[K.T.]

(Original post by ladylaz)
Hi!

I am dreading this dissertation- I was going to do "Pride and Prejudice", "Emma" and "Wuthering Heights" and perhaps discuss the role of women in the respective periods,and/or irony, but I've been told to reconsider as they are too similar?!?

I was thinking about doing a traditional novel, such as "Pride and Prejudice", a modern one such as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini and a 'futuristic' novel such as "Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, but I've yet to clear this with my teacher- any early opinions would be greatly appreciated.

In S5, I discussed irony and symbolism in George Orwell's "1984" for my personal study and thoroughly enjoyed it- any suggestions along this line would be appreciated as well.

I would definately not rule out poetry (preferrably Sylvia Plath- I could do the novel "The Bell Jar", but I'm slightly confused as to how many poems I would have to discuss in conjunction with this?) and I would quite happily do ANY Drama as well.

Sorry for bombarding you with all of this but this subject means so much to me already and I don't want to be overwhelmed later on!

Thanks again!

Xxx

I think your teacher(s) may have a point about "Pride and Prejudice", "Emma" and "Wuthering Heights" - I'm no expert on the novels, but I'd suspect there aren't enough fundamental differences between the societies portrayed in the novels to sustain an essay of the length and depth the dissertation requires.

I definitely like your second idea though, of comparing and contrasting novels from three different time periods. There would be much more to write about, and sounds really interesting.

Of course, at the end of the day, the opinions that really matter are (in order of importance) yours, and your teachers'.

(Original post by kitkatcait)
(Wahoo, first post ever!)

I'm starting sixth year after the summer and I have to choose my dissertation topic in the next week. I was going to discuss the degeneration of a character in society using Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.

The books 'The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner' by James Hogg and 'The Testament of Gideon Mack' by James Robertson were recommended to me by the English department in conjunction with my idea. But now my English teacher has altered my line of argument to 'Discussing the thematic significance of the Devil as a character in Scottish literature', which means I don't even get to discuss the book I had originally planned upon...

I haven't read 'Private Memoirs and Confessions' or 'The Testament of Gideon Mack', so I think what I'll do is read them over the summer and decide whether I think I'll be able to write about the question correctly. If not, I'll ask to alter my question when I go back to school. Does this seem like the right thing to do?

Yup, seems pretty sensible to me. Are you happy with the change though? If not, perhaps you should tell your teacher - it's your dissertation after all.

[Envy Eyes]

(Original post by kitkatcait)
(Wahoo, first post ever!)

I'm starting sixth year after the summer and I have to choose my dissertation topic in the next week. I was going to discuss the degeneration of a character in society using Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.

The books 'The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner' by James Hogg and 'The Testament of Gideon Mack' by James Robertson were recommended to me by the English department in conjunction with my idea. But now my English teacher has altered my line of argument to 'Discussing the thematic significance of the Devil as a character in Scottish literature', which means I don't even get to discuss the book I had originally planned upon...

I haven't read 'Private Memoirs and Confessions' or 'The Testament of Gideon Mack', so I think what I'll do is read them over the summer and decide whether I think I'll be able to write about the question correctly. If not, I'll ask to alter my question when I go back to school. Does this seem like the right thing to do?

Although right now it probably seems like getting to do exactly what you want to do for your dissertation is important, it really isn't worth fussing over that much. At the end of the day the dissertation is just like any other part of the exam which means that to get the grade you want (ie. At least a pass, preferably better!) you need to follow the SQA's wants about dissertations, otherwise they'll just turn their nose up at it. So in conclusion, I'd assume that the reason your teacher hasn't approved of your idea is because the SQA won't either.
Have a look at the SQA page about the Adv.H English dissertation, it's pretty useful,
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/4685.html

[BankieGirl]

I'm also starting sixth after the hols and in need of some advice. My english teacher has asked us to pick our dissertation books and a have a very rough idea of what areas we would like to study for the end of the first week back...since thats only 5 weeks from now im going insane!!

