{"id":29,"date":"2021-05-20T15:23:22","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T15:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/?post_type=part&#038;p=29"},"modified":"2021-07-12T16:54:54","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T16:54:54","slug":"writing-about-american-literature","status":"publish","type":"part","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/part\/writing-about-american-literature\/","title":{"raw":"Writing about American Literature","rendered":"Writing about American Literature"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019re coming to this page for the first time, just skim it to see the type of information it contains.\r\n\r\nReturn to this page when you\u2019re asked to write about the American literature that you have read.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_1201\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_536\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-536 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5663\/2021\/05\/24203132\/12-300x172.jpg\" alt=\"old books on a shelf\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" \/> <sup>Image by Gerhard G. from Pixabay, https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/book-read-old-literature-books-1659717\/<\/sup>[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThere are many different ways to respond to literary texts. Generally, engaging with a literary text means that you\u2019re asking and answering questions about what you read. You may ask and answer many different questions depending on your purpose and the type of text you\u2019re reading.\u00a0 Three different ways of engaging with a literary text are explained briefly below.\r\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\r\nBeing able to summarize a text is basic to all other ways of response. You need to understand the author\u2019s viewpoint, main ideas, and purpose in writing the text as a basis for considering that text more fully and thoughtfully \u2013 you need to know \u201cwhat\u2019s going on\u201d in the text.\u00a0 Questions that you ask and answer in order to figure out what\u2019s going on in the text may include the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What overall idea or theme emerges from the text?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What additional ideas, important to the overall idea, emerge from the text?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What is the author\u2019s purpose in writing this text?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAnswers to these questions are usually what you include in a summary.\u00a0 A summary condenses a text down to its main ideas and re-states those main ideas in very concise form, using your own words and sentence structures \u2013 your own language instead of the text\u2019s.\u00a0 The idea is that if you can state main ideas in your own way, you\u2019ve digested and understood the text.\u00a0 Note that the author\u2019s purpose actually deviates a little bit from a traditional summary, since the strict definition of a summary is that you do not include any of your own interpretation.\u00a0 However, including the author\u2019s purpose in a summary of a literary text can often help you situate those main ideas.\r\n<h3>Additional Resources for Summary<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-wm-englishcomposition1\/chapter\/summarizing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Summarizing<\/a>, College Writing<\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hunter.cuny.edu\/rwc\/handouts\/the-writing-process-1\/invention\/Guidelines-for-Writing-a-Summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Guidelines for Writing a Summary<\/a>, Hunter College<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eGWO1ldEhtQ[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<sup><em>How to Write a Summary, by Shaun Macleod, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eGWO1ldEhtQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eGWO1ldEhtQ<\/a><\/em><\/sup>\r\n<h2>Reader Response<\/h2>\r\nReader response is just what it says \u2013 it focuses on your individual response to a literary text.\u00a0 According to the Writing Commons, \u201cthe thoughts, ideas, and experiences a reader brings to the text, combined with the text and experience of reading it, work together to create meaning. From this perspective, the text becomes a reflection of the reader.\u201d<sup>[1]<\/sup>\u00a0 Reader response brings a literary text into your own sphere of personal experience, as you respond to ideas you agree or disagree with and link ideas or experiences from the text with your own. Questions that you ask and answer in order to integrate your own experience with the text and thus make meaning, often include the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Do you agree or disagree with a concept\/s in text, and why?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What experience\/s have you had that relates to the text, and how does it relate?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What questions and feelings do you have about the text?\u00a0 Posit answers and reasons why.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What were your initial thoughts about the text\u2019s purpose, did those thoughts change after you read the text and, if so, how and why?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Additional Resources for Reader Response<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aresearchguide.com\/reader-response-criticism.