12 Criteria for Undergraduate Writing About Literature
When you’re writing an undergraduate essay about literature, I recommend that you keep 12 Criteria in mind. If you’re wondering “what I’m looking for in an essay,” this is the answer. You may wish to just read through the short descriptions of each criterion in the list below, and leave it at that…
But if you click on each criterion in the list below, you’ll navigate to a page that includes a short pdf handout, a short video lecture, and helpful links relevant to that criterion. (At the bottom of the list is a link to a Google Drive folder that contains all 12 handouts at once, as well as other resources.)
Specificity. Base your essay in close reading, teasing out ambiguities; after that, choose one very small thing as the primary subject of your hypothesis.
Clarity. Use as many words as are necessary, arranged with sensible grammar in a straightforward style, to get your ideas across.
Rigor. An essay should be (not contain) a [hypo]thesis. Say only what is actually true; establish and defend that truth with (and only with) stringent logic.
Innovation. Develop and position your hypothesis in relation to what has already been said about/around your primary subject. Disagree, deepen, destabilize.
Precision. Unlike a literary text, your essay should be unambiguous. Every word counts: choose the words that communicate your ideas most exactly.
Tone. Your writing should come off as decisive, warm, and (in terms of formality) business casual. Know your audience.
Focus. Organize your essay according to the logical progression of its argument; cut anything that is not structurally necessary to that argument.
Stakes. Argue a thesis that you actually believe and care about — find what matters in the specific item you’ve taken as your primary subject.
Complexity. Never simplify; always ramify. Look for, and incorporate, evidence that disproves or troubles your hypothesis.
Depth. Dig into your narrow primary subject. Uncover what lies beneath what lies beneath the obvious. Read against the grain.
Economy. Use as few words as are necessary to get your ideas across. Cut empty wordage; be sincere.
Process. Take the time, even when time has been taken from you, to appreciate your text. Avoid rushing; when you rush, rush better.
“If one thing should be clear
from all the things above:
remember why you’re here.
remember what you love.”
—Angie Lo