The Remains of the Day

Research Essay on a 20th-Century Novel Write an essay that through close reading addresses one of the following sets of questions: 1) In Mrs. Dalloway, Peter Walsh thinks, “[O]ne makes up the better part of life” (54). Consider this idea in relation to either Peter himself, Clarissa Dalloway, Richard Dalloway, Elizabeth Dalloway Septimus Warren Smith, Lucrezia Warren Smith, or Miss Kilman. To what extent does the idea apply to the character you’ve chosen? What does the idea suggest about experience, identity, or the self? a. You can consider this quote in relation to two or even three characters from the novel, as long as your thesis statement draws a meaningful connection or comparison between them. 2) At the end of The Remains of the Day, Stevens reflects: The hard reality is, surely, that for the likes of you and I, there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our services. What is the point in worrying oneself too much about what one could or could not have done to control the course one’s life took? (244) Consider the truth of Stevens’ final reflections. Are they borne out by the rest of the novel? What does the novel suggest about the relationship between choice and fate? Or about the power one has to control the course of one’s life? a. You can consider this quote in relation to two or even three characters from the novel, as long as your thesis statement draws a meaningful connection or comparison between them. Expectations The essay must be between 7 and 8 full pages and include: 1) an introductory paragraph with a clear thesis; 2) several claims in support of your thesis; 3) quotes from the novel and analyses of those quotes in support of your claims; 4) quotes or paraphrased ideas from at least two secondary sources; 5) a concluding paragraph. Notes 1) Assume that your audience has read Mrs. Dalloway and The Remains of the Day. Do not summarize either of their plots. 2) Cite at least two secondary sources in your analysis of Mrs. Dalloway or The Remains of the Day. These sources should be peer-reviewed, literary critical articles that you find on the research databases to which the Queens College library gives you access. Begin your research with the databases JSTOR and Literature Criticism Online (Gale). Do not assume your audience has read any of the secondary sources you cite. 3) Cite Mrs. Dalloway, The Remains of the Day, and all secondary sources according to MLA format and produce a Works Cited page.