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reader Response Criticism \u2013 History and Purpose<\/a>, A Research Guide for Students<\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/pierce-basicreadingandwriting-1\/chapter\/writing-a-reading-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Writing a Reading Response<\/a>, Basic Reading and Writing, Lumen Learning<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fnq1nD_bmlc[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<sup><em>YouTube Video by Tim Nance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fnq1nD_bmlc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fnq1nD_bmlc<\/a><\/em><\/sup>\r\n<h2>Analytical Response<\/h2>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>Analytical responses to a text can take many, many forms and represent many critical theories.\u00a0 A basic explanation of an analytical response to a literary text is that it shows how the text works in some respect: as a piece of literature that uses certain symbols, styles, settings, and more; as an expression of its time period; as an expression of its author\u2019s philosophy; and more.\u00a0 Analytical responses can occur through different lenses as well (e.g., critical theories \u2013 psychoanalytic, gender-based, language-based, and more), expanding possible ways of interpreting and understanding how that text works.\u00a0 To go back to basics, questions that you ask and answer in order to analyze how the text works may include the following:<\/div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>How does the author use language, symbols, characters, settings, sentence structures \u2013 the tools of writing \u2013 to create and enhance the overall idea?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What comment on human nature does the text offer?\u00a0 How do you know?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How does the text represent or contradict the culture and events of its time?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How does the text compare with other texts of its time?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How does the text reflect or contradict social, class, or gender roles?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How does the text represent or misrepresent certain groups or cultures? Why?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nSome of these questions, such as those that deal with historical or cultural context, may require research to answer.\u00a0 Other questions require a close reading of the literary text, since your interpretation is backed up by examples from that text. Literary analysis may also include research into literary criticism to see how others who read the text have interpreted it.\r\n<h3>Additional Resources for Analytical Response<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/human.libretexts.org\/Bookshelves\/Literature_and_Literacy\/Book%3A_Creating_Literary_Analysis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Creating Literary Analysis<\/a>, Libre Texts (includes discussions of different analytical approaches and how to create them; also includes pages on Reader Response)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div id=\"post-771\" class=\"miscellaneous post-771 back-matter type-back-matter status-publish hentry\">\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndsu.edu\/pubweb\/~cinichol\/271\/CRITICAL%20READING%20A%20GUIDE%20John%20Lye%20Brock%20Univ.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Critical Reading: A Guide<\/a>, by Professor John Lye<\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5583\/2021\/04\/06212153\/Analyzing-Poetry.docx\">Analyzing Poetry<\/a>, by Maureen Kravec<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Tim Nance, the author of the video on Reader Response (above) also has videos on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f31V4XiPBdI&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Literary Criticism?<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SMxkN81QhKw&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv&amp;index=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Historical Criticism?<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=c4NXNfBEwZg&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv&amp;index=5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Psychological Criticism?<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7JHS9cYuJZA&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv&amp;index=6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Feminist Criticism?<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe following videos provide insight into how to analyze literature, using literary elements (e.g., character, symbol, theme, and more).\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eREopphW5Bw[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<sup>Y<em>ouTube video by Amy E. Harter, <\/em><\/sup><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eREopphW5Bw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><sup>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eREopphW5Bw<\/sup><\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zkQB_wPDCcc&t=101s[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<em><sup>YouTube video by Ms. Peer Editor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zkQB_wPDCcc&amp;t=101s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zkQB_wPDCcc&amp;t=101s<\/a><\/sup><\/em>\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n\r\nPlease know that the video analyzing Poe\u2019s \u201cTell-Tale Heart\u201d analyzes many literary elements chronologically, for instructional purposes. The video shows a useful method of annotating a literary text as a reading and pre-writing technique <em>before<\/em> writing an analysis. When you actually write an analysis:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>You may be inclusive and look at multiple literary elements, or focused, looking at symbols only, or even just one symbol in a text. Your analysis depends on the literary elements that interest you as a reader, and about which you want to offer insights into how they function in the literary text.