A major portion of any study of literature or cultural texts is interpretation. For this, there is the blog or forum requirement. Each blog or forum entry should:
- address a work of literature, text, or topic you have been assigned to read or discuss for class
- apply a critical approach that we have discussed in class to interpreting that piece of literature (the most popular will be reader response)
- refer to secondary supportive materials
A blog is a short piece of writing presented on a web site. Think of blog and forum entries as precise pieces of writing where you argue a specific point about a text and support it with primary and secondary evidence. Blog entries should be no less than 350 words and no more than 1000.
Each blog or forum entry should address a particular text or subject in a number of ways:
- Your interpretation of the work using any critical method that you would like. See Writing Essays about Literature for some suggestions. Your interpretation of any aspect of the primary text should be your major focus.
- Secondary interpretations. Since you are new at addressing literary works, you should consult secondary sources for additional interpretations to help you develop your critical approach. Use online sources as well as books from the library to help you with your journal. Be sure to practice correct MLA citation method.
The blog portion of your portfolio is designed to get you thinking and writing about literature in a critical way. It’s OK not to like a piece of literature, but you should investigate why you dislike it critically, not just dismiss it like you would a soggy piece of toast. Remember, you job is to respond to the various literary texts, not provide a book report or summary of the plot. Be sure to consult How to Blog and How to Comment before beginning this requirement.
Logistics
All student blogs and forums will be kept on the LitMUSE Moodle Server. Sign up for an account, if you have not already.
Evaluation
Students will complete any number of blog or forum responses during the course of the semester. Blog entries are about the critical analysis of texts or writing topic. They should be thoughtful and succinct, and have a minimum of 350-400 words. Strong blog entries will refer to specific portions of the the primary text, will make liberal use of links to external sources, will cite sources correctly, will only summarize when necessary, and will have something unique to contribute to the conversation. Remember to proofread carefully before submitting your blog for moderation. Only the best blogs will be promoted to the front page of the site.
Blog and forum entries will be worth a maximum of 10 points. The maximum score for a blog without citing secondary sources will be 8. A plot summary will earn you a maximum of 6 points. Here is a more precise breakdown:
- 10 and 9 points: precise, thoughtful, focused, original, supported; uses secondary sources (not just links to web sites) and cites them correctly; stylistically and mechanically flawless
- 8 points: precise, thoughtful, supported; may or may not use secondary sources; uses links; stylistically and grammatically sound
- 7 points: generally acceptable, college-level work, but not really original; few mechanical and stylistic errors
- 6 points: plot summary or a re-hashing of what everyone else wrote; minor mechanical and stylistic problems
- 1-5 points: did not follow directions; not proofread; not revised; little to no effort; complaining about the assignment
Examples
The following examples are actual student responses published on this web site with their permission.
- Madness or Evil? A Psychological Critique of “The Cask of Amontillado” by Wanda Pavone for ENGL 1102
