This is an informative edition to any young writer’s bookshelf, particularly those with a taste for fiction. It serves as an introduction on how to write about the writing of others’, but also how to find meaning and worthy topics for discussion.
While it mainly deals with narrative, poetry also gets a look-in. As you go through chapter by chapter, it establishes how to take notes for particular works, including how to arrange and rearrange these, dissecting and analysing titles, sentences, and structure, and most importantly, how to construct a solid thesis dealing with a topic or theme from the piece.
Included are a great deal of examples of not only original works, but accompanying student’s notes and first and final drafts of the resulted thesis. These are set out in a clear and concise way with appropriate spacing and changed fonts for last minute realisations or additions to their notes.
This book is best suited for first-year literature university students and adolescents at a school certificate or higher school certificate level. Each chapter is neatly summarised at the end for quick reread, making it a versatile book to keep on hand. It also includes a further recommended reading list for each topic, which feature other general literature analysis texts or those dealing with a specific topic (novels, poetry, writing, report construction, meaning or symbolism).
My only fault with this book is that it doesn’t discuss how to talk about or critique non-fiction works, which is a huge shame considering all its other substance. Regardless, A Short Guide On Writing About Literature is a great book to have on hand, for book reviewers and students alike.
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