GEW 101--Ames--Fall 2009

You need to incorporate at least ONE scholarly resource to support your analysis of Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?".

Short stories are a bit more difficult to find scholarly analysis for as they are a short, individual item and therefore are harder to write about. Generally you do not find entire books written on one short story. That does not mean you cannot find sources, but that you should be creative and open to how and where to look. Brainstorming terms about the story should give you more to work with than just the author's name and the work's title and is an important part of developing your search strategies.

Search strategies

Developing search terms is an important first step in preparing for research. Of course, you have read the story, so think about what you see as themes, symbols and the possible intent the author had in writing this story.Ask yourself:

• Who is Connie, is she a typical or unusual teenager? (character analysis)
• What is her family life like? Are they engaged in each other or aloof? (family relations)
• Is Connie experiencing reality or dreaming? (critical literature)
• Who is Arnold? Or Ellie? What/who do they represent?(symbolism)
• How do you see the story?

Once you have search terms and themes to investigate, the following tab discusses two major areas to look for the research support you need.