I have no clue what to do...we've been left to our own devices completly. I'm almost finished Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for books to compare to it?? And also possible areas for study??

Please help me!!!

[K.T.]

(Original post by BankieGirl)
I'm also starting sixth after the hols and in need of some advice. My english teacher has asked us to pick our dissertation books and a have a very rough idea of what areas we would like to study for the end of the first week back...since thats only 5 weeks from now im going insane!!

I have no clue what to do...we've been left to our own devices completly. I'm almost finished Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for books to compare to it?? And also possible areas for study??

Please help me!!!

Um, yeah, I probably should have read that book by now... but haven't My generic advice, however, would be to compare it with another Dickens novel or a novel with similar themes by a different author. Basically, you're aiming to find books with enough in common to write at length about. Purely based on the fact it's Dickens, I'm guessing you could write about society in some way (societal expectations, perhaps? )...
What interests you about the book? That might also be a good place to start.

Tbh, when I was set my dissertation, I was asked to prepare similarily; the idea behind it was not for us to have a fully-formed concept, but merely to get us thinking about it in time. Don't panic!

[BankieGirl]

(Original post by K.T.)
Um, yeah, I probably should have read that book by now... but haven't My generic advice, however, would be to compare it with another Dickens novel or a novel with similar themes by a different author. Basically, you're aiming to find books with enough in common to write at length about. Purely based on the fact it's Dickens, I'm guessing you could write about society in some way (societal expectations, perhaps? )...
What interests you about the book? That might also be a good place to start.

Tbh, when I was set my dissertation, I was asked to prepare similarily; the idea behind it was not for us to have a fully-formed concept, but merely to get us thinking about it in time. Don't panic!

Thanks for the advice! I'm not really sure what attracted me to Great Expectations - it's just one of those books you "have to read before you die" ones and my mum and a friend recommend it to me and so far I'm enjoying it...I thought of maybe compare it to David Copperfield as they are both sort of autobiographoical...and deal with the same period etc.

But I suppose I'll wait and see what my teacher says before making any finally decisions!

Thanks x

[sarahleslie1]

(Original post by BankieGirl)
I'm also starting sixth after the hols and in need of some advice. My english teacher has asked us to pick our dissertation books and a have a very rough idea of what areas we would like to study for the end of the first week back...since thats only 5 weeks from now im going insane!!

I have no clue what to do...we've been left to our own devices completly. I'm almost finished Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for books to compare to it?? And also possible areas for study??

Please help me!!!

Snap! I have spent all summer reading classical novels and none have grabbed me... the only possibles from the array of books i have so far read are:

Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Dracula - gothic horror and how it reflects 19th century views on love and religion

The Bell jar, catcher in the rye, and one other - differences in depiction of fall into madness

various angela carter and talk of feminism throughout her work.

any other good suitable books that i could do?

thanks for any help!

[Bobby92]

(Original post by sarahleslie1)

Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Dracula - gothic horror and how it reflects 19th century views on love and religion

This sounds like quite a good idea, but maybe one that is common? Nothing wrong with that though. As long as you stick to the literature and not the history, should be a pretty good if ambitious topic

(Original post by sarahleslie1)
The Bell jar, catcher in the rye, and one other - differences in depiction of fall into madness

One Flew Over The Cuckoos' Nest?

[sarahleslie1]

(Original post by Bobby92)
This sounds like quite a good idea, but maybe one that is common? Nothing wrong with that though. As long as you stick to the literature and not the history, should be a pretty good if ambitious topic



One Flew Over The Cuckoos' Nest?

Thanks!

Gothic horror question I did get from the SQA suggestions, maybe explaining why it sounds common I just thought when reading them that there was a lot of science, religion and love in the books so it might be interesting to contrast them.

