Writing Literary Essay

What Makes a Good Literature Paper?

An argument

When you write an extended literary essay, often one requiring research, you are
essentially making an argument. You are arguing that your perspective-an interpretation, an
evaluative judgement, or a critical evaluation-is a valid one.

A debatable thesis statement

Like any argument paper you have ever written for a composition course, you must have
specific, detailed thesis statement that reveals your perspective, and, like any good argument,
your perspective must be one which is debatable.

Example
You would not want to make an argument of this sort:
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play about a young man who seeks revenge.
That doesn’t say anything-it’s basically just a summary and is hardly debatable.
A better thesis would be this:
Hamlet experiences internal conflict because he is in love with his mother.

That is debatable, controversial even. The rest of a paper with this argument as its thesis
will be an attempt to show, using specific examples from the text and evidence from scholars, (1)
how Hamlet is in love with his mother, (2) why he’s in love with her, and (3) what implications
there are for reading the play in this manner.

You also want to avoid a thesis statement like this:

Spiritually means different things to different people. King Lear, The Book of Romans, and
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance each view the spirit differently.
 Again, that says nothing that’s not already self-evident. Why bother writing a paper about
that? You’re not writing an essay to list works that have nothing in common other than a general
topic like “spirituality”. You want to find certain works or authors that, while they may have
several differences, do have some specific, unifying point. That point is your thesis.

A better thesis would be this;

Lear, Romans, and Zen each view the soul as the center of human personality.

Then you prove it, using examples from the texts that show that the soul is the center of
personality.

Literature Topics and Research

The best topics are ones that originate out of your own reading of a work of literature, but
here are some common approaches to consider:
● A discussion of a work’s character: are they realistic, symbolic, historically-based?
● A comparison/contrast of the choices different authors or characters make in a work
● A reading of a work based on an outside philosophical perspective (Ex. How would a
Freudian read Hamlet?)
● A study of the sources or historical events that occasioned a particular work (Ex.
Comparing G.B. Shaw’s Pygmalion with the original Greek myth of Pygmalion)
● An analysis of a specific image occurring in several works (Ex. The use of moon imagery
in certain plays, poems, novels)
● A “deconstruction” of a particular work (Ex. unfolding an underlying racist worldview in
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness)
● A reading from a political perspective (Ex. how would a Marxist read William Blake’s
“London”?)
● A study of the social, political, or economic context in which a work was written — how
does the context influence the work?
How do I start research?
● The Internet
Once you have decided on an interesting topic and work (or works), the best place to start
is probably the Internet. Here you can usually find basic biographical data on authors, brief
summaries of works, possibly some rudimentary analyses, and even bibliographies of sources
related to your topic.
 ● The library
The Internet, however, rarely offers serious direct scholarship; you will have to use
sources found in the library, sources like journal articles and scholarly books, to get information
that you can use to build your own scholarship-your literary paper. Consult the library’s on-line
catalog and the MLA Periodical Index. Avoid citing dictionary or encyclopedic sources in your
final paper.

How do I use the information I find?

The secondary sources you find are only to be used as an aid. Your thoughts should make
up most of the essay. As you develop your thesis, you will bring in the ideas of the scholars to
back up what you have already said,
For example, say you are arguing that Huck Finn is a Christ Figure; that’s your basic
thesis. You give evidence from the novel that allows this reading, and then, at the right place, you
might say the following, a paraphrase:
According to Susan Thomas, Huck sacrifices himself because he wants to set Jim free
(129).
If the scholar states an important idea in a memorable way, use a direct quote.
“Huck’s altruism and feelings of compassion for Jim force him to surrender to the
danger” (Thomas 129).

Either way, you will then link that idea to your thesis.

Formatting
What about MLA format?

