Research Project: Let's get this going

     There's a lot to learn about dogs and countless topics to focus on. Since there's a ton I don't know I decided to narrow down my research project to something I'm at least a bit familiar with. I love reading fiction and I also love history. While reading a historical romance book titled Seeking Persephone, I noticed that the dogs in the story were described in a historical context. It was interesting to think about how the timing of the story changed the way these creatures were portrayed. Even more interesting was a character they were associated with. This character is a Duke, a dangerous and intimating one at that. Many different characters mention the association between the Duke and the wolf-dog animals that hunt the woods. They can't decide if it's the dogs that copy the Duke's personality, or if the Duke is a mirror of the creatures that surround his home. It fascinated me that this relationship existed and I'm curious to see if there are other fiction stories where dogs are portrayed differently because of the time period or characters.

    While I do have my general topic figured out, there's still a lot to consider before I move on with my project. For one thing, I seem to have two topics within fictitious stories that I need to decided between. Should I focus on the historical aspect or the characters? In addition, what types of stories should I focus on. Honestly, I'm kind of leaning towards chapter books. They are longer, but there's so much content to explore and could really provide a lot of different perspectives on how characters impact the way we see dogs. I could also use several book I've already read to increase my number of sources. On the other hand, I could go with shorter stories. This will allow me have more sources and could give me the chance to explore the more historical side of things. In addition, I am studying to become a teacher. Using children's books could teach me more about what short stories are teaching youth. I am, however, concerned that there will be limited content. There's only so much you can explore in a shorter story.

    As of right now, I need to decide on these specifics so I can move on with my project. I have no clue as to what format I want my project to take. But I feel like that is something that depends on what my final focus will be. For now, I plan to explore a few short stories- Erika Fudge's Lassie essay and Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog- to get a better idea about how I can use shorter pieces of fiction for this project. One I have done that, I will decide on my focus then start gathering sources. As I gather sources and think about my project, I will brainstorm about how I want to present what I learn. There's still a lot I need to do, but I'm excited to get started!

Any shared thoughts would be greatly appreciated; I love hearing people's comments and opinions.