http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/litanalysis.ppt


How to Write a Literary Critique

When college professors ask you to write a critique of a text, they usually expect you to analyze and evaluate, not just summarize. A summary merely reports what the text said; that is, it answers only the question, "What did the author say?" A critique, on the other hand, analyzes, interprets, and evaluates the text, answering the questions how? why? and how well? A critique does not necessarily have to criticize the piece in a negative sense. Your reaction to the text may be largely positive, negative, or a combination of the two. It is important to explain why you respond to the text in a certain way.


Step 1. Analyze the text

Consider the following questions will help you analyze the text:

* What is the author's main point? What message is being expresed?

* What is the author's purpose?

* Who is the author's intended audience? How is this key to the thesis of your essay?

* What arguments does the author use to support the main point? Are these points relative to social issues, politics environmental or personal concerns?

*How are the characters used to convey main points or messages?

* What evidence does the author present to support the arguments? (Use quotes from the book, cite examples, and implement detail from the book)

* What are the author's underlying assumptions or biases? How does he get these across to the reader?



You will find it useful to use your notes throughout this project.



Step 2. Evaluate the text

After you have read the text, you can begin to evaluate the author's ideas.
Once you have established your characters, plot and theme you are ready to begin.
Now, consider the following when determining your point of view for this paper:


* Is the argument logical?

* Is the text well-organized, clear, and easy to read?

* Are the author's facts accurate?

* Have important terms been clearly defined?

* Is there sufficient evidence for the arguments?

* Do the arguments support the main point?

* Is the text appropriate for the intended audience?

* Does the text present and refute opposing points of view?

* Does the text help you understand the subject?

* Are there any words or sentences that evoke a strong response from you? What are those words or sentences? What is your reaction?

* What is the origin of your reaction to this topic? When or where did you first learn about it? Can you think of people, articles, or discussions that have influenced your views? How might these be compared or contrasted to this text?

* What questions or observations does this article suggest? That is, what does the article make you think about?



Step 3. Plan and write your critique

Write your critique in standard essay form. It is generally best not to follow the author's organization when organizing your analysis, since this approach lends itself to summary rather than analysis. Begin with an introduction that defines the subject of your critique and your point of view. Defend your point of view by raising specific issues or aspects of the argument. Conclude your critique by summarizing your argument and re-emphasizing your opinion.

* You will first need to identify and explain the author's ideas. Include specific passages that support your description of the author's point of view.

* Offer your own opinion. Explain what you think about the argument. Describe several points with which you agree or disagree. (Your opinion only belongs at the end of this essay)

* For each of the points you mention, include specific passages from the text (you may summarize, quote, or paraphrase) that provide evidence for your point of view.

* Explain how the passages support your opinion.

The Book Critique:


An analytic or critical review of a book or article is not primarily a summary; rather, it comments on and evaluates the work in the light of in specific issues and theoretical concerns.


1. What theoretical issues and topics for further discussion does the work raise?

2. What are your own reactions and considered opinions regarding the work? (Your reaction will be at the end of the essay.)




To keep your focus, remind yourself that your assignment is primarily to discuss the book's treatment of its topic, not the topic itself. Your key sentences should therefore say "This book shows...the author argues" rather than "This happened...this is the case."


Critical writing depends on critical reading. The judgments and interpretations you make of the texts you read are the first steps towards formulating your own approach.



To read critically is to make judgments about how a text is argued. This is a highly reflective skill requiring you to "stand back" and gain some distance from the text you are reading. (You might have to read a text through once to get a basic grasp of content before you launch into an intensive critical reading.) THE KEY IS THIS:



1. First determine the central claims or purpose of the text (its thesis). A critical reading attempts to assess how these central claims are developed or argued.

2. Begin to make some judgments about context . What audience is the text written for? Who is it in dialogue with? (This will probably be other scholars or authors with differing viewpoints.) In what historical context is it written? All these matters of context can contribute to your assessment of what is going on in a text.

3. Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs. What concepts are defined and used? Does the text appeal to a theory or theories? Is any specific methodology laid out? If there is an appeal to a particular concept, theory, or method, how is that concept, theory, or method then used to organize and interpret the data? You might also examine how the text is organized: how has the author analyzed (broken down) the material? Be aware that different disciplines (i.e. history, sociology, philosophy, biology) will have different ways of arguing.


4. When you begin to think about how you might use a portion of a text in the argument you are forging in your own paper, try to remain aware of how this portion fits into the whole argument from which it is taken. Paying attention to context is a fundamental critical move.

5. When you quote directly from your book or a source, use the quotation critically. This means that you should not substitute the quotation for your own articulation of a point. Rather, introduce the quotation by laying out the judgments you are making about it, and the reasons why you are using it. Often a quotation is followed by some further analysis.