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Your organization should develop organically from your essay\u2019s thesis statement (which means that you do <em>not<\/em> have to analyze literary elements chronologically as they appear in the text).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4DEQ8OSe-bw[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<sup><em>YouTube video by Oxford Comma, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4DEQ8OSe-bw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4DEQ8OSe-bw<\/a><\/em><\/sup>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0V--P3hWzXY[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<sup><em>YouTube video by Catherine Leach, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0V--P3hWzXY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0V--P3hWzXY<\/a><\/em><\/sup>\r\n<h2>Essay Writing<\/h2>\r\nIf you\u2019re asked to write a full reader response or analysis, as opposed to a short journal entry, then the fuller writing may be in the form of an essay. Make sure any literary analysis essay has the following elements.\r\n<h3>Introduction-Body-Conclusion Structure<\/h3>\r\nAn essay needs to introduce a topic and then make a thesis assertion at the end of the introductory paragraph.\u00a0 The assertion is key to the essay; it controls the type and order of information in the essay\u2019s body.\u00a0 The body should have a paragraph or set of paragraphs supporting each element of the thesis assertion. The concluding paragraph encapsulates and re-states the main idea in the thesis assertion.\r\n<h3>Thesis Assertion<\/h3>\r\nA thesis assertion, which usually comes at the end of the introductory paragraph, is key to a literary analysis essay. A thesis offers your main analytical insight about the literary text, and may also indicate supporting ideas.\u00a0 For example: \u201cAlthough approaches to enacting change in contemporary society can be very different, approaches should be tailored to the particular situation in order to be effective, just as Wheatley and Tecumseh did in their poetry and prose.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe example thesis makes a promise to a reader about what the essay will include. In this case, you\u2019d expect\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>insights about two different approaches to enacting change that the writer observed in contemporary society<\/li>\r\n \t<li>insights into how they were adapted to make them effective or how they were not adapted and were thus ineffective<\/li>\r\n \t<li>insights into which approaches Wheatley and Tecumseh took, how those approaches differed, and how and why those approaches might have been effective or ineffective given their historical contexts<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Examples\/Evidence from the Literary Text\/s<\/h3>\r\nWhen writing fuller reader responses and literary analysis, always bring in details and examples from the literary texts themselves to explain your insights. These examples are like evidence; they \u201cprove\u201d that your interpretation has merit, since elements of the literary text relate to your insight.\r\n\r\nThis video reviews the elements of a literary analysis essay.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ho_VCSlzot4[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<em><sup>YouTube video by Laurie Harmon, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ho_VCSlzot4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ho_VCSlzot4<\/a><\/sup><\/em>\r\n<h2>Using Secondary Sources<\/h2>\r\nYou may want to consult secondary sources when you analyze a text from a historical, cultural, social, or literary perspective.\u00a0 You\u2019re reading primary sources in this text, first-hand accounts of experience, letters, creative works such as short stories and poems.\u00a0 Secondary sources, on the other hand, explain, interpret, and\/or analyze primary sources.\r\n\r\nTo find appropriate secondary sources, use library online databases as well as Google Scholar \u2013 you\u2019ll want to find thoughts from knowledgeable readers as opposed to X\u2019s rant on a literary text in a personal blog.\r\n<h2>Citing Sources<\/h2>\r\nWhenever you use an example from a primary source or information from a secondary source, you need to cite that information in your writing so that you do not inadvertently plagiarize. Provide the author and source, along with other relevant information.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to learn format; simply put required information into an online tool that will create the citation in your chosen format.\u00a0 Literature courses use MLA (Modern Language Association) format.\r\n\r\nFor a discussion of why and when to cite sources, and a link to an academic integrity quiz, access the <a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-introtocollegereadingandwriting\/chapter\/documenting-sources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citing Sources<\/a> page from Introduction to College Reading and Writing.\r\n\r\nSome useful online tools that will put your citations into proper format include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citationmachine.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citationmachine.net<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bibme.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bibme.org<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easybib.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Easybib.com<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citefast.com\/?s=APA7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citefast.com<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p>If you\u2019re coming to this page for the first time, just skim it to see the type of information it contains.<\/p>\n<p>Return to this page when you\u2019re asked to write about the American literature that you have read.