writing about literature

Brief Guide to Writing about Literature

Prepared by Professor W. Doucet, Santa Monica College

1. Respond to the reading with free writing:  what are your immediate, emotional reactions to what you have read?  Free write or journal for at least 5 minutes.
2. Summarize the reading:  In your own words, record the reading’s basic information: who, what, when, where, how and why.
3. Review the reading to check your summary for accuracy.
4. Read your free write.  Circle or underline an idea that captures your attention or seems like an interesting idea to pursue.  Free write about this idea for at least 5 minutes, keeping in mind that you are approaching a thesis or claim about the text.  This is called looping and can be continued until you construct an interesting, provocative thesis.
5. Ask yourself this question: Does the text support my thesis?
6. Answer your question by reviewing your summary and taking a closer look at the elements of the text: character development, diction, point of view, imagery and symbolism, setting, conflict, arrangement of scenes/events, motifs, themes.  Make notes on these various elements.
7. Identify the specific passages from the text that you can use as examples. These passages may be directly quoted or paraphrased (a combination is recommended) and must be properly cited (MLA style for humanities courses).  All direct quotations should be introduced for context and commented on directly to explain their significance.  Then you will have no floating quotations.  Length of quotations should be proportionate to the length of the essay.  A 3-page essay should not have a full page of quotations.
8. Get feedback!
9. Avoid simple re-telling.  You did that in the second step.
10. Remember, in writing about a literary text, your primary job is not to recount what happens, but to explain what it means, interpretation, and how it is accomplished, analysis.
11. Good luck and do have fun.