Literature essays are often the basic assignment of many English classes. Even for science majors, the literature essay is a crucial form of writing to master. For many students, literature essays are the first expository writing they are exposed to in either high school or college. Often dreaded, they should instead be embraced for the way they stretch mental muscles. The resulting skills of close reading and expression of subtle, complex ideas are important tools for every graduate. Here are some thoughts on making a literature essay more of a pleasure and less of a pain.
Literature essays are meant to help you understand and identify the various elements of a piece of literature, including,
- Plot/subplot
- Character development
- Image/metaphor simile
- Choice of what to include/exclude
- Action
Where do you start on your literature essay? Read, read, and read:
- Read the text itself – This is not negotiable for essays on literature.
- Read any extant reviews – search on the title and “reviews”.
- Using Google Scholar, search on the title.
- Using specialized databases such as HWilsonWeb to search on the work and/or the author.
- Immediately copy the bibliographic information or at least the URL for anything you find.
- This avoids the frustration of ‘losing’ a useful source.
- You could quote or use an idea without realizing it, and be accused of plagiarism.
Know your mission when writing an essay on literature
- Read and re-read your instructor’s assignment.
- Ask the teacher for help in understanding it.
- Push, politely, for as much guidance as you can.
- Discuss it with classmates to cross-check your full comprehension.
From what you read, look for the bases of a thesis statement:
Within the constraints of the assignment, what can you say? Can you, for example find evidence to:
- Compare two characters/settings?
- Connect two incidents causally?
- Demonstrate evolution/transformation in a character?
- Identify use of language or choice of details that reveal character/motivation?
- Articulate author’s theme/message?
Support with at least three pieces of evidence from the text and/or secondary sources
- Use each of these to form a paragraph/section with its own topic sentence/assertion
- Provide detail and examples
- Connect each piece of evidence back to thesis statement
- Cite source of each idea per teacher’s instructions
Conclude:
- Restate
- Summarize
Useful guidance for literature essays:
https://studylib.net/doc/8806262/mla-literature-paper--larson- : A model of a competent essay citing secondary sources, with annotations to point out good practices.
https://ask4essay.com/what-is-the-best-essay-writing-service-on-reddit/
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_literature/index.html
https://www.bucks.edu/media/bcccmedialibrary/pdf/HOWTOWRITEALITERARYANALYSISESSAY_10.15.07_001.pdf