Tips for Writing about Literature

Using Quotations

1. Do not place a quotation in a sentence all by itself.

• Weak: His father probably worked as a construction man because of the scar on his hand. "The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle."
• Better: The hand that was "battered on one knuckle" probably belonged to a construction man.

2. Do not use a quotation as the grammatical subject of a verb.

• Weak: "One calm summer night went home and put a bullet through his head" is ironic because we associate this time of year with life and inner peace.
• Better: Richard Cory's suicide occurs at an ironic time since we associate a "calm summer night" with life and inner peace.

3. Do not call deliberate attention to the quotation by using words such as "line" or "sentence" or "quote."

• Weak: The line "We people on the pavement looked at him" demonstrates how people look up to mentors to achieve their goals in life.
• Better: The "people on the pavement" looked up to Richard Cory as a mentor who could help them achieve their goals in life.

4. Do not tack a quotation onto the end of a phrase or clause. You may likely write a better sentence if you paraphrase.

• Weak: Roethke allows the reader to feel the boy's fear by "I hung on like death" and emotional need to be loved by "Still clinging to your shirt."
• Better: Roethke conveys the boy's fear as he hangs on "like death" and his simultaneous need to be loved as he clings to his father's shirt.

Verb Tense

Use present tense to write about literature; change the tense of verbs in quotes to maintain consistency. Exception: use past tense to discuss biographical detail from author's life.

Example 1

• Weak: Thomas Wolfe clearly identifies Dick with a tiger by revealing "he was as cunning and crafty as a cat."
• Better: Thomas Wolfe clearly identifies Dick with a tiger by revealing "he [is] as cunning and crafty as a cat."
• Best: Thomas Wolfe clearly identifies Dick with a tiger by revealing he is as "cunning and crafty as a cat."

Example 2

• Weak: Stephen Crane is a war correspondent, and his journalistic training gives him the eye for detail that is so evident in "The Open Boat." (This sentence is illogical since Crane is no longer alive.)
• Better: Stephen Crane WAS a war correspondent, and his journalistic training GAVE him the eye for detail that IS so evident in "The Open Boat." (Since "The Open Boat" still shows Crane's eye for detail, the present tense is logical.)

Pronoun Case

Be careful of pronoun case errors when introducing a work of literature.

• Weak: In Graham Greene's "The Destructors," he presents a disturbing story of the ultimate act of juvenile delinquency. (case error)
• Better: In "The Destructors," Graham Greene presents a disturbing story of the ultimate act of juvenile delinquency.

Boilerplate

Boilerplate is pre-written language into which a few current facts or details are inserted. Newspaper obituaries and legal contracts provide two common examples of boilerplate. Avoid boilerplate language when writing about literature.

Examples

• ________ (name of work) is an interesting ________ (story, poem, play, essay)...
• ________ (name of work) is a/an ________ (adjective of your choice: excellent, entertaining, fascinating, etc.) piece of literature...
• ________ (name of author) does a fine job of communicating (his/her) ________ (point, thesis, main idea) in ________ (title of work)...

Wordiness

• Weak: Graham Greene is saying that destruction is a form of creation.
• Better: Graham Greene says that destruction is a form of creation.

Write Accurately

• "centers around"...a geometric impossibility
• "The author is trying to say"...The author HAS said it; the reader IS TRYING to understand it.

Write About Significant Content

• Be careful of summarizing rather than analyzing. Although you need to use examples to support your point, you need not re-tell the story. Be conscious of the proportion of plot summary in your essay.
• Use examples generously, but quote sparingly. Use your own words as much as possible. Quote only when the author has used significant or memorable wording.
• Beware of slanting. Be sure that the examples you choose are representative.
• Avoid being superficial. Go beneath the surface of the piece and construct a solid thesis that requires you to defend your position against those who might disagree.