文档介绍：Harvard
College Writing Center
WRITING CENTER BRIEF GUIDE SERIES
A Brief Guide to Writing
the English Paper
The Challenges of Writing About mon Types of English Papers
Literature Many assignments will ask you to analyze a single text.
Others, however, will ask you to read two or more texts in
Writing begins with the act of reading. While this state-
relation to each other, or to consider a text in light of claims
ment is true for most college papers, strong English papers
made by other scholars and critics. For most assignments,
tend to be the product of highly attentive reading (and re-
close reading will be central to your paper.
reading). When your instructors ask you to do a “close read-
ing,” they are asking you to read not only for content, but While some assignment guidelines will suggest topics and
also for structures and patterns. When you perform a close spell out expectations in detail, others will offer little more
reading, then, you observe how form and content interact. than a page limit. Approaching the writing process in the
In some cases, form reinforces content: for example, in John absence of assigned topics can be daunting, but remember
Donne’s Holy 14, where the speaker invites God’s that you have resources: in section, you will probably have
“force”“to break, blow, burn and make [him] new.” Here, encount