"Monster" Research Paper Assignment English 1B J. Lerma – West Valley College “Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.” ― Stephen King, The Shining “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche Overview of your Assignment For this assignment, I would like to see you choose a topic related to your favorite monster story, so a work of fiction. It should be something that you find interesting, puzzling or challenging. This assignment gives you a lot of control over what and how you write your paper, so take advantage of this freedom! You will: · Find a short story, play, poem or novel focused on a monster. · You will be writing a Research Proposal (see assignment in this folder) that will be due during Week 4. · The paper will also have to have a "Literary Approach" - which we’ll talk about in more detail. · Avoid books that are more interested in simply entertaining, such as the Twilight series. They will not meet our academic standard and you may not have time to find a new book! If in doubt, please ask me about your choices. Of course older monster stories like Frankenstein, Dracula, and Beowulf will have more analyses written about them. That doesn’t necessarily make them better than new stories, it just means that there has been more time and research done. So, if you decide to do something newer, then you will have to spend a bit more time and effort setting up the discussion - be cautious not to let too much time go by before you start it.   Read the following articles to help orient you further. 1. "The Art of Literary Fiction", by Umberto Eco 2. "The Great Divide: Commercial vs. Literary Fiction", by Louisa Burton What they both say is, basically, yesterday's "light/popular fiction" is tomorrow's literature - given that it is good fiction. There is a lot of bad literature out there that is tough to read, and in fact isn't really that good. So, if you have a book in mind, run it by me and we can have a conversation about it. This is the beginning of the research process! Initial Steps: Finding a Topic 1.   I strongly suggest that you first choose a monster or monster story that interests you. Don’t pick something that you think just might be “easy.” Typically, they aren’t. 2.    Once you’ve done this, consider going to a website such as Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble to explore versions of the story and critical analyses of the book. 3.     There will be a limited number of papers written about the same monsters – as that gets kind of boring, right? You will be writing a research proposal that will be due week 4 – see calendar. Warning: don’t simply recycle a paper from high school or a book you read a long time ago. Students often try this thinking that because they did well before, they will do well again. That isn’t so! Books read for class are not eligible. Not only is this.

1. "Monster" Research Paper Assignment
English 1B
J. Lerma – West Valley College
“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.”
― Stephen King, The Shining
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he
does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into
an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Overview of your Assignment
For this assignment, I would like to see you choose a topic
related to your favorite monster story, so a work of fiction. It
should be something that you find interesting, puzzling or
challenging. This assignment gives you a lot of control over
what and how you write your paper, so take advantage of this
freedom!
You will:
· Find a short story, play, poem or novel focused on a monster.
· You will be writing a Research Proposal (see assignment in
this folder) that will be due during Week 4.
· The paper will also have to have a "Literary Approach" -
which we’ll talk about in more detail.
· Avoid books that are more interested in simply entertaining,
such as the Twilight series. They will not meet our academic
standard and you may not have time to find a new book! If in
doubt, please ask me about your choices.
Of course older monster stories like Frankenstein, Dracula, and
Beowulf will have more analyses written about them. That
doesn’t necessarily make them better than new stories, it just
means that there has been more time and research done. So, if
you decide to do something newer, then you will have to spend
a bit more time and effort setting up the discussion - be cautious
not to let too much time go by before you start it.

2. Read the following articles to help orient you further.
1. "The Art of Literary Fiction", by Umberto Eco
2. "The Great Divide: Commercial vs. Literary Fiction", by
Louisa Burton
What they both say is, basically, yesterday's "light/popular
fiction" is tomorrow's literature - given that it is good fiction.
There is a lot of bad literature out there that is tough to read,
and in fact isn't really that good. So, if you have a book in
mind, run it by me and we can have a conversation about it.
This is the beginning of the research process!
Initial Steps: Finding a Topic
1. I strongly suggest that you first choose a monster or
monster story that interests you. Don’t pick something that you
think just might be “easy.” Typically, they aren’t.
2. Once you’ve done this, consider going to a website such as
Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble to explore versions of the
story and critical analyses of the book.
3. There will be a limited number of papers written about the
same monsters – as that gets kind of boring, right? You will be
writing a research proposal that will be due week 4 – see
calendar.
Warning: don’t simply recycle a paper from high school or a
book you read a long time ago. Students often try this thinking
that because they did well before, they will do well again. That
isn’t so! Books read for class are not eligible.
Not only is this plagiarism, but the standards are much higher in
college.
4. From here, you should start looking at what critics have to
say and then consider a literary approach. You should have
made this decision at least by the end of week
What is Literary Analysis?
Take on one piece of literature, a writer, or a genre and analyze
it according to current literary theory. Most students choose to

