Perform a fundamental process in literary study: investigating the underlying questions and themes posed by a work of literature by situating that work within a particular conceptual framework.

Assignment Question

This term, you have been asked to closely engage with our primary material, identifying patterns and connections within that material in order to offer your particular interpretation of the text.

You have also been asked to place your interpretations into a broader context, interrogating how a text is influenced and, in many cases, shaped by its particular history and socio-cultural environment.

In short, you have been asked to perform a fundamental process in literary study: investigating the underlying questions and themes posed by a work of literature by situating that work within a particular conceptual framework.

For this final writing project, apply this same approach to Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, in a 5-6 page thesis-driven research essay, which should include at least 3 secondary sources and be written according to MLA 8th edition conventions.