JOURNEYS IN FICTION

Discuss a major character, theme, or issue in one or more literary works of any of the authors we are reading in the course (one of the required readings). The paper should be at least five pages long and should include at least two good secondary sources. If your paper is five pages long, then the Works Cited page will be your sixth page. You may write your paper on a course reading by any of the following authors: Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Updike, Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Charlotte Perkins
Gilman, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan
Doyle, William Faulkner, Washington Irving, Li Po, or Maya Angelou. The text of the literary work is the primary
source. Secondary sources are essays, articles, or books written by scholars or literary critics about a
particular literary work, or about several literary works, or about the author.
The following are possible topics for your paper:
The theme of good versus evil in "Snow-White" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
The Gothic elements in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"
The setting of the Grierson house in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"
The personal crisis of Sammy in John Updike's story "A&P"
The need for a sense of independence (or the need for a sense of liberation from the oppression of one's
surroundings) in Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" or in Updike's "A&P"
The power of the imagination in Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"
The theme of good versus evil in "Cinderella"
The power of love in one or more fairy tales
The message of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"
The theme of inner beauty in H. C. Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling"
The character of Emily Grierson in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily." These are merely suggestions.
You do not have to choose one of these. You may choose any topic (focusing on one of the required readings
for the course) you wish for your research paper. The research paper is due by Saturday evening of Week 6.
Also, keep in mind that some of these topics would require you to either read ahead. If you think you might
want to write on something that we have not yet read, and want to get started, please let me know and I would
be happy to supply you with the reading.