Writing a Literary Research Paper
How to Read an Article of Literary
Criticism
What are the goals of a research paper
about literature?
• Goal 1: Offer an interesting, defensible
interpretation of the piece of literature.
• Goal 2: Successfully use a critical theory to
inform and guide your approach.
• Goal 3: Successfully use quotations and
evidence from the work of literature to
support your interpretation.
• Goal 4: Thoughtfully integrate articles that use
your chosen critical theory and/or address
your chosen work of literature into your
research paper.
How do I formulate a question?
• Ask yourself what confuses you about the work.
Where do you see room for differing interpretations?
Where do you find yourself asking why a character
took a certain action, or what symbolic meaning an
object or event has?
• What theories from your handout seem to be wellsuited to the work you have chosen?
• Narrow your interest to a specific character or event.
• Even after you have formed a question, it may change
as you begin to do your research. Be flexible.
How do I choose a critical theory?
• Get REALLY familiar with the type of criticism you
choose.
–Check out one of the books in the library that offers
an introduction to critical theory and examples of each
kind of criticism (these also might be “introduction to
literary theory” books)
–Read example essays using your theory
• Make sure you choose a work of literature that
matches well with the type of criticism
–The issues that your critical theory cares about should
SOMEHOW be relevant to your work of literature.
Where do I find articles of literary
criticism?
• Ventura College has many excellent databases.
The most useful for your purposes will probably
be:
– JSTOR
– The Gale Literature Resource Center
– ProQuest (maybe)
• I would also suggest searching the library’s
physical collection. We actually have an
impressive amount of literary research materials.
How do I read an article of literary
criticism?
• Most works of literary criticism are published in journals,
and can range from brief, four or five page articles to fifty
or sixty page essays. Before you begin to read, identify:
– Who is the author of the article?
– Can you tell which critical theory the author is using?
– Read the abstract (if there is one). This should give you a
summary of the article.
• Identify the thesis (provoking or arguable claim) of the
article.
• How does the author support his or her thesis?
• If the author quotes the work of literature, look at those
quotes in context. Do you agree with the author’s
interpretation?
• How does the author incorporate the ideas from the critical
theory into his or her analysis?
How do I use an article of criticism in
my essay?
• Agree with the author’s interpretation, and use
it to complement your own.
– Use the author’s ideas about your chosen critical
theory as a springboard for your own.
– Analyze a passage the author didn’t discuss and
show how it fits with his or her ideas.
• Disagree with the author’s interpretation.
– What has the author overlooked?
– Where do you see evidence for a different,
contradictory interpretation?
Suggestion #1
• Become very familiar with the theory that you
are using. Re-read the section on your chosen
theory in your handout. Do additional
research on your theory in the library and on
the internet. Learn the terms and
assumptions that are unique to that theory.
Read several works of criticism that use that
theory, even if they are not related to the
work of literature that you are writing about.
Suggestion #2
• Become very familiar with the literary work(s)
you will be analyzing. Reread them carefully,
mark them, highlight them, look over the
reading journals you did for them. What new
insights do you have on this second reading?
What themes/patterns/literary techniques do
you notice? Have your textbook open to the
work as you read literary criticism so you can
refer to the original story/poem/play.
Suggestion #3
• Keep good records of where you find ideas. If
you wish to use an idea that you found in your
research, that is perfectly acceptable, but you
must tell me where that idea came from,
which means that you need to keep records.
That way, you can always find the information
you need when it comes time to make your
works cited page.
Suggestion #4
• Don’t wait until the last week to begin this
project.
• I have given you an entire month to work on
this paper, and the amount of work that is
required of you will take up all of that time.
Don’t put it off.
• Set goals for yourself each week when it
comes to this project.
Research Paper Weekly Goals
• Week 1:
– Choose literary work and critical theory.
– Research and become familiar with critical theory by
reading three or four articles that use that theory.
– Reread story/poem/play and heavily annotate
– Formulate (come up with) a rough idea of the
question you will research.
– Begin to do research in library databases and other
reputable sources for critical articles that are relevant
to your question.
Research Paper Weekly Goals
• Week 2
– Continue to research and find literary criticism that is
relevant to your question.
– Find out what debates are going on about your work
of literature. Adjust your question if necessary.
– Read the literary criticism you find carefully,
highlighting, annotating, and keeping track of
interesting ideas from each source.
– Take notes on your reactions to these critical articles.
Do you agree? Disagree? What can you add to the
ideas that are presented in the articles?
Research Paper Weekly Goals
• Week 3:
– Construct a rough thesis statement that is an
ANSWER to the original question you asked.
– Make an outline of your paper where each
paragraph contributes to the goal of supporting
that thesis.
– In your outline, decide where it would be
appropriate to include ideas/quotes from your
sources.
– Begin to write a rough draft of your essay.
Research Paper Weekly Goals
• Week 4:
– Complete your rough draft.
– Read your work of literature again. Do you have
any new insights now that you have read several
articles of literary criticism about the work?
– Revise your rough draft. Make sure that your
ideas are clearly, thoughtfully explained.
– Check to make sure that all ideas that are not
yours are cited correctly.
– Proofread.
Use My Office Hours
• I am in my office during the hours listed on
your syllabus. If I’m not there, it means I’ve
stepped out for a moment, and I’ll be back.
• If you are struggling with this assignment, or if
you would like me to look at a working thesis,
an outline, or a draft, I would be happy to do
that with you.