Need help on writing an introduction paragraph for my fantasy novel?
I'm not sure why you need an introduction, but why would you start it with a passive sentence? I'm going with the book is exciting, so why isn't your first sentence? Catch the thrill of the book. Hook the reader, set that hook, and reel in your reader. My query letters will start where my novel starts, the moment the main character's life changes - when he wakes up to a face full of cold coffee grinds in the trash. Seriously, didn't that make you need to know how that happened and who he is? That's what books do, why shouldn't the introduction do the same thing? Added after reading your added: Oops, that was supposed to be the beginning of your novel. You started it wrong. Start where the main character's life changes drastically. The rest is the story.
Are introductions to novels and plays important from an exam point of view?
Yes, when you see that the questions that has come to your exam are not common, those introductions are the ones that will help you frame answers.Speaking from personal experience, when I was in 2nd year, I had not prepared for the answer to ‘significance of the title of Pride and Prejudice.’ I read in the introduction that its original title was First Impressions. I knew the story and framed the answer writing that First Impressions is more appropriate than Pride and Prejudice, I gave reasons.If I had not read that introduction I would not have anything to elaborate. Notice the word elaborate. Your answers need to be elaborated in Indian education system in order for them to secure marks.Then again, introductions help you know the contemporary social conditions of the authors. If you read Shakespeare’s My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun, you will be surprised thinking why he is not praising his girlfriend but after reading the introduction you will undetstand that the sonnet is actually a satire on the romantic poems.So, yes introductions are important.
Writing a Feminist Criticism Essay.?
Wow.... Maybe I am wrong, but it seems like some of these answers don't really understand your question. So let me clarify it as I interpreted it . You have been assigned a literary piece and are required to write a critical response to the literary piece in the vein of feminist criticism. If this is the case, you are not being asked to create a dialogue on weather you believe in feminism. If you do you have missed the point of the essay completely, and will probably fail the assignment. To be honest weather or not you agree with feminism its important to be able to interpret all sorts of literature from different perspectives so as to have a deeper understanding of the novel. As an English major I am constantly asked to look at things from a Marxist perspective, feminist perspective, New Historical Perspective, etc. If you don't agree with feminist perspective then this will be good practice to understand your opposition and thus more affectively argue your point. Anyway what you need to is take the female characters in the novel and examine the novel's treatment of them. Ask your self how this woman is portrayed? Is she a fully fleshed out character or is she a shallow caricature of a masculine interpretation of a woman. How is she treated in relation to other character's does she have agency? What are the roles of women in the novel? What kind of relationships do they have in society? What is expected of them? How are they portrayed in terms of sexuality? I have a few essays on my website which are an example of what your professor is asking you to do. Check it out if your still confused
Is it worth the time reading the introduction and afterword of a book?
I read the main question and was ready to post an objective (yes/no) answer to this. Then I read the description and felt a black & white approach would actually kill your desire to read books.Your eagerness to read a book is exactly what has kept you hooked on. It's a natural process you've developed over the years that lets you enjoy books in your own special way.I'm an author (fiction and non-fiction) and I have my own idiosyncratic way of checking out a book. Just like you, I don't care about the foreword or introduction eitherBut I do something that most don't. I jump straight to the page that has the technical details - printing company, paper quality, price, number of editions and a whole lot of stuff that others would find dry.As a reader, if you don't find a reason to read specific sections of the book, so be it. Have fun with what you do. And keep reading!
Literature of the United States of America: What is the literary criticism on Jack London's "Call of the Wild"?
It is an incredibly influential book and very popular. Jack London wrote from experience.The book was the favourite of both Lenin and Hitler. The Call of the Wild encapsulates Nietzchean philosophy, not just on the struggle for survival, but the view that civilisation is a cage that constrains us, and we have a longing for an elemental freedom.The book is not the Disney remake. It has harsh struggles and plenty of suffering and pain.It is certainly viewed as a modern classic.
