need help with writing a literary research essay?

I am currently in gr 11 and I need to write a literary research essay on Silas Marner by George Eliot. I finished most of the book but due to other novel studies we had to do in class I used sparknotes for the rest of the book. I am really confused as to how to start off. The first step is to find research on the human follies that are most prominent in the novel. I am not sure what the follies are other than social class. These are the questions we have to answer while researching. Only problem is I cannot find enough research to support.

Sparknotes, and penguin classics are not valid websites to use for research apparantly...:s

Questions:
1) what follies are being critiqued in your novel?

2) Why is the author critiquing/attacking these follies? In other words what's happening in the society in which the author lives that is causing him/her to draw attention to them ? Use research to support your claims.

3) How is the author critiquing the follies? What techniques are being used? Can look at : setting/mood/symbols/characters/conflicts/figurative language.



I just can't seem to find research to answer these questions. I've taken out several books but non have anything to do with the human follies in the novel. It just talks about why the author wrote the novel and just unecessary information about the novel. I am really panicking right now because the outline for the essay is due the week of december 3rd and I am afraid i won't get enough information to include in my essay.

You "finished most of the book", but even though you found time for all the other research you say you've done, including "taking out several books" (not to mention waiting for answers to your post here), simply reading the rest of it never occurred to you?

Sparknotes can be useful as a thought-jogger, but not as a substitute for actually reading the book in question; ditto other books about said book. The best materials in the world won't keep a house from collapsing on an incomplete foundation. You'll need to actually read it, maybe more than once.

People here will be happy to critique your own answers to your homework questions, but nobody will do your work for you.

1) Read the book to discover for yourself what 'follies' George Eliot was writing about
2) Research what society was like at the time she wrote her novel in order to discover why she chose to attack certain social mores.
3) Using examples from the novel illustrate how the writer reacted to these 'follies'

Seems simple enough - read the novel because that's where you're meant to find the answers, then use research to back up your thesis.

H