Writing Essays for English Literature Classes

The essays that you will write for English class must present and prove a point. A clear main idea and careful organization are very important. Most essays that you write after English 1010-1020 will be about literature. Typically you will be presenting, supporting and developing an idea about something you have read. Therefore, careful reading of the material you are discussing is essential.

As you prepare to write your first draft, start with a "working thesis" or a "preliminary observation" and begin writing to see where it takes you.  As you work more on your rough draft, the real thesis will begin to emerge. After you have written the first version of your essay, go back and revise your thesis statement so that it is specific, clear and appropriate for your essay. (This way you make sure that your essay is going to support the thesis.) Remember that the "rough" draft is a stage in discovering what you want to say. Sometimes you may revise your thesis up until the very final draft. This is better than binding yourself to a thesis that is not what you want to say simply because you started out with it and you don't want to take the trouble to revise.

Please follow these links for more instructions:

The Least You Should Know to Write an Essay about Literature

What Makes a Good English Essay

General Instructions for Preparing the Final Draft of All Essays

• All essays must be printed with black ink on 8½ by 11 inch white paper. Use only a plain font (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Courier) in 10 or 12 pt..
• Print on only one side of the page with 1 to 1½ inch margins all around.
• Double-space.  Indent the beginning of each paragraph.
• Include a header and a title on the first page.
• Include your last name and a page number on each page.
• Include a works cited page (or list the work cited after a solid line at the end of the final page.)
• Staple all the pages together.
  
  (When in doubt, check the course description, your textbook instructions the links above and The MLA Handbook. )
  

Work must be ready for submission at the beginning of class.  This means that you should have collated, stapled and done the final proofreading before class begins.