Writing About Literature
Ó 2000 Jason Huddleston
Selecting a Topic: “Discovering the Undiscovered”
A
good essay speaks to the ambiguous -- that which lends itself to interpretation
rather than
mere
plot summary or statements of the obvious; thus, write on a topic that is
not obvious.
Ex:
Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a story about slavery.
THIS
IS OBVIOUS!
Instead,
you could
1)
compare and contrast ideas about slavery as they
are represented in the novel by certain
actions and characters; OR
2)
examine the political, social, or historical climate in which Twain
lived, making a point about direct or
indirect influences on the writing of Huckleberry Finn; OR
3)
relate one or more of the characters to one of the prominent themes in the
novel
Approaches
such as these to a work of literature are numerous, but it becomes your task as
a
reader/writer to speak to something that perhaps no one has yet to consider.
Although
you cannot be aware of everything that has ever been written on a work, this should
not stop you from attempting to
find a unique approach to the work.
Your first objective is to
respond to something that interests you. If it is the idea of slavery in
Twain’s
Huckleberry Finn, then you must ask yourself what point you can make
about it -- some point
that can be considered by others
as an interpretation of the novel.
It then becomes the objective of
your paper to argue/defend this interpretation, using direct quotes
from the novel as well as from related secondary sources to support your
claims.
Storming the Brain
Although there are also numerous
pre-writing (brainstorming) exercises that can assist you in determining
what point(s) you want to make
about the work, you must choose one that is both conducive to your method of
writing
and ultimately capable of
producing as many areas of exploration as possible.
The Essay’s Format
MLA
(Modern Language Association) is the standard by which essays on literature are
written.
The following is a brief
overview of the basic essay format -- from heading to Works Cited page:
(*NOTE:
All essays are to be double spaced and written in 12-point font.)
HEADING:
located in the upper left-hand corner of the paper; only essential information:
Name
English
1302
Date
TITLE: centered on the
next line after the heading; capitalize only major words; underline or place
quotation
marks only around
literary or academic titles you plan to incorporate into your own title.
Creative titles are impressive
but should be followed by a more lucid sub-title:
A
Dark Night at Carmel:
An Existential Reading of N. Scott
Momaday’s “Before an Old Painting of the Crucifixion”
INTRODUCTORY
PARAGRAPH: perhaps one of the most
important paragraph in an essay. As its name indicates,
this paragraph simply (and
somewhat briefly) introduces your essay’s objective/purpose to the
reader. It is important
not to provide too many explicit
details in the essay; this is the purpose of the supporting body paragraphs.
Instead, begin
the paragraph with a broad
statement -- one that is related (directly or indirectly) and will eventually
lead to your ultimate
statement (thesis). EXAMPLE:
As
the persona of Momaday’s poem stands before an old mural of the crucifixion of Jesus,
a subtle irony is
revealed. Here, within the hallowed structure
of the Carmel Mission, hangs a painting of the one who embodies the
Christian concepts of holiness and
salvation. Yet, as the persona observes, the once inspiring effect of this
sacred image
is now lost; it has become as
powerless as it has meaningless. The poem, then, becomes the persona’s search
for the
meaning of human existence.
THESIS:
the last sentence of your introduction; one sentence; a clear, arguable statement
of your objective for the paper
(never a question; never
ambiguous).
A good essay about literature
makes a distinction between the work it is examining and other works by that or
by other authors. The thesis, then,
declares the significance of the work you’ve chosen while expressing the
intentions of your essay.
EXAMPLE (for the previous
introduction):
While
Momaday’s other works may hint at existential themes, “Before an Old Painting
of the Crucifixion” more directly
conveys
the four prominent existential concepts of absurdity, death, alienation, and
anguish -- each working sequentially to
characterize
the existential perspectives of the human condition.
BODY PARAGRAPHS: Body
paragraphs are the essential structure of an essay (as created by the thesis
statement).
By reading the thesis above, the
reader will be made aware of not only the four distinct aspects to the essay --
absurdity, death, alienation, and anguish -- but the essay’s sequential
structure of discussion (absurdity, then death, then alienation, then
anguish -- in that order). The
reader may also expect at least (but not limited to) four separate body
paragraphs, one per
“existential concept”.
