Suggestions for reading historical monographs:
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Read the introduction carefully and answer the following questions:
a. What are the major themes and arguments of this chapter based on your reading of the introduction?
b. Is the author engaged in a debate or “conversation” with other scholars? If so, what is it about?
c. Can you identify the author’s theoretical framework? (For example, do they identify themselves as a cultural historian, an economic historian, and environmental historian, a gender historian, or something else? What is the author’s understanding of how and why change occurs over time?
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Read subsequent chapters of the book and reflect (constantly) on the following questions:
a. What are the headings/subsections within each chapter? What do they tell you about the themes discussed in each chapter/essay?
b. What is the author’s (or authors’) main argument in each chapter? Take notes on these arguments.
c. Who are the major people and what are the major events discussed in each chapter? Is there a particular event the author describes that gets to the heart of what the author is trying to argue in this chapter?
d. The book should have footnotes. Briefly read through these notes before you start to read each chapter and refer to them as you look for the information above. What sources does the author use to make their arguments? Are the author’s arguments convincing based on these sources? How does the author use the sources? What are the limits of these sources? What can they reveal about the past? How do they shape the way the author tells their story?
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Read the conclusion of the book carefully. What has the author tried to accomplish with this book? Did the author succeed in your view? How does the author’s work contribute to our understanding of this period?
Suggestions for Writing Book Reviews
First, consider the following issues:
About the author
What is the author’s training? Historian? Anthropologist? Sociologist? Journalist?
Scope of book
What geographical region and specific time period does the author cover? What is the basic topic of the book?
Central arguments/objectives
What are the author’s basic arguments or views on their topic? What information and what points does the author hope to demonstrate by writing this book?
Sources/methodology
What kinds of sources is the author using (e.g., travel journals, missionary records, wills, court records, oral histories, newspapers)? How is the author using these sources? What is the author=s overall conceptual framework (e.g. environmental history, narrative approach, a class study, a focus on ethnicity)?
Very important question: Do you think that the sources and methodology the author uses allows them to adequately support their basic arguments and/or achieve their objectives?
Where does work fit into the broader field of study related to the history of sexuality ? What is the author’s (s’) contribution to the field in your view?
Are there specific debates in the field that the author is addressing? If so, what are these debates about? In your view, does the author contribute to these debates in any way? VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION: How does this book relate to our other readings? To our class discussions?
Does author do what they set out to do?
Has the author successfully managed to accomplish their basic objectives?
What are the overall strengths and weaknesses of the book? Is it worth reading?
Examples of strengths: Careful use of sources; clear, convincing arguments; creative topic choice
Examples of weakness: Poorly written; important terms are left undefined; sloppy use of sources.
SUGGESTIONS REGARDING HOW TO WRITE THE ESSAY
[Not all good essays have to follow exactly these guidelines, but they may help you get started.]
Before you start writing, you need to develop a central argument or thesis statement. Answering some of the questions I have raised above should help you to develop your thesis statement.
First Paragraph
In your first paragraph, you should do the following things:
1) Briefly identify what kind of document you have chosen to analyze.
2) Summarize what the book is about .
3) Present your readers with a central argument or thesis statement regarding your views on the book. A thesis statement is not a declaration of fact, rather, it is a presentation of your original opinion or argument, supported with evidence.
Body of the Essay
In each paragraph in the body of your essay, choose a specific example or piece of evidence from the book that supports your thesis statement. Discuss your evidence in some detail. You should devote an entire paragraph each individual example or piece of evidence.
In the paragraphs in the body of your essay, you should do the following:
-In the first sentence of each paragraph in the body of your essay, write a topic sentence, in which you explain how your evidence supports your overall thesis or central argument
-In the remaining sentences, you should present you evidence and explain it in more detail so it makes sense to your readers. Always remember that you cannot just let your evidence speak for itself. You have to explain to your readers why and how your evidence/examples support your central argument.
Conclusion
In your conclusion, you should do the following:
-You should revisit the historical context of the book
-Restate for your readers your central argument and Explain how you think the evidence you have presented strengthens your central argument.
-You can also consider briefly the broader importance of this book for how we understand this period of time and subject matter.