Writing about Literature and the Arts

CHAPTER 49CHAPTER 49

Part 10 a-ePart 10 a-eCopyright © 2001. Allyn and Bacon. All rights Copyright © 2001. Allyn and Bacon. All rights

reserved.reserved.

The humanities include. . . the fine arts. . .

drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture

the performing arts. . . music, drama, dance

The study of literature. . . poetry, prose fiction, the essay

The disciplines of. history, philosophy, religion.

Why write about the humanities, Why write about the humanities, especially literature and the arts?especially literature and the arts? First,First, writing about a literary or other

work of art encourages you to attend to

it more carefully.

Second,Second, writing stimulates thinking; it

helps you discover what you think and

why you think what you do.

Third,Third, writing provides occasions to state your views about the ideas and values the work suggests.

Fourth,Fourth, writing about works of literature and art can deepen your understanding of their significance and enhance your appreciation of their artistry.

Reminder, this topic was covered in Scribner earlier when it was noted how one can. . .

write to write to understandunderstand a work. a work.

write to write to interpret interpret a work.a work.

write to write to evaluate evaluate a work.a work.

When one writes about literature or art, it is vital to enter the work’s world of language and images. . . A PoemA Poem

identify its speaker and situation. A Musical Work

characterize its dominant sounds and rhythms A Sculpture

consider how the artist is using the medium (e.g.., of wood, metal, stone) to convey an image of a person, an action, or an idea

Writing to Understand a Work

If You Don’t Get ItIf You Don’t Get It

How Can You Write about It?How Can You Write about It?

Your first writing about a work, then, should be the writing you do for yourself—to discover what you feel and think, to see how you respond.

This initial personal writing is preliminary, exploratory, and informal.

Use the following techniques:

Writing to understand a work.riting to understand a work.

AnnotateAnnotate ListList QuestionQuestion Free WriteFree Write Keep a Double Column NotebookKeep a Double Column Notebook

AnnotatingAnnotating AnnotationsAnnotations are the notes or questions you make are the notes or questions you make

when reading a work of literature or when reading when reading a work of literature or when reading about or looking at a work of art.about or looking at a work of art.

MethodsMethods underlining words, circling phrases, bracketing passages, or underlining words, circling phrases, bracketing passages, or

using exclamation marks, arrows, question marks, or other using exclamation marks, arrows, question marks, or other forms of shorthand. forms of shorthand.

PurposesPurposes highlight what strikes you as interesting, important, exciting, or highlight what strikes you as interesting, important, exciting, or

puzzling.puzzling.

ListingListing Listing is the process of recording Listing is the process of recording

details from a work in columns or details from a work in columns or lists. lists.

As you identify a work’s featuresAs you identify a work’s features—a poem’s images, for example, —a poem’s images, for example, or a painting’s colors—you jot or a painting’s colors—you jot them down as a group, vertically.them down as a group, vertically.

An Example:

The father The cold The speakercracked handscracked hands his callhis call blueblackblueblack no thanksno thanks

labor (work)labor (work) lovelove firesfires indifferenceindifference

firesfires lonelylonely splintering splintering angers (fear?)angers (fear?)

the coldthe cold

polished shoespolished shoes austereaustere rooms warmrooms warm

..

Questioning Asking yourself questions about a work is one way Asking yourself questions about a work is one way

to continue thinking about it and to enrich your to continue thinking about it and to enrich your understanding of it. understanding of it.

Your questions may concern Your questions may concern the the actionaction described in or implied by a work. described in or implied by a work. The nature of the work’s The nature of the work’s characters.characters. the aspects of the aspects of meaning and techniquemeaning and technique. .

Ask questions about a work’s action, characters, Ask questions about a work’s action, characters, language, and situation.language, and situation.

Free Writing Freewriting is a technique that helps you Freewriting is a technique that helps you

explore your thinking. It is more explore your thinking. It is more continuous than annotating, listing, and continuous than annotating, listing, and questioning. questioning.

You usually freewrite in paragraphs and You usually freewrite in paragraphs and complete sentences, though without a complete sentences, though without a concern about grammar, style, spelling, concern about grammar, style, spelling, and punctuation.and punctuation.

