…I have no illusions about the likelihood that some of my specific appraisals are wrong, that I have , say, overestimated or underestimated the merit of certain works I have discussed because of a passionate interest in some problem raised by the work. Which is to say that, in the end, what I have been writing is not criticism at all, strictly speaking, but case studies for an aesthetic, a theory of my own sensibility.
One of the most difficult tasks in discussing another writer’s work is to find the words to articulate our discoveries. The problem is, in part, an insufficient specialized vocabulary. The problem is also not knowing how to be precise, as well as personal, without simply saying, “I like this,” or “I think this is just beautiful,” which is no good, empty, unless you can say why.
The Reading Response emphasizes how craft guides, reinforces, and enhances the meaning of the work at hand. It is essentially a practical endeavor. Instead of asking what this story means, we ask: how was this story made? The Reading Response isn't a scholarly effort, or book review, but one writer writing to another writer (and to herself) about a third writer’s work. The tone of these pieces should be personal, not detached and scholarly. Imagine yourself rushing into a cafe and telling a friend who is another writer what you think about the book. Part I and II are the first few things you say. Part III is where your friend says, "Wait a minute. Slow down. Say more about that. I didn't even see that." Part IV is where you say, "Remember that piece you read a while back about my dog Rocky and what I was telling you the other day about how I hate reflection. Well, Baldwin just gave me a new way of thinking about that..."
1) What are your impressions? How did the memoir make you feel? This question asks you to respond to memoir with a bit of memoir yourself. You're not "the reader." You're you. How did this memoir strike you? What do you remember most about it? This question is asking you to think about the question we always ask (don't we?) at the end of anything we read: So what?
2) What is the real subject? Vivian Gornick, says it this way: “Every work of literature has both a situation and a story. The situation is the context of circumstance, sometimes the plot; the story is the emotional experience that preoccupies the writer: the insight, the wisdom, the thing one has come to say.” It’s a question about focus, an attempt to get at the essence of a piece. Because often a memoir doesn't just have a single insight, or focus, a different way to think about this, is to ask yourself, what are the memoir's deeper concerns?
3) Discuss one of the memoir’s compelling craft features: quote several principal, or representative, instances where some craft feature appears in the text (page numbers, paragraphs. In other words, when you make a point, refer to the text. Be specific.) And then give those quotes a close reading. All of these quotes should relate to one craft feature, and your discussion should attempt to find how this craft feature is used to form a meaningful pattern throughout the piece.
What the %^&* do I mean by craft feature? Here’s a cliff notes type attempt to cover some of this ground quickly:
Craft Features: Quotes, Ideas, Questions, Working Definitions
4) Another memoir question: How does this memoir influence your thinking about your own work? Don't be vague about your own work. Refer to it, talk about what you're trying to teach yourself. What does this memoir do that you cannot? What does it do that you did not even know was possible? What does it do that you do not want to do? Here, if you like, be an editor. What would you cut? Why? Be specific. What would you alter? Why? What would you develop or add? Why?
What to Avoid:
When reading responses go wrong, they summarize the story. Your reader (me, your peers) has read the work. Go right to the point.
And another thing! Don't be smart about theme. You've always been smart about theme. Be smart about stuff that you're not so used to being smart about. Be smart about narrative design or characterization, diction or imagery or point of view.
Reading Responses should be two-three pages double spaced, typed.
Good Luck!