Writing Critically (on literature, and in general)

Purdue University's OWL website provides thorough advice and examples, and I suggest using this particular page when writing essays in college! This particular page discusses writing a developed but focused paragraph, and will explore some of the same things we will discuss in class, perhaps in slightly different vocabulary.

But more specifically, here is the OWL link on Writing About Fiction.

Mimicking the Artist 1

Mimicking the Artist 1: (plot, narration and character)
due: Friday, May 1 2009

Guidelines:

- 1-2 page short story (perhaps one brief scene from a larger piece) that serves as a creative homage to a writer you admire (or don’t!).

- Can be an author we’ve read, or a writer you’ve read and feel you understand their literary techniques/writing style.

- Imitate/parody the author’s writing style – the literary device(s) that make them famous (plot, characters, language/dialect/syntax/word choice, dialogue, theme, symbolism, suspense, allegory/ etc.)

o At the top, on left-hand side, head your paper with:
    • Your name
    • Mimicking _______ (insert their name)
    • ID story and/or aspect of their writing you’re mimicking

Modernize the stories (or sci-fi them), update the language and setting, etc. If an author is known for thick language or dialect of their time and culture – use the dialect of our time and culture. However, be true to who you are, and consider if your language might offend your audience! In other words, do your best not to have flat characters (stereotypes) unless this is part of the authorial imitation.

The ubiquitous advice to burgeoning writers (even if forced to write!) is to be honest, and “write what you know.” However, leaving the statement at that is dangerous. Without context, it tells you to write with an authority of having the answers, when this is simply not the case What that statement really means is this:

Write from the reality and experiences of your life; what have you been through, what people in your life have gone through; what is the world you live in; what themes of humanity obsess you? What do you know, but not really know? What is worth exploring based on you and your experience?

Schedule Reminders/Clarifications:

Friday, April 24: No Class. However, for attendance credit (to not be marked absent), you must e-mail me by 6pm Friday a journal entry for Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" answering the following question:

What is a likely thematic message of "The Open Boat" and why was it an appropriate stylistic choice by Crane to use a 3rd person narrator? (Go further in your thinking than saying it's because there are four main characters and it allows access to all four. Instead, focus on the narrative style's connection to the stories theme.)

* Reader Response 2 is rescheduled for a later date (probably Week 6!, after our first LitCrit Essay).

Week 4: Character Week -- readings are on schedule:

Monday, April 27: Truman Capote's "Miriam"

Wednesday: Borges, Cortazar & Marquez

Friday: Tolstoy, Mimicking Fiction 1 due

For Friday, 4/17:

Response #1 (50 points)

Due: Friday, April 17th


Atwood v. Oates

Here is your first written chance (in this course) to turn personal preference into an analytical response.

Which story, of the last two read for Plot Week, do you prefer? Both authors are considered major writers of the 20th century; both, that is to say, have their literary merit, and are worth analysis.

So, focusing mostly on plot and its effects on the characters, what parts of your favored story – upon a close reading – makes the story worth sharing with readers 50 years from now?

Use specific detail from story. Quote lines from the text and explain in your own words how you understand these lines operating in the story – how do they make the story?

Guidelines: 12pt, Times New Roman (Cambria is okay); 1-2 pages double-spaced.
This will serve as a “diagnostic” as well as your first grade.

Introduction to Fiction Syllabus