Grammar

SGRE3073 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

A) Guides:

1. The assignment should be approximately 5-10 pages.
2. Double spacing
3. Times New Roman
4. Font Size 12
5. Referencing: APA
6. Cover page: Plain White

Writing Standards:
Students are expected to demonstrate writing skills in describing, analyzing and evaluating ideas and experiences. Written material must follow specific standards regarding citations of authors' work within the text and references at the end of the paper. Grades will be assigned for written material in accordance with the University catalog and the following general criteria .
NOTE: Letter grades may be assigned for any or all of the following reasons:

"A" range: Outstanding achievement, significantly exceeds standards. * Unique topic or unique treatment of topic, takes risks with content; fresh approach. * Sophisticated/exceptional use of examples. * Original and "fluid" organization; all sentences and paragraphs contribute; sophisticated transitions between paragraphs. * Integration of quotations and citations is sophisticated and highlights the author's argument. * Confidence in use of Standard English, language reflects a practiced and/or refined understanding of syntax and usage. * Sentences vary in structure, very few if any mechanical errors (no serious mechanical errors).
"B" range: Commendable achievement, meets or exceeds standards for course. * Specific, original focus, content well handled. * Significance of content is clearly conveyed; good use of examples; sufficient support exists in all key areas. * Has effective shape (organization), effective pacing between sentences or paragraphs. * Quotations and citations are integrated into argument to enhance the flow of ideas. * Has competent transitions between all sentences and paragraphs. * Conveys a strong understanding of Standard English; the writer is clear in his/her attempt to articulate main points, but may demonstrate moments of "flat" or unrefined language. * May have a few minor mechanical errors (misplaced commas, pronoun disagreement, etc.), but no serious mechanical errors (fragments, run-ons, comma-splices, etc.)
"C" range: Marginal achievement, falls below standards for course. * Retains over-all focus, generally solid command of subject matter. * Subject matter well-explored but may show signs of under-development. * Significance is understood, competent use of examples. * Structure is solid, but an occasional sentence or paragraph may lack focus. * Quotations and citations are integrated into argument. * Transitions between paragraphs occur but may lack originality. * Competent use of language; sentences are solid but may lack development, refinement, style. * Occasional minor mechanical errors may occur, but do not impede clear understanding of material. * No serious mechanical errors (fragments, run-ons, comma-splices, etc.)
"D" range: Unacceptable achievement; does not meet minimum standards (Note: The "D" grade is a passing grade; work that is not of "passing quality" should receive grade "F."). * Significance of content is unclear. * Some ideas may lack support, elaboration. * Lacks sufficient examples or relevance of examples may be unclear. * Support material may not be clearly incorporated into argument. * Expression is occasionally awkward (problematic sentence structure). * Mechanical errors may at times impede clear understanding of material. * May have serious mechanical errors (fragments, run-ons, comma-splices, etc.)
"F" range: Failure to attend to standards * Ignores assignment. * Lacks significance. * Lacks coherence. * Includes plagiarized material (intentional or unintentional). * Lacks focus. * Difficult to follow due to awkward sentence or paragraph development. * Mechanical errors impede understanding. * Problems with writing at the college level.

B) HOW TO CRITIQUE A LITERARY WORK
A literature critique, sometimes called a literary analysis or a literary critical analysis, is an examination of a piece of literature. The scope of a critique of literature may be to examine a single aspect of the work, or the work in its entirety, and involves breaking the literary piece apart into its separate components and evaluating how they fit together to accomplish the piece's purpose. Literary critiques are commonly executed by students, scholars and literary critics, but anyone can learn how to critique literature by following these steps

STEP 1
Read the literary piece you plan on critiquing. Pay close attention to the meaning of the title, which will allude to the central purpose of the book. Also, be sure to look up any words and re-read any passages you do not understand.

