When beginning literary research, you must first understand what literary criticism is. It can be one or more of the following:
An evaluation of works and the examination of the principles that influenced their creation
Compares a work with other works of the same genre
May examine the writer’s background to see how it influenced a work
Deals with the relationship of a work to the writer, the audience, and society
May examine the way in which the writer communicates ideas
Sometimes involves the study of history, philosophy, and sociology
Literary Analysis Research Essay
Because this is a diversity course, it is important that we explore in depth the cultural differences between Western and Eastern drama. As part of that exploration, you will write a 6-8 page research essay on one of the following topics.
Compare the treatment of one of the following themes in Western drama and Eastern drama.
Or you can compare the concept of tragedy as it appears in Western and Eastern plays: Oedipus, Medea, Recognition, Snow in Midsummer, Hamlet.
RESEARCH:
The essay must use both excerpts from the primary text (the play or plays) and secondary research about the text, author, time period, culture that you are exploring. At least two of your sources must be literary criticism.
Be careful when searching the internet for sources because you must use only credible, high quality sources for this essay. This means no Wikipedia, Sparknotes, Endnotes, or other similar sites (this is by no means an exhaustive list of the unacceptable websites).
