ladygodiva Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 hey everyone, i am halfway through the first year of IB, and still haven't found an extended essay topic. i took mine from english (a2) and am thinking of doing an literary analysis... however my supervisor refused all of my choosen topics (on Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings and so on) because they weren't literary enough, and i'm supposed to give her a topic until friday. i thought about doing something about jane austen, who is one of my favourite authors, but i have no idea where to start (not to mention my supervisor's not helping at all). i'm desperate, so please, please help me. anything that is jane austen, or not. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afterglow Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) Hmm... I don't understand why your supervisor thought Harry Potter and LoTR weren't "literary" enough because they are novels but with special characteristics and reputation. Choosing those novels wouldn't be a problem but more or less what your research question is. One of the biggest problems with choosing a famous work (HP, LoTR, Jane Austen, CS Lewis, Shakespeare and etc) is that they are so famous and widely known and at the same time very much discussed and analysed that you might have it hard to pinpoint an interesting research topic that will give a new and different approach since there already is so much about them done but at the same time, you need materials of course. You're taking A2 which gives you quiet many options because you can both write your EE in literature and language/culture. If you want literature but is unsure of what then try to think of a topic/theme/issue that you find very interesting and would like to research more about and once you've done that you can find a book, read it and think of a good research question that is about your topic and book(s). Or you can try to use the book chosen and then maybe make a list of as many topics, themes and issues available in it and try to make something out of it? For instance, I knew I wanted to write something about homosexuality but I had no idea where to start. I read one book and loved it and was going to use it but then my supervisor and teacher recommended me another novel which I read and found a good different reasearch question (about rebellion and homosexual identity). I hope things will go well and do post here for an update! Edited December 7, 2007 by Afterglow Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tomat Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Hm...Tough one...You mention Jane Austen though. What about doing a comparative essay, with one of Austen's novel and a modern female writer and look at how they ie. define women's roles in society and how they differ. Or you could compare Austen's views on women’s roles to that of a male writer who lived in the same period of time. There is a lot to write about if you consider doing one of jane Austen's work. Perhaps the topic of women's role is well explored already, but it can be quite an interesting topic which really allows you to compare and contrast different authors in terms of their portrayals at certain period of time. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladygodiva Posted December 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 What about doing a comparative essay, with one of Austen's novel and a modern female writer and look at how they ie. define women's roles in society and how they differ. Or you could compare Austen's views on women’s roles to that of a male writer who lived in the same period of time. My previous English teacher (who I ran into today) advised me the same. I think I'll talk to my supervisor about this About Shakespeare, half of the class is already doing it, and I'm sure out there, lots of people are doing the same. And to be honest, I've never read Shakespeare (shame, shame ). Thank you soo much! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Impashence Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 What about doing a comparative essay, with one of Austen's novel and a modern female writer and look at how they ie. define women's roles in society and how they differ. Or you could compare Austen's views on women’s roles to that of a male writer who lived in the same period of time. There is a lot to write about if you consider doing one of jane Austen's work. Perhaps the topic of women's role is well explored already, but it can be quite an interesting topic which really allows you to compare and contrast different authors in terms of their portrayals at certain period of time. I think that Jane Austin would be a great topic/author choice. There is a lot of depth in her novels. I don't know everything about A2, and i'm a little confused as to whether or not you are writing in a foriegn language, etc, but in any case, you should choose to write about something that you will really enjoy writing about. My advice is this: Pick a topic that you can talk about with textual examples, etc, so that it pleases/fits all the guidelines, but remember that this shouldnt be a pain. Its much easier to write about something that you are passionate about/love to talk about. I agree with tomat in that a comparison of the role of females in society is a rather redundant subject. I have read Pride and Prejudice (I LOVE THAT BOOK AND MOVIE - The 5 hr one - ) and know of Emma, Persuasion, etc. and i know that the role of females was a strongly emphasized theme. Try to pick something more unique... like.. I dunno... The role of the minor female characters in supporting/foiling/contrasting the dynamic main character... I dont know if that's any more original. Just pick something interesting. You want the examiner to be interested in your topic. I can also relate because i'm nearly finished doing CS lewis vs. Tolkien, etc. (its much more specific than that but i'll spare you the details) and i'm struggling with meeting all of the guidlines and saying what i want to say all in the space of 4000 words. The last thing i'll say is that you should get started as soon as you have time! I waited until the last second (i only have two weeks until i have to turn in the paper) and i'm dying of stress. Its not as bad as it seems once you get started (even if its just the first five words). Good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladygodiva Posted December 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 yay, I think I have my topic =) Comparison of jane austen (i haven't decided which one yet) and margaret atwood's "the handmaid's tale" in sense of feminism (really ordinary, I know, but I'll narrow it down). My supervisor said its a very controversial novel, and I've only just started, but liked it a lot. So, thank you guys so much =) One last question, which JA novel do you think I should pick, and has anyone read the handmaid's tale? (okay, two queation ) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruan Chun Xian Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 Interesting topic...Try Emma? I haven't read it yet but I know the gist of the story...I think it's got a lot of interesting views of marriage that you could contrast with in The Handmaid's Tale. Or maybe Sense and Sensibility? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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