A Successful Library Paper is:
A cogent and insightful analysis of a literary work or works, informed by, but not overly beholden
to, the criticism surrounding the work.
A well-written, thesis-oriented argument for your interpretation of the literary work from a
well-defined, but not Procrustean, critical angle that pays attention to, but is not intimidated by,
previous scholarship.
An excellent way of learning a lot about a literary work, and of defining and articulating your
relationship to that work.
An exercise in critical thinking in which you examine your own assumptions and the assumptions
of others.
Always attentive to the language and ideas expressed in the literary work itself. Concomitantly, it
will be flexible enough to acknowledge divergent critical approaches and acknowledge their
potential value.
A committed engagement with texts and issues you care about.
A paper that demonstrates skillful research and evaluation of sources. This means that you will use the library and print sources in addition to the internet.
Impeccably documented, according to the MLA handbook.
An Unsuccessful Library Paper is one or more of the following:
A collage of quotations from primary and/or secondary sources stitched together
with minimal commentary on your part.
A paraphrase of someone else's thesis and argument.
A compendium of received ideas, demonstrating little or no original thought.
A book report or plot summary, or a paper which belabors plot summary at the
expense of analysis.
A rambling, unfocused, and undigested summary of other people's research.
An analysis, however brilliant, that shows total ignorance of the critical
conversation surrounding your text.
A report on the author's life or career that doesn't engage in critical analysis
of the literary work(s).
Unattentive to the language and ideas expressed in the work itself. A paper
that pays insufficient attention or fails to demonstrate attention to the language
and major concerns of the work itself.
A paper that is improperly documented, or one that fails to observe the conventions of paraphrase, summary, and quotation. It is especially important for you to avoid "disembodied quotations," and unclear parenthetical citations.
A plagiarized paper. This will lead to the sanctions describe in the syllabus: an F in the course and referral to the Office of Judicial Affairs.