Keeping a double-Keeping a double-column notebookcolumn notebook To create a double-column notebook, To create a double-column notebook,

divide your page in half to make space for divide your page in half to make space for

two kinds of notes.two kinds of notes. On one sideOn one side take notes, recording what you take notes, recording what you

think a work expresses. On this side you think a work expresses. On this side you

should summarize the work and perhaps should summarize the work and perhaps

quote briefly from it.quote briefly from it.

On the other sideOn the other side,, react to the work by noting react to the work by noting your questions and personal responses.your questions and personal responses.On this more personal side, record what you On this more personal side, record what you

think and how you feel about the work. think and how you feel about the work. Here you can question and criticize the work Here you can question and criticize the work

and relate it to your own knowledge and and relate it to your own knowledge and experienceexperience

Writing to Interpret a Work

How do You Convince Others to How do You Convince Others to Read the Work as You Do?Read the Work as You Do?

It is important that you go beyond. . . first impressions. simply stating your opinion of the work. concentrating only on expressing your

feelings about a work. offering an interpretation without

providing evidence in its support.

The Big question is no longer “What do I Feel about this

Work?”

Instead we must askInstead we must ask

““What is this Work’s What is this Work’s Significance?”Significance?”

““What does this Work What does this Work Mean?”Mean?”

You need to explain why readers or viewers

should understand the work as you do.

Your evidence derives from your analysis or close scrutiny

of the work’s elements.

Some ways to interpreting a work of Literature to relate the work you are interpreting to

other works by the same writer or artist, to relate the work to similar works by

different writers and artists, to relate the work to your own

knowledge—what you know about the subject being analyzed.

Another approach is to do some Another approach is to do some research research on the writer or artiston the writer or artist..

Steps to Interpreting a Work of Literature or Art1. Make 1. Make observationsobservations about the work’s details. about the work’s details.

2. Establish 2. Establish connectionsconnections among your among your observations.observations.

3.3. Develop Develop inferencesinferences based on those based on those connections.connections.

4.4. Formulate an Formulate an interpretationinterpretation based on your based on your inferences.inferences.

Observing:

notice the characters’ lives, their surroundings, experiences, and thoughts.

observe dialogue and action, noticing not only what characters say and do but their manner of speaking and acting as well.

observe the work’s details closely

In listening to a song or other musical work, you pay attention to its melody and harmony, its melody and harmony, its instrumentation, its instrumentation, its changes of tempo and dynamics (its degree of loudness).its changes of tempo and dynamics (its degree of loudness).

In looking at a painting or photograph, you observe the shape, size, and color of its figures. the shape, size, and color of its figures. their relative positions in the foreground or background. their relative positions in the foreground or background. to shape, line, and colorto shape, line, and color

You look, in short, at the elements or characteristic features of works of literature and art.

Connecting:

Try to relate the things you see to one another as you look for both similarities and differences.

Without connections you have only a series of fragmented

observations.

Inferring

While particular works may stump you, you need to move beyond making observations and connections to thinking about their significance.

If you do not draw inferences, you may wind up saying “I have no idea what this writer or artist is doing.”

Interpretation: Your interpretation should convey your

understanding of the work. The evidence that supports your interpretation

should come from the work’s details. In accumulating evidence for your interpretation

you may use logical thinking and creative thinking Your interpretation may also be informed by what

you have learned from consulting secondary sources.

Writing to Evaluate a Work

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

When interpreting a work of art or literature, you aim to understand it, not to judge it.

In writing to evaluate a work of art or literature, however, you make a judgment about it.

Your judgment may concern the work’s. . . quality, persuasiveness implied cultural and social

values

Writing Papers on Literary Works:

Where the Tire Meets the RoadWhere the Tire Meets the Road

There are various types of papers: a personal response (in which you express

your feelings about a work) (NO) an analysis of an element or part of a workan analysis of an element or part of a work

an analysis of a character an analysis of a character (YES)(YES) an analysis of a work’s imagery an analysis of a work’s imagery (YES)(YES) an analysis of a work’s structure an analysis of a work’s structure (YES)(YES)

an interpretation, a review, or an evaluation, to name several (NO)

You also should be clear about whether you need to consult secondary sources.

Primary sources include original works of writers and artists, original historical documents, data, and observations based on experiments and case studies

Secondary sources are interpretations and explanations of primary sources, often in the form of books and articles.

Go Thou and Write

That’s All FolksThat’s All Folks