#16A LITERARY CRITICISM SHEET

HOW TO READ LITERARY CRITICISM: In the course of your college career and beyond, you will be asked to read and analyze texts that offer criticisms of primary texts (such as fiction, poetry, drama, and film). Often, reading critical sources is difficult: the language is often esoteric, assuming a certain amount of familiarity on the part of the reader. The denseness of language and sentence structure, not to mention the multiple arguments eclipse rather than illuminate the meanings of the primary text(s). To make it all even more daunting, most students encounter this type of text only upon entering college; thus, they lack training and strategies in approaching these texts. Furthermore, as we strive to achieve more sophistication in writing style, and more depth in thought, it is important to take a look at “style models”. 1. Argument or thesis – can often be stated as a question or a statement, introduced and elaborated on. Ask yourself the following questions: Why does the author write the piece? What does s/he seek to convey? 2. Does the essay offer “clues” as to the author’s subject position, i.e., with regard to gender, race, class, intellectual orientation? Does it demonstrate how the author intended the essay to be used? 3. With regard to the author’s subject position, look for identifiable word choices or verb form choices. What assumptions does the author make? What does the author does not say? 4. Look for idea/example pairs, moments when the author introduces an idea and then offers an example that solidifies that idea. 5. Look for examples which support the primary argument; try to determine if they are effective or ineffective. Why or why not? Does the author use different examples to make the same point? If not, what does each kind of example contribute to the argument? 6. Can you mimic the author’s thinking and/or ideas by using examples not offered in their essay (reading with the grain)? 7. What textual examples can you come up with that challenge and/or critique the author’s ideas (reading against the grain)? 8. Use the ideas above to determine whether the essay is persuasive: does it support, challenge, unseat what you know about the topic? Does the argument make sense (is it logical)? 9. What rhetorical choices (concerning style or word choice, for example) does the author make? How do these choices help to convey the meaning of the text? In a play, for example you might ask how the author's attention to choice of setting relates to the theme of the play. If you are reading a critical essay about a poem, you might ask how the writer uses voice (who is speaking--the poet or someone else) helps to convey the theme. HOW ARE LITERARY DEVICES USED TO CONVEY GREATER SIGNIFICANCE? 10. What do you think are the key passages in the text? Why are they important? How do they work with the rest of the text to convey the author's meaning? http://www.edline.net/files/_tfJU5_/19fdac8cf5066a4c3745a49013852ec4/TO_BLOG_OR_NOT_TO_BLOG_BLOG_UPDATE_2013.pdf