Name: ______Date: ______Mr. Mathews English IV H The Picture of Dorian Gray Analytical Essay Assignment

For your analytical essay on The Picture of Dorian Gray, you must come up with an original thesis statement for your essay AND utilize at least one outside source in addition to the novel. For your outside source, you may choose either of the following:

 An article from Victorian Web  An article from Web MD  An article from a scholarly journal obtained through EBSCO, Gale, or other means.

In choosing an article, you do not necessarily have to select a source that says exactly what you plan on arguing. Here are SOME suggestions on how to use the outside source:

 If you want to talk about the novel’s relationship to society, you can find a source that discusses the society of the time.  If you want to talk about the novel’s relationship to the author, you can find a biography of Oscar Wilde.  If you want to psychoanalyze a character, you can find an article from WebMD that details a particular psychological condition or disorder.  If you find an argument that a scholar has already made about The Picture of Dorian Gray, you may further that argument, refute part of it, or refute all of it.

Other important information:

 You should have your thesis statement reviewed by Mr. Mathews by April 20th, 2011.  Your essay is due May 3rd, 2011. A copy must also be submitted to Turnitin.com at this time.  Your essay should be about 3 pages in length (not including works cited page).  You must include a works cited page.  Adhere to MLA guidelines for quotation, citation, and formatting. Also, use Times New Roman, 12 point font.  Your work will be evaluated by the attached rubric.