This outstanding practical guide to writing analytical essays on literature develops interpretive skills through focused exercises and modeled examples. The program is tailored to meet the specific needs of beginning undergraduates. Features unique, detailed guidance on paragraph structure Includes sample essays throughout to model each stage of the essay-writing process Focused exercises develop the techniques outlined in each chapter Dedicated checklists enable quick, accurate assessment by teachers and students Enhanced glossary with advice on usage added to core definitions

This book gives students an answer to the question, “What does my professor want from this essay?” Using a single poem by William Carlos Williams as the basis for the process of writing a paper, it walks students through the processes of reading, brainstorming, researching secondary sources, gathering evidence, and composing and editing the paper. Writing Essays About Literature is designed to strengthen argumentation skills and deepen understanding of the relationships between the reader, the author, the text, and critical interpretations. Its lessons about clarity, precision, and the importance of providing evidence will have wide relevance for student writers. The second edition has been updated throughout and provides three new complete sample essays showing varying approaches to the final essay.

This book gives students an answer to the question, “What does my professor want from this essay?” In lively, direct language, it explains the process of creating “a clearly-written argument, based on evidence, about the meaning, power, or structure of a literary work.” Using a single poem by William Carlos Williams as the basis for the process of writing a paper about a piece of literature, it walks students through the processes of reading, brainstorming, researching secondary sources, gathering evidence, and composing and editing the paper. Writing Essays About Literature is designed to strengthen argumentation skills and deepen understanding of the relationships between the reader, the author, the text, and critical interpretations. Its lessons about clarity, precision, and the importance of providing evidence will have wide relevance for student writers.

Essays are a major form of assessment in higher education today and this is a fact that causes some writers a great deal of anxiety. Fortunately, essay writing is a skill that can be learned, like any other. Through precise explanations, this fully updated edition of Writing Essays gives you the confidence to express yourself coherently and effectively. It demystifies the entire process of essay writing, helping you to become proficient and confident in every aspect. Writing Essays reveals the tricks of the trade, making your student life easier. You’ll learn how to impress tutors by discovering exactly what markers look for when they read your work. Using practical examples selected from real student assignments and tutor feedback, this book covers every aspect of composition, from introductions and conclusions, down to presentation and submission. It also advises you on stress-free methods of revision, helps with exam essays, explains the principles of effective secondary source management, and shows you how to engage meaningfully with other critics’ views. A new chapter will also guide you through the intricacies of the undergraduate dissertation. As a full-time university professor, Richard Marggraf Turley counsels students and assesses their work every day, helping him to recognise the challenges that they face. Accessible, concise and full of practical examples, Writing Essays is a response to these challenges and will be an invaluable companion for Humanities students who wish to improve their grades and become confident in the art of essay writing.

A Method for Writing Essays about Literature is an introductory guide to literary analysis and writing literary essays. It covers a number of key topics about writing a literary essay, including how to form a coherent argument, how to analyze evidence effectively, and mechanical issues like how to integrate quotations. By providing students with clear, step-by-step instructions, it makes the process of writing literary essays less intimidating and, in the end, leads to better essays.

Language is complex. Written or spoken, the complexity of language makes the medium the versatile tool we need but also creates the potential for a wide variety of misunderstandings and mistakes. Whether we are attempting to understand a piece of fiction or writing a text to make our thoughts comprehensible to others, the complexity of language is both necessary and fraught. That said, the inevitable pitfalls don’t mean we need to sacrifice precision or accuracy. This guide is a step by step process that offers hands-on methods for accurate analysis and precise essay construction. Chapter one deals with a variety of methods by which to approach stories and novels such that your analysis is structured on carefully constructed, logical progression founded on the primary text rather than on hunches and guesswork, and chapter two offers infrastructures and scaffolding on which any essay can be structured. The structures included in chapter two are not a template and thus do not limit style or content; rather, they are based on a series of tasks that must be completed for an argument to be convincing. As such, the tasks offer a kind of map through the process of essay writing that always indicates your next step. Contrary to accepted mythologies about analyzing fiction and writing essays, neither is a guessing game, and this text can help you remove the guesswork from your own process.