Haven't read One Flew Over The Cuckoos' Nest for ages - but isn't the protaganist not mad and only pretending? May be wrong; shall look into it.

I think my main problem is that I just plain amn't enjoying a lot of these books. I have always adored reading - when forced to keep a reading list in S1 of books I read, it came to about 300 over 9 months! However, Higher pressure has meant that I couldn't read as much as I used to, so therefore I have become very fussy - if I don't like a book, I don't read past the first 50 or so pages. My favourite authors are Ben Elton, Phillippa Gregory, Eva Ibbotson, Tamora Pierce, PG Wodehouse, and Robert Muchamore for a nice light read . So if anyone has some "worthy, literary" equivalents then it would be muchly appreciated .

[Acaila]

Hey everyone
Seeing as there have been so many threads on this over the last few years, I'm setting up this thread as a resource for the usual basic questions.

I'd appreciate it if those who have already done their personal study could add in details to help those who come after them, which I'll compile into a list at the beginning of this thread.

It would be helpful if you could tell us:
What book you chose?
Any comments on it - quick read, teacher comments on it being easy/hard/overdone?
What the question you decided on was?
Any advice to others doing their personal studies?

For those who are yet to do their personal study, use this thread to ask your questions

[Acaila]

Texts mentioned on the forum in the past:

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
1984 - George Orwell
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
The Trick Is To Keep Breathing - Janice Galloway
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
The Outsider - Albert Camus
My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemmingway
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
Emma - Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - R. L. Stephenson
Persuasion - Jane Austen
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson
Everyman - Phillip Roth
American Pastoral - Phillip Roth
The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch
On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Saturday – Ian McEwan
A Spot Of Bother – Mark Haddon
The Damned United – David Peace
Bright Lights Big City – Jay McInerney
The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
Different Seasons (containing novellas: The Body; Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption) – Stephen King
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Everything Is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer
The Cutting Room – Louise Welsh
The Bullet Trick – Louise Welsh
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
The Hanging Garden – Ian Rankin
Knots and Crosses – Ian Rankin
Laidlaw – William McIlvanney
The Papers of Tony Veitch – William McIlvanney
Me and My Gal – Des Dillon
Itchycoo Blue – Des Dillon
My Idea of Fun – Will Self
The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane
American Psycho – Brett Easton Ellis
Vernon God Little – DBC Pierre
Brick Lane – Monica Ali
Last Orders – Graham Swift
Notes on a Scandal – Zoe Heller
Butcher Boy – Patrick McCabe
Breakfast on Pluto – Patrick McCabe
The Rotters Club – Jonathan Coe
The Closed Circle – Jonathan Coe
Disgrace – JM Coetzee
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha – Roddy Doyle
The Van – Roddy Doyle
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Schindler’s Ark – Thomas Keneally
The Football Factory – John King
Human Punk – John King
Girl With A Pearl Earring – Tracy Chevalier
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Sweet Thursday – John Steinbeck
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
Fever Pitch – Nick Hornby
High Fidelity – Nick Hornby
The Shipping News – Annie Proulx
The Colour Purple – Alice Walker
Layercake – JJ Connolly
Trumpet – Jackie Kay
The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
An Interpretation of Murder - Jed Rubenfeld
Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh
Elsewhere - Gabrielle Zevin
Empress Orchid - Anchee Min
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Questions:

"An exploration of Bronte's use of pathetic fallacy and setting in showing the tumultuous development of the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff"(Wuthering Heights)
"How does the character, Orchid, develop throughout the course of the novel"(Empress Orchid)
"Choose a novel which has a deinite turning point or decisive moment. Explain briefly what happens at this moment and go on to explain why you think it is so imortant to the rest of the novel"(The Kite Runner)
"To outline the key factors affecting the mental breakdown of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger focusing on themes, characters and the first person narrative used."(The Catcher in the Rye)
"How does Orwell portray the theme of rebellion through the character of Winston and his relationship with Julia"(1984)
"Show how Hornby explains and justifies the tribal nature of football through the use of literary techniques."(Fever Pitch)
"How does Charles Dickens use the character Sydney Carton as a symbol for the theme of redemption?"(A Tale of Two Cities)
"By referring closely to Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" show how she uses the characters Scout and Atticus to explore the theme of prejudice." (To Kill A Mockingbird)


Useful links:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=304685 - discussion on length of personal study

[Meteorshower]

I would reccomend doing a poem for personal study if you don't want much stress and would just like it out of the way. You spend far less time reading your text for the same amount of analysis.

