Writing a Literary Essay Using Secondary Sources What

Writing a Literary Essay Using Secondary Sources

What is a “literary critic”? n Someone who critiques a work of literature is called a “literary critic. ” They spend much of their time studying, analyzing, and writing about literature. When you write your own literary analysis you too become a literary critic.

What is a "primary source"? n When you are writing about literature, the text that you are studying is called the "primary source. " For example, if you are writing about Huckleberry Finn, that novel is your primary source of evidence for whatever argument (thesis) you are making in your paper. You quote from the novel to support your claims. You defend your claims with direct references to your primary source—that is, with quotations from the novel.

What is a "secondary source"? n n Secondary sources are essays or articles that have been written by literary critics about the text you are studying. To write with authority about your choice of literary text, you should familiarize yourself with what has been written about that text in the past. You want to be sure that the secondary sources you use are reputable ones. Look for sources that have been written by established literary critics.

Examples of what secondary sources might look like: n n Lynn, Kenneth S. Huckleberry Finn: Text, Sources, and Criticism. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1961. Nadel, Alan. "Invisible Man, Huck, and Jim. " Invisible Criticism. Iowa City: The University of Iowa Press, 1988. 124 -146.

Do you want to make your paper just a collection of what other people have said? NO! n You do not read secondary sources to help you write your paper. You write your paper on your own. Be sure that you have your own argument and that you write mainly about what is in the novel and support your argument with quotations from the novel.

But. . . n n you do read secondary sources to help you flesh out your ideas. You can use secondary sources to support what you say. You may not agree with what other people say about the story you have read. You can quote from those critics to show what you disagree with and then explain why you disagree.

How do I document a secondary source? n n You document a secondary source the same way you do a primary source. If you use a direct quotation, you must put quotation marks around the exact language of the author. If you paraphrase (use your own words), you do not have to put quotation marks. However, whether you quote or paraphrase, you must put the page number and author's name in parentheses. You must also create a works cited page and list the sources (both primary and secondary) in proper MLA format.

To sum up, here are some tips about using secondary sources: n n Remember that your primary source is the text itself. Fill your paper with quotations and references to the novel to back up your claims. Use your secondary sources, the references to literary critics, sparingly. Do NOT let the other literary critics take over your paper. One or two references to a literary critic is plenty. Your main purpose in consulting the other literary critics is to get a broader, fuller understanding of the novel you are going to write about. Document secondary sources just as you would primary sources, using parenthetical citations in the text and a works cited page.

n n These pages have been taken from the following: Sanders, Andrea. “American Literature II. ” Walters State Community College. Web. For an example of an introductory and body paragraph using primary and secondary sources visit the above site.