Writing About Literature: Ten Hot Tips for Avoiding Common Errors
Every discourse—every form of talk and writing—has its own conventions and practices. Fairy tales,
for instance, begin with “Once upon a time. . . .” Films begin with either an opening scene of action or with
the opening credits. The opening credits are often artfully done and are accompanied by music that may set
the mood for the film; the closing credits tend to be more pragmatic, often scrolling quickly down the screen.
You know these things already; you are familiar with the discourse of fairy tales and films. But if you are
like many students early in their college careers, you may be less familiar with the conventions of writing
literary papers. Read the following list of hot tips that lay out for you the unspoken but commonly practiced
patterns of literary discourse.
1. TITLE
Yes, you need a title. But you can’t just use the title of the piece you are analyzing; the author has
already used that title. You may, however, use the title of the story or poem as part of your title, as in these
examples:
“Woman Hollering Creek”: Saying No to La Llorona
Jane Eyre: The Heroic Journey from Gateshead to Ferndean
DO NOT underline your title; DO NOT put it all in caps; DO NOT put it on a separate title page. Just
capitalize the initial letter of each important word in your title, and center your title at the top of your first
page.
2. INTRODUCTION
Your opening paragraph should clearly lay out your topic. Mention the author, the type of work (play,
poem, short story), and the title early in the opening paragraph. When you first mention the author, use both
first and last names—William Faulkner, Gary Soto, Denise Chavez. Remember, too, that the introduction
should hook your readers and make them want to read on.
3. THESIS
In speech discourse, speakers sometimes announce their plans in clauses like these: “I will talk about
the contrast between St. John and Rochester” or I will discuss the journey toward self in Always Running.”
Don’t do this in your literary papers. Instead, just lay out your thesis directly at the end of your introduction.
As the admakers say, JUST DO IT, presenting your point directly: “Bronte uses the contrasts between St.
John and Rochester to emphasize her rejection of traditional female roles” or “Always Running follows
Joseph Campbell’s model of the heroic life cycle in its description of Rodriquez’s escape from gang life.”
4. REFERENCES TO THE AUTHOR
After you’ve mentioned the author by first and last name in you opening, use just the last name in
future references; i.e., “Faulkner presents” or “Soto re-creates” or “Chavez describes. . . .” DO NOT call
authors by their first names; calling a writer William or Gary or Denise is too informal and seems
disrespectful.
5. CHOOSING VERB TENSE
Ideally, a literary work “comes alive” for every reader, every time it’s read. Thus, we conventionally
use present tense for literary analysis; we say. “Edna Pontellier seems (NOT seemed) confused” or “Jane
Eyre reveals (not revealed) her strength.”
6. WATCHING VERB TENSE
This error is easy to make and easy to correct. Once you’ve started your paper, using present tense,
MAKE SURE you have not ping-ponged between present and past tense. Although this mistake is
understandable, it’s also very distracting and irritating for readers. If you’re not sure you can catch this
mistake, have others proofread for it.
7. AVOIDING YOU
Most readers of literary analysis are put off by the use of “you” in a formal paper. It seems informal
or accusing or inaccurate. DON’T say things like, “You find yourself stunned by the story’s conclusion.”
Instead, shift it to the third person: “Many readers are stunned. . .” or to first person plural: “We find
ourselves stunned in the final pages because. . . .”
8. ESTABLISHING THE TONE OF YOUR ESSAY
Beginning writers make three kinds of mistakes with tone in their papers: they quiver, they chat, or
they bluster. None of these approaches is effective.
Quivering: Don’t apologize for your ideas. You sound insecure if you repeat phrases like “I
personally believe” or “I think” or “In my opinion.” Too many phrases like this can sound pathetic. Just say
what you think, and back it up.
Chatting: Don’t approach the paper as if it were a personal note to the teacher; write it for a more
general audience. Don’t say things like, “I didn’t like this story when you first assigned it, but after class
discussion, I agree with your view of it.”
Blustering: Don’t be unnecessarily aggressive in tone, as in “Only an idiot would fail to see the irony
here.”
9. USING APPROPRIATELY FORMAL WORD CHOICE
You want your paper to sound natural, like you, so don’t head to a thesaurus or shift to pompous
diction. But don’t sound so natural that your paper sounds more like a phone conversation or e-mail than an
essay. Avoid slang like “partying” or “awesome” or repeated use of the word “basically.” You should also
avoid clichés, or worn-out phrases that have lost any of their original power, such as “last but not least” or
“in the blink of an eye.”
10. CONCLUSION
One of the most effective techniques for a conclusion is a “full-circle” technique. Choose a phrase or
image or idea from your introduction and use it in your conclusion to provide a tight wrap-up of the paper.
DO NOT signal your conclusion with obvious phrases like “In conclusion,” In summary,” or “To conclude.”
ONE LAST NOTE: Every literary paper needs to use quotes from the text to help you prove your point.
There is a whole range of conventions associated with using quotes correctly. See your handbook or another
handout for information on how to use quotes in literary papers.