STEP 2
Examine the components of the literature. * Plot. This is the storyline of your literature piece. A plot may be an abstract, psychological journey or a simple chain of events. * Setting. Evaluate how the choice of setting affects the work's theme and mood. * Characters. Differentiate between the main and secondary characters and identify their roles and purposes in the work. Take special note of the main character's path through the piece (i.e. how the character changes, what challenges the character faces, etc.). * Conflict development, climax and resolution. These elements are all part of the plot, but should be examined separately, as their placement in the plot's development plays a contributing factor to the author's success in conveying the literature's meaning. * Themes. Decipher what the writer is trying to communicate with the literature and what the piece is saying about human nature. * Point of view. Consider the storyteller and how that choice contributes to the literature's purpose.
STEP 3
Form your interpretation for your literary criticism, taking the literary components into consideration. Decide what you think of the author's intended meaning and how successful you feel the author is at conveying that purpose.
STEP 4
Summarize your interpretation with a concise thesis statement. The purpose of your literary critique is to support your thesis.
STEP 5
Prove your interpretation. Use specific examples from the literature text and supporting documentation from outside sources to back up your thesis. * Find patterns in the literature that support the interpretation you are supposing in your literary analysis. Cite instances of repetition and metaphor. * Illuminate the symbolism of the literary work and explain how it works to support your interpretation of the work's meaning. * Include quotations and passages from the literature to your criticism as evidence of your critique. * Use supporting arguments from other literary critiques

LITERARY ANALYSIS GUIDE

Plot
Plot and subject are not the same. The subject is what the story is about.
Content is how the author arranges the events in the story; in other words, how he/she deals with the subject.
A reader should not judge the work of literature on the basis of the subject, but on the basis of style and ideas.
The story deals with the events that occur in temporal sequence in the novel. Most novels have some departure from the strict temporal sequence.
What is plot?
The author creates a plot by arranging events in a story in order to achieve a certain effect.
A pattern of cause-effect relationships may be created. Plot imposes form on experience, which is formless.
Plot is important in expressing the meaning of a work.
Structure of a plot: * Beginning: How the novel starts. | | Exposition: the writer imparts information that is necessary to understand the story. | | Introduces an element of instability; there is an openness in the story that is capable of being developed | * Middle | | Elements of instability group themselves into what we recognize as a pattern of conflict, or complication. | | Complication turns into climax when it reaches its level of highest intensity. | * Denouement, or outcome: how the novel ends |
Laws of Plot: * Plausibility: the story should be convincing on its own terms, but not necessarily realistic. * Element of surprise should be present. * Suspense: we should not know how the story turns out. * Foreshadowing: hints at the direction the story will take. * Logical: events should be believable in their relationships to one another. Unity is found when the novel has a beginning, a middle, and an end and includes plausibility, surprise, and suspense.
Subplots may be present and should have a connection with the main plot.

Characters Lifelikeness | * Fictional characters do not have to be just like real human beings. There is a difference. However, they should be believable. | * Characters are not free to act as they please; the author creates an illusion of freedom. | * "Lifelikeness" must sometimes be sacrificed for the plot, theme, or unity of the work as a whole | Relevance | * Is the character someone you can understand and relate to on some level | * Characters can represent some universal quality (archetypal), or be eccentric individuals. | * Characters may resemble ourselves and people we know or may represent a universal quality that exists in all of us. | Judging characters | * How is this character relevant to the reader? | * How does he/she contribute to the story as a whole? | Simple characters | * May be stereotypes, or embodiments of a single characteristic; usually play major roles only in bad fiction. | * May be one-sided characters who do not represent universal types; predictable characters. | * Simple characters are often used to fulfill minor roles in the novel. | Complex characters | * These are more difficult to achieve. | * More lifelike than simple characters. | * Capable of surprising us. | * Gradations of complexity may exist | * Character should be unified; i.e., should not act "out of character": consistency and believability are important. | Methods of character portrayal | * Discursive method: narrator tells their qualities | | Disadvantage: discourages reader's use of imagination. | | Advantage: saves time | * Dramatic method: author allows characters to reveal themselves by how they act and speak. | | Advantage: characters are more lifelike; involves reader's participation. | | Disadvantage: takes more time and allows for possibility of misjudging characters. | * Characters talk about other characters; information is not necessarily reliable. | * Mixing methods: most common and most effective | Development of character: does the person grow in the novel? | Motivation: point where plot and characters come together; plot is what characters do; motivation is why they do it. | Author may stress either plot or character; it is how they blend that matters. |
Setting
Types of setting: | · Neutral setting: the setting is not important, just a place where the action takes place. | · Spiritual setting: the values embodied in the physical setting; there is no easy relationship between physical setting and moral values. | · Dynamic setting: the setting may take on the role of a character. | Elements of a setting: | · Geography (topography, scenery, interiors, etc.) | · Occupation and lifestyle of characters | · Time | · Religious, intellectual, and moral environment | Functions of a setting: | · Setting as metaphor: the setting projects the internal state of the characters or a pervasive spiritual atmosphere. | · Atmosphere: a mood or emotional aura suggested by the setting and helping to establish the reader's expectations | Setting as the dominant element: | · Time, especially in historical novels | · Place: regionalist or local colour novels (spiritual as well as geographical) | Setting should lend unity to the novel: What does it contribute? | |
Tone:
the author's attitude toward the subject In literature, the author's style and treatment of the subject reflect his/her attitude about the subject as well as an attitude towards the audience. | Components of tone: | * Understatement: casual or light treatment of the subject, it has two effects: | | shows that the author does not take a subject seriously. | | calls upon the moral indignation of the reader because the subject does not seem to be taken seriously. | * Irony: a discrepancy between what is stated and what is suggested; saying one thing and meaning another. | * Hyperbole: the opposite of understatement; exaggeration used for rhetorical effect: may be dramatic heightening. | * The middle style: style used by most authors, lying between understatement and hyperbole; presents an accurate picture of things as they are. | Failures in tone | * Sentimentality: author attempts to impose upon the material a greater emotional burden than it can comfortably bear. | * Inhibition: author's failure to give due emotional weight to his material. |

