Literature Topics

What should I write about?

A thorough reading of your text should provide you with the best thesis, but every writer occasionally has difficulty developing the precise topic that he/she wants to write about. Here are some common topics you may find useful in developing your thesis:

• A study of gender and sexuality
• A study of the symbolism used in the work
• A discussion of characters: are they symbolic of something? Do they portray a character from history, such as Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl.
• A reading of a work based on a philosophy, such as Lacan or Freud.
• A study about how the historical background of the piece may have affected the writing.

Remember that your ideas are the things that make the paper worth reading. Using ideas from the internet does not make a good paper (and can be construed as plagiarism if you do not cite your source!) You may back up your ideas with the ideas of others, but make sure that you have an idea first. One suggestion is to come up with a thesis before you research. Your thesis can change, but that way you know you're not accidently appropriating a thesis from something you read.