Literary Criticism Quick Reference Sheet

What are the objectives for this assignment?

Utilize close reading skills introduced and covered this year

Individually interpret and approach a work of literature of literary merit

Gain practice reading academic and scholarly material geared for a university audience

Synthesize critical opinions with ones own

Apply understanding to text to support assertions

Sustain academic writing

Improve upon academic research skills

Determine which note-taking and research gathering methods work best

Use MLA format correctly, for both internal and parenthetical documentation as well as for the
Works Cited

When is the paper due?

Rough draft due Tuesday, February 24, 2015 for peer editing. The final paper is due Thursday, February
276, 2015 during your class period.
What is the length requirement?
6 to 7 pages, not including the Works Cited page. No title page, but use the standard MLA format for the
heading.
What are the format requirements for typing the paper?
The acceptable font is Times New Roman 12 pt. Staple in the top left corneronly once.
How many sources do I need to have?
This is not an easy question to answer, since the books you are dealing with vary in the amount of research
available. Five sources is a number that anyone will be able to reach so that is the bare minimum.
However, that said, I think most of you will be able to find many more. Its really up to youbut you can
bet that part of the rubric will be the depth of the research, so make sure that youve exhausted all
resources before confining yourself to five. Note that your selected reading (primary source) should be one
of the sources listed in the Works Cited so you will have at least six sources on WC page. Internet sources
should not be .com or .net unless on-line sources of print media (i.e. www.newyorktimes.com). No
Wikipedia sources. No blogs or forums.
How many citations should I have in my paper?
Another toughie. Well, you dont want to refer to the criticism too much because then you are spreading
yourself too thin. A good number for a paper of this length is 5-8 references on the literary criticism. As for
the quotes themselves, try not to cite anything longer than five lines because it eats up valuable page

space. Use ellipses for lengthy quotes.

What will I be looking for in this paper?
Above all, I am looking to see that you interpret the criticism accurately and that your responses to the
critics are anchored in your interpretation and understanding of the selected text. This component will be
evident by the textual references. I am also going to look for a clearly stated and defendable thesis. I will
be giving you a rubric ahead of time so that you know exactly what Ill be looking for in the final draft. I
can tell you that for every single quote or set of quotes (sometimes youll come across a pair of critics who
agree or disagree on the very same point) you need to explain what the critic is saying. Then, you need to
align yourself with the critical assertion or take issue with it. Either way, you need textual support. Even if
you agree with the critics opinion, you still need to go back to the text and find a passage, event, or quote
that affirms what the critic is saying. So, it essentially boils down to the critics thoughts and your
responses to those thoughts backed up by textual evidence. If you have any questions, please ask me.