|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
English 152 Literature Writing Guidelines
|
These guidelines for writing papers about literature are organized into four sections: general guidelines, fiction guidelines, poetry guidelines, and drama guidelines. To view each section, click on the links at the left of your screen. You may also click on the links to read the primary sources (the literature featured in the examples.)
A thesis is a precisely worded statement that summarizes the main idea to be presented in an essay. In order to direct and control the development of the essay, a thesis should specify the limited aspects of the topic that will be included in the discussion. The thesis statement of a literary essay is the sentence that outlines the analysis the essay will present. A good literary thesis is specific, concise, and purposeful. Study the models below for illustrations of weak and improved thesis statements. For additional models from each genre, visit the fiction, drama and general sections of this web site.
|
Example: |
“In fine, we thought that he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place” (Robinson, lines 11-12). |
Explanation: In the quotation above, for example, the phrase, “In fine,” is not an ordinary or expected word choice and might easily be misread as “In find” or “I’m fine,” if you are not concentrating. Be sure to reread quotations, matching what you’ve written against the poet’s original text for accuracy. |
2. When quoting two or three consecutive lines of poetry, place the lines within the paragraph you are writing, but use a right slash [/] to indicate the poet’s original line ending(s).
Example: |
Robinson’s initial description of Richard Cory focuses on his aristocratic status and appearance: “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored and imperially slim” (lines 3-4). |
Explanation: When quoting lines of poetry, be sure to punctuate and capitalize the lines as in the original poem format. |
3. Introduce a quotation from a poem with a coherent lead-in phrase or sentence to connect the poem’s language to your own text. If the lead-in does not include the author’s name, the name must be shown immediately afterward in the parenthetical citation.
Example: |
The initial description of Richard Cory focuses on his aristocratic status and appearance: “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored and imperially slim” (Robinson, lines 3-4). |
Explanation: Note that the author’s name should always be apparent to the reader, in this case by placing it first in the parenthetical citation after the quotation. |
4. Often your lead-in phrase may include the author’s last name. If so, do not include the author’s name in the parenthetical citation.
Example: |
Robinson’s initial description of Richard Cory focuses on his aristocratic status and appearance: “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored and imperially slim” (lines 3-4). |
Explanation: The author’s name needs to be shown only once, either before the quotation or afterward, in the parenthetical citation. Choose the format that works best in your essay context. |
5. Place a parenthetical line citation immediately after a quotation from a poem. The citation includes the author’s last name and the line(s) quoted. In a citation that presents line numbers, a comma is used between the author’s name and the word “line (s).” (See Fiction and Drama for parenthetical citations for those genres.)
Example: |
The initial description of Richard Cory focuses on his aristocratic status and appearance: “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored and imperially slim” (Robinson, lines 3-4). |
| Explanation: Note the use of the comma in the citation above. |
6. Quoted passages from poems may be of any length, from a single striking image to several key lines.
Examples: |
Short Quotation--Single Image: Edwin Arlington Robinson describes Richard Cory as “imperially slim” (line 4), a man whose kingly appearance does much to make him the center of attention in his town. Short Quotation—Two Lines: Robinson’s initial description of Richard Cory focuses on his aristocratic status and appearance: “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored and imperially slim” (lines 3-4). Long Quotation: Quotations of four lines or longer are seldom needed; however, if you decide to use a long quotation, present the quoted lines in the poem’s original format. Double indent and single space this text, if possible. If your word processor will not permit single spacing, simply double indent and double-space. In the opening lines of “Richard Cory,” Edward Arlington Robinson demonstrates the town’s reaction to Richard Cory: Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored and imperially slim. (lines 1-4) |
Explanation: Relatively brief quotations of one to three lines may be presented within the body of your essay. Quotations of four lines or longer are seldom needed; however, if you decide to use a long quotation, present the quoted lines in the poem’s original format. Double indent and double space this text. Note also that the final period in an indented quotation precedes the parenthetical citation. |
7. When quoting two or more non-sequential images or lines, use an ellipsis between them to indicate that some portion of the original text has been left out.
