Um, does anyone know anything about writing 2-3 page criticisms of short stories and essays focusing on one aspect of the work (like dialog)? Because I sure as fuck don't have a clue. I take that back - I have a clue, but only one that would lead me to write 2-3 sentences.
Advice is welcome. Recommendations of potential sources are welcome. Anything is welcome.
Update, 6:20 PM: After spending some time cruising the aisles of my local B&N, I purchased How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. It certainly lives up to its subtitle, "A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. While I do not think this will entirely solve my problem, it has provided me with three or four more clues as to how to write some sort of paper describing the techniques that are used in the various pieces that I am reading. I also bought a book of literary essays from 2000-2005 by J.M. Coetzee. Now I just hope that "literary essays" and "literary reviews" are synonyms for "literary criticism."
CUSS reader insight is still very welcome.
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Yeah, actually I do have experience here. Something about my degree in literature.....
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it is hard to give advice on something like this, not having read the essays myself.
I would continue to use the word fuck a lot. That has always worked well for me.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha ha. Oh man. I only wish I had the guts to write something like, "The absence of dialog in this essay is fucking brilliant, as it demonstrates the lack of connection between father and son," or something like that.
ReplyDeletei wish i had any advice. i vaguely remembering having an assignment frosh year in college to do with lit crit & the prof did not care for my title (which i found hilariously punny) nor my essay.
ReplyDeleteLit Crit made me think of Clit.
ReplyDelete