Literary writing: How to craft a strong essay
Literature exists in all aspects of daily life, from newspapers and magazines to poetry and novels. In the past, literature took a far more prominent role in society, for it was one of the only available forms of entertainment. As such, you have likely been tasked several times to write essays focusing on different forms of literature. Essays written on literature are unlike those on science, mathematics, or history in that they can be very unique and chose to focus on themes or style of a work and can tackle this question by examining a single work or several related works. This will serve as a general guide as well as academized review that will help you to craft strong literary essays, no matter what the topic is:
1. Find your textual evidence – The key to these essays is mastering your content.
If you’re reading a poem, read it over a few times and pay attention to structure, syntax, theme, etc. all of which could be potential topics.If you’re working on a longer piece, like a novel, make sure you read it closely and thoroughly or take notes!
2. Cite the textAfter you’ve finished developing your thesis and selecting which portions of the work you are going to use to prove your thesis, make sure you cite them directly in the text. Many students make the mistake of paraphrasing the author’s words, when, however, it is highly unlikely that you can say it better than the author. Try to draw comparisons and illustrate similarities in structure, style, or theme throughout the piece.
3. Literary Review-Many students don’t take advantage of the multitude of sources available to them on the internet. There are thousands of literary essays just waiting to be discovered, and they often cover topics that may be very similar to your own. These essays, therefore, are all possible sources that you can cite in your essay! You will probably have the most luck in using an academic search engine rather than Google. Try using Google Scholar, JSTOR, or any of the many archives that store academic work.
And finally, don’t stress about your essay. Many students fret and worry that their opinion or thesis about a piece of literature is “wrong,” when, in fact, it is actually quite difficult to be completely incorrect if you have used textual evidence to support your argument. In literature, there is very rarely an answer that is one hundred percent correct because there is only one person who truly knows the meaning of the work, the author! Your argument will be strong if you are able to find textual evidence and then to support it with your own words. If you can find other essays that have been written by leaders in their field, it will only help you to prove your thesis.
So remain calm while writing your literature essay by remembering that it is very unlikely that you can’t be wrong, but if you need additional help, the professional team at AuthorsMania.com is always available to help.
1. Find your textual evidence – The key to these essays is mastering your content.
If you’re reading a poem, read it over a few times and pay attention to structure, syntax, theme, etc. all of which could be potential topics.If you’re working on a longer piece, like a novel, make sure you read it closely and thoroughly or take notes!
2. Cite the textAfter you’ve finished developing your thesis and selecting which portions of the work you are going to use to prove your thesis, make sure you cite them directly in the text. Many students make the mistake of paraphrasing the author’s words, when, however, it is highly unlikely that you can say it better than the author. Try to draw comparisons and illustrate similarities in structure, style, or theme throughout the piece.
3. Literary Review-Many students don’t take advantage of the multitude of sources available to them on the internet. There are thousands of literary essays just waiting to be discovered, and they often cover topics that may be very similar to your own. These essays, therefore, are all possible sources that you can cite in your essay! You will probably have the most luck in using an academic search engine rather than Google. Try using Google Scholar, JSTOR, or any of the many archives that store academic work.
And finally, don’t stress about your essay. Many students fret and worry that their opinion or thesis about a piece of literature is “wrong,” when, in fact, it is actually quite difficult to be completely incorrect if you have used textual evidence to support your argument. In literature, there is very rarely an answer that is one hundred percent correct because there is only one person who truly knows the meaning of the work, the author! Your argument will be strong if you are able to find textual evidence and then to support it with your own words. If you can find other essays that have been written by leaders in their field, it will only help you to prove your thesis.
So remain calm while writing your literature essay by remembering that it is very unlikely that you can’t be wrong, but if you need additional help, the professional team at AuthorsMania.com is always available to help.