An Author Study is a compare and contrast assignment where you look at two novels from the same author (different series) that you have read this semester.
Choose an author. Using 2 or more novels from that author, give a recorded or live presentation where you look deeply into how that author writes a story. Note: the two novels should not be from the same series, as the plot, characters, and settings will often not change that much between series books.
There will be essentially 6 parts to your presentation. I would recommend working on gathering evidence for these parts throughout the course of the semester.
Part 1 - Author Background:
Explain to your reader which author you chose and explain a bit about who they are.
Who is the author?
Where and when do/did they live?
What is/was their life like?
What really makes this author different or unique?
Part 2 - Novel Summary 1:
Write a thorough but concise summary of the first novel you read.
You will want to be sure to address the following aspects of your text:
Plot
Conflict
Characters
Themes
Imagery
Part 3 - Novel Summary 2:
Write a thorough but concise summary of the other novel you read.
You will want to be sure to address the following aspects of your text:
Plot
Conflict
Characters
Themes
Imagery
Part 4 - Novel Similarities:
What similarities did you notice between the two texts from this author? You may want to look for:
Character
Theme
Conflict
Setting
Mood/Atmosphere
Tone
Plot Structure
Part 5 - Novel Differences:
What differences did you notice between the two texts from this author? You may want to look for:
Character
Theme
Conflict
Setting
Mood/Atmosphere
Tone
Plot Structure
Part 6 - Author Recommendation:
Discuss what you have learned about this author.
Do you recommend this author? Why or why not?
What kinds of readers would enjoy this author?
If you were to continue reading this author, what novels would you read next?
In this Author Study, I focus mainly on parts 1, 4, & 6 of the assignment.