How to write a scholarly paper? Flashcards
To write a successful seminar paper or scholarly essay in the field of literature, you should observe a few conventions. Apart from the requirements of an accurate critical apparatus, which will be discussed later in this chapter, these basic rules mainly concern the structural organization of your research paper. Most importantly, it has to be logically organized and contain an introductory paragraph, a main part, and a conclusion.
The first or introductory paragraph fulfills several functions*:
A feasible strategy is to depart from what is commonly known to the reader and then highlight: *
These original contributions are pointed out in the so-called thesis statement* , which :
One part of the thesis statement has to briefly define the specific focus of the paper, and here it is crucial to narrow down the topic in a sensible and practicable way. Good scholarly papers are characterized by * :
For example, there is little use in choosing a topic as undifferentiated as “Eugene O’Neill’s drama The Emperor Jones” for a seminar paper. Taking into consideration the numerous publications on this particular drama, it is essential to concentrate on one specific aspect for analyzing the text, for example, “C.G.Jung’s archetypes and Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones.” Of course, you should not select the focus of the paper indiscriminately. On the contrary, ideally the paper should tackle* :
An additional part of the introductory paragraph, or rather thesis statement, explains how you approach your topic, i.e., which method you use in your analysis. After reading this part, the reader should be able to associate the paper with* :
In the concrete case of the example mentioned above, the approach combines biographical facts about O’Neill with an analysis of C.G.Jung’s archetypes and their presence in the drama The Emperor Jones.
- the initial sentence or sentences should lead the reader to the topic by moving from more general statements on the overall subject matter to the actual focus of the paper.
- the new and particular aspects which the paper will contribute to the state of research in the field.
- should be part of the introductory paragraph and serve the reader as a first orientation concerning content, methodology, and structure of your paper.
- a clearly and convincingly focused topic.
a new as well as central aspect of the text.
a certain theoretical and methodological school or approach
Furthermore, the introductory paragraph gives an idea* of :
This “road map” makes the structure of the paper transparent and comprehensible from the very beginning and thereby provides the reader with :
In the given example, you could argue, for instance, that you will first document O’Neill’s familiarity with the theories of C.G. Jung and then summarize some of Jung’s major theoretical positions as a basis for your analysis of the drama The Emperor Jones.
Naturally, these individual parts of the thesis statement cannot always be presented separately* :
Therefore, it will be advisable at times to combine topic and approach, or methodology and road map. In what manner you will actually render these three aspects of the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph depends largely on the individual paper. However, it is essential that all three aspects are clearly stated and comprehensible for the reader.
To sum up, the introductory paragraph briefly outlines* :
In order to check whether you have written an informative introductory paragraph, you should ask yourself the following questions*:
If you are able to answer the questions “what,” “how,” and “when” in your introduction, you will most likely provide a thesis statement which informs the reader about the choice of your subject matter, your methodological approach, and the sequence of arguments.
*what aspects of the topic are presented in what order.
a basic sense of orientation
since they are often intricately interwoven with each other. For example, the methodology may already be suggested by the topic, or the road map and the theoretical approach might be interconnected.
topic, methodology and structure of your paper.
*1 “What” is the paper all about?
2 “How,” i.e., with what method, do I approach the topic?
3 “When” in the course of the paper am I dealing with which issues?
C Jung’s archetypes and Eugene’s O’Neil ‘s Emperor’s Jones
Since its first appearance more than eighty years ago, Eugene’s O’Neil’s groundbreaking play* The Emperor Jones ( 1920 ) has been subject to a variety of en vogue critical approaches many of which are outdated and seem as mere fads of critical fashion. However* reading this seminal play of the American literary canon in the light of C JUng’s concepts of archetypes is to only suggested by the play’s content but also by biographical documents which corroborate O’Neil’s familiarity with and interest in Jungian theories. I will* therefore summarize O’Neil’s contact with Jungians concepts by relying on public statements by the author himself, then sketch some of the major features of C J Jung’s notion of the archetype in order to read select passages of The Emperor Jones within this theoretical framework.
leading to the topic
topic + method
“road map”
Applying Jungian archetypes to the analysis of literary* texts is not am arbitrary methodological choice but was suggested by C J Jung himself. In his famous essay “on the relation of Analytical psychology to Poetry” ( 1922 ) Jung stylised archetypes as a kind of collective* unconscious at work in the human psyche as well as an integral element of literary text. According to Jung, one of the main reasons why literature contains archetypes is that art is a psychological activity and therefore reflects the the workings of the artist mind…
*topic
statement with connection to the previous paragraph
discussion of one aspect of the topic statement
The sequence of the individual paragraphs should be logical and comply with the sequence of argumentation that you established in your “road map.”
Transitions from one paragraph to the next enhance* : .
Ideally, the end of a paragraph should connect with the next paragraph, and a transitional phrase at the beginning of a paragraph should somehow point back to the previous one. The easiest way to achieve this is to incorporate * : such a connector in the topic sentence at the beginning of each new paragraph.
Thereby, the topic statement fulfils two functions*:
This way the topic sentence not only introduces a new idea, but also links the idea of the new paragraph to the previous one. By smoothly leading the reader through your arguments this technique increases the logic of your paper and thereby becomes one of the cornerstones of lucid writing in general in a wider context.
For example, you could point out the exemplary nature of your paper and how your approach would lead to valuable results when applied to other works. Basically, the outlook should expand* the focus and context of your paper, thus demonstrating that* :
Here is a possible concluding paragraph:
The best way to check if your introduction and conclusion are efficient is to read only the first and last paragraphs of your paper.
If these two passages mention all central questions and methodological steps as well as provide a summary of the major results, then they fulfill their functions.
In other words, these two sections of your paper should put in a nutshell the information about content, methodology, and results.
You might rightly add that not all published scholarly articles observe this rather rigid structure. However, most college courses in England and America require these composition guidelines.
*the inner coherence of the paper and guide the reader when advancing through your arguments
*such a connector in the topic sentence at the beginning of each new paragraph.
*
first, it points back to the previous paragraph or argument; second, it introduces the current paragraph together with its new idea or line of argumentation.
- your approach possibly could have wider implications that go beyond the limitations of the paper at hand.
Obviously, an archetypical reading of Eugene”s O’Neil”s THe Emperor Jones* cannot account for all the plays” intricacies. However by juxtaposing biographical documents of the author* I which he expresses a deep interest in Jungian thought with a contextual analysis of the forest scenes in the second part of the play, it was possible to trace a striking coincidence between O Neil’s literary images and Jungian theoretical concepts. These images turned out to be deeply rooted In O Neil’s first major play. His affinity to Jung’s theories* is, of course, not restricted to this particular play but rather reflects O Neil’s dramatic understanding in general and might also shed light on some of the governing principles at work in all of O Neil’s early plays.
- repeating thesis statement
- summary of results
- outlook
Gender in Ursula Le Guin’s The dispossessed*
Until recently much scholarship on Le Guin’s fiction has tended to touch only on surface issues, which have taken their bearings from a critique of the perceived limitations of her female characters and her inclination toward an overall “maleness” in her portrayal of androgynesin The Left Hand of Darkness.
Although Le Guin took such suggestions seriously_ and in her essay “ Is gender necessary? Redux apologised for not having explored “androgyny from a woman’s point of view rather than a man’s - she also hinted at the indicate gender pattern in her novel when stating that that :
“the androgynes have no myth of progress at all. Their calender call the current year always The year One, and they count backward and forward from that”
- underline book titles
