home

=American Author Research= =Pathfinder to Suggested Resources= Marlboro High School Media Center November 2007

A literary time period is a broad, general category that is often used to describe the __majority__ of writing that is produced during a certain time in history.
Your chosen author may or may not share the characteristics of the time period in which she or he lived and wrote. But how do you know?????

Here are some questions you may need to answer for this assignment:

 * 1) When did my author live and write?
 * 2) What are the characteristics of my author's writing style?
 * 3) Which literary time period correlates to my author's lifetime?
 * 4) What are the characteristics of this literary time period?
 * 5) Is my author's writing style __similar__ to or __different__ from the literary time period in which she or he lived and worked?

===If you think of the assignment in this way, it becomes a simple matter of comparing and contrasting. For help with writing this type of a paper, you may want to consult [|Writing the Comparison/Contrast].===

=When did my author live and write?= =What are the characteristics of my author's writing style?= You only need __brief__ biographical information for this paper. Specifically, look for your author's birth and death dates, paying particular attention to the period in his lifetime when most of his writing was produced.
 * Book || Call Number || Notes ||
 * [[image:CDALB.jpg width="96" height="125" align="left"]]

6 volumes || REF 810.9 COS || This set of books is arranged by literary time period. To find your author, use the Index in the back of volume 6. Go to the volume and pages listed. Find the chart at the beginning of your article listing **Literary Movements and Forms** and **Major Themes** for your author. Compare this information to what you learn about the dominant Literary Time Period of your author's career. || 6 volumes || REF 810.9 MAG || Helpful sections include:
 * Concise Dictionary of American Literary** **Biography**
 * [[image:http://salempress.com/Store/images/covers/survey_american_literature_150.jpg width="94" height="111"]]
 * Magill's Survey of American Literature**
 * Biography -** Scan for dates indicating when writer lived and wrote
 * Analysis -** General overview of author's writing style and characteristics.
 * Major Works in Depth** - Useful for examples to prove your point that your writer does or does not share the characteristics of the dominant literary time period corresponding to his career.
 * Summary** - May also contain useful facts for your comparison ||
 * [[image:Oxford_encyclopedia_of_american_literature.jpg width="92" height="104" align="left"]]

OXF ||  || 3 volumes || REF 820.9 WRI || Can't find your author in any of the books listed above? You're probably researching someone who writes primarily for teens. Try looking your author up alphabetically in this set. Each article has a different format, depending on what there is to say about a specific writer, however, you will find biography and a special section at the end entitled **Selected Bibliography** which lists the dates of the author's most important writing. ||
 * Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature** || REF 810
 * [[image:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31RTDS20V2L._AA175_.jpg width="175" height="175" caption="Writers for Young Adults (3 Volume Set)" link="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0684804743/ref=dp_image_0/103-8636434-0243058?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books"]]
 * Writers for Young Adults**

=Which Literary Time Period Correlates to my author's lifetime?= =What are the characteristics of this Literary Time Period?= Now that you have learned when your author lived and wrote, use your English textbook or any of the following resources to determine the answers to these questions.

REF 810.9 CON