LITERARY TERMS LOGS
(x5)
"Brevity is the soul of wit" (Polonius, Hamlet 2.2.97)
DUE: Semester 1
Tues. 20 Sept.
Tues. 18 Oct.
Tuesday, Nov. 30
Log 1: The Horned Man
(Allusion,* Ambiguity, Imagery)
Log 2: Crime & Punishment (Situational Irony, Point of View, Setting)
Log 3: Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Diction,* Situational Irony, Imagery)
DUE: Semester 2
Tues. 31 Jan.
Tues. 6 March
Log 4: Doctor Faustus
Log 5: Hamlet
(Allusion,* Diction,* Imagery)
(Allusion,* Diction,* Imagery)
NB: As you prepare your analyses of the terms, above (three per log), please note the following:
* Allusion (literary, Biblical, mythological, historical). You must identify the kind of allusion,
and understand it yourself in order to comment on its effect.
* Diction: Since “diction” means “word choice,” you must focus on the effect of individual
words, not phrases or clumps of words. Why does the author choose one word over
another? What difference does that choice make?
No Cover Sheet is required. Instead, with all but the first Terms Log, please include on page 1 a bulletpoint list of 2-3 specific things you’ve improved on from the previous log.
Worth: 25 points per analysis
Penalty points are subtracted for each of the following:
 Checklist is missing or not completed (-5)
 Pages aren’t properly numbered (MLA) (-3)
 Page margins (all four) are not exactly 1 inch (MLA) (-3)
 Font is anything other than 12-point Times New Roman (MLA) (-3)
 Example & point are not original (-2 each time)
Purpose: This is an analytical review exercise, and one of the most important in terms of exam
preparation. It is primarily aimed at getting you to practice CONCISION in your analytical writing.
To this end I will hold your writing, and the depth of your analyses, to the highest standard.
Each Terms Log should contain analyses only for the terms listed in parentheses after each book title in
the lists above. Each log must be formatted strictly according to MLA style (see Penalties, above), and
include:
 Concise definition of each term (1-2 lines—no more) taken from the Literary Terms Glossary.
 Analysis of rhetorical EFFECT in the context of literary examples from our reading—8-9 lines.
This last bullet point is the most important: Since this assignment is an exercise in literary analysis,
you must explain precisely HOW the literary example you choose* illustrates the term—the literary
device—in question. Don’t simply say: “This is an example of hyperbole because so-and-so is using
exaggerated praise” (or whatever). Say, rather, “Elizabeth’s hyperbolic praise of so-and-so underscores
the real contempt she bears him. Her hyperbole, here, is sharply ironic, and inasmuch as she resorts to it
again and again, it sheds light on her own character, and her impatience towards intellectual inferiors” (or
whatever point you want to make). But my point is that you must show me, through your brief, cogent
analysis—and your inclusion of snippets—not only that you thoroughly understand the rhetorical effect
of the term you are illustrating but that you understand it in context. In other words, your analysis of a
particular example must shed light on the larger issues of CHARACTER and THEME. I would like
you to COPY the structural model of my SAMPLE (next page).
*NB: You may NOT use examples from class discussions, but must find examples on your own
original examples as you read. Two points will be deducted from each entry that is not original. In
addition, collaborating with other students is not permitted on this or on any other assignment for
this class.
Line Limit: Individual entries MUST BE EXACTLY 10 LINES, no more, no less. So practice writing
clearly and eloquently, but with economy and precision. This assignment is as much about learning to
write with concision as anything else, so make every word count. (Anything smaller or larger than 12point font and 1'' margins will be marked down).
Proof Reading: Poor editing will significantly impact your grade. The most effective way of catching
errors is to read a hard copy of your work, pencil in hand. Mark it up, make your corrections, and print it
out again. Get in the habit of doing this ahead of time so the copy you turn is PERFECT—at least in this
regard.
NB: Template for the CHECKLIST can be downloaded from my web page.
SAMPLE
[Note that with 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font, the analysis is just under nine lines.
Note also the use and parenthetical citation of "snippets," and the link to character and theme in the
conclusion].
Imagery: (A word or group of words that appeal to the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and
smell. The use of images serves to intensify the impact of a work). In the climactic storm scene
of The Return of the Native Hardy's imagery heightens our sense of foreboding and reminds us
that humans are ever at the mercy of forces beyond their control. The dramatic tone is amplified
by the setting of Egdon Heath--the novel’s constant reminder of human weakness. Hardy
describes “hollows between thickets of tall and dripping bracken--dead, though not yet prostrate,
which enclosed [Thomasin] like a pool.” Further underscoring the malevolence of this animate
landscape we see Thomasin “lift the baby to the top of her head, that it might be out of the reach
of their drenching fronds” (354). These images remind us both of Thomasin's particular
vulnerability and, on a larger scale, of humankind's utter insignificance in the face of nature.