I did "Anthem for Doomed Youth" by Wilfred Owen, it's a sonnet so only 14 lines to analyse. Was very simple, took me a couple of hours to properly analyse it then an hour to write the essay. No need to stress for absolutely ages over a lengthy book. I find that when you read a book it kind of spoils it if you read it purely with the intent of analysing it.

[TimmyVermicelli]

I'm an indecisive type - I've decided to change my choice to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as opposed to An Interpretation of Murder. Upon reflection I think An Interpretation of Murder is too long (400+ pages) and I really don't have the time or commitment to write about it. I would still recommend everyone reads it though, it's really great.

[jessica101p]

Dug out my personal study- I did 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini. My question was "Choose a novel which has a deinite turning point or decisive moment. Explain briefly what happens at this moment and go on to explain why you think it is so imortant to the rest of the novel"
I'd definitely recommend this novel. Its a great book (one of my favourites!) and lends itself very well to turning point/major incident type of question which meant that writing my personal study was a relatively painless (but still incredibly boring) experience.

[sjames06]

My teacher recommended doing a short story or a novel as in his experience no one has passed first time doing poem(s). I done The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and loved it. It was reasonably short, easy enough to read in two hours or less. Passed first time and there was loads to talk about.

My question was "To outline the key factors affecting the mental breakdown of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger focusing on themes, characters and the first person narrative used."

[Meteorshower]

Everyone i know doing a poem passed first time.

[sjames06]

(Original post by Meteorshower)
Everyone i know doing a poem passed first time.

Must be a north livingston/everywhere else in scotland thing :P . Was just saying what my teacher had said.

[kiwi-93]

I did 1984 by George Orwell.

And my question was...

How does Orwell portray the theme of rebellion through the character of Winston and his relationship with Julia

[AndyK67]

What book you chose? Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby.
What the question you decided on was? Show how Hornby explains and justifies the tribal nature of football through the use of literary techniques.

[ChocolateEyes]

What book you chose? Empree Orchid by Anchee Min
Any comments on it - It was a good book but I hated by the time I actually wrote my PS
What the question you decided on was? Show how the writer uses literary techniques to show the development of the character Orchis throughout the novel
Any advice to others doing their personal studies? For god's sake pick a book which has lots of notes for it, it will make your job so much easier

[BillyLiu]

What book you chose? A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
Any Comments on it? - Plenty of stuff in it to analyse. That's a double edged sword however...
My Statement of Intent: How does Charles Dickens use the character Sydney Carton as a symbol for the theme of redemption?

My advice:

1) Pick a book you are comfortable with (or a poem, as Meteorshower said.)
2) Never attempt to set the easiest question you can physically manage. I tried doing that with the redemption symbol and only stuck with talking about Sydney Carton. Fair enough, but such a theme would be so much better had I put it into context with the rest of the characters in the book.
3) Know the difference between the "theme" and the "thematic message". I'll use ATTC as an example:

Theme: Redemption
Thematic message: Dickens wants to deliver the message that even the "worst" of men (such as Sydney Carton; a drunk who lacks any form of ambition) is capable of good, and with help from outside sources - ie. a love for Lucy Manette and a situation in which to do great good - can redeem themselves in the eyes of all.
4) Pick a book that Sparknotes have stuff on, if you wish to make your life slightly easier.