Additional Information:
In this literary analysis, you will write a 750–1,000-word essay in which you focus on features of style, topic, form, issue, or theme that distinguishes 1 work as either Neoclassical or Romantic.  Consider the specific ways that your chosen literary text reacts to or wrestles with 1 or more of these major social concerns. You may use the Bible, the primary text, and the introductory essays from your anthology: “The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century” or “The Romantic Period,” in your discussion. This essay must begin with an introduction that includes the subject of the work (title and author) as well as a thesis. The body of your essay must prove the value and logic of your thesis through examples from the text. This essay must present critical thinking and discovery, not simply known facts about a work. Do not give a plot summary; this is not a book report. The author(s) and work(s) must be selected from those we have read for this course. Important: Please do not conduct an author biography; assume that your reader(s) know about the author(s) of the work(s) you have selected for your literary analysis.
The work must be one we have read so far for our course.
Information on Writing Academic Essays:
1. Avoid using secondary sources in this analysis essay.  You may use your notes from the textbook and online lectures as a foundation; however, the central argument about the work must be your own.  I do not expect you to be an expert in any period, but I will be looking to see if you can take the concepts from the period and examine how they influence a work and why.
2.  Refer to literature in present tense.
3.  DO NOT SUMMARIZE.
4.  Remember, each paragraph must contain at least 3 sentences.  Avoid beginning or ending a paragraph with a quote.  Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence, which ultimately relates back to your thesis.  An exception to this is the introduction, which should be 5-7 sentences.  The introduction should also introduce the author and work in the first or second sentence.  The thesis should be the last sentence of introductory paragraph.
5.  Avoid announcing at all costs.  An example of announcing is, “In this essay, I will discuss…” The direction of the essay as well as your personal opinions about certain aspects of the literature should be obvious through indirect techniques.
6.  Make sure to keep the focus on the literature; do not allow the essay to turn into a personal application or a study of the modern world.  Dissect the literature; look at what the author is doing, how he/she is doing it, and why he/she is doing it within the context of current scholarship.
7.  Always use a formal tone, which means avoiding colloquialisms, slang, 1st person, 2nd person, contractions, and so on.