Style: the author's use of language Style and literary standards | * All writers have a style, but not all styles are good. | * Whether a style is good or bad largely depends on whether it is appropriate to the work. | | What does the style lend to the work as a whole? | | Style should work with other elements to produce a final unity. | Style is the author's personal expression. | * It reveals his/her way of perceiving experience and organizing perceptions. | * Style includes the author's choice of words as well as arrangement of words into phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. | Elements of style: diction, imagery, and syntax | * Diction: the author's choice of words and their effect on the total work | | Denotative meaning: the literal meaning of a word | | Connotative meaning: suggestions and associations resulting from a word or group of words. | | Several words may have the same denotation, while differing significantly in their connotation. | | Is a writer's style basically denotative or connotative? | Imagery: the evocation of a sensory experience through words. | * Literal images: Suggest no change or extension in the meaning of a word; supply specific, concrete details. | * Figurative images, or figures of speech; similes and metaphors. | * Recurrent images: Repetitions of the same or similar images throughout a work can reinforce an effect that the author is trying to create. | * Symbols: The author's attempts to represent areas of human experience that ordinary language cannot express; the symbol evokes a concrete, objective reality while suggesting a level of meaning beyond that reality | * Archetypal image: concept of Carl Jung. There are images and symbols that are universal, existing from one culture to another, that always have the same meaning. |

