Writing about Writing
Some suggestions concerning the "literary criticism" essay . .
.
People are often frightened by the idea of "criticism" because
the word has so many negative connotations. In the context of
literature, though, it means something more objective -- to "criticize"
a work of literature is to apply some standard of judgement or
some method of examination in order to find useful insights into
the nature of the work and its place in our culture. This "definition"
may seem vague, and it is vague. Criticism can mean an almost
infinite variety of approaches, but here are a few guidelines:
- Criticism is not just paraphrasing. In general, criticism assumes
a shared familiarity with the text -- that is, with the basic
plot, characters, and language. Of course, criticism cannot assume
that all this is fresh in the reader's mind, so some reminders
are normal. For example, an essay on Conrad might begin: "In Heart
of Darkness, Joseph Conrad creates powerful embodiments of good
and evil in the characters of Marlow, the wandering sailor who
narrates the tale, and Kurtz, the 'station manager' who has become
a dark lord of the jungle. . . ."
- The critic's job is to enhance our understanding of a work of
literature, not to replace the work with restatements of anything
that is obvious to anyone who has read the work.
- For short essays of 1000 words or less, "secondary reading" (critical
reviews, biographies of the author, etc.) is not really necessary.
Such references can be very illuminating, of course, but they
are no substitute for the insights and analysis of the critic
writing the essay.
- In a short critical essay, as in any short essay, the goal is
to move quickly toward a single focused topic, and then to develop
it point by point in each body paragraph, building to a strong
conclusion that brings the reader back to the main topic. It's
impossible to say everything about any real work of literature,
so the trick is to narrow the focus to an idea that can convincingly
be "proven" within the space of the essay.
- "Gee, I really liked the book" or "A funny thing happened to me
while I was reading" are not suitable essay topics. Such remarks
might have a place in an introductory paragraph, but remember,
the essay is about the literary work, not about the critic. Typical
topics include comparisons between two works, patterns of symbolism,
character studies, historical accounts of the author and his or
her time, philosophical implications, etc. A final good rule of
thumb regarding topics is this: if the topic doesn't really interest
the essayist, it certainly won't interest the essay's reader!
- Remember that the words themselves are a crucial part of any writing
that is really literary. That is, a work of literature is not
a fictional sugar coating for a set of political or philosophical
or aesthetic ideas. Literature is first and foremost good writing
and it contains at least part of its meaning and effect in the
words themselves, in their sound and rhythm, in their poetry.
As a result, it is almost impossible to say anything worthwhile
about literature without quoting the work in question and basing
criticism directly on words and details from the work itself.
(Generally, essays should not be more than ten percent quotations.)
- Be sure to give complete citations for all references and quotations.
If an idea comes from someone else, the essayist must acknowledge
this in the text or in a footnote, even if the idea is not quoted
directly. All quotations should be followed by footnotes or, if
only one work is being cited, page numbers. Use this form for
phrases or single sentences quoted in the text of the essay: ".
. . the doors we had indiscreetly opened" (72). (Note the order
of punctuation: quotation marks after the final word, then the
page reference in parentheses, and then a period.) Quotations
of more than a sentence should be inset in a block, single-spaced
and indented to set it apart from the main text of the essay.
(Quotation marks are not necessary for block quotations.) Don't
forget to include a bibliographic note indicating the particular
edition cited in the essay. The correct format can be found in
A Writer's Reference.
© Michael Fleming
Berkeley, California
October, 1991
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