Miscellaneous Research Information

Looking up articles in Galileo. In the best possible worlds, one could click on links like this one:
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=maco12153&tabID=T001&searchId=R4&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=8&contentSet=GALE%7CH1420014438&&docId=GALE|H1420014438&docType=GALE&role=LitRC

But since there is no guarantee, it's best to know how to look up an article.

From the MSC home page, go to LIBRARY

Go to Find an Article (Galileo)

Click on "Browse by"

Select and click on "Literature, Language, & Literary Criticism"

Select and click on the sub-category Litearture & Literary Criticism"

Go to "Literature Resource Center"

In the seach box type: The Things They Carried (short story)

below the search box, click on "Name of Work"

scroll down and click OFF: Biographies, Multimedia, and Reviews and Notes

scroll back to the top search box and beside it click on SEARCH

This should take you to THE PAGE with many, many references to criticism on the story.

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Always check to see if the citation is given for an article from Galileo; it could save you time. Just remember to double space and use a hanging indent for the Works Cited page.

Example:

Blyn, Robin. "O'Brien's The Things They Carried." Explicator 61.3 (Spring 

     2003): 189. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffery W.

     Hunter. Vol 211. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web.

     16 Oct. 2012.

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In the event that you have a quotation that runs OVER 4 typed lines, from either the story or the critic, use a signal phrase, followed by a colon, then the block quote.

Example: 

The reader can sympathize with the narrator who, in turn, tells the story of Jimmy Cross, who, like many

adults, comes to realize he must make a personal sacrifice for a greater good:

                  . . . Lieutenant Cross reminded himself that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead. He

                 would dispense with love; it was not now a factor. And if anyone quarreled or complained, he

                 would simply tighten his lips and arrange his shoulders in the correct commant posture. He might

                 give a curt little nod. Or he might not. He might just shrug and say Carry on, then they would

                 saddle up and form into a column and move out toward the villages of Than Khe ( O'Brien

                 1049).

The Literary Reserach Paper - Notes - Day 2: Incorporating Material

So . . .

Now you have stories, research, works cited, rough draft, thesis statement and you're ready to incorporate material into your paper.  The question now is . . .

HOW?

Assume for a moment that your topic for research and study is The Importance of Storytelling in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"

Your thesis statement: In addition to the narrator himself, several characters demonstrate the need for telling stories . . . [this will be refined later]

After researching the story and storytelling, you find that Tim O'Brien was very much aware of the importance of storytelling, and you find yourself wanting to let the reader know this. In the introduction, you might write:

In an interview with Patrick Hicks, O'Brien makes the comment that,  "The Things They Carried is a book largely about storytelling and issues about truth."  In the story of the same title, one  is aware of the importance of storytelling to the men of Alpha Company, particularly Kiowa.

Important in this example:

• there needs to be a signal phrase that introduces the quote; in the sample, it is " . . . O'Brien makes the comment that, . . . .  A signal phrase sets up or introduces the quote, maintaining fluency in the paper
• there needs to be  follow up statement(s) that explains the relevancy of the quote or information used: In the story of the same title, one  is aware of the importance of storytelling to the men of Alpha Company, particularly Kiowa.
• Note that since the referenced person's name [Patrick Hicks] is given, there is no need for a parenthetical citation. However, note the next example, which has the same information, but is written differently, and so, logically, the citation is different

Storytelling becomes important to the men of Alpha Company, particularly to Kiowa, as well as the narrator. In an interview, Tim O'Brien, author of "The Things They Carried," indicated that storytelling is one of the major aspects of his novel of the same name as well as this story (Hicks).

What happened here:

There is NO direct quote; the information has been paraphrased, but because it is informationt the writer did not have to begin with, and because it is obviously been researched, there MUST be a citiation.

Note that since this is researched material from a website, one need only add correct MLA citation, as indicated by the Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting In-Text Citations


NOTE: Referenced Material:

Title: A Conversation with Tim O'Brien

Author(s): Tim O'Brien and Patrick Hicks

Publication Details: Indiana Review 27.2 (Winter 2005): p85-95.

