Literature Essays Need Close Textual Reading and Sound Planning

Literature essays often baffle students who may not have been called on to write in this genre very much previously.  They ask that the student grasp the piece of writing, and express him/herself persuasively.  It is crucial to be prepared for some intense thinking, close reading, and possible self-revelation in writing a literature essay.

Literature essays are a basic and frequent staple of college English classes.  Of course they appear in courses on literature but you could also encounter a literature essay in a writing course, as well.

Literature essay directions: Decode!

Literature essays often are based on a highly focused assignment. This means that you can’t just start off half-baked, without a clear idea of the professor’s aims. Don’t skip this step!

1. Read instructions carefully
2. Buttonhole the professor: repeat instruction back to him/her in your own words to confirm your comprehension
3. Request clarification of anything unclear
4. Take notes on this discussion
5. Discuss the instructions with one or more classmates

• Can you explain it to someone else?  You are golden!
• Do your classmates understand the instructions similarly?  If not, go back over the steps above again

Plan essays on literature with care

This is a type of writing that requires advance organization. 

Responding to the assignment, generate a thesis that is both bold and supportable.  This may seem like being asked to define life (that, however is the province of your philosophy class), but it is possible.

Try starting with your evidence:

• Read through your texts again, both literature and commentary
• Look for any three things that are similar, or that lead one to the same conclusion (Sorry. Unfortunately, reading the texts is an unavoidable necessity.)

Formulate a modest assertion that you can credibly make, ensuring that you are addressing the assignment for an essay on literature, then push it a bit farther, e.g.,

1. Compare/contrast: ‘The differences/similarities between x and y are {large, small, insignificant}, and {deserve recognition/further study, illuminate authors’ shared worldview, reflect historical changes, etc.}’
2. A proposition: The notion that {x implies y, night is day, Shakespeare was a woman} is an intriguing one and that {merits serious attention, is compelling/ludicrous}

Write!

Connect three supporting points with words such as

• Moreover
• Additionally
• Finally

Conclude by reframing your thesis, summarizing your evidentiary points.  Cross-check that you have addressed your assignment.

Proof, re-proof!

Useful links:

http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/

http://www.indiana.edu/

http://press.umich.edu/