Reader Response Essay (lit)
(choose a selection from our Reading list only)
What is a reading response essay?
A critical essay that tells the reader what the specific reading means to you. It reflects a close reading of the work, contains specific examples drawn from the work (documented parenthetically with page numbers), and provides your well-considered opinion of the work's strengths and/or shortcomings. The essay demonstrates that you have read the text, internalized and contextualized its arguments, and can articulate and substantiate your reactions to it.
In British Literature, pieces of writing/text are closely connected to history. They can't be fully understood without knowing what was actually going on in Britain at the time. So knowing the historical context of a literature piece is paramount. So to complete this Reader Response Essay you must have not only read the text but done some historical reading surrounding the birth of this specific text.
Ask yourself the following questions as you prepare to write a reader response paper. You don't need to include the answers to these questions in your paper, but they can help organize your thoughts and decide what you'd like to write about in your response.
- What were the main arguments of the text? Did the author, in your opinion, do a decent job of the following through ono those arguments? Why or why not?
- How is the text "talking" to other parts of the historical literature? Is the author styling him or herself as a particular type of writer? (women's historical, social historical, political historian etc.) Who are their subjects? What is their purpose in writing this text?
- What parts of the text do you like the most, and why?
- Hoe does this book relate to what interests you about British History? What did you learn from it? If you didn't learn much, why was that?
- What questions did this text leave with you? What would you like to learn more about?
- What about the author's style and methodology do you like or dislike? How are they using sources and how does this reflect on the integrity and validity of their arguments?
Sample format for a reader response paper of 4.5 to -5 pages min and a min of three sources:
- Introduction/theme: 1-2 paragraphs that “set the stage” for what will follow. Possible entry
points include: a broader trend that interests you in British history and how this text's
contents explain it; another text (or school of thought) that this text either supports or
refutes; assumptions or opinions you hold that this book might challenge.
- Background: 2-3 paragraphs that introduce the book, its main arguments and context in which
it was written, and place the text in its historiographic context (i.e., how it relates to other
literature on the subject).
- Analysis: 3 to 5 paragraphs use the remainder of the paper to hone in on a certain element of the text and
provide your opinion of it. This, as much as anything, is the “thesis” of this essay. You may
choose to focus on the main argument of the text, or just one element of the text (for
example, the author’s treatment of gender, or the author’s conclusions about the durability of
third parties, or the author’s style and research methodology). The analysis should contain
direct quotes or paraphrased examples from the book (all cited with page numbers) to support
your argument.
- Conclusion:1 to 2 paragraph that brings us back to your entering statement and states the wider
significance of this work to you, and to the literature.
- CITATION: MLA style. (Works Cited is not included in the page number min.)
And, as you write, do not forget the basic rules of style and grammar.
Reader Response Rubric
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.