When writing about literature, you follow the same basic conventions required of any expository essay. That is, you

--state a thesis in your introduction

--develop that thesis by giving supporting reasons and evidence in the body of the essay

--conclude with a summary of your main points and a restatement of the thesis

--cite and document any quotes.

There are a few conventions in writing about literature of which you should be aware.

• In the introduction to your essay, mention the title of the work and the author's full name:
  

  In Emma, Jane Austen presents a character who is not as wise as she thinks she is.

• The title of a story or poem is set off with quotation marks; the title of a play or novel is italicized:
  
  • story: "The Waltz"
  • poem: "Cinderella"
  • play: Crimes of the Heart
  • novel: Alias Grace
• The first time you refer to an author, use his or her full name. Thereafter, use only his or her last name:
  In Blackbird, Jennifer Lauck paints a portrait of herself as a child. In order to heighten the reader's emotions, Lauck often uses an emotionally flat tone.
• Note that a comma or period is placed inside the quotation marks; a semicolon or colon is placed after the quotation marks:
  
  • In "The Waltz," Parker shows us her character's thoughts as well as her words.
  • Lawrence is addressing the inseparability of love and lust in "The Horse Dealer's Daughter."
  • Parker is showing how women are expected to behave in "The Waltz"; this is just hard to see becaue of the humor.
  • Not many events occur in "The Waltz": a a turn around the dance floor is the extent of the plot.
• Avoid using wordy or grammatically incorrect opening lines:
  In Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, she tells a fascinating story.
  In this sentence, "she" doesn't refer to anyone; and if you use the author's name, you don't need "she," too. Try it this way:
  In Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood tells a fascinating story.
  But there's still a problem: This opening sentence doesn't tell your reader what your essay is about. It's filler, without real content. Get to your point quickly and directly, perhaps like this:
  Grace, in Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, is a likable character, but it is impossible to know what she is really thinking.
• Unless you have been asked to write a personal essay, avoid using the first person ("I") and the second person ("you") in your essays. Most college essays are supposed to preserve a formal tone, and using "I" and "you" gives the essay too casual a tone. Instead of saying,
  I think Jane Austen is a feminist,
  try
  Jane Austen is a feminist.
  (Note that this makes you sound more authoritative, as well.)
  And instead of saying
  If you look closely at Jane Austen's work, you will see that she is a feminist,
  try
  A close reading of her novels reveals that Jane Austen is a feminist.

For information on using MLA format to cite and document correctly, see The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, or The Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

And if you need help getting started or with a rough draft, please feel free to see me in my office (my office location and hours are posted on the Schedule) or e-mail me at annw708@earthlink.net.

More detailed directions: The OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University has several articles that will help you with your papers.

• The following link gives you step by step directions about how to write the literary analysis essays we're doing in this class. I STRONGLY recommend that you read it. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/713/01/
• The following link shows you how to gather research and use it appropriately in your papers. Research is not required for your papers this semester, but if you decide to use outside sources, it will help you to read this. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/713/04/
• The following link shows you how to cite your sources correctly and how to format the Works Cited page according to MLA requirements. I STRONGLY recommend that you read it and refer to it as necessary when writing your papers. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
• The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University has an excellent article on how to avoid plagiarism. I STRONGLY recommend that you read it and refer to it as necessary when writing your papers. http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

About Wikipedia

Avoid citing Wikipedia in academic essays. Since it is not edited by reputable experts, it often has errors and isn't reliable. It's okay to use it as a starting point for your own research, but go on and find other sources to verify the information, and cite those in your essay.

And if you need help getting started or with a rough draft, please feel free to see me in my office (my office location and hours are posted on the Schedule) or e-mail me at annw708@earthlink.net.