American Literature thesis help

[Ozzma]

I am an undergrad hoping to get a BA in English Literature. I have a terms paper to write and I need ideas to help formulate a tentative thesis.
We have looked at many works from the following writers:

E. Dickinson, M. Twain , A. Bierce, Kate Chopin, C.P. Gilman, Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, W. C. Williams, e. e. cummings, Pound, H.D, Moore, T.S. Eliot,Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, R.W Ellison, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.

Some of these text are a self-conscious exploration of taboo materials" and others "situate themselves politically, and how it is linked to the political engagements of the poets themselves".

I would much rather write about the modernist and post-modern writers. I need to use at least 2 works (preferably 3).

I just need something to kickstart my research. The paper has to be around 6-8 pages. I am very lost and do not know where to start.

[maxphisher]

I'd say that the first step you need to take is to narrow down your topic. Which novel do you want to discuss? Do you want to compare two novels? Do you want to view a novel through a particular critical lens? The closer you get to a focus, the closer you get to developing a workable thesis.

[PeterL]

I think that you would find it easier, if you used a reduced set of writers. Do you think that there is a common thread running through the works of several of them? If you can see something like that then you could see how it changed from one to another. If there were a couple more mystics, then that would work.

[Ozzma]

I'd say that the first step you need to take is to narrow down your topic. Which novel do you want to discuss? Do you want to compare two novels? Do you want to view a novel through a particular critical lens? The closer you get to a focus, the closer you get to developing a workable thesis.

Yes, I believe I should clarify this. I would much rather write about the modernist and post-modern writers. I need to use at least 2 works (preferably 3). I gave a list of the writers for the sake of those who are reading the post. Sorry about the confusion.

[Ozzma]

I was thinking of exploring how all these literary movements in America start from friendship/circles. For example, R.W. Emerson-Thoreau, Melville-Hawthorne, Fitzgerald-Hemingway, Ezra Pound - H.D... i mean the list goes on, but its just a thought. I don't have anything solid yet. I really would prefer sticking with more modern writers.

[maxphisher]

There is quite a bit to be found in the relationship that existed between Hemingway and Faulkner. In fact, Joseph Fruscione has written a critical account of the rivalry. It is entitled, Faulkner and Hemingway: A Biography of a Literary Rivalry. That might be helpful to start developing a thesis when comparing two of their novels.

As far as your other idea goes, I would recommend staying a bit clear of the modernist vs. post-modernist analysis for a 6-8 page paper. You're going to start getting into language arguments that are going to eat up that page range very quickly...


I was thinking of exploring how all these literary movements in America start from friendship/circles. For example, R.W. Emerson-Thoreau, Melville-Hawthorne, Fitzgerald-Hemingway, Ezra Pound - H.D... i mean the list goes on, but its just a thought. I don't have anything solid yet. I really would prefer sticking with more modern writers.

[OrphanPip]

I was thinking of exploring how all these literary movements in America start from friendship/circles. For example, R.W. Emerson-Thoreau, Melville-Hawthorne, Fitzgerald-Hemingway, Ezra Pound - H.D... i mean the list goes on, but its just a thought. I don't have anything solid yet. I really would prefer sticking with more modern writers.

Right, well that's a bold statement to start from. A more concrete connection is easier to work worth. If you're interested in communal aspects of writing, particularly since your assignment requires thinking about the political aspects of that writing, it would be worthwhile to consider Poetry (the Chicago based magazine) as a locus for that exploration. Ezra Pound worked as foreign correspondent for the magazine and was responsible for scouting a lot of the talent, like H.D. and T.S. Eliot, who were based in Britain but published in America. To get even more specific, Pound edited The Wasteland so you have a work there that was created in tandem by two of the authors on your list.

[Ozzma]

Thanks Maxphiser and OrphanPip! The insight is very helpful. I will explore these suggestions. Perhaps look into these rivalries and relationships and how it led to the fame of these authors. Exploring the significance of their mark in literature. I'm still brainstorming here. Off to the library I go!

[Foe]

As far as your other idea goes, I would recommend staying a bit clear of the modernist vs. post-modernist analysis for a 6-8 page paper. You're going to start getting into language arguments that are going to eat up that page range very quickly...Hell, man, in grad school I burned through 23 pages just trying to argue that "Handmaid's Tale" is truly modernist, even though it was published well outside the commonly accepted timeline for modernism. When the prof handed the paper back, he'd scrawled across the top, "You had me at the Ms Magazine quote on P2." It was from an interview with Atwood in a general circ magazine.

I wept.

[Ozzma]

Ok so I have an idea. From all the books I've researched and essays I've analysed, Walt Whitman seems to be a huge influence for Allen Ginsberg. Equally, T.S. Eliot also played a role in Ginsberg's writing, especially for Howl. T.S. Eliot was also influence by Whitman as well. Ginsberg takes from both of them. So perhaps I could say that Whitman is the quintessence of the Beat Generation. This may statement may be ridiculous, I feel like Charlie Kaufman from the movie Adaptation right about now.

OR

I explore double conciousness of the body and soul by looking at Emerson and Thoreau's transcendental work...and compare it to something out of the Beat Generation? W. E. B. Du Bois also wrote on African-American double conciousness.

I need to compare and contrast things we've studied in class from both semesters...so that explains the huge gap in the chronological timeline.


Anyone care to comment? I need guidance. I will be going to see my Prof tomorrow.

[OrphanPip]

Right, I think you need to work on focusing your ideas. Your second proposal is closer to a proper essay topic, since at least you're grasping onto a thematic concern. Your first idea is rather nebulous at the moment, also I'm not sure arguing that Whitman is at the heart of the Beat Generation is something you could successfully argue in a term paper. If you're interested in the Whitman-Ginsberg connection, I think you have more than enough to work with in sticking to a reading of a select few poems. Ginsberg's "Supermarket in California" takes up Whitman as its subject, and "America" has interesting thematic connections with sections of Song of Myself. Think less about proving that Whitman has influenced Ginsberg (this is a weak argument because it is not difficult to debate, Whitman has influenced almost all American poetry) and think more about specific ways Whitman's influence is felt in Ginsberg. Does Ginsberg speak back to Whitman in disagreement? Is Whitman symbolic of something for Ginsberg? Or does he evoke Whitman for some specific impact or purpose? In what ways does Ginsberg's treatment of similar themes reflect changes in American culture and poetic aesthetics since the 19th century?

Remember that a good essay thesis should be focused (it argues something specific in a clear way), debatable (it is not obvious, a fact, or nonsense), and relevant to the field it contributes to (your argument should contribute in some way to our broader understanding of the topic you are writing about, but don't worry too much about this).