Looking at the outlines, a lot of you seem to be on a good track, but some of you seem to be a bit unclear about what the purpose of a literary research paper is. Remember that a research paper is still an essay. Again, read chapter 28 in our book (it starts in page 1683). Here are a few of my thoughts based on the outlines.
• A few of the outlines are structured around the secondary sources; each body paragraph simply explains one of the secondary sources. If you were to follow this outline the end result would not be an essay. It would simply be a collection of summaries. An essay must have an argument, a unified argument. As always, structure your essay around points that progress your argument. So, what is your thesis?
• The research paper is still an analysis of the primary text. So keep thinking about character, theme, plot, and all the elements of fiction. How does your research affect your understanding of one (or more) of these elements? Your answer to this question should be your thesis.
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