What Every Student Should Know About Writing About Literature walks students through the process of reading, analyzing, and writing about literary works. The text opens with a brief chapter that defines imaginative literature; then follows a student as he completes a writing assignment on Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" (the story is included in the text). Featuring samples of student work at all stages of the writing process, the text covers reading actively, note-taking, pre-writing, finding and narrowing a topic, drafting the essay, developing thesis statements and topic sentences, using verb tenses properly when writing about literature, building and supporting literary arguments, revising and editing the essay, quoting from literary sources, and documenting in MLA style.

Chapter 1: What Is Literature and Why Do We Study It?

Types of Literature

Chapter 2: Reading Literature and Responding to It Actively

Guy de Maupassant, The Necklace

Reading and Responding in a Computer File or Notebook

Guidelines for Reading: Preparation for Writing

Sample Notebook or Journal Entries on Maupassant’s “The Necklace ”

Chapter 3: Discovering Ideas

The Goal of Writing: To Show a Process of Thought

Discovering Ideas (“Brainstorming”)

Study the Characters in the Work

The Need for a Sound Argument in Writing about Literature

Determine the Work’s Historical Period and Background

Analyze the Work’s Economic and Social Conditions

Explain the Work’s Major Ideas

Describe the Work’s Artistic Qualities

Explain Any Other Approaches That Seem Important

Chapter 4: Preparing to Write

Build Ideas from Your Original Notes

Trace Patterns of Action and Thought

Raise and Answer Your Own Questions

Put Ideas Together Using a Plus-Minus, Pro-Con, or Either-Or Method

Originate and Develop Your Thoughts Through Writing

Chapter 5: Make an Initial Draft of Your Essay

Base Your Essay on a Central Idea, Argument, or Statement

Create a Thesis Sentence as Your Guide to Organization

Begin Each Paragraph with a Topic Sentence

Use Your Topic Sentences as Arguments for Your Paragraph Development

Referring to the Names of Authors

Select Only One Topic —No More— for Each Paragraph

Develop an Outline as the Means of Organizing Your Essay

Use Your Outline When Developing Your Essay

Illustrative Essay (First Draft)

Chapter 6: Completing the Essay: Developing and Strengthening Your Ideas Through Revision

Make Your Own Arrangement of Details and Ideas

Use Details from the Work as Evidence to Support Your Argument

Always Keep to Your Point; Stick to It Tenaciously

Try to Be Original

Write with Specific Readers as Your Intended Audience

The Use of Verb Tenses in the Discussion of Literary Works

Use Exact, Comprehensive, and Forceful Language

Illustrative Essay (Improved Draft)

A Summary of Guidelines

Chapter 7: A Short Guide to Using Quotations and Making References in Essays about Literature

Integrate Passages and Ideas into Your Essay

Distinguish Your Own Thoughts from Those of Your Author

Integrate Material by Using Quotation Marks

Blend Quotations into Your Own Sentences

Indenting and Blocking Long Quotations

Use Ellipses to Show Omissions

Use Square Brackets to Enclose Words That You Add within Quotations

Do Not Overquote

Appendix: Documenting Your Work in MLA Style

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