Point of View Point of View means that the story is told through the eyes and mouth of a certain person; the story can change considerably, depending on who is telling it. | First person narrator: | · Story is told from the inside; narrator is a participant in the action | · Narrator is often the protagonist or minor character; we see only what he/she sees, in the way that he/she sees it. | · Advantage: first person narrator has immediacy and a sense of life. | · Disadvantage: the author may be frustrated in that he/she can only include things that the narrator would be expected to know; also, we are locked within the mind of the narrator. | Third person narrator: | · usually a nameless narrator who can be identified with the author. | · omniscient narrator: godlike narrator; he/she can enter character's minds and know everything that is going on, past, present, and future. | | Advantage: very natural technique; author is, after all, omniscient regarding his work. | | Disadvantage: unlifelike; narrator knows and tells all; is truly a convention of literature | · Viewpoint character: third person narration that is limited to the point of view of one character in the novel; may be a protagonist or a minor character. | · Objective viewpoint: limited narrative, like a drama; narrator can only describe words and actions that can be seen objectively and cannot get into character's thoughts | Combination of narrative techniques is possible in a novel. | Tense of narration is important; action narrated in the present can be more dramatic than past tense narration. | |
MORE TIPS ON DOING THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS The purpose for writing a critique is to evaluate somebody's work (a book, an essay, a movie, a painting...) in order to increase the reader's understanding of it. A critical analysis is subjective writing because it expresses the writer's opinion or evaluation of a text. Analysis means to break down and study the parts. Writing a critical paper requires two steps: critical reading and critical writing.Critical reading: 1. Identify the author's thesis and purpose 2. Analyze the structure of the passage by identifying all main ideas 3. Consult a dictionary or encyclopedia to understand material that is unfamiliar to you 4. Make an outline of the work or write a description of it 5. Write a summary of the work 6. Determine the purpose which could be * To inform with factual material * To persuade with appeal to reason or emotions * To entertain (to affect people's emotions) 7. Evaluate the means by which the author has accomplished his purpose * If the purpose is to inform, has the material been presented clearly, accurately, with order and coherence? * If the purpose is to persuade, look for evidence, logical reasoning, contrary evidence * If the purpose was to entertain, determine how emotions are affected: does it make you laugh, cry, angry? Why did it affect you?Consider the following questions: How is the material organized? Who is the intended audience? What are the writer's assumptions about the audience? What kind of language and imagery does the author use?
SAMPLE OUTLINE FOR CRITICAL ESSAYAfter the passage under analysis has been carefully studied, the critique can be drafted using this sample outline. * I. Background information to help your readers understand the nature of the work * A. Information about the work * 1. Title * 2. Author * 3. Publication information * 4. Statement of topic and purpose * B. Thesis statement indicating writer's main reaction to the work * II. Summary or description of the work * III. Interpretation and/or evaluation * A. Discussion of the work's organization * B. Discussion of the work's style * C. Effectiveness * D. Discussion of the topic's treatment * E. Discussion of appeal to a particular audienceRemember:Avoid introducing your ideas by stating "I think" or "in my opinion." Keep the focus on the subject of your analysis, not on yourself. Identifying your opinions weakens them.Always introduce the work. Do not assume that because your reader knows what you are writing about, you do not need to mention the work's title.Other questions to consider: Is there a controversy surrounding either the passage or the subject which it concerns?What about the subject matter is of current interest?What is the overall value of the passage?What are its strengths and weaknesses?Support your thesis with detailed evidence from the text examined. Do not forget to document quotes and paraphrases.Remember that the purpose of a critical analysis is not merely to inform, but also to evaluate the worth, utility, excellence, distinction, truth, validity, beauty, or goodness of something.Even though as a writer you set the standards, you should be open-minded, well informed, and fair. You can express your opinions, but you should also back them up with evidence.Your review should provide information, interpretation, and evaluation. The information will help your reader understand the nature of the work under analysis. The interpretation will explain the meaning of the work, therefore requiring your correct understanding of it. The evaluation will discuss your opinions of the work and present valid justification for them. |

E) How to write a Critical Appreciation of a Poem
Critical appreciation of a poem is defined as the critical reading of a poem. The meaning of its words, its rhyme, scheme, the speaker, figures of speech, the references to other works (intertextuality), the style of language, the general writing style of the poet ( if mentioned), the genre, the context, the tone of the speaker and such other elements make up the critical reading or appreciation. It does not mean criticising the poem. A critical appreciation helps in a better understanding of the verse. * Meaning- Read the poem more than once to get a clear idea of what the speaker is trying to say. Look up the meanings of difficult or unusual words in a thesaurus. The title of the poem is a key to the general meaning and summary of the thought presented. A poem might be about lost love, 'Lucy' (Wordsworth).

* Rhyme Scheme- Find the rhyming words. These occur at the end of each line. Rhyming words might be present in the middle of the line also. Mark the rhyme scheme. For example, if rhyming words occur at the end of each line alternatively in a poem of 4 lines, the rhyme scheme will be 'a b a b'. In the poem, 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost, the second stanza goes like this:
"My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year... "
In these lines, the rhyme scheme is 'a a b b'
In several poems, there are no rhymes. Such a poem is called a blank verse. * Speaker- Identify the speaker of the poem. It can be a child, an elderly, a shepherd, a swordsman, a student, a milkmaid, a sailor, an animal or even an object like a chair or a place like a house or a mountain. Each Speaker will speak differently.

