This book gives students an answer to the question, “What does my professor want from this essay?” Using a single poem by William Carlos Williams as the basis for the process of writing a paper, it walks students through the processes of reading, brainstorming, researching secondary sources, gathering evidence, and composing and editing the paper.
Writing Essays About Literature is designed to strengthen argumentation skills and deepen understanding of the relationships between the reader, the author, the text, and critical interpretations. Its lessons about clarity, precision, and the importance of providing evidence will have wide relevance for student writers. The second edition has been updated throughout and provides three new complete sample essays showing varying approaches to the final essay.
Section One: Introduction
Chapter One: The Purpose of an Essay about Literature
Literature: Instruction, Delight, Imitation
The Literary Essay
Evidence
Communication
Subjectivity
How to Use This Book
Review Questions
Section Two: Research and Analysis
Chapter Two: Research within the Text
Taking Notes about Literature
Recording Your Responses to the Text
Do I Like the Work?
What Words Stand Out?
What Feelings Does It Give Me?
Do I Identify with Any of the People Represented?
Is There Anything about How It’s Written That Stands Out?
What Is the Work about?
Conclusion
Review Questions
Chapter Three: Using Reference Works
The Oxford English Dictionary
Etymology
Definitions
Examples of Usage
Scholarly Editions
Encyclopedias
Conclusion
Review Questions
Chapter Four: Research about Social and Historical Contexts 55
Topics for Research: Social Phenomena and Literary Movements
Useful Resources
Using Your Findings
Conclusion
Review Questions
Chapter Five: Research about the Current Critical Assessment of Literary Works
Finding Critical Works
Assessing Publications
Using Bibliographies
Reading Critical Works
Taking Notes from Critical Readings
Conclusion
Review Questions
Chapter Six: Inventing Your Argument
Arranging Your Evidence
Reviewing Your Labeled Evidence
Categorizing Your Evidence
Charting Your Evidence
Conclusion
Review Questions
Section Three: Composition
Chapter Seven: Composing Your Argument
Inductive Reasoning
Composing the Thesis Statement
Writing the Subtopic Sentences
Composing the Body of the Introduction
Concluding the Introduction
A Variation: An Essay without Secondary Sources
Conclusion
Review Questions
Chapter Eight: Writing the Body of the Essay
The Body Paragraphs
Features of Strong Paragraphs
Writing the Conclusion and Revising the Introduction
The Conclusion
Revising the Introduction
Conclusion
Review Questions
Section Four: Polish and Presentation
Chapter Nine: Editing and Proofreading Your Essay
Conventions of Essay-Writing Style
Diction
Vocabulary
Connecting Words
Common Grammatical Errors
Apostrophes
Demonstrative Pronouns
Pronoun Agreement
Verb Tense
Common Errors in Punctuation and Sentence Structure
Semicolons
Comma Splices
Sentence Fragments
Subordinating Conjunctions
Conjunctive Adverbs
Conclusion
Review Questions
Chapter Ten: Documenting Your Sources and Presenting Your Work
Reasons for Documenting Sources 147
Documentation Practices
Presenting Your Work
Layout and Order
Illustrations
Multimedia and the Literary Essay
Exemplary Illustrations
Complementary Illustrations
Supplementary Illustrations
Last-Minute Checks
Conclusion
Review Questions
Section Five: Conclusion and Review
Chapter Eleven: The Process of Essay Writing—A Summary
Collecting Evidence (Chapters 2-5)
Categorizing Evidence (Chapter 6)
Writing Your Thesis Statement (Chapter 7)
Troubleshooting the Thesis Statement (Chapter 7)
Writing the Body Paragraphs (Chapter 8)
Concluding Your Essay (Chapter 8)
Proofreading (Chapter 9)
Documentation and Presentation (Chapter 10)
Conclusion
Sample Essay One
Sample Essay Two
Sample Essay Three
Works Cited
Permissions acknowledgment
Subject Index
“I’ve been using Writing Essays About Literature in my courses for years now because it is by far the clearest, most direct, and most engaging explanation of the processes of literary analysis. It explains through demonstration, taking readers through each step with the genuine curiosity we want to encourage in our students. The revisions to the second edition clarify the steps students struggle with most: developing the thesis statement as part of the introduction and then revising the thesis after writing the body of the essay.” — Kylee-Anne Hingston, St. Thomas More College
“I was especially impressed by the lively and approachable authorial voice in Writing Essays About Literature. Where students might be accustomed to start with a thesis and write an essay straight through from beginning to end, the book demonstrates a more nuanced writing process that is both inductive and recursive. It gives students the tools to do higher-level research and thinking, and it concludes with sample essays that model those outcomes.” — Sunny Stalter-Pace, Auburn University
Praise for the first edition
“I am a student studying English and American Studies, and this may be a bit unorthodox, but I wanted to say that Writing Essays About Literature was one of the best textbooks I have ever read … You have done a brilliant job making essay-writing easy, structured, and actually enjoyable!” — Lauren Gaylor, University of Kansas