Order 949313: Argumentative Literary Research Essay
tutorthammy
Week7Essay.docxThis 1,200+ word essay applies a literary criticism to Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla in order to arrive to an analytical/interpretive thesis statement.
Three properly cited secondary sources and a primary source (Carmilla itself) must be used in the essay. This is an MLA essay which will require a works cited page.
The sources must be academic. I recommend JSTOR or Academic Search Complete, both available by going to the Courses tab on your Atlas page and clicking "Search the Library." From there, click "Databases A-Z," and then scroll down until you see Academic Search Complete and JSTOR.
A list of available literary criticisms can be found here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/01/ and in the Week 6 link.
As a heads up, the following sources are banned: Wikipedia, The Purdue Owl (the website linked above), SparkNotes, CliffNotes, Shmoop.
Outline :
How to find reliable sources for your essay?
Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) can also be a great way to find reliable sources.
If everything else fails, then consider DuckDuckGo or Google; however, these search engines include a variety of unreliable sources. As a note, .org is not a surefire extension. The only extensions which can almost always be considered reliable are .edu and .gov. If they are .com, org, .net, or anything else, then consider the author. Are they an English professor, historian, psychiatrist, or some other specialist in their field? If so, it might be a reliable source.
Alright, for this discussion, create an outline for your Argumentative Literary Research Essay and include two outside sources.
Example Thesis Statements and Mini-Outlines for guidance (these are not to be copied as the student's own thesis statement, although they may be similar):
Feminist Criticism:
Thesis: While Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla shows the strength of a relationship free from masculine influence, it ultimately concludes that the destructive nature of the patriarchy will eventually crush any attempt at female agency.
Ideas for Body Paragraphs:
- Discuss the blossoming of Laura and Carmilla's relationship along with its successes.
- Note how male roles are introduced to quash the female-centric bond (doctor, general, etc.).
- Mention how the story is concluded as a success--from the perspective of the narrator--when the female bond is destroyed by the men killing Carmilla.
Gender/Queer Theory
Thesis: Because Carmilla shows masculine traits, therefore stepping outside of gender normativeness, Sheridan Le Fanu's work casts her in a villainous light, ultimately punishing her while celebrating and rewarding Laura, who presents traditionally feminine attributes considered appropriate in that time period.
- Provide examples of how Carmilla defies traditional gender roles. Include a secondary source on gender/queer theory explaining gender binaries.
- Explain how she's eventually seen as an outcast and punished for her acting outside of expectation. Include a secondary source on how those which go outside of their designated gender roles in literature are punished.
- Show how Laura embodies the acceptable gender role of the time. Show how she is rewarded for this by the work.
Monomyth
Thesis: In Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, Laura successfully embarks on the hero's journey as represented by the Monomyth by being called to adventure with Carmilla's arrival, beginning her own transformation via vampirism, approaching the abyss of death and rebirth, and ultimately returning to her original status.
- Show the change in Laura's life as she moves into the unknown. Briefly explain the beginning of the hero's journey. Quote Hero with a Thousand Faces.
- Illustrate how Laura enters challenges and temptations, providing examples from the book about how Carmilla attempts to seduce her.
- Show how Laura enters the death and rebirth phase of her journey along with her return, providing examples from the text and explaining how they relate back to the hero's journey. Bring in another source on the Monomyth.