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_1201\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_536\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-536\" class=\"wp-image-536 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5663\/2021\/05\/24203132\/12-300x172.jpg\" alt=\"old books on a shelf\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-536\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><sup>Image by Gerhard G. from Pixabay, https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/book-read-old-literature-books-1659717\/<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>There are many different ways to respond to literary texts. Generally, engaging with a literary text means that you\u2019re asking and answering questions about what you read. You may ask and answer many different questions depending on your purpose and the type of text you\u2019re reading.\u00a0 Three different ways of engaging with a literary text are explained briefly below.<\/p>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<p>Being able to summarize a text is basic to all other ways of response. You need to understand the author\u2019s viewpoint, main ideas, and purpose in writing the text as a basis for considering that text more fully and thoughtfully \u2013 you need to know \u201cwhat\u2019s going on\u201d in the text.\u00a0 Questions that you ask and answer in order to figure out what\u2019s going on in the text may include the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What overall idea or theme emerges from the text?<\/li>\n<li>What additional ideas, important to the overall idea, emerge from the text?<\/li>\n<li>What is the author\u2019s purpose in writing this text?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Answers to these questions are usually what you include in a summary.\u00a0 A summary condenses a text down to its main ideas and re-states those main ideas in very concise form, using your own words and sentence structures \u2013 your own language instead of the text\u2019s.\u00a0 The idea is that if you can state main ideas in your own way, you\u2019ve digested and understood the text.\u00a0 Note that the author\u2019s purpose actually deviates a little bit from a traditional summary, since the strict definition of a summary is that you do not include any of your own interpretation.\u00a0 However, including the author\u2019s purpose in a summary of a literary text can often help you situate those main ideas.<\/p>\n<h3>Additional Resources for Summary<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-wm-englishcomposition1\/chapter\/summarizing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Summarizing<\/a>, College Writing<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hunter.cuny.edu\/rwc\/handouts\/the-writing-process-1\/invention\/Guidelines-for-Writing-a-Summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Guidelines for Writing a Summary<\/a>, Hunter College<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"How to Write a Summary\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eGWO1ldEhtQ?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><sup><em>How to Write a Summary, by Shaun Macleod, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eGWO1ldEhtQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eGWO1ldEhtQ<\/a><\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>Reader Response<\/h2>\n<p>Reader response is just what it says \u2013 it focuses on your individual response to a literary text.\u00a0 According to the Writing Commons, \u201cthe thoughts, ideas, and experiences a reader brings to the text, combined with the text and experience of reading it, work together to create meaning. From this perspective, the text becomes a reflection of the reader.\u201d<sup>[1]<\/sup>\u00a0 Reader response brings a literary text into your own sphere of personal experience, as you respond to ideas you agree or disagree with and link ideas or experiences from the text with your own. Questions that you ask and answer in order to integrate your own experience with the text and thus make meaning, often include the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you agree or disagree with a concept\/s in text, and why?<\/li>\n<li>What experience\/s have you had that relates to the text, and how does it relate?<\/li>\n<li>What questions and feelings do you have about the text?\u00a0 Posit answers and reasons why.<\/li>\n<li>What were your initial thoughts about the text\u2019s purpose, did those thoughts change after you read the text and, if so, how and why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Additional Resources for Reader Response<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aresearchguide.com\/reader-response-criticism.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reader Response Criticism \u2013 History and Purpose<\/a>, A Research Guide for Students<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/pierce-basicreadingandwriting-1\/chapter\/writing-a-reading-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Writing a Reading Response<\/a>, Basic Reading and Writing, Lumen Learning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-2\" title=\"What is Reader Response?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fnq1nD_bmlc?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><sup><em>YouTube Video by Tim Nance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fnq1nD_bmlc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fnq1nD_bmlc<\/a><\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>Analytical Response<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>Analytical responses to a text can take many, many forms and represent many critical theories.