3. write a comparison and contrast paper focusing on the
development of one author’s work compared to another
author’s.
So, for example, if you are interested in children’s literature,
you may write about Dr. Seuss and choose one story, comparing
it to what other authors are writing for children. Or if you like
mysteries, as a genre, you may choose Edgar Allen Poe and
closely examine the “Purloined Letter.” Or you may want to
compare a story of his with a more modern mystery.
In order to complete this assignment, I recommend that you
choose an aspect of one of the “scholarly conversations” we
have been reading and use that as the basis for your research.
The discussion may overlap with other Schools of Literary
Theory, so don’t concentrate on staying within any
“artificial/rigid” academic boundaries.
So, for example, you may choose to analyze Dr. Seuss’ stories
using a New Criticism approach. Or you may want to write
about Wuthering Heights by using a Feminist approach. You
could also write about a work like Brave New World using a
psychoanalytic view. The idea here is to prove that you
understand that stories can be seen from different viewpoints, as
perceived by literary critics and the authors that write them.
The Literature Review
Most scholarly articles contain some sort of “Literature
Review,” so I’d like for you to demonstrate your familiarity
with the literature pertaining to your topic. Where/how you
include that review is up to you, but it should be at least one
page long and clearly labeled “Literature Review.” It is usually
placed at the beginning or end of the paper with a subtitle to
signify its purpose and is a part of the 2500 word length.
Consider questions like: Was she respected then or did
something happen over time? How did other writers of the time
write about the same topics? Why was your chosen author
different or similar than her contemporaries?
Literary Theory/Reminder:

4. Remember how one of the essays we read talked about the
necessity of talking about flaws (or characteristics) of others’
opinions and then responding to them in some new way? That’s
what I’d like for you to do.
I’m looking for you to interact with the other scholars who find
interest in the subject matter of your particular literature/topic.
The research doesn’t have to be anything “earth shattering,” but
should show the insight you’ve gained through your research.
I’d like to see that you’ve been engaged in the literary
discussion of your topic – and not dismiss literary conversations
as “oh, they’re just digging too deeply into something.”
· I won’t give you a list of topics, thus allowing you an
opportunity to search out your topic based upon your individual
literary interests.
· If you are having a hard time coming up with a topic, let me
know and we can discuss possibilities.
Paper Components
1. Heading
In your heading, please put the name, date, class, section,
instructor and word count. Also, don’t forget to include a title!
2. The Paper!
This is where you get to develop the main discussion. Be sure to
start writing in advance of the deadline. You have all semester
to write it, so make use of that time. Use your writing groups
for support and consider heading to the WVC Writing Center for
assistance.
3. The Literature Review (no more than 250 words)
The first paragraph will discuss the literary criticism you chose
to use in writing your paper. Give an overview of what it is,
details that separate it from other types of criticism and
consider discussing how it fits into your paper’s analysis.
The second paragraph should discuss what type of writing was
done during the book’s time period, making note of the author’s
contemporaries and how her work fits with the rest. So if you
were writing about Walt Whitman, you would also discuss other

5. Transcendentalists such as Thoreau, Emerson and Margaret
Fuller. This is the EASY part of the essay, so be sure to do a
good job with this.
4. Works Cited Page
I know you are laughing that I shouldn’t have to say this, but as
a research paper, it has to have a works cited page to document
your work. This is NOT part of your paper’s word count.
Format
· Preparation: Write a research proposal, Complete
Enhancements & Peer Discussion
· Length: Your paper should be approximately2500 words, but
no more than 3200 words, excluding the works cited page.
· Style: MLA style. You must have a handbook that clarifies
MLA style. Since English 1A was a research class, I expect you
to now appropriate parenthetical notation, as well as literary
documentation (although we will review the latter here).
· Peer Letters: These are not required but you may still write
them for extra credit - see deadlines below.
Please keep these things in mind:
Thesis: The paper must have a clearly stated thesis, without
using something trite like “my paper will be about,” and
develop it using paragraphs focused on this one topic.
The thesis should have a “topic” stating the main idea
discussed and an “argument” that clarifies “WHY” it is
important. You will have a proposal due before the paper, so
start working on it now.
Literature Review: Your paper will include a one page (250-300
word) review that will place your book, poem or drama in a
specific genre, period and identify what other writers, historical
events or details that may be relevant. This is required no
matter what your theoretical framework.
Examples: Be sure that examples from your chosen text are
included, ALONG with scholarly references. This is not a book
report (summarizing the story) but should be a critical analysis

6. of why this subject is important and what scholars have to say
about it.
Works Cited: This paper differs from an English 1A paper, in
that the majority of your sources will be scholarly journals.
· Academic Journals
· Books
· online sources (academic online resources)
· Sample: Works Cited Page - Purdue OWL
Sample papers will be posted at the beginning of class.
Writing Situation:
This is a formal paper assignment so it should follow the
criteria for each formal paper:
· Discovery Draft: A rough typed draft should be ready for
writing workshop and be prepared to share with the instructor
and your peers. This is OPTIONAL and not required.
· Final Draft: As a draft that is handed in to the instructor, as
well as a final receipt from Turnitin.com. This paper cannot
receive full credit when it is graded without these.
· Turnitin: Before you hand your paper in, you will need to send
an electronic copy to http://www.turnitin.com. AND attach a
final receipt with the percentage given. See explanation one
website.
Timeline
· Research Paper Proposal - Week 4.
· Optional: Writing Workshop - Week 8 (Feel free to write peer
letters for extra credit, but none are required of you).
· Your paper is due to www.turnitin.com by - Week 8
Websites Dedicated to Monsters:
· 10 Best Science Fiction Stories Where Humans Are The

7. Monsters
· Washington State University Class Website
· Goodreads Top 100 Monster Stories
· 10 Terrifying Monsters That Still Give Us Nightmares
· Wikipedia: Monsters in Literature
Websites that might offer insight into research writing:
· Solid discussion of Literary analysis: HCC Learning Hub
· Using Literary Quotations
· MLA Overview Workshop
· Literary Criticism In-text Citations
Videos
· Review of In-text Citations