English 223

Greg Martin

 

The Reading Response

One of the most difficult tasks in discussing another writer’s work is to find the words to articulate our discoveries.  The problem is, in part, an insufficient specialized vocabulary.  The problem is also not knowing how to be precise, as well as personal, without simply saying, “I like this,” or “I think this is just beautiful,” which is no good, empty, unless you can say why.  Instead of asking what this essay or book means, in our reading responses, we ask:  how was it made?  What can we learn for our own writing from how this was made?  Remember this is not a class focused on teaching you solely how to analyze literature.  This is a class focused on teaching you how to make literature.

For this class, the reading response will have four distinct parts:

  1. Your impressions, the way the essay or book made you feel:  joy, bafflement, awe, ignorant, confused.  Relate in two or three sentences (but not more) your initial impressions.  Why do you think you feel this way?
  1. What is this essay or book about?  What are its important concerns?  What is the real subject?  In a few sentences,  attempt to get at the essence of the work. 
  1. Quote two passages that relate to one specific craft feature (often I’ll assign this craft feature in the day’s agenda).  For each quote, (1) offer your interpretation, or close reading, of the passage.  Think hard.  State more than what is merely obvious.  Try to get at the implicit meanings of the passage.  Then (2), relate this close reading to the real subject.
  1. How does this essay or book influence your thinking about your own writing?  What does it do that you cannot?  What does it do that you did not even know was possible?  What does it do that you do not want to do?

What to Avoid: 

When reading responses go wrong, they summarize.  The reader of your reading response (me, your peers) has read the work.  Go right to the point. 

Reading Responses should be more than one page double-spaced, and no more than two pages double spaced, typed. 

Good Luck!