Description
Book SynopsisThis book gives students an answer to the question, “What does my professor want from this essay?” In lively, direct language, it explains the process of creating “a clearly-written argument, based on evidence, about the meaning, power, or structure of a literary work.” Using a single poem by William Carlos Williams as the basis for the process of writing a paper about a piece of literature, 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.
Trade Review“I am a student at the University of Kansas studying English and American Studies, and this may be a bit unorthodox, but I wanted to say that your book Writing Essays About Literature was one of the best books I have ever read in the world of academia! I am taking a Critical Theory class, and we were assigned only the first 55 pages, but I really could not put the book down. Your writing is magnificent, and I am constantly referring to the book when writing papers. You have done a brilliant job making essay-writing easy, structured, and actually enjoyable!” — Lauren Gaylor, University of Kansas
“Katherine O. Acheson’s Writing Essays About Literature is a concise, fully portable and very well-priced guide that gets it right. Acheson’s emphasis on inductive reasoning is wonderfully refreshing. It really helps English professors persuade their students to argue from the specific to the general, to found their arguments on the details of evidence and on the careful—and affectively sensitive—analysis of that evidence. And the very best thing about this book is that Acheson’s casual and unassuming prose style makes students want to read it. And they do. And then they bring it to class!” — Glenn Clark, University of Manitoba
“For those of us interested in teaching writing through literature, Katherine O. Acheson’s guide is an indispensable companion, teaching students that writing is more about process and less about imagined giftedness. The book begins by teaching students how to perform a close reading of a text—a craft that every writer should learn to hone. After this groundwork has been laid, Acheson builds upon it with chapters on research, analysis, methodology, argumentation, and revision; all of this from an author whose writing style is clear, witty, and intelligent.” — Jack R. Baker, Spring Arbor University
“Writing Essays About Literature is a useful and refreshingly entertaining guide for both students and instructors. The focus on one poem (the eminently teachable ‘This Is Just to Say’) allows for a comprehensive dissection of the process from initial reading and response, to final polish of an argument grounded in current modes of critical analysis. Acheson’s witty, subjective style is consistently engaging, and reminds students that instructors are also readers and writers; that they too constantly revisit and refine these processes.” — Gisèle M. Baxter, University of British Columbia
Table of ContentsSection One: Introduction
CHAPTER 1: THE PURPOSE OF AN ESSAY ABOUT LITERATURE
Literature: Instruction, Delight, ImitationThe Literary Essay
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Evidence
Communication
Subjectivity
How to Use This Book
Review Questions
Section Two: Research and Analysis
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH WITHIN THE TEXT
Taking Notes About Literature
Recording Your Responses to the Text
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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 3: USING REFERENCE WORKS
The Oxford English Dictionary
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Etymology
Definitions
Examples of Usage
Scholarly Editions
Encyclopedias
Conclusion
Review Questions
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH ABOUT SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXTS
Topics for Research: Social Phenomena and Literary Movements
Useful Resources
Using Your Findings
Conclusion
Review Questions
CHAPTER 5: RESEARCH ABOUT THE CURRENT CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF LITERARY WORKS
Finding Critical Works
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Assessing Publications
Using Bibliographies
Reading Critical Works
Taking Notes From Critical Readings
Conclusion
Review Questions
CHAPTER 6: INVENTING YOUR ARGUMENT
Arranging Your Evidence
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Reviewing Your Labelled Evidence
Categorizing Your Evidence
Charting Your Evidence
Conclusion
Review Questions
Section Three: Composition
CHAPTER 7: COMPOSING YOUR ARGUMENT
Inductive Reasoning
Composing the Thesis Statement
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Writing the Subtopic Sentences
Composing the Body of the Thesis Statement
Concluding the Thesis Statement
A Variation: An Essay Without Secondary Sources
Conclusion
Review Questions
CHAPTER 8: WRITING THE BODY OF THE ESSAY
The Body Paragraphs
Features of Strong Paragraphs
Writing the Conclusion and Revising the Introduction
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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
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Diction
Vocabulary
Connecting Words
Common Grammatical Errors
Apostrophes
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Demonstrative Pronouns
Pronoun Agreement
Verb Tense
Common Errors in Punctuation and Sentence Structure
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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
Presenting Your Work
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Layout and Order
Illustrations
Multimedia and the Literary Essay
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Exemplary Illustrations
Complementary Illustrations
Supplementary Illustrations
Last-Minute Checks
Conclusion
Review Questions
Section Five: Conclusion and ReviewCollecting Evidence (Chapter 2, 3, 4, and 5)
CHAPTER 11: THE PROCESS OF ESSAY WRITING—A SUMMARY
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
Works Cited
Subject Index
