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What follows is advice which applies in general. There may be other cases
where different approaches are required, and these will be clearly explained
in those instances. Here, I am dealing with standard practice for literary
essays.
Two important things to remember:
1. The introduction is extremely important. It sets up expectations and
confidence in your reader that you are focused and informed. (Or not!)
2. Think about your reader/marker/examiner: you can expect them to
understand the question, to know all about the text/genre/context.
What they dont know is
the interpretation you have made, the approach you will be taking,
what your grounds for arguing a case are, what you consider
significant, whose opinions have influenced your own, and how you will
be using your research to substantiate an argument, with a particular
thesis, unique to you. SO, THIS IS WHAT YOUR INTRODUCTION SHOULD
COMMUNICATE.
ITEMS WHICH ARE NOT USUALLY HELPFUL
Bearing this in mind, you can now decide which of the suggestions in my list
are not very helpful:
- repeating the question (paraphrasing the question is a useful first step
before you begin to answer it, as part of your preparation process, not
as part of your final essay)
- mentioning the date of the text (unless this is especially significant for
your argument, e.g. it was the playwrights final work and shows
untypical cynicism)*
- providing some autobiographical information (unless as above)*
- stating how good the work is (praise is not appropriate unless you are
arguing for the worth of a text against the essay questions assertion
of its worthlessness)
- listing several different peoples opinions (the thing to ask yourself is,
So what?; you can show that youve read a lot in your bibliography!)
*Some exams require you to identify the text from which a passage is
taken and/or develop a consideration of how it relates to its context;
these are the exceptions.
Most undergraduate essays are short (no more than 2000-2500 words). In an
exam, you certainly cant write enormous pieces as you simply dont have
the time. What matters is to make sure that every word you write is worth
writing, that every statement you make is directly relevant to the given
question. There is no room for anything extraneous, however interesting!
Examiners are good at spotting irrelevance and it will not be regarded highly.
Above all, you need to make your essay focused and selective.
ITEMS WHICH ARE OCCASIONALLY HELPFUL
The items in my list which function helpfully here are:
- identifying one or two key words from the question (this is a preliminary
step as you plan your essay, not for the final piece)
- giving a dictionary definition of one or more key words from the question
(this is a preliminary step as you plan your essay, not for the final piece)
- quoting from the text
- quoting from a critic
None of these should be used mechanically. They are only useful IF the
terms of the question really matter: if they are debateable, contentious,
offering plenty of scope for argument. For example terms such as realistic,
justice, true and so on can mean so many different things that you can
usefully isolate a couple and investigate their validity. Most of the time, the
terms of the question will not need to be analysed in detail. Just set about
presenting your own response to and understanding of the issues. If you have
a short quotation (from a primary or secondary source) that really clinches
your argument or sets up a debate which you then go on to develop in
your discussion, then citing it can be a good way to start your essay. By
itself, a quotation does nothing. It must be engaged with, by taking up key
points and developing them, by proving or disproving their relevance and so
on.
One more item from my list comes into this category, of things which are
sometimes useful, sometimes not:
-
As with using a quotation, this can set up a good discussion and prompt
interesting discussion, but needs to be chosen with care and handled
thoroughly. Just making an outrageous, attention-grabbing assertion is not
useful! IF you have a strong view and wish to argue for it then presenting the
idea forcefully at the beginning can be fine, AS LONG AS you go on to
develop and justify the view. Think of it as your thesis statement. You will
probably need some support for your strong view, in the form of a scholar
who has similar ideas or whose opinion has led to your own.
Finally, we come to the items which are most helpful in your introduction.
ITEMS WHICH ARE USUALLY VERY HELPFUL
- list the three main topics of your discussion which will follow (setting out
a clear sense of what you have selected as important)
- explaining the order of your discussion
The more formal academic style required in essays also means that it is
rarely appropriate to use exclamation marks or rhetorical questions.
Here too, when you find yourself expressing interest or excitement though
rhetorical questions (This is terrible!, No wonder she hates him!, Who can
deny that Shakespeare is a genius?, How can anyone fail to see this as
evidence of deceitfulness? Why should he keep on trying? etc.) STOP!
You can express your passionate conviction and so on using impersonal
phrases.
Examples of rewriting exclamations and rhetorical questions in a calmer
style:
-
argument. What you select as important, how you present your ideas, the
evidence you base them upon and the nature of your opinion as it emerges
during the discussion are what makes your essay uniquely yours. Enjoy the
experience of presenting your ideas coherently at the beginning of your
essay, to set out a map for the reader and to organise your planned
discussion: thats what makes a great introduction!