To assist the reader in
understanding the premise for your interpretation (how you came to read the
work that way), it might be imperative to use the first body paragraph as a signifier;
that is, before plunging into your interpretation, it might be helpful to
the reader if some sort of
background were established. EXAMPLE:
An
existential interpretation of Momaday’s poem relies on one important premise. Although
Momaday capitalizes
the pronoun references to Jesus . . .
(The
paragraph would go on to explain how such an interpretation of the poem works.)
To avoid “losing” the reader,
you must consistently indicate -- at the beginning of the paragraph -- the
point to be examined. EXAMPLE:
For
the existentialist, life itself is absurd.
(This
opening sentence of the body paragraph indicates to the reader that the concept
of absurdity -- the first point indicated
in the thesis -- will be
examined in this paragraph.)
In
the development of body paragraphs, it is also important -- while arguing your interpretation
-- to qualify your statements
without weakening your
arguments. The following is an example of an unqualified statement:
. . ., so Momaday intends to prove that Jesus’s suffering was in
vain.
Since
neither the reader nor the writer can be certain of the poet’s intentions, the
writer must qualify the statement:
. . . Momaday may be suggesting that Jesus’ suffering was in vain.
A
qualified statement that weakens the argument must also be avoided:
. . . In my opinion, Momaday is
suggesting that Jesus’ suffering was in vain.
Phrases like “in my opinion”
weaken your argument; rather than offering a daring interpretation, you are now
(with weakening phrases like
this) offering a hopeful suggestion that becomes based more upon what you think
than
what evidence there is to
support you interpretation.
After
indicating and developing a point within a body paragraph, it is imperative
that you further develop the paragraph
and strongly support the
interpretation by using direct quotes from or references to both the primary
source (the work being examined) and secondary sources (works -- articles,
essays, etc. -- related to the point being discussed in that paragraph).
In
accordance with MLA guidelines, quotations within the essay must be
parenthetically cited. There are two
basic methods
of incorporating a quote into
your essay:
1)
explicitly announcing or introducing the source:
As Katherina Eiermann, in her article
“Themes of Existentialism,” suggests, “We are hemmed in by a world of things
which are opaque to us. . .” (par. 8).
2)
implicitly incorporating the direct quote into your sentence:
Several existential ideas about
alienation exist, including the idea that humanity is “hemmed in by a world of
things which
are opaque to us. . .” (Eiermann, par.
8).
It
is important, however, not to leave the quote there to explain itself.
Since you felt this quote was relevant enough to use, it is
vital that you place the quote
in context; that is, you must now explain how the quoted material relates to
your interpretation
or the point you are attempting
to argue in that paragraph. EXAMPLE:
In “Before an Old Painting,” the
persona feels hemmed in by the world that exists between himself and the
painting –
a world that alienates him from his own reality.
CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH:
Like the introduction, the conclusion to your essay is a vital part of the
essay as a whole.
Not only does the conclusion
bring a sense of closure to you argument, but it is the last part the
instructor will read before assigning your work a grade; therefore, the
conclusion must not be a simple resting spot at the end of a long, hard journey
through a literary explication.
It must continue to deliver the argument for your interpretation while leaving
a final, lasting impression upon the reader. To achieve this, you must not only
review what has already been done but make familiar and
necessary correlations to the
world in which we (and more importantly, the reader) live. Find universal areas
in life -- areas
to which each of us can
sympathize -- to which you can relate your interpretation. EXAMPLE:
“Before
an Old Painting of the Crucifixion” is an ontological study of the existentialist’s
perspective of the human condition. It is important as an existential poem, for
the poem itself captures the essence of the human condition: the universal
struggle for meaning.
(The
paragraph goes on to review the main points indicated in the thesis and
developed in the body paragraphs.)
NOTE:
Never begin your conclusion with “In conclusion” or “Finally”; these
traditional (but taboo) endings are
anti-climactic;
they force the reader’s “reading
rhythm” to an unnecessarily awkward and grinding halt.