* Setting- Every poem has a specific setting. It might be a ship or a modern condominium. The setting is the background of the poem and contributes to its meaning. For example, the setting of a pastoral is very likely to be a grazing ground for a flock of ship. The setting of Eliot's 'Preludes' is a modern city with its people leading a mechanical life. The words also convey the same sense.
"And short square fingers stuffing pies,
And evening newspapers, and eyes,
Assured of certain certainties... " * Context- The context gives us the time and location of the poem. It is what prompted the poem. The context might be an event of great political significance like the French Revolution. It prompted P.B. Shelley's famous, "Ode to the West Wind." The poem beautifully upholds the spirit of the revolution and heralded the dawn of a new age.

* Language- The language of a poem is the very vehicle of its thoughts and ideas. Study the language in terms of the use of figures of speech, its tone, use of loan words or archaic words, length of sentences, the rhythm (meters- iambic, Trochaic or any other), number of lines etc. Note the introduction of new ideas and mark the place where it occurs. For example, in the poem, 'The lamb' by William Blake, the lamb refers to both the baby sheep, the little boy who is the speaker and the Lamb of God. Here the word, "lamb" is a metaphor.

* Intertextuality- While writing the critical appreciation of a poem, we notice that another poem is alluded or looked back upon. This is called intertextuality or reference. For example, Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' allude to Boccaccio's 'Decameron' in its structure of people narrating stories during a journey.

* Genre- Genre roughly means the category of the poem. Each genre has set rules and characteristics. For example, a very long narrative poem, running into a several thousands of lines, dealing with divine figures or demi-gods or great generals of the past and describing a terrible war or an incredible journey on which the fate of humanity rests can be termed as epic. For example, the 'Iliad' (Homer), 'Paradise Lost' (J. Milton) and such poems. A short poem of 14 lines expressing intimate emotions is a 'sonnet'. For example, 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds' (Shakespeare) is a sonnet extolling real love and devotion. There are several genre- satire, mock-epic, ballad, lyric, ode, parody etc.

C) SAMPLE TOPICS FOR LITERARY ESSAY
This is how you should write a topic (samples):
"Chopin's Artistry in 'The Story of an Hour'"
"Impressions of Ordinary Life" [on Chekhov's "The Lady with the Little Dog"]
"Plot and Character in Maupassant's 'The Necklace'" "The True Lord of the Rings"
"The Mystery of the Mastery" [on Chekhov's "The Lady with the Little Dog"] "Plot vs. Point of View in Chopin's 'Story of An Hour'" "Literary Analysis of Maupassant's 'The Necklace'" "A Cure for Temporary Depression" [on Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"] "Hidden Labyrinth" [on Maupassant's "The Necklace"] “Chekhov's The Lady with the Little Dog"]
“The Representation of Female Images in Dubosarsky’s Fictions”
“Friends vs. Foe in J.K. Rowling’s the Harry Potter Series”
“The Representation of Family Values in Dubosarsky’s Fictions”
“National Identity and Nation Formation in Robin Hood and King’s Arthur”
“A Critical Appreciation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice”

D) How to Title your Literary Analysis Essay

A literary analysis paper is a common assignment in English and literature courses. When completing a literary analysis, you need to study, analyze and interpret a text or aspect of a text and make some argument about it. Other ways to approach a literary analysis is to think about it as a literary criticism or discussion of literary theory. One part of this type of assignment that you might not think about, but that is still necessary, is to title the work. After all, it could end up being published in a literary journal.

Instructions 1. Check your instructor's guidelines for titling your literary analysis paper. Your instructor may have provided specific guidelines that you should follow. 2. Wait until you have finished writing the literary analysis before you give it a title. You will have a better perspective on the topic after the paper is completed. 3. Draft a title that explains something about the key argument of your literary analysis. For example, rather than using a title like, "Hemingway's Approach to Fiction," state the specific work of fiction you're writing about, such as the short story "Hills Like White Elephants," and what you're arguing about Hemingway's approach to fiction, such as using subtext to make a broad point about society. 4. Put it together. Add together the pieces of your title to create something that is descriptive of your literary analysis and gives readers a general idea of what you're argument is. The above example might have a title like, "Hemingway's Use of Subtext to Comment on Abortion and the Male Psyche in 'Hills Like White Elephants.'" (reference 1)

Tips & Warnings * Never title your literary analysis paper as the exact same title of the work you're writing about.