Yearlong Project Proposal
The proposal is the second step in your yearlong project for World Literature. Before writing the
proposal, you should have completed detailed research on five authors from the list provided. This
research was intended to give you an overview on the life and work of these five authors. Now, you
must start to narrow down from five to one—the one you will focus on for your research paper and
presentation. Remember, you will be reading a text (a novel or a play) by this author, so it is important
that you have looked at titles he/she has written and his/her style of writing.
For the proposal, you will need to discuss your top two or three choices. The proposal should be an
opportunity for you to compare and contrast these authors and their work. This will allow you to see
similarities and differences between these authors and help guide you in selecting the best fit for you.
The proposal is an opportunity for me to see your thought process as you select which author you will
continue researching, and which novel or play you will read. It is important that you organize your
paper so that I can see the similarities and differences you are discussing. I have provided a link on my
website to help you in this process, and if you are still confused after reviewing it, please find time to see
me.
Your proposal needs to be specific in that it should cover most of the information you researched. Feel
free to conduct additional research if necessary. Your final research paper will be written in the third
person, but for this proposal you may use “I” or “me” as this is your personal statement of your
intentions. Ultimately, the last paragraph of your proposal should detail the author you have settled on
for the yearlong project and why.
You may want to include the following information in your proposal:
 Region of the world each author is from or the region of the world they write about
 Genres of writing they are most known for—plays, essays, short stories, novels, etc.
 Most recognizable titles by the author
 Novel or play you might end up reading by each author
 Awards/accolades each author has received
 Some biographical information on each author
 Each author’s inspiration for their writing
 Stylistic similarities and differences in each author’s writing
 Other points of interest you found when researching
Before beginning your proposal, it might be helpful to create a visual pre-write (a web, a table, etc) that
would highlight the information you are going to include in your proposal, and ultimately which author
looks like your favorite. Remember, the last paragraph should tell me clearly who you are picking, what
you will read by this author, and WHY you made this selection.
Your proposal should be 1½ -2 pages (DO NOT exceed 1,000 words). You should use MLA
formatting and edit for spelling and grammar. While this piece is more informal than the final research
paper, you should still demonstrate strong writing skills.
This proposal is due on Friday, October 30th.