$ what it is
$ how it works
$ how it is distinct from other genres (and meaningful similarities)
$ likely features, organization, audience, register, focus, format, etc.
$ provide a model or models--and why it is a good model.
Types of Essays:
- Expository essay
- Persuasive essay
- Informal essay
- Review essay
- Research essay
- Literary essay
etc.
A literary essay:
- explores the meaning and construction of a piece of literature,
- discovers how and why it is put together the way it is.
A literary essay may be expressing a writer's interpretation of and viewpoint of the piece of literature
or
may be a mixture of the writer's opinions and references to others' criticism (like a research essay).
Compared to a review:
Review - discusses overall effect and validity of a written work
Literary essay - focus more on specific details
A literary essay focuses on:
- Structure
- Character
- Theme: argument/general idea expressed by a literary work (implied or explicitly stated)
- Style
- Tone: how does it vary to express feelings and thoughts?
- Subtext
Outline + Qualities of a good literary essay:
http://www.csd509j.net/cvhs/sherwin/Honors%20Humanities%2011/Literary%20Essay.htm
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also includes guides on how to make a good thesis statement, how to write with the proper style, how to quote (integrated and unintegrated), how to perform in-depth analysis, and checklist for writing a good literary essay.
While writing a literary essay:
-
DO NOT go off topic - concentrate on your viewpoint
-
ALWAYS provide evidence from the text when you make a point
-
Avoid restating obvious or well-known facts
-
Avoid writing ambiguous or empty statements (ie. sentences full of generalities)
-
Use formal, informative language
-
Be creative: your viewpoint does not have to match others' viewpoints
Model literary essay:
Example of a good focused analysis:
When Duncan says to Malcolm that “There's no art /To find the mind’s construction in the face:/[The Thane of Cawdor] was a gentleman on whom I built/An absolute trust“ he is explaining that it is not possible to know what a person is thinking, and that he trusted the Thane of Cawdor completely (1.4.14-7). This indicates the naivety of Duncan, as well as his inability to accurately judge the character of others; when Duncan trusts Macbeth absolutely, it results in his own assassination and the blame of his murder being cast towards his two sons, Malcolm and Donalbain.
Why this is a good analysis:
-
This analysis builds upon the previous statement by examining how the quotation enhances understanding of Duncan’s character, and ultimately making an argument as to how or why this character trait is problematic for Duncan. It has a clearer focus, it links to an idea beyond that of the quotation itself and back to the core center of the argument.
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