Literature and Ourselves Writing About Literature: Introduction

Ways to Write About Literature Literary Response Essay Comparison/Contrast Essay Critical Analysis Essay Evaluative Essay Research Essay

Literary Response Essay Allows reader to make connections between literary work and his impressions Refers to literary theory known as Reader Response criticism – each reader brings his own history, outlook, and values to a work Assumes that there is no “correct”reading of a text, but that meaning is created when the reader interacts with the text

Comparison/Contrast Essay Compares two literary works to each other Does not just simply list similarities and differences between the works Makes connections and provides analysis Starts with critical reading, noting parallel themes – love and hate, innocence and experience, life, death and rebirth, progress and tradition, gender, family issues, freedom and responsibility, human nature, search for identity, etc.

Critical Analysis Essay Examines how a part or parts of a literary work connect to the whole work Requires careful analysis of work to see how these parts contribute to the meaning of the entire work – how a character influences the outcome, how a play turns on a critical scene Often focuses on an element – structure, language, characters, sound, plot, irony, etc. Is NOT a paraphrase, but an explanation on how the work communicates its idea

Evaluative Essay Judges a work based on criteria set by what the reader/essayist has learned, experienced, and observed Allows reader/essayist to agree or not with the set of values expressed in the work May allow essayist to prove a point - why conclusions in literary work are faulty or why the work is unrealistic

Research Essay Allows reader to explore in depth a particular aspect of a work using secondary sources – books, journals, Internet sources, interviews, etc. May employ any of the above essay forms – literary response, comparison/contrast, critical analysis, or evaluation

Writing a Strong Argumentative Essay - Terms Argument Deductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning Warrants Literary Argument Evaluating Sources

Argument Argument – writing or speech designed to persuade or convince Benefits of writing argumentative essays about literature – Prepares essayist to use argument in a variety of fields – history, economics, political science, etc. Teaches essayist to think critically – rationally and systematically – about issues which impact life

Deductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning – uses widely accepted general principles to demonstrate the truth of a more specific statement – “all men are created equal” is “self-evident truth” General observations are used to arrive at specific conclusions All apples are fruit. All fruits grow on trees. Therefore, all apples grow on trees.

Inductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning – uses specific observations to arrive at general conclusions – the scientific method Specific observations result in a general conclusion After several cakes baked in the same cake pan came out burned, Carl concluded that if he bakes a cake in that particular cake pan it will probably come out burned

Inductive Argument Thesis (called the claim) must be debatable Counterclaim (claim made by those who disagree with you) must be possible Claims make judgments about what must, should, or needs to be done, about inadequacy of certain practices, or about debatable matters Because Atlanta’s traffic is nightmarish, because its streams and rivers are increasingly polluted, and because smog often reaches hazardous levels, the municipalities around Atlanta should limit development

Warrants Warrants – assumptions or interpretative principles that an author shares and that provides the basis for interpreting facts Warrants show the connection between the claim (thesis) and the facts that support it Because Atlanta’s traffic is nightmarish, because its streams and rivers are increasingly polluted, and because smog often reaches hazardous levels

Literary Argument Because they are often interpretative in nature, articles and papers about works of literature are often argumentative Whenever an essay deals with issues having more than one interpretation, it will be argumentative

Evaluating Sources Reliable sources of evidence must be used for the argument to be convincing In evaluating a source, consider the credentials of the writer and the reputation of the publication Reliable sources are unbiased – willing to consider both sides of an issue Be skeptical about editorial and opinion pages, though reporting of large newspapers and newsmagazines is usually reliable