Source: Short Story Criticism.

.

Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 123. Detroit: Gale. From Literature Resource Center.

Document Type: Critical essay, Interview

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning

The Literary Research Paper - Notes Day 2: MLA format, Easy Bib, Documentation

In the best of all possible worlds, you have . . .

• chosen the story and the topic you plan to work with
• read through the criticism and determined the three (or more) essays you plan to you in your paper
• taken notes, underlined, highlighted or otherwise started note taking
• drafted a preliminary thesis statement--one that may be refined as you work on your paper
• you have a very rough draft that you will develop and polish, incorporating relevant research AND proper MLA documentation

NOW . . .

If you have not already done so, use need to create your bibliography, either using Easy Bib  or  the Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide.  Neither of the websites will work automatically, but if you read carefully, follow the directions and/or prompts, you should have a correct bibliography. The only difference between a Works Cited page and a Bibliography is that the "Works Cited" refers only to those works actually used in a research paper; a Bibliography may include works cited in a paper as well as other works read in the research.  You will be composing a Works Cited page.  To see a sample Works Cited page, refer to: Sample Works Cited Page.  Your last name and appropriate page number will still be in the upper right corner. The words "Works Cited" will be centered on the first line of the paper and a hanging indent will be used in listed references, which will be in alphabetical order.

Whew . . . remember: the devil is in the details, but the resources above will help you. Also: I will help you, if you get stuck or have trouble.

The Literary Research Paper

The Literary Research Paper is only slightly different from a traditional research paper; the basic process is the same:

• Select Topic
• Determine your OWN thoughts--write your first draft: know WHAT you know before you begin; in doing so, you will know what to cite in your paper
• Seek expert information - in this case, your work has been done for you; you will be using specifically selected critical essays on one of the two stories we read, as dictated by your chosen topic
• Once you have the information, read it critically, more than once; take notes and figure out how the notes relate to the story AND to what you already think
•      Determine what you can use

     IMPORTANT:  you will not use everything in every essay; you will learn a great deal about what critics think and have to say about the respective short story, but it will be up to YOU to select what you can incorporate into YOUR essay.  In other words, you'll be evaluating, analyzing and synthesizing--all of which are upper-level forms of critical thinking. It IS hard.  No one ever said writing a research paper was easy.

• Yes, you DO have to use the articles listed for each essay.
• Yes, you CAN do more research on your own, but that is IN ADDITION TO the selected journal entries.

TOPICS:

A Study of Symbolism in Town and Forest in Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"

Is It You or Me? The Question of Disspelled Illusion in Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"

The Unavoidable Weight in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"

The Importance of Imagination in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"

Reference Material -- These essays are all available through MSC library and Galileo

Tritt, Michael.  "'Young Goodman Brown' and the Psychology of Projection"
Ellis, Robert P. " Young Goodman Brown"
Lawson, Benjamin S. "Young Goodman Brown"
Paulits, Walter J. "Ambivalence in 'Young Goodman Brown'"
Predmore, Richard. "'Young Goodman Brown': Night Journey into the Forest"

Piedmont-Marton, Elisabeth. "The Things They Carried"
Kaplan, Steven. "The Things They Carried"
McDonough, Christopher Michael. "Afraid to Admit We Are Not Achilles: Facing Hector's Dilemma in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried"
Blyn, Robin. O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"
Robinson, Daniel. "Getting it Right: The Short Fiction of Tim O'Brien"

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE:  When referring to the title of an article OR a short story, use quotation marks; for example, "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Things They Carried" book indicate short stories.  The Things They Carried refers to a BOOK, in which "The Things They Carried" is the first story or first chapter.

Happy Columbus Day!

from: http://www.funxite.com/get/downloads/wallpapers/funny-wallpapers/christopher-columbus.htm