Example: |
For example, Robinson’s initial description of Richard Cory states: “He was a gentleman… / Clean favored and imperially slim” (lines 3-4). |
Explanation: Be sure your resultant sentence is not a fragment and that it reads coherently. |
See the Fiction and Drama sections of this Website for information about quoting from those genres. For information about composing the literary and using secondary critical sources, see the General sections of this Website.
Quoting from Secondary Sources (Critical or Biographical Source)
1. Limit the use of verbatim quotations when you are using secondary sources.
Explanation: Use direct quotation of secondary sources only for a few exceptionally well-phrased critical statements. Use summary or paraphrase for most references to critical or biographical sources. |
2. Just as with a primary source quotation, introduce a secondary source quotation with a coherent introductory phrase, and enclose the quotation in quotation marks. The subsequent secondary source citiations are from an article by Louise Dauner.
Example: |
In Louise Dauner’s reconsideration of Robinson’s poetic reputation, she notes that Richard Cory’s “value lies in the fact that he is a prototype…for those protagonists in the long poems [Robinson's] who come to tragedy because of spiritual blindness…” (7). |
Explanation:This important quotation from Dauner’s critical article focuses on Robinson’s innovative psychological portrayal of his character, Richard Cory. |
Paraphrasing and Summarizing From Secondary Sources (Critical or Biographical Sources)
While verbatim quotations are important in a literary essay, students should take care not to quote excessively. Another useful method for bringing sources into a literary essay is to use paraphrased information from sources. A paraphrase is a restatement in your own words of a secondary source. When paraphrasing, follow these general guidelines:
· Be sure to retain the meaning of the original text.
· Do not enclose paraphrased ideas in quotation marks.
· Always introduce paraphrased ideas with an appropriate introductory phrase.
· Follow the paraphrase with a parenthetical citation identifying the author of the text and the exact page location of the quotation.
· Limit your use of paraphrased information from critical sources to between forty and fifty
percent of your essay’s content.
1. Introduce any paraphrased ideas that you obtain from secondary sources with an appropriate and coherent introductory phrase, and follow each paraphrased idea with a parenthetical citation.
Example: |
Louise Dauner explains that the importance of Richard Cory comes from innovative characterization, not from the poem’s “ ‘shock’ ending” (7). |
Explanation: The introductory phrase and the parenthetical citation show your reader where the paraphrased information begins and ends. Without this framework, paraphrased ideas will be difficult for your reader to identify. Note that paraphrased passages are not enclosed in quotation marks; only word-for-word quotations are placed in quotation marks. |
2. Identify the author in your parenthetical citation if his or her name is not included in the introductory phrase.
Example: |
One critic emphasizes that Robinson’s reputation as a major poet can be established by a careful study of characterizations in several key poems, including “Richard Cory” (Dauner 7). |
Explanation:Note that even though Dauner’s name is not shown until the parenthetical citation, there is an appropriate lead-in phrase, “One critic emphasizes that…” to mark the beginning of the paraphrase. |
3. Be sure to paraphrase secondary sources accurately; never misrepresent a critic’s ideas.
Example: |
Critic Louise Dauner steers us away from focusing single-mindedly on the dramatic ending of “Richard Cory” (7). |
Explanation:In a summary of Dauner’s idea, it’s important to convey the author’s neutral tone. Offering a summary in which we say that Dauner asks us to “ignore” the ending would be a distortion of her critical analysis of the poem. |
4. Be sure to introduce every paraphrased idea, and follow it with a parenthetical citation. Adding a parenthetical citation at the conclusion of several paraphrased sentences is not adequate because you must acknowledge every idea that you obtain from a source.
Example: |
According to Louise Dauner, the “shock” ending of “Richard Cory” possesses minimal long-term literary significance (7). The critic focuses instead on Robinson’s psychological profile of the poem’s mysteriously-troubled protagonist (Dauner 7). |
Explanation: Even though the two paraphrased ideas from Dauner are presented consecutively, for the sake of clarity, it is best to cite each one separately, as shown. |
For specific information about paraphrasing correctly from specific literary genres, see the Fiction and Drama sections of this tutorial.
