For my Literary Studies course, I need to compose an annotated bibliography over one of the works we have read. I want to write on the Great Gatsby as a satire of the American Dream. Is this a good starting point? How would I articulate a solid thesis around this idea? Below I have one possible thesis. Any refining or adjusting would be much appreciated!
Through his use of satire, Fitzgerald speculates the decay of the American Dream in his novel, The Great Gatsby, and subsequently in the United States, following the glowing, gluttonous mindset of the roaring twenties.
If the above is too discombobulated, I would just simplify it to this:
Through his use of satire, Fitzgerald speculates the decay of the American Dream in his novel, The Great Gatsby.
Also, I am going to need 15 sources to write the bibliography. The assignment is the bibliography alone- No research paper will be written following the bibliography. If anyone has a good source for this kind of argument, please share! :)
Thanks,
Rachel
This is the actual essay prompt given to us by the professor:
Topic Selection: Choose any work from this semester as your starting point. Develop a topic for a research paper for this work (or two, if you want to compare them). The first part of your project paper should first discuss your broad topic. Why did you choose this topic? What interests you about it? How does it relate to your research interests? This part of your project should cover about a paragraph.
Focused Topic: Once you have decided on a broad topic, you will need to develop a focused area of investigation. This section should discuss how you arrived at your argumentative, researchable thesis statement. The section should end with this thesis statement.
Paper Organization: Develop an outline for your paper. Assume you would write a 7-10 page research paper. What sections does your paper include? In each of these sections, list the major points you plan to make. In each of these sections, include the primary text (quotations from it) to illustrate how portions of the text support your thesis.
Annotated Bibliography: Your project must include at least 15 annotated research sources. Each of these sources must be scholarly (no websites, webpages, encyclopedia entries, etc.). Your citations must be in MLA format. Your annotations must include two parts: a summary of the source and a discussion of how you would use the source to support or argue against your argument. Each annotation should be at least two paragraphs.
