Research: a classic British novel
Blog entry: “Everything you never wanted
to know about the research process:
Animal Farm
You would like this book
if you enjoy historical satire
and political metaphors. It is not about
animals on a farm. You need to be
interested in European government to enjoy
and understand this.
Beowulf
If you enjoy mythology, you would like
this epic poem. Be ready for the sentence
structure, but if you liked 300 and have an
interest in history, you would like this.
Warning: The students who do not read
the rest of the poem do poorly on this
assignment.
Emma by J. Austen
or Tess by T. Hardy
If you like match-making, if you are girly
and enjoy reading about love, gossip
and boys, you would like this novel.
Frankenstein
A good book for suspense
and heartbreak.
A lot like an Edgar Allan Poe piece.
The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings
You would like this book if you are a literary
fanatic and enjoy vivid details. You would
also enjoy this book if you are entertained by
historical fiction.
…if you like adventure and mysterious
creatures and action and magic
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
This is great and funny
if you like Shakespeare
Mansfield Park by J. Austen
This is about the slave trade and the roots
of the British's wealth in corruption and
exploitation. This is not a romance like her
other books.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Read this if you are interested in early
times in London. It connects to the child
labor problems, and is not a hard read.
Other Dickens’ titles are Hard Times
and Great Expectations.
A Tale of Two Cities
You would like this book
if you are interested in a combination
of love and war. You should have an
interest in historical revolutions.
The book also has a twist in it like
you would find in any of the Bourne movies.
Paradise Lost
You would like this book
if you like Biblical stories and poetry.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
You would like this book if you like
corruption. It deals with betrayal,
love, death and fame. When it
was published, it was considered
scandalous and immoral.
Pride and Prejudice
Read this if you like love stories. You
would like this novel if you like love
stories that get messed up but have a
happy ending.
Robinson Crusoe
You would like this book if you like
something that is jam-packed with
suspense and excitement.
Read it if you like an everyday style of
writing and adventure like Castaway or
Swiss Family Robinson.
A Room with a View
by E.M. Forster
You would like this book if you like Victorian
England. It is a wonderful story about a girl
who is unsure about love. The Italian setting
adds spice to the novel.
Sense and Sensibility
Read this book if you like love stories
or books dealing with learning
about finding love and growing up.
It is about sisters marrying wealthy
and their mother living through her girls.
Silas Marner
by G. Eliot
You would like this book if you like
philosophy. It is about class, family and a
loss of faith.
Tess by T. Hardy
This is about the lower class, and the
social change in England from the
agricultural to an industrial time. You see
the idea of new money versus old with
Tess and her family’s situation.
Wuthering Heights
A classic piece of English literature
that requires a lot of thought,
but it was awesome! A good love story.
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
You would like this book if you like science
fiction. It has a lot of suspense and action,
and scary scenes. You would like this if you
believe there is life on other planets.
The Secret Sharer
If you enjoy suspense and imagery, you
would like this book. You will feel like you
are actually in the novel.
12th Night
Another Shakespearean comedy.
All of the plays are five acts.
1984
You would like this novel if you like
science fiction or futuristic books. In this
book, you see one person against
another, elements of Totalitarianism, and
a sad ending.
Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland
If you think out of the box, you would like this
book. You must be a very deep thinker. This is
nothing like the movie. It is not an easy read.
The wording and logic are bizarre,
but make it interesting.
WARNING: Every student who attempts
this book because he/she thinks it’s like the
movie has a VERY difficult time with the
research paper = a low grade!
Only for advanced readers!
Other titles …
Are listed on the handout, Suggested
Titles
NO: Harry Potter, Macbeth, Hamlet,
Caesar, Brave New World, Lord of the
Flies
Email your title to me
I will reply so you know you are good to
go!
Need book in hand by Friday (if not
before).