Your assignment in this course capstone project is to select any literary text of your choice not assigned in the course, to carefully engage it (that is, to “close read” it), to situate it within the critical secondary literature, and to both a) give a 20 minute oral in-class presentation on it, and b) write a 6-8 page (double spaced) paper.

The first task is to select a literary text. This may be from any time period and in any genre (a volume of poetry, a play, or prose [novel, a collection of stories, memoire, creative nonfiction]). It must either have been written in English or translated into English. If it is a film, opera, season of a television show, or other non-verbal text, it should be in English or have subtitles. It should be a text you have not read before now.

The first place to check for books on your topic is the UR Library Catalog. If you are looking for books by a writer, use the Author search (last name first). If you want books about an author, use the Subject Heading Browse search (last name first).

Most books by and about an author are shelved together, so once you have a few call numbers, you can browse. If you're looking for a particular short story or an essay, a Keyword search works best.  It may be in an anthology, far away from other books by or about its author.

Most works of literature written in English will be in these areas:

PE: English Language and Philology

PN: General Literature (including creative writing and general anthologies)

PR: British and Commonwealth Literature

PS: American Literature

PZ: Children's Literature

Tips

• This may seem obvious, but consider choosing a work that is similar to things you are interested in personally. For example, if you are interested in sci-fi, consider finding a new text that you haven't read with similar themes that ignite your curiosity.
• If you are looking for content by a specific author or creator, search OneSearch by Author in Advanced Search.
• Consider choosing a literary text that has been impactful or is significant. This will ensure that you have access to plenty of secondary literature. Don't know where to start? Check out the Center for Fiction's 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature.

Library Databases

Library Databases