CRITICAL ESSAY #1 - FICTION
Fiction (Excluding Britain, Ireland and the United States)
LIT 2120 - Dr. Blanchard - Summer A Term, 2012
----------SUBJECT
You will select your subject from among the 26 short stories listed on page three of these
guidelines. Keep in mind, however, that you do not want to write a critical essay on the work of
a writer whom you might select as a research paper subject since you are required to write
critically this semester on four different authors. Refer to your list of research paper subjects as
necessary.
Generally, you will want to select a work which engages you personally in some important way
related to the considerations listed in the "Content" section of these guidelines.
LENGTH:
approximately 600 - 900 words.
FORMAT: typed, on standard white paper, with double-line spacing, using standard 12 pt.
font and plain style (no bold, no italics) typeface, maintaining margins of about an inch, on one
side of the paper and using black ink
CONTENT
You should organize your essay in a manner appropriate to your subject and what you wish to say
about it. When organizing your thoughts, however, you may find it useful to consider the
various elements contributing to the effectiveness of the work of fiction you plan to analyze.
Most important among these elements will almost certainly be the theme of the work and the
plot of the work. However, other elements may also be important to the fiction you are
analyzing.
Consider the two most important aspects or elements of most short stories . . .

Theme: what seems to be the author’s intention(s) or point(s) in writing the story?
there seem to be a fundamental message underpinning or supporting the story?
Does

Plot: what happens in the fiction? is there a central conflict and, if so, what is it? You do not
want to summarize the complete plot in detail. Explain the plot only as clearly as you need
to in order to fully develop or support the author’s theme and the thesis of your essay.
Consider other aspects or elements of the short story which may be important to
understanding its theme or plot . . .

Setting: where does the action of the fiction take place?
when?

Characters: who are the central or most important characters in this fiction? what is most
important about them? is there a protagonist (hero or heroine) in this fiction? an
antagonist?

Point of View: does the author write from a first person or a third person viewpoint? is the
narrative voice omniscient? how reliable is the narrative voice? is the narrator a character
in the fiction? do you think the narrator represents the author's views and, if so, how and
to what degree?
LIT 2120: Critical Essay #1 - Guidelines (2)

Context: is this work of fiction representative of the time and place in which it is written?
so, how? if not, how does it differ?
if

Type (or sub-genre): is this work of fiction an example of a broader type or genre of fiction,
such as mystery, romance, historical fiction, fable, fantasy, horror?
One basic rule to writing an effective critical essay, however, is to make sure that your essay is
not simply a summary of the plot . You should explain the plot as necessary to make your main
points clear and to develop the thesis of your essay. If you find yourself “re-telling” the story you
are almost certainly not focused on the development of an essay thesis. Rather, in your essay
you should communicate observations and judgments about the plot or other elements of the
story in as objective a manner as possible. For example, instead of saying "I think Victor Hugo
uses the characters' vernacular language very effectively" simply say “Victor Hugo uses the
characters' vernacular language effectively" and then go on to support your point. Write as if
you are an objective critic and you know what you’re writing about.
ORGANIZATION
You should begin your essay with an introductory paragraph in which you 1) name the work
which is the subject of your essay, 2) note the author of the work, and 3) present some sort of
thesis statement. This thesis statement should suggest or highlight the aspect(s) of the story
you intend to discuss in the body of your essay. For example, “In ‘The Fall of the House of
Usher,’ Poe uses symbolism and imagery to create a sense of foreboding which supports the
story’s theme that in this dark world happiness and beauty are fragile and fleeting."
You should conclude your essay with a paragraph in which you summarize your thesis and the
main points made in the body of your essay.
You will have as many body paragraphs as you need to discuss the elements of the fiction or
non-fiction work you address in your essay. Each paragraph should be clearly focused on a
particular aspect and should include supporting details or examples from the primary source
adequate to illustrate your point and develop your thesis.
DOCUMENTATION
To appropriately support the development of your main points, you will need to quote from your
subject work or to refer specifically to certain events or passages. For this reason, you must
attach a list to your essay noting at least your primary source. This list should conform to MLA
documentation style guidelines as summarized in your documentation "Help Sheet."
(See page three for list of approved stories!)
LIT 2120: Critical Essay #1 - Approved Prose Works (3)
Please note: You must select the subject of your essay from the twenty-six works of
fiction listed below. You will be required to write another essay and be penalized fifteen
points should you write an essay on a title that is not in this list. The titles are listed
chronologically, as they appear in our anthology.
 Japan
"The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love," Saikaku, D-591
 Japan
"The Narrow Road of the Interior," Basho, D-607
 Japan
"Bewitched," Akinari," D-632
 Russia
"The Queen of Spades," Pushkin, E-865
 Russia
"The Lady with the Dog," Chekhov, E-1524
 Japan
"Child's Play," Ichiyo, F-1807
 India
"The Road to Salvation," Premchand, F-1910
 China
"Diary of a Madman," Lu Xun, F-1920
 China
"Upstairs in a Wine Shop," Lu Xun, F-1929
 Argentina
"The Garden of Forking Paths," Borghes, F-2414
 Senegal
"The Bone," Diop, F-2491
 Senegal
"Mother Crocodile," Diop, F-2497
 Japan
"The American School," Nobuo, F-2585
 Ivory Coast
"The Mirror of Dearth," Dadie, F-2608
 Ivory Coast
"The Hunter and the Boa," Dadie, F-2616
 Russia
"Matryona's Home," Solzhenitsyn, F-2696
 Zimbabwe
"The Old Chief Mshlanga," Lessing, F-272
 China
"Love in a Fallen City," Chang, F-2737
 Poland
"Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Gas Chamber," Borowski, F-2773
 Ukraine
"The Daydreams of a Drunk Woman," Lispector, F-2803
 Austria
"The Barking," Bachman, F-2813
 Bangladesh
"Breast-Giver," Devi, F-2826
 Colombia
"Death Constant beyond Love," Garcia Marquez, F-2849
 Egypt
"In Camera," El Saadawi, F-2999
 Canada
"Walker Brothers Cowboy," Munro, F-3010
 Israel
"Facing the Forests," Yehoshua, F-3074