Writing in Literature

Literary Terms

This handout gives a quick rundown of some important terms used when talking and writing about literature.

Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism

This resource will help you begin the process of understanding literary theory and schools of criticism and how they are used in the academy.

Writing About Fiction

This handout covers major topics relating to writing about fiction. This covers prewriting, close reading, thesis development, drafting, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Writing About Literature

This handout provides examples and description about writing papers in literature. It discusses research topics, how to begin to research, how to use information, and formatting.

Writing in Literature (Detailed Discussion)

These sections describe in detail the assignments students may complete when writing about literature. These sections also discuss different approaches (literary theory/criticism) students may use to write about literature. These resources build on the Writing About Literature materials.

Writing About Poetry

This section covers the basics of how to write about poetry. Including why it is done, what you should know, and what you can write about.

Image in Poetry

This section covers images as they appear in poetry and covers related terminology, definitions and origins of images, uses of images, and several exercises.

Poetry: Close Reading

This resource will help you perform a close reading of poetry and begin developing ideas for writing papers based on close readings.