Author:
Eugene Taylor
Date Of Creation:
7 August 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
- To step
- Part 1 of 3: The beginning of the literary commentary
- Part 2 of 3: Writing the literary commentary
- Part 3 of 3: Double-checking the literary commentary
A literary commentary is a detailed analysis of a text passage, where you specifically focus on the text itself. It is not to be confused with a literary analysis, as it contains no hypothesis or general discussion of the entire book. Instead, a literary commentary analyzes and reflects only on a specific passage. To write a literary commentary, you must start by reading the text and creating an outline or structure. Then you immediately dive into a detailed discussion of the text. Be sure to check the literary commentary for style, grammar, and spelling before submitting it so that it is at its best.
To step
Part 1 of 3: The beginning of the literary commentary
Read the passage several times. Read the passage aloud to yourself once and in your head once. Take the time to read each word and sentence slowly. This will help you get into the mindset of analyzing the text and make sure you understand every detail of the text. - Have a copy of the passage so you can mark it with pen when reading it. Write down any initial ideas or questions you have about the text when you read it several times.
Highlight the keywords in the text. Take a pen, pencil or marker and mark all the words that are important to you in the text.Look for words that are bold or italic, as this probably means that they are important to the writer and to understanding the text. You can also highlight words you don't understand or have questions about. You can discuss these terms in your literary commentary. - You should also look for words that are repeated, as that means they are likely to be important. Notice if the same word is used in a different context in the passage and highlight each mention of the word.
Create an outline / structure. Literary commentary texts follow a very simple overview and, unlike essays, do not require a hypothetical assumption. Instead, you need to discuss in detail the structure, content, and form of the text. The overview should look like this: - Introduction: Introduce the text
- Middle section: Discuss the main features of the text
- Conclusion: Summarize your ideas about the text
Part 2 of 3: Writing the literary commentary
Introduce the title, author and genre in the introduction. Begin the literary commentary by giving the basic details of the text. Indicate the title, author, date of publication and genre of the text. All of this should be mentioned in your introduction. You can also say at what point in a somewhat larger work the passage occurs, if that is relevant. - For example, you could mention, “Seamus Heaney's poem" Blackberry-Picking "is part of his poetry collection Death of a Naturalist, which was published in 1966.
- If the text is from a larger work, don't write about the overall plot of the work. You also do not need to include details of the author's biography or the history in which the text was written, unless it is relevant to the passage.
Discuss the subject, themes, and audience of the text. For the middle section, think about what the text is about. Who or what does the text focus on? What are the main ideas in the text? What is the overall purpose of the text? Who is the text written for? - For example, Seamus Heaney's poem "Blackberry-Picking" is about two people picking a large number of blackberries.
- The themes of the poem can be "nature", "hunger", "deterioration" or "decay".
- The poem begins with a tribute to "Philip Hobsbaum", which means that he is the intended audience of the poem, the "you" in the poem.
Look at the genre, form and structure of the text. The genre of the text is linked to the shape or how it looks on the page. Is the text a poem, a piece of prose or an essay? Does the text fit into a specific genre, such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, travel stories or memoirs? - The genre and form of the text also help you determine the structure of the text. For example, "Blackberry-Picking" by Seamus Heaney takes the form of a poem and fits into the genre of poetry. It uses a well-known poetic structure, such as short sentences and a division into two stanzas.
Analyze the voice of the text. Ask yourself who is speaking in the text. Identify the speaker or narrator in the text. Then think about how the voice of the text is reflected in the word choice, language, and diction of the text. - For example, in Seamus Heaney's "Blackberry-Picking", the speaker uses the first-person perspective. The narrator then addresses a "you" in the text, indicating that there are two characters in the poem.
Study the tone and mood. The tone of the text is how the author expresses his attitude in his piece. The tone can change in the text, for example when it goes from a light tone to a serious tone or from a friendly tone to a sinister tone. It is usually expressed through the diction, perspective and choice of words in the text. The tone also reflects the mood of the text. The mood is the mood of the text, or how the text makes you feel. - For example, in Seamus Heaney's "Blackberry-Picking", the tone in the first stanza is nostalgic and lighthearted. Then it changes to a more serious and dark tone in the second stanza.
Identify the literary resources in the text. Literary means such as the metaphor, imagery, similes and alliteration are often used in texts to give a deeper meaning. If you notice any literary means in the text, discuss them in the literary commentary. Identify the literary resources and use them to discuss important ideas or themes in the passage. - For example, if you are discussing Seamus Heaney's "Blackberry-Picking", you might look at a comparison such as "You ate the first and the pulp was sweet / Like thick wine: the blood of summer was in it." Or you can discuss a metaphor such as “a fungus as gray as a rat” or “fermented fruit”.
- You can find a complete list of literary resources online.
Include quotes from the text. Support your discussion of the text by quoting sentences from the passage. Use quotation marks to indicate when you quote the text. Only include quotes that support your discussion of the text. - For example, when discussing the theme of decline in Seamus Heaney's "Blackberry-Picking", you could quote a phrase such as "I always felt like crying. / It wasn't fair / That all the lovely canfuls melt or rot."
Summarize the commentary with a summary of your ideas. Close the literary commentary with a concise conclusion that highlights your main points about the text. Discuss the relevance of the passage within the larger work. Review your main ideas about the text but do not include new information or new ideas in the conclusion. - For example, you can close your literary commentary on Seamus Heaney's "Blackberry-Picking" by telling how the poem fits into the poetry collection and how it reflects the general themes of Heaney's work.
Part 3 of 3: Double-checking the literary commentary
Read the comment text out loud to yourself. When you have finished a draft of the literary commentary, read it out loud to yourself. Listen if sentences sound strange or too long-winded. Adjust any confusing or complicated sentences. Make sure every sentence is clear and easy to understand. - You can also read the comment aloud to someone else to get their feedback. Ask a friend or family member to listen when you read your comments and ask them for their opinion.
Make sure the comment follows a clear structure. To do this you can create a reverse outline using the comments as a guideline. Make sure the commentary has a clear introduction, a body and a conclusion. Make sure it follows the original structure. - You can read the comment and then write "introduction" or "discussion of text" next to the relevant paragraphs in the comment. Doing this ensures that you cover all the necessary information in the comment.
Double check the comments for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Read the comment backwards, focusing on each word to make sure it is spelled correctly. Circle the punctuation marks in the commentary and use them correctly, such as a period at the end of each sentence or a comma between words when needed. - If you are using a computer to write the literary commentary, you can use the spell checker of your computer program. However, you shouldn't rely on spell check alone. Make sure you also check the comment carefully for errors before submitting it.
