Instead of asking what this essay means, in our reading responses, we ask: how was it made? What can we learn for our own writing from how this was made? This is not a class focused on teaching you how to analyze literature. This is a class focused on teaching you how to make literature. So the goal of the reading response is practical: how can we look closely at a piece of published work in a way that will help us become better writers.
In this class, we will be studying and discussing all the different possibilities inherent in creative nonfiction--the range of voices and structures--from highly narrative to lyric, from linear and chronological to mosaic and fragmented, from highly personal and autobiographical to detached and philosophical. In order to see these differences more clearly, each reading response will compare and contrast two different published essays.
PART A: Compare and contrast the Persona in the two essays:
Who is the limited persona in each piece?
How is the persona limited? (What's left out of the persona's characterization to achieve this focus--what do you not know about the persona?)
How much or how little is the author a subject in the essay?
What is the persona's tone? (the attitude of the author toward her subject, toward her audience)
Part B: Compare and Contrast one of the following aspects in each of the essays:
The Story: The "story" is the central question for the writer and the reader. "Story" in this context does not refer to plot but to the meaning of the piece--to why the reader should care. Is the essay complex? How so? Are there questions the essay raises that resist easy answers?
Craft Analysis: Compare and contrast any one of the following craft features in the two essays: Narrative Design, Characterization, Scene, Dialogue, Image, Setting & Atmosphere.
Part C: Emulation: What can you learn for your own writing, or essay-in-progress, from each of these two essays? Be specific: what changes in your piece do you want to make?
Important Note #1: I have a very low threshold for responses which basically say that the essay is crap and there isn't anything in it for you. Your task in this craft is to be receptive and teachable, open and inquisitive, rather than smug or defensive or condescending.
Important Note #2: No doubt you will like certain essays more than others. Affection, in the end, is the most important guide to emulation in your own writing. It's important, but it's not a part of your reading response.
Reading responses must be specific--using quotes and citations to support your claims.
Reading Responses will receive a letter grade. Reading Responses should be 2-3 pages, double-spaced, typed, according to the three-part format above.
Good Luck!