BASIC RULES FOR WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE

Writing about literature is not that different from other types of writing.  The difference lies in a few basic guidelines that will assist you whenever you are asked to write about literature.

WRITE IN THE PRESENT TENSE

Literature exists in the perpetual present.  When you write about it; you write in the present tense, so that Homer presents, Achilles rages, Andromache laments, Priam pleads.  The primary exception to this involves action which affects the text, but occurred before the events of the text, for instance, Paris chose Aphrodite and brought Helen to Troy "before" the first lines of The Iliad.

 FOCUS ON THE AUTHOR & TEXT RATHER THAN ON THE READER

Student often make the mistake of concentrating on the reader's response to a character or situation rather than the author's creation of the character.  Concentrate on what the author reveals or displays, or how the character or situation appears or develops.  The text is significantly more reliable than the reader's perception.

 AVOID PLOT SUMMARY

Literary papers focus on analysis and explanation.  Begin with a thesis and prove its validity.  Brief references to instances in the plot may strengthen your argument, but retelling the story accomplishes nothing of significance.

 EMPLOY THE TEXT TO MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT

Immediately after developing your thesis return to the text for specific passages that will support your contention.  If you cannot find these you may have one of two problems:  either your position is invalid or you do not know the text well enough to know whether it is or not.

 LOOK FOR SOMETHING ORIGINAL

Average to good papers are sparked primarily by lecture and class discussion.  Excellent papers begin with these, but include insights unique to the writer.  What seems like a risky idea, if supportable, may be the key to elevating your paper to "A" status.

 USE LITERARY VOCABULARY WHEN APPLICABLE

It always helps to use the vocabulary of a discipline.  This creates the impression that the writer is comfortable within the discipline.  Do not, however, make an effort to use as many "literary words" as possible. 

                                            GUIDELINES FOR FORMAL WRITING

 FORMAL WRITING IS IMPERSONAL.

Formal writing is not intended to communicate person to person.  Instead, it is intended to be objective; that is, formal writing should be informative in a detached, scientific way.  It should communicate logically rather than personally; it should appeal to the intellect rather than the emotions of the reader. 

 FORMAL WRITING DOES NOT USE FIRST PERSON PRONOUNS. 

Formal writing de-emphasizes the personality of the writer.  You are asked to remove yourself completely from the scene.  Omit uses of the following:  I, me, my, mine, we, our, ours.  Sometimes we is used in formal writing.  When it is, it is called the editorial we, but it is only used in certain instances.  For this class, write in the third person.

 FORMAL WRITING DOES NOT USE SECOND PERSON PRONOUNS. 

Just as the writer becomes anonymous as far as personality is concerned, so does the reader.  The writer does not address the reader as you.  The informal you should be replaced by one or another appropriate word.

 FORMAL WRITING DOES NOT INCLUDE CONTRACTIONS. 

Do not use can't, won't, doesn’t, don't, or other contractions when writing for this class.  Note:  It's is a contraction for it is and should not be used. Its shows possession and is acceptable.  Also: cannot is one word.

 SLANG IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR FORMAL WRITING. 

Several words used in your speaking vocabulary should not be included in formal papers.  Note:  Write at the level of diction you would use in an interview for your first working position.  Any dictionary will explain the distinctions between appropriate and inappropriate words.

 CLICHÉS ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR FORMAL WRITING. 

Clichés should be eliminated.  Express your ideas in more original terms.

 FORMAL WRITING REQUIRES MORE COMPLEXITY IN SENTENCE STRUCTURE. 

In all writing, sentence length and complexity should be varied; this is truer still of formal writing.  However, do not increase complexity at the risk of coherence. 

 FORMAL WRITING REQUIRES THE MOST PRECISE AND CORRECT CHOICES FROM AMONG ALTERNATIVES IN GRAMMAR AND USAGE. 

There are many questions of language which cannot be resolved as "correct" or "incorrect."  Be conscious of context and clarity when making distinctions.  In formal writing you need to choose  either who or whom, between or among.  Also, you should remember not to end sentences with prepositions.