How do I turn the boring English literary criticism an interesting one to read?
If you approach a subject with the prejudice that it is boring, it will seem boring to you. I found my literary criticism paper very boring too, but some of my professors have the knack of turning even boring subjects interesting. Listening to their lectures carefully helped a lot. In addition, when you study critical theories, try to approach it by thinking how you can apply them to some of the literary works that you have read and enjoyed. It helped me a lot in overcoming the boredom while studying criticism. For eg, if you are studying feminist theories, try to mentally apply them in some of the women-oriented novels that you might have read. It makes the process of studying much easier and interesting.
What is Biographical/historical criticism?
I just read a short story that I'm supposed fill out an analysis chart and describe the "historical period" and the "author's background".
What are good books about literary analysis and criticism?
Hazard Adams and Leroy Searle edited the super-cheap paperback textbook Critical Theory Since 1965. It is my favorite resource in this regard (there's plenty from before 1965 too). It's a textbook that is assigned in many critical theory courses and has good introduction and further reading suggestions. Most importantly, it's efficient. Many of the essays are 20-30 minute reads... much more tolerable than trying to untangle 300 pages of Derrida being directly vague.As a practical way into this material I also always suggest Roland Barthes' Mythologies and Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality, Vol. 1. Barthes' is a really interesting, very readable exploration of critical theory applied to pop culture with a very practical de Saussure's structure of a sign based theory section. Foucault's book is ultimately really a foundational text for post-structural systemic dynamics. While not directly literary, it greatly informs the concepts you'll find from Jauss and Derrida in the Adams/Searle textbook.Best of all, they're all used and cheap on Amazon:The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction: Michel Foucault, Robert Hurley: 9780679724698: Amazon.com: BooksCritical Theory Since 1965: Hazard Adams, Leroy Searle: 9780813008448: Amazon.com: BooksMythologies: Roland Barthes, Annette Lavers: 9780374521509: Amazon.com: Books
Are literary theory/criticism texts too erudite for the average reader, or can one read them without any previous knowledge?
Some of them are really specialized. Particularly contemporary theorists. They are trying to make connections between several fields of Academic Humanities and, therefore, they don’t write for a non-academic audiences.However, some Theory is actually intended to be understood by general audiences.How to Read a Poem by Terry Eagleton is a good example. It is a contemporary theory of poetry, a summary of several previous influential theories, and an introduction to the at of reading poems. Its goal is to be useful to both academic and non academic readers: Eagleton says you can skip the most erudite chapters if you like, and focus on the practical ones. But the book never “cheapens " its theoretical drive nor becomes too obscure.Other theorist you could read is Mikhail Bakhtin. He is now a classic. He is more challenging for laypersons, and it does require that you are more or less familiar with the novels he deals with (Rabelais, Dostoevsky, Goethe). But I think that, even if you are not an erudite, you can understand him with some effort. He is worth reading. Mikhail Bakhtin - WikipediaAs for criticism, you have more options. George Steiner and Susang Sontang are fun to read. If you like Latin American Literature, go for Beatriz Sarlo. Harold Bloom is not my cup of tea, but many people like him and his later books are for non erudites.Some writers happen to be good critics. J. M. Coetzee is the best of the best. Also an easy reading.In Latin America, Octavio Paz, Rosario Castellanos and Ricardo Puglia are amazing.In any case, the point of reading Criticism is threefold: developing a sharper edge for reading, reading between texts (i.e. making connections between readings) and, yes, becoming an erudite.
What are some Formalism (new criticism) themes in The Great Gatsby?
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald Study Guides: http://www.shmoop.com/intro/literature/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-great-gatsby.html http://www.bookrags.com/notes/gat/ http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/ http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/index.asp http://www.geocities.com/researchguide/gatsby.html http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/gatsby/ http://www.articlemyriad.com/summary_great_gatsby.htm