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[Un67]

Currently, I'm in the midst of doing a research essay for my English class. We were given essentially potential topics, the usage of a symbol and how it has changed over time in specific pieces of literature, or how the life of an author has changed over time with critiques citing specific pieces of literature. Previously, I was doing the first, but due to a general lack of sources available I have changed to the second, with the consent of my teacher. Does anyone know of a good author to do this research on, someone that has been pretty clearly affected by events in their life, ideally with a good amount of existing sources on them? I'm more than capable of doing research, and I don't really need or want anyone to look for sources for me, but I haven't found any good authors to do research on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Slayerhero90]

You should have gone with the heart symbol. As to author, I don't know.

[pisskop]

Stephen King shoul dbe your fallback guy.  His early work is much different than his later pieces.

Poe.  Edgar Allen Poe is awesome.

But, why limit yourself to fiction?  a philosopher or psychologist would be much more interesting, imo.  Think Freud, Jung, Marx, Kant,  or Heidegger.  Okay, not Heidegger, your brain will implode if you're not careful.  George Berkeley was easier to grasp than Heidegger.

[Bdthemag]

H.P. Lovecraft, he was sick throughout most of his childhood and also had night terrors throughout most of his life, influencing most of his work. He was also rather racist, believing that people of English descent had a superior culture and that opinion definitely influenced a lot of his work. Really, he's almost perfect for your situation.

[Lectorog]

I did a report for English class about Lovecraft. He is interesting, and changed significantly over his. I second Bdthemag. Lovecraft never wanted to be / considered himself a fiction writer; he wanted to be a scientific reporter, and considered himself a producer of poetry; but his fiction is all that he really has credit for. Also, easy to find sources, unless you need things in print.

[Alpha Dwarf]

A great man to take into your literature covenant would be Julius Evola. A hardcore fucking Fascist who worked with the original ideas since the late 1800s. He discredited Mussolini for joining the Nazis and simply wanted a coherent Italian unity. This guy will teach you of the pitfalls our modern society is dealing with today; his book Men Among the Ruins. You would probably have a hard time finding him in your library though.

More philosophy: Nietzsche, though you had best read and re-read everything he has written to truly connect. A good start is Thus Spake Zarathustra.

[Sir Finkus]

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

[misko27]

Josep Djugashvili
 
Serious suggestion: Lovecraft. There is symbolism by the dozens in there.

[Tellemurius]

Ray Bradbury, that old man knew what was happening to society even before we realized it.

[Alpha Dwarf]

Lovecraft was the last Romantic to disown our civilizational progress. Countless numbers of his books relate from the perspective of a small, insignificant man poking his head through an apartment window and getting lost in the oblivion of heights and microcosmic lives of each neighbor, basically.

I vote up Lovecraft as the popular choice.

[zombie urist]

Hemingway.

[Un67]

Bleh, I just realized I mistyped the second option: It was supposed to be how events in an author's life have affected their work. Namely, autobiographical elements. I've considered Lovecraft, but are autobiographical elements really in his work, and are there critics that have written up critiques about that?

In any case, thanks for the replies, everyone.

[pisskop]

Is this good?

http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/autobiog/

[misko27]

Is this good?

http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/autobiog/

Let me guess, first google result?
 
Mine too.

[Alpha Dwarf]

I'm certain Lovecraft was profoundly influenced by Nietzsche. You may as well include a good deal of how Nietzsche's nihilism is interspersed through Lovecraft's work.