+ Revision in AP Lit

+ MLA Format 1. Use header function to add page number at top of page - Should be right justified. 2. Recommended: add last name to header before page number 3. At the top left of the page, double spaced: your name on the first line, teacher’s name on the second line, name of the course on the third line, date on the fourth line 4. On the next line, centered, is your title. The typeface should be 12 pt, as the typeface for the rest of the paper. No need to bold nor italicize 5. See example on the next slide

+ Your title The title of your essay should be original/ inventive and it should capture the essence of your paper. The title can be an opportunity for you to be playful and to show you have a sense of humor Personal favorites of your teacher: alliteration, puns, and new twists on familiar phrases, titles, expressions

+ Introduction Needs to include the title of the book, italicized (MLA had dropped underlining) Needs to include the author of the book Should ‘hook’ your reader with a compelling opening related to your topic Should provide a brief overview of the book – 2 or 3 sentences that encapsulate the plot Should END with a thesis statement

+ Thesis Statement The thesis statement must directly address the plot. Usually the thesis statement also includes authorial intent, which is a way of recognizing the work as a product of the author’s craft Includes the theme that is developed through an analysis of the device, character, and/or literary element. Example: In Blind Assassin, Atwood creates a flawed heroine in Iris Chase in order to demonstrate that _________(theme)_______________.

+ FRAME THESIS STATEMENT In TITLE, AUTHOR develops CHARACTER as a morally ambiguous figure in order to demonstrate THEME. In White Noise, Don DeLillo develops Murray Suskind as a morally ambiguous figure in order to demonstrate that _____________________ THEME__________________________. In TITLE, AUTHOR depicts CHARACTER on a journey to realize _____(add specifics to modify the kind of justice)____________justice, with varying amounts of success in order to demonstrate THEME. In All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy depicts John Grady Cole as a a young man on a quest for justice, internal and external, in order to suggest _____________________ THEME_____________________.

+ MLA format - citations When quoting from your novel, the first citation should include the last name and the page number the quotation was lifted from in parenthesis. For example (Orwell 12) As long as you are quoting only from the novel, every subsequent quotation should just be the parenthesis with page number only. For example (22) Citations should immediately follow the quotation within your sentence – do not move the citation to the end of the sentence.

+ More Conventions of Literary Analysis Literary present tense: When writing about literature, use the present tense to describe the characters actions and plot developments. Consider that these works have been discussed and written about for decades or centuries, and will continue to be for decades and centuries to come.

+ More Conventions of Literary Analysis First person pronouns: Use sparingly or not at all. Instead of focusing on your reaction (I realized, I learn, I came to understand), reframe the observation by referring to authorial intent: With this example, Atwood suggests… Here DeLillo etches the character as one who actually… McCarthy highlights the immoral nature of …

+ Related vs. Relevant When you read/review your essay, keep in mind that you want to keep only what is relevant to your thesis, and you want to omit an unnecessary plot summary, even if it is related – related isn’t good enough.

+ Body Paragraphs Each body paragraph should contain a transition that moves the reader from the last idea covered in the previous paragraph to the idea to be covered in the new paragraph. Should begin with a strong topic sentence that is focused on supporting the thesis. Topic sentences are never plot-oriented. See sample body paragraph.

+ Conclusion See handout from today.