\u00a0 A basic explanation of an analytical response to a literary text is that it shows how the text works in some respect: as a piece of literature that uses certain symbols, styles, settings, and more; as an expression of its time period; as an expression of its author\u2019s philosophy; and more.\u00a0 Analytical responses can occur through different lenses as well (e.g., critical theories \u2013 psychoanalytic, gender-based, language-based, and more), expanding possible ways of interpreting and understanding how that text works.\u00a0 To go back to basics, questions that you ask and answer in order to analyze how the text works may include the following:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>How does the author use language, symbols, characters, settings, sentence structures \u2013 the tools of writing \u2013 to create and enhance the overall idea?<\/li>\n<li>What comment on human nature does the text offer?\u00a0 How do you know?<\/li>\n<li>How does the text represent or contradict the culture and events of its time?<\/li>\n<li>How does the text compare with other texts of its time?<\/li>\n<li>How does the text reflect or contradict social, class, or gender roles?<\/li>\n<li>How does the text represent or misrepresent certain groups or cultures? Why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some of these questions, such as those that deal with historical or cultural context, may require research to answer.\u00a0 Other questions require a close reading of the literary text, since your interpretation is backed up by examples from that text. Literary analysis may also include research into literary criticism to see how others who read the text have interpreted it.<\/p>\n<h3>Additional Resources for Analytical Response<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/human.libretexts.org\/Bookshelves\/Literature_and_Literacy\/Book%3A_Creating_Literary_Analysis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Creating Literary Analysis<\/a>, Libre Texts (includes discussions of different analytical approaches and how to create them; also includes pages on Reader Response)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"post-771\" class=\"miscellaneous post-771 back-matter type-back-matter status-publish hentry\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndsu.edu\/pubweb\/~cinichol\/271\/CRITICAL%20READING%20A%20GUIDE%20John%20Lye%20Brock%20Univ.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Critical Reading: A Guide<\/a>, by Professor John Lye<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5583\/2021\/04\/06212153\/Analyzing-Poetry.docx\">Analyzing Poetry<\/a>, by Maureen Kravec<\/li>\n<li>Tim Nance, the author of the video on Reader Response (above) also has videos on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f31V4XiPBdI&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Literary Criticism?<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SMxkN81QhKw&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv&amp;index=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Historical Criticism?<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=c4NXNfBEwZg&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv&amp;index=5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Psychological Criticism?<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7JHS9cYuJZA&amp;list=PLIlatssdqY5Na_a9r-_Hl1SGmK5M3HJGv&amp;index=6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Feminist Criticism?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The following videos provide insight into how to analyze literature, using literary elements (e.g., character, symbol, theme, and more).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-3\" title=\"Mining literature for deeper meanings - Amy E. Harter\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eREopphW5Bw?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><sup>Y<em>ouTube video by Amy E. Harter, <\/em><\/sup><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eREopphW5Bw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><sup>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eREopphW5Bw<\/sup><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-4\" title=\"How to Analyze a Short Story Using &quot;The Tell-Tale Heart&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zkQB_wPDCcc?start=101&#38;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><sup>YouTube video by Ms. Peer Editor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zkQB_wPDCcc&amp;t=101s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zkQB_wPDCcc&amp;t=101s<\/a><\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p>Please know that the video analyzing Poe\u2019s \u201cTell-Tale Heart\u201d analyzes many literary elements chronologically, for instructional purposes. The video shows a useful method of annotating a literary text as a reading and pre-writing technique <em>before<\/em> writing an analysis. When you actually write an analysis:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You may be inclusive and look at multiple literary elements, or focused, looking at symbols only, or even just one symbol in a text. Your analysis depends on the literary elements that interest you as a reader, and about which you want to offer insights into how they function in the literary text.<\/li>\n<li>Your organization should develop organically from your essay\u2019s thesis statement (which means that you do <em>not<\/em> have to analyze literary elements chronologically as they appear in the text).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-5\" title=\"Explicating Poetry: A Case Study on Millay&#39;s &quot;I shall forget you presently, my dear&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4DEQ8OSe-bw?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><sup><em>YouTube video by Oxford Comma, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4DEQ8OSe-bw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4DEQ8OSe-bw<\/a><\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-6\" title=\"Analyzing Drama\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0V--P3hWzXY?