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English II - Research Assignment: Home

Researching History and Literary Contexts

Regency and Victorian England

Requirements

Annotated Bib Overview: Five Total Sources

In your annotated bibliography, you will need a total of 5 sources, which will include:

  1. At least four sources on your given “topic” or “motif” as it applies to the Victorian Era

  1. At least one literary criticism about Jane Eyre (this can be connected to your topic/motif, or it can be just a more general article). We will search for these TOGETHER once we complete the novel, so WAIT until you are closer to completing the novel before you search for/read through these, as they will require an understanding of the entire novel. I have a day dedicated to helping you locate and understand what these are: be patient!

For each of your sources, you will write:

1.   One paragraph (5-10 sentences) that summarizes your source.

2.   A second paragraph (3-5 sentences) that explains how/why this source is useful to your research and how it develops/clarifies an understanding of Jane Eyre. NO first person.

The purpose of compiling an annotated bibliography during the research process is to help writers remember what they have discovered from each source and whether this information might be relevant to their argument.  Much like a works cited page at the end of an essay, an annotated bibliography lists sources consulted according to MLA guidelines. However, in addition to this information, researchers also include an “annotation” which briefly summarizes the book or article and considers its potential usefulness.

Assignment:

You will complete an annotated bibliography for Pride and Prejudice with research from 5 sources minimum that prove to be useful in developing a thesis in response to the research question: What is Jane Austen saying about [insert topic] during the Regency period? 

For each source, you must include the correct MLA citation, as well as a descriptive paragraph that will help you quickly recall the book’s, chapter’s, or article’s main points and how they might relate to your own developing argument.

Using the library databases and other resources, research your selected topic. Consider how you might phrase your topic or search for things pertaining to your topic beyond just what it is.  Remember that Austen wrote and published    Pride and Prejudice during the Regency Era in England.  Do NOT reference sources about Victorian England!  Scan each source you come across to determine whether it is worth reading in full.  If so, read the chapter or article, and then add it as an entry to your annotated bibliography. 

Guidelines for Sources:

  • You must have five sources minimum.
  • All of your sources must be relevant to your specific topic and to Regency England in general.
  • You may NOT use websites unless they were accessed through the UA library databases or Google Scholar.
  • You may NOT reference article reviews, summaries, or abstracts.  (You must read the full article.)
  • You may, of course, use real books from the UA library!

Guidelines for Paragraphs:

  • Begin each paragraph with a four-to-five sentence summary of the source.  Address the writer’s overall focus, and outline the key points of his or her argument.
  • Conclude each paragraph with a one-to-two sentence description of how the source might be useful to your research.

General reminders

1. All library resources used for this assignment are on reserve.

2. There will be a reserve cart located near the circulation desk in the library.

3. All students working on the assignment can and should help to build the reserve collection.

4. Items on reserve may be checked out overnight only (checked out at the end of the school day and returned before classes begin the next day).

5. Items may be placed on Hold using AccessIt:

a. Go to the Beatrice M. Haggerty Library Team. 

b. Click on the Library Collections channel.

c. Click on the link in the post or the Ursuline Library Catalog tab.

d. Click on the login prompt in the upper right corner and log in via SSO.

e. Search the catalog for the title you would like to place on Hold.

f. Click on the title.

g. Click on the "Make a Hold/Booking" button located on the right side of the pop-up.

h. You will be alerted via email when the item is available for check out.

Suggested Search Terms

Victorian  Great Britain  orphans Education religion  faith
England     Role of men Mental illness dementia Government inheritance laws
Jane Eyre   role of women   religious practices Gothic governess Entertainment
courtship  marriage Family life gypsy economics  Charlotte Bronte

Jane Austen                 Social classes          Regency England                Georgian England                 Patriarchy

Primogeniture               Inheritance               Religion                                Parenting                              Children

Courtship                      Marriage                   Manners                               Etiquette                               Virtue

Character development                                Education of men                 Education of women             Satire

Communication             Letter writing            Entailments                           Professions                          Clergy

The Church                Introvert/Extrovert