Research paper example
Mary Sue
- Subject
- English & Literature
- Type
- Research paper
- Citation style
- MLA
- Length
- 4 pages
About this sample
The paper examines Mary Sue, a character type rooted in fan fiction that has spread into published writing, using Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl as an example. It argues that Mary Sue narratives are criticized for shifting focus from canon characters, and proposes that such work can be productive rather than consumptive. The paper opens with a discussion section and research question, then a description of the project and a six-step research plan.
- Mary Sue characterization
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
- fan fiction criticism
- Writer/God and canon characters
- inference versus significance
How it opens
Although the origins of Mary Sue are in fanfiction, the term has managed to permeate the publishing domain. To many writers, Mary Sue has become a useful script for a worryingly typical mistake in characterization. With time, the meaning of Mary Sue has been obscured. There is a faction that perceives it as a wish-fulfillment for the writer while others view it as any self-insertion of the writer.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell could be perceived as a wish-fulfillment for the author. The novel revolves around a scholarly, nervous, creative writing girl entering college with an experienced roommate. This situation might be very normal to many readers of fanfiction. However, in the author's skillful mind, an unexciting storyline is changed into a plausible year transformation of trash to glory.
In analyzing the Writer/God and disconnecting canon characters, a fan fiction work like Fangirl changes the subtext from resolved/emblematic to semantics/immediate (Markowitz 55). Consequently, there is a change in emphasis from inference to significance (Scodari 113). Although inference is owned by critics that attempt to resurrect the silhouette of the Writer/God, significance is the property of readers trying to acknowledge their womanly yearnings and ambitions (Scodari 113). Therefore, Mary Sue does not regard inference or the concept of inference. As a result, through this perspective, Mary Sue could be considered as propagative (productive) instead of sensitive (consumptive).
The opening section, transcribed from the PDF. The full paper continues below.
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Using an example well
Read it for how the paper is built, not for wording to reuse: how the introduction frames the question, how each paragraph moves from a claim to evidence, and how sources are cited in MLA. Submitting any part of it as your own work would be plagiarism, and it is written for a different brief than yours.
Writing one yourself? Read the guide How to outline a research paper and the MLA format guide.