1. Every essay must have a thesis (a "point") substantiated with evidence from the text (quotations). Every paper should have a clear central purpose, an argument, a thesis. Focus on a question you wish to answer. Arrange the points supporting your thesis logically, with some ordering principle (and not simply linearly, following the text's chronological narrative).
2. Quote judiciously, relevantly, and sparingly: quote no more than is necessary to make your point, and always interpret. Always introduce quotations with a sentence that explains why you're quoting, and follow all quotations with analysis. Don't expect your readers to puzzle out the significance of your quotation. Further, quotations cannot do the work of your own prose: they illustrate or prove a point; they don't make the point for you. Use quotations to support or illustrate your statements, not as a substitute for your own writing. Copy quotations exactly: copy poetry as it appears on the page or, if you want to incorporate it into your text, use slash marks to indicate line breaks--"These our actors / (As I foretold you) were all spirits, and / Are melted into air, into thin air. . ." (Tempest, IV.i.148-50) or (Tempest, 4.1.148-50).
3. You needn't retell the story or explain who the characters are: imagine your audience as having read the text a week before, therefore remembering basic facts if not specific quotations. Avoid plot summary; analyze, don't just describe. Do not organize your paper by moving linearly through the text.
4. Your prose will make more sense if you use logical connectors to show how your sentences and paragraphs relate to each other: "therefore," "moreover," "consequently," "in addition," "not only. . . but. . . ." Use connectors to hone your thinking and organization as well as to help your reader follow your argument.
5. Use very little, if any, "I": the entire paper is your thinking, so you needn't remind the reader that "I think that. . . ."
6. Beware of empty, passive constructions, such as "there are," "it is," "which is," "being."
7. Beware unattached "this"'s: "This shows that. . ."; rather, "this phrase shows that. . ." or "the word 'time' means. . . ."
8. Don't feel obliged to persuade the reader that the play/poem/essay is good or that its author is a genius.
9. Use vocabulary you know; don't try to wow the reader with the thesaurus.
10. Be alert to possessives, since possessive nouns always use the apostrophe (Shakespeare's, the author's, these authors' works) and possessive pronouns never do (his, its, theirs, hers, and so on).
11. Remember that words like "someone" and "everyone" are treated as singular nouns, and thus take singular verbs and pronouns: "Anyone who reads this play must make up her own mind."
12. Always use the present tense when writing about literature.
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Last updated 26 March 1999