Before you start your research, you need to create a narrow research topic or question that fits the scope of your assignment. You also need search terms that describe your topic so that you can use them to find sources for your topic. This page will help you do these things.
Once you decide on a literary piece, here are some questions to consider:
-When and why was this text written?
-What important events were happening at the time it was written?
-Who was its author and original audience?
-How does its historical and cultural context affect its interpretation?
Narrowing your topic: here are a few ideas to consider as you decide on your topic (you don't have to talk about each one of these ideas; you can just pick one to focus on)
Focused idea 1: Many works of literature deal with historical and or social issues. Choose a text that focuses on a historical or social issue, and then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Focused idea 2: Choose a text in which cultural and/or historical events shape the psychological or moral traits in a character, then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how cultural and/or historical events happening at the time affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
Focused idea 3: All kinds of books have been attacked, suppressed, or disapproved of by authorities, groups, or individuals. Select an important work which you admire and which you propose to defend against possible objections. In a well-planned essay, present reasons why the work might be attacked, and base your defense on a consideration of such matters as its language, the people in it, its mood and spirit, and consequently its artistic purpose and its value for the readers.
Focused idea 4: Frequently in works of literature an important character violates the laws, the conventions, or rules of conduct of a society. In presenting such characters and actions, the author's purpose may be (1) to arouse our sympathy for the character who is violating the rules of society; (2) to divide our interest sharply between sympathy for the character and desire to support the principles of society; (3) to use satire in order to make a commentary on principles of a culture or society; and (4) to laugh with the character at the conventions that are being violated. Write a well-organized essay, analyze the author’s use of satire to bring attention to societal and cultural standards of the time.
Focused idea 5: In many texts, a character has a misconception of himself or his world. Destroying or perpetuating this illusion contributes to a central theme of the text. Choose a text with a major character to whom this statement applies and write an essay in which you consider the following points: what the character's illusion is and how it differs from reality as presented in the text, and how the destruction or perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the text.