What I Want To Know About My Topic

The initial beginning process of research has always been a difficult task for me. There are so many questions that absolutely must be answered by multiple reliable resources. All good researches must begin with an essential question, mine being "What defines literature of this era?"  You can't just jump into research by googling the main question. Take your time and break down the main objective into several smaller, more bite sized concepts. I have done exactly that and have generated the following five questions to guide me on this research journey:

1. What kind of  impact did authors have on society using their literature?
2. How did the events of that era influence the style of literature (mood, tone, etc)?
3. What was the most prevalent style of literature?
4. How does the literature of this era differ from the literature of today?
5. What makes this era's literature stand out from the rest?