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><sup><em>YouTube video by Catherine Leach, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0V--P3hWzXY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0V&#8211;P3hWzXY<\/a><\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>Essay Writing<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re asked to write a full reader response or analysis, as opposed to a short journal entry, then the fuller writing may be in the form of an essay. Make sure any literary analysis essay has the following elements.<\/p>\n<h3>Introduction-Body-Conclusion Structure<\/h3>\n<p>An essay needs to introduce a topic and then make a thesis assertion at the end of the introductory paragraph.\u00a0 The assertion is key to the essay; it controls the type and order of information in the essay\u2019s body.\u00a0 The body should have a paragraph or set of paragraphs supporting each element of the thesis assertion. The concluding paragraph encapsulates and re-states the main idea in the thesis assertion.<\/p>\n<h3>Thesis Assertion<\/h3>\n<p>A thesis assertion, which usually comes at the end of the introductory paragraph, is key to a literary analysis essay. A thesis offers your main analytical insight about the literary text, and may also indicate supporting ideas.\u00a0 For example: \u201cAlthough approaches to enacting change in contemporary society can be very different, approaches should be tailored to the particular situation in order to be effective, just as Wheatley and Tecumseh did in their poetry and prose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The example thesis makes a promise to a reader about what the essay will include. In this case, you\u2019d expect<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>insights about two different approaches to enacting change that the writer observed in contemporary society<\/li>\n<li>insights into how they were adapted to make them effective or how they were not adapted and were thus ineffective<\/li>\n<li>insights into which approaches Wheatley and Tecumseh took, how those approaches differed, and how and why those approaches might have been effective or ineffective given their historical contexts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Examples\/Evidence from the Literary Text\/s<\/h3>\n<p>When writing fuller reader responses and literary analysis, always bring in details and examples from the literary texts themselves to explain your insights. These examples are like evidence; they \u201cprove\u201d that your interpretation has merit, since elements of the literary text relate to your insight.<\/p>\n<p>This video reviews the elements of a literary analysis essay.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-7\" title=\"Literary Analysis Lecture\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ho_VCSlzot4?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><sup>YouTube video by Laurie Harmon, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ho_VCSlzot4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ho_VCSlzot4<\/a><\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Using Secondary Sources<\/h2>\n<p>You may want to consult secondary sources when you analyze a text from a historical, cultural, social, or literary perspective.\u00a0 You\u2019re reading primary sources in this text, first-hand accounts of experience, letters, creative works such as short stories and poems.\u00a0 Secondary sources, on the other hand, explain, interpret, and\/or analyze primary sources.<\/p>\n<p>To find appropriate secondary sources, use library online databases as well as Google Scholar \u2013 you\u2019ll want to find thoughts from knowledgeable readers as opposed to X\u2019s rant on a literary text in a personal blog.<\/p>\n<h2>Citing Sources<\/h2>\n<p>Whenever you use an example from a primary source or information from a secondary source, you need to cite that information in your writing so that you do not inadvertently plagiarize. Provide the author and source, along with other relevant information.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to learn format; simply put required information into an online tool that will create the citation in your chosen format.\u00a0 Literature courses use MLA (Modern Language Association) format.<\/p>\n<p>For a discussion of why and when to cite sources, and a link to an academic integrity quiz, access the <a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-introtocollegereadingandwriting\/chapter\/documenting-sources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citing Sources<\/a> page from Introduction to College Reading and Writing.<\/p>\n<p>Some useful online tools that will put your citations into proper format include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citationmachine.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citationmachine.net<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bibme.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bibme.org<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easybib.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Easybib.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citefast.com\/?s=APA7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citefast.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"pb_part_invisible":false,"pb_part_invisible_string":""},"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-29","part","type-part","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/part"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":552,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/29\/revisions\/552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=29"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-empire-amliterature-1865-present\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}