Final Paper Guidelines for your Critical Essay

April 13 by 11:00 AM Full Draft through turnitin.com

April 26 by 5:00 PM  Final Version through turnitin.com (under Revision)

• The essay should be 8-10 pages in length, not including the Abstract or the Works Cited page.  If it is a bit longer, you will not be penalized.  If it is shorter, you will be; however, if you simply add verbiage to lengthen your essay, it will still be too short.  What you say MUST be significant.

• Begin with a 500 word abstract, which should follow the guidelines set down for you in Dr. Koster's Short and Snappy Guide to How to Write an Abstract.  Please consult the directives for writing a Conference Abstract on these pages; you'll need to read the Descriptive Abstract information as well, as the Conference Abstract instructions tell you you're adding onto a descriptive abstract.  I hope having this abstract already done will encourage all of you to submit to a conference of your choosing in the next year! 

• Your argument MUST be ORIGINAL, and it must be written from a critical perspective that is not already represented in your casebook. Do not simply repeat what others have said about your text.  You may take issue with a particular article and use this article as a springboard for your essay, but do NOT regurgitate someone else’s premise.  It is permissible, however, to review briefly what other critics have said about your work; doing so proves that you have done your homework—that you are familiar with what others have said.  This demonstrated familiarity increases your credibility as a critic.

• Whether your thesis is clearly stated in a few sentences or “implied,” no one should have to guess what you are arguing.  REMEMBER, no one can argue a fact; a fact is not a thesis.

• This essay MUST be CRITICAL.  A critical essay is grounded in theory and uses the theory and comments by other critics to support the argument.  While I will not say that you must cite a certain number of sources, I will say that no critical essay worth its salt will have fewer than five sources.

• Don’t be predictable!!!!  Your essay should make the reader say, “Wow!  I never thought of that slant.”  Essays that present only the obvious will not earn higher than a D.

• Do not rely on plot summary.  You may assume that any reader who is looking at your essay will have some familiarity with the text.  If you include a brief account of an event/scene in the text, be sure to note the significance of the event/scene.

• Don’t forget your “SO WHAT?”  Your conclusion should not be a restatement of your thesis.  Tell the reader why your argument is significant.  What are the consequences/implications of your insights?

• In-text citations must be correct using MLA format.  Your Works Cited page must be correct, also using MLA format.  If you are unsure about the format, ask me or look it up.

• Be very careful about plagiarism.  Make sure that you use quotation marks when needed.  Consult “The Correct Use of Borrowed Information” on the English Department Web Page if you have any questions about how to incorporate summarized, paraphrased, or quoted works correctly.  ANY PLAGIARISM, WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL, WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF F.