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.