English Literature Assignment Two: Critical Review

English Literature

Assignment Two: Critical Review

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Using the novel you have selected from the list given in class, write a critical review of the text. This piece of work will be researched independently, approximately 3000 words in length, and needs to include:

• A clear focus for your study, indicated by your choice of title,
• An introductory section, which is a bit more extensive and detailed than in a traditional essay (approx. 1000 words),
• An analytical discussion, making good use of independent research from appropriate critical work on the novel you have chosen (2000 words).

Component 1: Introduction – Provide a thorough introduction to your text, including (as appropriate): author background; genre; brief plot synopsis; context, which might include the literary, historical, social and/ or political landscape within which your text is placed; the theory which you will be applying in your analysis in the following section and why it is suited to your text.

Component 3: Analysis of the Novel & Theoretical Application – Discuss the novel as a whole, reflecting on any of the following: narrative form, structure, setting, character, point of view, theme, language, style, tone, etc. You should employ at least one of the literary theories (e.g. feminist, post-colonial, psychoanalytic, etc.) that we have examined in order to analyze the novel, using examples from the text in order to support your discussion. Include a bibliography for all work.

Reference: Barry, P. (2009) Beginning Theory: An introduction to literary and cultural theory Manchester University Press: Manchester

Tips:

1. Avoid description or over-reliance on re-telling the plot. What expected in this assignment is analysis and interpretation.
2. Use examples to support your points, but try to avoid quoting overly-long passages. Instead, embed the example within the content of your argument.
3. You are expected to have read widely around the novel you have chosen to study, which you should start doing at the outset and establish in your annotated bibliography. This means that you can demonstrate an awareness of critical/theoretical approaches to the understanding of the text, as well as important biographical or historical context. Sites such as Wikipedia and SparkNotes might be a good place to start, but are not considered sufficiently academic. Likewise, reviews published in newspapers and/ or on-line might help you gain an insight into how your text might be approached, but should not be over-relied upon. Ultimately you need to read and refer to credible academic sources, published in peer-reviewed academic journals or texts.
4. The first formative assignment is an annotated bibliography, intended to emphasize point 7 above. However, don’t assume that once you have submitted the first component you no longer need to do any further reading. On the contrary, you need to submit a bibliography/ reference list for the final piece of work, and I will expect to see a wider and more extensive range of sources.