Literary Based Multi-Genre Research Paper

One of my favorite essays to write - and one of my students' favorites too - is the multi-genre research paper.  Oh, at first they whine and moan about it.  But once they get into developing the genres and putting it all together (and those are no small tasks), they begin to enjoy the work.

And these are consistently the most powerful essays I ever get to read.  The subjects themselves are incredible - remembering a grandfather who has passed, a parents' divorce, a relative's alcoholism, coming out to their parents, a tribute to a sibling.  It is amazing what these kids come up with.

Even when the topics aren't emotionally powerful, they are always interesting - the power of imagination, being an introvert, remember the highlights of the high school years, horses, fishing and hunting, hockey . . .

I have not read one that was not worthy.  Sure, some have been less than terrific.  But the potential is always there in every single one. 

So I was quite excited when I came across an assignment from Tom Romano (the guru of the MGRP) devoted to literature.  He does this in place of a traditional research paper.

Students pick their favorite book.  And it can be almost anything - a YA title, a classic, a graphic novel, a children's book, a popular title.  The point is that the kids love the book and are passionate about it.

One of the genres has to be research based with sources.  So students are exposed to the research report genre.  However, they then get to re-examine and gain a greater appreciation of the novel through such genres as art, letters, newspaper writing, fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and so on.

When I saw this assignment, I couldn't help but think of To Kill a Mockingbird. 

For my research genre I'd explore the character of Atticus and whether he really is a hero or a cliche.  I know of several sources that explore this.

Another genre would be a fiction piece in which I write from Scout's point of view 20 years after the events of the novel have occurred.

Another genre would be a collection of poems written by Boo.  These poems happened to be delivered to Scout after Boo passed away.

Another genre would be a film review of Infamous, which tells the tale of Truman Capote's quest to write In Cold Blood.  This relates to TKM because Capote, a flamboyantly gay man, needs his childhood best friend, Harper Lee, to help him befriend the locals in Oklahoma where the murders that In Cold Blood is based on occurred.  She helps him and he encourages her to keep writing and eventually publish what would come to be To Kill a Mockingbird.  And Capote is actually Dill from the book.

I would also include a reflection on fatherhood and how I try to use Atticus as a role model.

And these are just off the top of my head.

As I thought about this, I realized that I had actually written a literature based MGRP years ago in grad school, though I didn't know it was a MGRP.  I wrote a small research piece based on my favorite book series from my childhood "The Prydian Chronicles" by Lloyd Alexander.  Then I wrote a creative non-fiction piece chronicling how the books impacted my imagination and led me on all sorts of adventures in my back yard.  I had the actual first creative piece I ever wrote.  It was a story about a young warrior, who was part Tyran (the main character from the Prydian series and "Conan the Barbarian).  I broke each genre up and weaved them together.  it was so much fun and my professor loved it.

I didn't even know what I was doing back then, but I stumbled my way upon a literature based MGRP.

Now the only question is where do I fit this in to my already crammed College Comp or College Comp II curriculum.