According to the 13th edition of The Norton Introduction to Literature, literary criticism is “the mainly
interpretive versus evaluative) work written by readers of literary texts … Tilt is ‘criticism’ not because it is negative or corrective but because those who write criticism ask probing, analytical, and ‘critical questions about the works they read.”
In this first paper, you will write a Literary Criticism/Analysis paper, in which you will interpret the message, or theme, of the text you have chosen. You may choose one of the short stories that have been assigned for this class up to the due date of this paper. Once you have chosen the work, you will then construct a paper analyzing the work and writing a claim about the story’s interpretation based on the perceived theme. Paper Formatting: Your paper must be typed using 12pt font, Times New Roman font style, with double-spacing. The margins should be I” on all sides, and the first line of each new paragraph must be indented .5″ from the margin. The header should be left-aligned, only on the first page, and include just your name, the class number (ENGL 1301-H01), and which assignment this is (Paper 1). Please include a title centered only on the first page. All paragraphs should be left-aligned, justified only on the left side. Page numbers belong on the top right corner of every page. Your last name is not required to be before the page number, but it is acceptable if it is. No cover sheet is required for this assignment. (Paragraph 1) Introduction: Introduce story by giving a brief background of the work, a small summary of the work (no more than 3 sentences in length), and a thesis statement making a claim about the work’s theme.
(Paragraphs 2-?) Supporting Points: Evidence that shows why your interpretation is the right one.
Include textual evidence.
• (Final Paragraph) Conclusion: Wrap up points, explaining the overall importance of this interpretation/analysis, what makes this work powerful, and how it fits into our society in general.
The story is “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.