12/12/2011.  

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• Resources and research links for this paper may be found in Course Materials.
•  Remember, scholarly and secondary sources are for helping YOU make concrete (and specific) observations about your PRIMARY TEXT (your CLOSE READING of this text is only SUPPORTED by your secondary research - secondary research should NOT make up the bulk of your paper).  
• Our Favorite Fiction - includes a list of the class' favorite works of fiction. Works with a star may be used for the final paper (other works may be used if discussed with the instructor). 

For your final paper, choose one long work of fiction (a novel or a play) or three short stories. Text(s) must be approved by the instructor. Do a close reading of the work(s) and develop a thesis which will focus the analysis. The final paper should rely PRIMARILY upon your close reading and analysis of the text(s), but you should also support your thesis with secondary research from at least three scholarly sources. The paper must be 8 - 12 pages long (MLA style - 12 point, Times New Roman, Double Spaced). The page length does not include the Work Cited Page. 

Due Dates: 

• Primary Text - due 9/21
• Topic - due 10/5
• List of three scholarly secondary text (on topic/text) - due 10/17
• Thesis - due 11/7
• Rough Draft - due 11/21
• Revision Returned (to students) - 11/30
• Final Draft - due 12/7 12/12

Remember, the sort of close reading and ANALYSIS you do in your paper is THE SAME SORT OF CLOSE READING AND ANALYSIS we have been doing iN CLASS. Think of class lectures as PRACTICE (or models) for papers.  

Final Paper: the moves that make good papers

For your final paper, I want you to focus on SOMETHING SPECIFIC (a narrative trope, a theme, a symbol) in a text or group of texts. Then I want you to create a THESIS and a PAPER that makes four "moves": 

1. Elaborate on the THING: a) identify the THING (trope, theme, symbol); b) describe a the scene that best illustrates this THING and it's significance (The female body and homosocial/homosexual bonding in Dracula - "The female body is a cite for homosocial bonding that has powerful homosexual tensions in the novel Dracula. This is best illustrated by the male bonding around Lucy's blood transfusions. Through her body and their, these men are connected. They have share something personal, from their bodies and have put it into the same woman. This is a woman who cannot find contentment in one man and knows not which she should choose. This is almost like having the men share their bodies with her and thus, this unifies them intimately.")  
2. Elaborate on the THING in the text: (i.e. Identify the significant scenes where the female body enables homosocial bonding and explain how these scenes relate to Dracula overarching plot or how these scenes interact with the overarching message of the text, or... make connections from the specific to the whole) 
3. Connect this THING to literary/social criticism: (i.e. Relate your observations and close readings to other scholars - orient your observations with the scholarly conversation about the text, or the theme, or the genre, or... "Scholars have examined both female bodies and homosocial/homosexual tensions in Dracula, but the role that female bodies play in enabling homosocial/homosexual bonds in this text has not been fully explored.") 
4. Elaborate on this THING outside the text: (i.e. Connect your THING to cultural context of your text IF POSSIBLE - "It was necessary for Stoker to use female bodies as a catalyst for his most intense homosocial bonds in Dracula because Stoker's Victorian audience was unable to accept overt homoeroticism in fiction.")  

You may find that these four moves blend into each other in your analysis or that one "move" dominates the paper while the other "moves" play supporting roles. Think of these "moves" as SUGGESTIONS, not a series of things to structure your paper. 

If you noticed, I cut and pasted part of your response to DRQ4 into my example - you're already making the "moves" I want you to make - you're finding WHY specific things are SIGNIFICANT. DO NOT STIFLE THAT! 

After reading your responses and listening to you in class discussions, I think your final paper will be strongest if you FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS FIRST and then if I want anything more, I'll let you know when I comment on your rough draft.