Creating Literary Commentary

What makes a successful commentary? Clear organization Demonstrating excellent knowledge and understanding of the text Focusing on the effects of the writer’s choices of language, structure and form

Commentary Preparation Time Silently read the whole poem without writing. Critically read the poem for literary conventions. Annotate/color mark/underline key words/phrases and aspects you think are most dominant, interesting, or about which you can talk most convincingly Identify two to three dominant motifs or themes you want to discuss and the most literary quotes to illuminate their significance. Decide on the best sequence to analyze your evidence Chronological or thematic? Formulate a dominant effect thesis statement (How + What = So What) to guide your efforts.

Literary Discussion: Your Tone Language should be formal and as technically accurate as you can make it Adopt a register appropriate to the thoughtful discussion of literature Speak clearly and relatively slowly Give the rest of the people in the discussion a clear sense that you are enjoying the text and the process of analysis

When we start a literary discussion begin with your thoughts about: Which aspect of [the work’s] language, technique, and style did you find most powerful? You should have an answer plus specific evidence to support your point.

Applying this practice: IOC 1 minute: Introduce your poem. Give a summary of it. Mention how it fits into the body of work we studied (Yeats’ poems). State your dominant effect. 3 minutes: Discuss Aspect/Theme 1/Important Feature 1/Answer Guiding Q 1. Make several close references to the language, structure, and form of the poem. Be analytical, explaining HOW and WHY Yeats has made the choices he has. 3 minutes: Discuss Aspect/Theme 2/Important Feature 2/Guiding Q 2. Make several close references to the language, structure, and form of the poem. Be analytical, explaining HOW and WHY Yeats has made the choices he has. 1 minute: Make any final points about the language of the poem and conclude.

Conclusion (30 sec. – 1 minute) The conclusion may be brief You need to draw your commentary to a recognizable end and finish off effectively Maybe: look at the way the poem ends and Yeats’ choice of language there OR state what you think is the most important element of the poem OR comment on the main way the poem influences the reader OR summarize how it fits into the rest of his work Key is to sound focused and assured