All research papers on literature use MLA format, as it is the universal citation method
for the field of the literary studies. Whenever you use a primary or secondary source, whether
you are quoting or paraphrasing, you will make parenthetical citations in the MLA format [Ex.
(Smith 67).] Your Works Cited list will be the last page of your essay.
Note, however, the following minor things about MLA format:
● Titles of books, plays, or works published singularly (not anthologized) should be
italicized unless it is a handwritten document, in which case underlining is acceptable.
(Ex. Hamlet, Great Expectations)
 ● Titles of poems, short stories, or works published in an anthology will have quotation
marks around them. (Ex. “Ode on a Nightingale,” “The Cask of Amontillado”)
● All pages in your essay should have your last name the page number in the top right hand
corner. (Ex. Jones 12)

Tip
If you’re using Microsoft Word, you can easily include your name and page
number on each page by following these steps:

1. Open “view” (on the top menu).

2. Open “Header and Footer.” (A box will appear at the top of the page you’re on. And a
“Header and Footer” menu box will also appear.)
3. Click on the “align right” button at the top of the screen. (If you’re not sure which
button it is, hold the mouse over the buttons and a small window should pop up telling you
which button you’re on.)
4. Type in your last name and space.
5, Click on the “#” button which is located on the “Header and Footer” will menu box.
It will insert the appropriate page number.
6. Click “Close” on the “Header and Footer” window.

What else should I remember?

● Don’t leave a quote or paraphrase by itself—you must introduce it, explain it, and show
how it relates to your thesis.
● Block format all quotations of more than four lines.
● When you quote brief passages of poetry, line and stanza divisions are shown as a slash
(Ex. “Roses are red, / Violets are blue / You love me / And I like you”).

Pre-writing Activities
1. Freewrite
Without referring to the text or your notes, write for five to ten minutes on all the
image (or the device you have chosen to examine) you can recall. This will provide an initial list
which will make up your body of evidence.
2. Review
Look back through the text and your notes to further identify evidence, keeping
focused on the particular device you want to discuss.
3. Research
Once you’ve identified enough textual evidence to support your thesis, you may
want to see what other writers have had to say about your topic. This kind of appeal to other
authorities helps you back up and interpret your reading of the work.
4. Evaluate
You will probably generate more evidence than you can use. One way to decide
which evidence to take and which to leave is to limit your choices to the best, most illustrative
examples you can find. Focus on how the devices are used to develop major characters, major
scenes, and major turning points in the work.

Drafting your essay

You’ve read and annotated the work, developed a thesis, and identified your
evidence. Now you’re ready to work your evidence into your draft. Here are some effective
techniques.

1. Quoting
What is a quote?
Quoting involves taking a word, phrase, or passage directly from the story, novel, or
critical essay and working it grammatically into your discussion. Here’s an example:
In this novel, The Secrett Agent, Conrad describes Verloc as “undemonstrative and burly
in a fat-pig style…” (69). The pig image suggests that Verloc is not a lean, zealous anarchist, but
is actually a corrupt, complacent middle class man who is interested in preserving his
comfortable status.

Notice three things about the example above:

● The passage from the novel is enclosed in quotes and the page number is indicated in
parentheses. For more help, see our handouts on MLA and APA.
● The passage is introduced in a coherent grammatical style; it reads like a complete,
correct sentence. For more help, see our handout using quotation marks.
 ● The quote is interpreted, not patched on and left for the reader to figure out what it
means.

When should I quote?

● To make a particularly important point
● When a passage or point is particularly well written
● To include a particularly authoritative source

How should I quote?

● All quotes must be introduced, discussed, and woven into the text. As you revise, make
sure you don’t have two quotes end-to-end.
● A good rule of thumb: Don’t let your quotes exceed 25% of your text.

2. Paraphrasing
What is paraphrasing?
● This is using your own words to say what he author said. Try to paraphrase the statement:
Once I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.
When should I paraphrase?
● Paraphrasing is useful in general discussion (introduction or conclusion) or when the
author’s original style is hard to understand.
● Again, you would need to interpret the paraphrase just as you would a quote.

3. Summarizing
What is summarizing?
● This is taking larger passages from the original work and summing them up in a sentence
or two. Use the example below:
Conrad uses pig imagery to describe Verloc’s character.
When should I summarize?
● Like paraphrasing, summary is useful in general discussion which leads up to a specific
point and when you want to introduce the work and present the thesis.
Reference

Pagliawan, Dominador L. (2017). “Writing Literary Essay”. Literary Criticism: A Resource, A

Guide, A Reader. Text and Visuals Literary and Visual Arts Services, pp. 53-60.