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THE PERFECT
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Responding to Literature
Response to Literature
By Sarah Montante
If you’re writing a paper for English class, chances are
you are writing a response to literature.
> READ
READ
MEME
You can’t respond to a work of literature until you’ve read
it, so the first step in writing is to read. This step is deceptively simple. You can’t afford to be passive if you want to understand a
story. Instead, you must devote
your full attention to the text and
approach it with curiosity. Ask
yourself, what is this story all about?
What is the author trying to communicate? Good reading is an
act of inquiry.
Some other questions you
might ask when reading
include:
> What is the core conflict in
the plot?
> How does this conflict play out in the story?
> What are the significant themes of this story?
> What are the most pronounced traits of each
character?
> How do the characters compare and contrast
with one another?
MARK
IT UP
> MARK
IT UP
Because active reading requires you to think about
the text as you go along, it can be helpful to read
with a pencil in hand. If you own the book, you
can underline significant passages and make
notes in the margin. If you can’t write in the
book, use Post-It notes to mark pages where
significant actions or descriptions take
place. Another alternative is to take notes in
a separate notebook with the page numbers
written down. Although reading in this way can
take more time, it’s worth it because you will
remember the story and will be better prepared to write about it afterward. Taking notes
36 OCTOBER 2004 Literary Cavalcade
not only helps you to formulate your thoughts about the
text as you are reading, it also creates a map of the
book that will be very helpful when you go to gather evidence for your argument.
ANALYZE
THIS
> ANALYZE
THIS
Your teacher will likely assign you a topic for your paper,
which will guide your analysis of the text. If not, you can
use the questions listed above to
help you formulate your own topic.
Once you have a specific question
in mind, you will need to go
back to the text to formulate
your position. Look at all
the passages you marked
and reread those that apply
to your topic. Take more
notes. Gather quotations
that you would like to
use in your paper. Then
decide your position on
the topic and write a thesis statement
that summarizes it.
QUOTE
WITH
CARE
> QUOTE
WITH
CARE
Every point in your argument must be supported by quotations from the text. It’s crucial, then, that you learn how
to introduce and punctuate a quotation properly. Most
students tend to stick quotations into the body of their
text without fully connecting
them to the other sentences.
For example:
Romeo and Juliet are at
the ball and are meeting
for the first time. Romeo
is already in love with Juliet.
He says, “If I profane
with my unworthiest
hand . . .” When he says
this, he is telling Juliet
that he’s in love with her.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROB DUNLAVEY
IT’S BETWEEN YOU AND THE TEXT
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It’s much more effective to integrate quotations into
your sentences. This maintains the flow of your paragraphs and also brings your thoughts to life.
When Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time
at the ball, Romeo is immediately smitten with
her. When he says, “If I profane with my
unworthiest hand,” he is telling Juliet how
much he wants to touch her.
The hardest part about integrating quotations into your
paper is figuring out how to punctuate them. You may
need to ask your teacher how to do this, or look up a
style guide online like the MLA Handbook or the
Chicago Manual of Style. Here are some general rules
about how to quote from literature:
> The words, spelling, and punctuation inside
the quote should match the original text exactly.
> Quotations that are more than 10 lines long
should be indented and single-spaced.
> If you introduce the quotation with a phrase
like, “he says” or “the author writes,” then you
must use a comma—i.e., the author writes, “I
have never gone to Istanbul.”
> All punctuation must go inside the quotation
marks.
> You must note the source of the quotation,
either in footnotes or in parenthetical notes in
your paper—i.e. (Shakespeare, p. 69).
Finally, when writing about literature, there are two
important rules of thumb:
> Always write in the present tense, even if the
story takes place in the past or the author is
long dead.
> Write as though the person reading your
paper has never read the story you’re analyzing.
Explain everything as if you were speaking to a
stranger and do your best to make the story
intelligible to him or her.
RESPONSE TO LITERATURE STEP-BY-STEP
DON’T JUST PUT DOWN YOUR BOOK AND PICK UP A PEN. A GOOD
RESPONSE TO LITERATURE REQUIRES THOUGHT AND PLANNING.
> Read the work. See above for LC’s tips on active reading.
> Ask questions. In addition to the questions we’ve listed, your teacher may have others
that you’ll want to think about while you’re reading.
> Choose a topic. You could use any one of LC’s questions to help you formulate your own
topic for the response, or your teacher might give you one. Just make sure that your topic
is specific enough that you can explore it fully in your paper.
> Find your evidence. Go back to the text and look for passages that pertain to your topic.
What do they tell you? Review your markings in the book and your notes before you draw
any conclusions.
> Decide what you think. Once you have all your quotations lined up, you’re ready to make
an argument. Craft a thesis statement and then prepare an outline of your
body paragraphs that shows which quotes you’ll use in each paragraph.
> Write it! Get your ideas down on paper in the first draft and don’t worry
too much about making the writing perfect. Pay attention to the ideas
first, then go back and edit. Be sure that you have quoted passages properly and that you have integrated the quotations into the body of your text.
STAY TUNED:
Next month, LC will
show you how to write
about a life experience
in a reflective essay.
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