Drafting the Literary Analysis Essay
1. Draft a literary analysis (as you would draft any other type of essay) by identifying your working thesis and informally outlining your main sub-topics.
2. Begin your first draft with your own ideas about the literary selection that you are analyzing.
3. After you have drafted your own ideas, support those ideas with specific details from the text of the selection—details about characters, setting, images, symbols, plot, or other relevant information. (DO NOT JUST SUMMARIZE THE PLOT, HOWEVER!) You should also support your ideas with specific quotations from the text of the selection. See specific directions for “Quoting from Primary Sources” above.
4. Once you have provided your own analysis, add supporting information from the critical or biographical sources that you have consulted. See specific directions for “Quoting from Secondary Sources” and “Paraphrasing from Secondary Sources” above.
5. Revise and edit the first draft of your essay before you write the final draft.
Drafting the Essay Introduction
After you have formulated your essay’s thesis, develop your introductory paragraph. You may capture the reader’s interest in one of a variety of ways. Consider writing a provocative question, using an attention-getting quotation from the literary text itself, or discussing one of the text’s major themes, such as the difference between the appearance and reality in “Richard Cory.” After your introductory remarks, state your thesis clearly and precisely at the conclusion of the introductory paragraph. (See the General, Fiction, or Drama sections of this tutorial for additional instructions on drafting literary essays.)
Sample Introduction for “Richard Cory”: |
In “Richard Cory,” his narrative poem about an affluent citizen of a small town, Edward Arlington Robinson describes Cory’s appearance and explains the role that this wealthy man plays in the community. Of course, there is dramatic irony in the difference between the truth of Cory’s existence and the town’s attitude toward that existence. The thesis emphasizes this contrast and suggests the troubling aspects of the contrast. |
Explanation:The introduction begins with an overview of the poem’s content and theme--the dramatic difference between Richard Cory’s existence and the town’s attitude toward that existence. The thesis emphasizes the contrast and suggests the emotionally troubling aspects of the contrast. |
Drafting and Revising Body Paragraphs Using Both Primary and Secondary Source Synthesis:
After the opening paragraph, including the thesis statement, has been presented, body paragraphs, such as the one below, develop the essay’s thesis about the contrast between Richard Cory’s appearance and the reality of his life. Note how quotations from Robinson’s poem (the primary source) and Dauner’s critical information (the secondary source) are both synthesized into this body paragraph.
Example: |
According to critic Louise Dauner, the setting for “Richard Cory,” a late nineteenth-century New England town, is modeled on Gardiner, Maine, where Edward Arlington Robinson actually lived for almost thirty years (1). Thus, even though relatively brief, the poet provides the reader with a realistic picture of a notable citizen, one who is admired and, indeed, envied by the ordinary people of the town. Although the townspeople believed he “glittered when he walked” (line 8), his superficial glitter concealed a troubled human being who ultimately took his own life. Dauner emphasizes that “we can only surmise that whatever Cory had, it was not enough to compensate him for what he did not have” (7). |
Explanation: This body paragraph begins to develop the thesis about the difference between the reality of Richard Cory’s life and the town’s view of his life. The quotation from the primary source highlights his admirable appearance, and the information from the secondary source provides information about the town itself. |
Preparing the Works Cited Page
1. Begin a new page that you name Works Cited.
2. In alphabetical order, list all of the sources that you have quoted or paraphrased, using the author’s last name or the first important word of the title (if no author is listed). Do not number the entries on the Works Cited page.
3. Provide all of the required information about a publication, whether the publication is a book, a periodical, or an electronic source.
4. Use correct MLA form for each entry. Follow the models given in your MLA handbook or use the following link: http://lib.ocean.edu/the_source/MLA.htm
5. Double space all lines on the Works Cited page.
If you
need assistance from the library, call us at 732-255-0392 |