KarinRose's blog
Easily Done: Research Papers on Modern Literature
Submitted by KarinRose on Thu, 06/18/2009 - 2:08am. academic writing'Make it new' was Ezra Pound's dictum to the modern writer. The same phrase sums up modern literature.
1900-1940 is an exciting period. Two world wars took place. This global conflict resulted to demise of centuries-old kingdoms and the rise of new political systems. On the literary front, many early twentieth century writers embraced a 'modernist' ethic and express new ideas in new ways. This revolution brought development to the literature of the period. It influenced the next generation of writers.
Many research papers analyzed the cultural significance of this period. College students who are asked to write a research paper on this wouldn't run out of topic to choose from. Here are three suggested ideas:
What made many 'modernist' writers abandon the literary traditions and practices of the past? Is it uncertainty of the period that prompted them to do bold gestures? Or did the old ways restrict their writing style? Several research papers can be made to explain this.
Did Joseph Conrad cling to past literary traditions? Did this diminish his legacy? Conrad is one of the literary giants of the Modernist Period. His novels (e.g. "Heart of Darkness") reflects his jaded attitude towards colonialism, which is one factor that led to World War I. Students who chose this subject matter can compose a position paper.
A number of literary works of this era were banned during its first release. They were deemed obscene. D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer" are two prominent works. In Lawrence's case, did he treated sexuality as a liberation from the traditional system? Or as some suggested, is it oppression under the new order, as what Lady Chatterley experienced? Lots of research papers have been written on this topic. Students can add their two cents on this subject matter.
Author:
Karin Rose Beckner grew up in books. European literature is her favorite, where she enjoys the works of Gunter Grass, Arturo Perez-Reverte and Salman Rushdie. Karin wrote several research papers on the cultural significance of Modernist literature. She currently teaches Literature and creative writing to college students. She's into East Asian literature at the moment.
