Writing a Commentary A commentary is a discursion in which you discuss the effects an author has created in passage. The keys to writing good commentaries are clear organisation, understanding of literary techniques, and the ability to explain how the author uses these techniques to affect the reader. There is no such thing as a formula for a good commentary. Try to balance sharp-edged critical analysis with personal impression. Throughout your commentary, avoid merely stating the obvious, though certainly the obvious should be stated. A sense of questioning, challenging, puzzling through ambiguity, considering alternate responses or interpretations, and giving personal responses can most effectively distinguish a good commentary from a mediocre one. Preparation Read through the extract quickly. Circle words or phrases which immediately strike you as worth comment. On your working paper, write brief notes placing the passage in context: where in the work does it occur and how does it relate to the rest? Think about why this particular passage has been chosen and use this as a core for organising your commentary. Make brief notes for an introductory statement to indicate what subjects you intend to bring up. Consider points in character, plot, theme, tone structure, diction, imagery,literary techniques, purpose, genre, choice of vocabulary, mood, sentence structure, punctuation and so forth. Organise your notes into a logical outline. There are certain things you should consider when making your notes and planning your commentary: • Meaning: What is the central impact passage? Does it seem organised around a viewpoint or a series of viewpoints? Does it work through irony or ambiguity: what discrepancies exist between stated and implicit meaning? • Tone: Can you hear the voice in the passage? Who is the speaker? Does the voice shift? Is the voice ‘overheard’ or is it projected towards a consciously calculated audience? • Mood: Mood is dependent on tone, but not necessarily the same. The tone for example can be ironic, but the mood sombre. Mood really refers to the emotional atmosphere of the whole passage rather than the quality of voice. Remember that mood, like tone, can shift. • Form: Be alert to structure. How are the ideas structured? Are there shifts in time or tone or point of view? • Diction and Syntax: Do not merely describe; consider the effects, the success, your impressions. Note level: pedantic? colloquial? slangy? Etc. Examine for effective word choice: vigorous verbs for strong action or everyday words for matter-of-fact tone? Are words chosen for their sounds? Syntax: are the sentences complex, elliptical simple, fluid, sputtering? Are questions used? To what effect • Imagery: Do not list images. Does the passage develop through imagery? Do the images develop through the passage? What is the purpose of the images? What are the effects? Do the images come from related or diverse sources? Are images complemented by other sense-related words? • Figurative language and literary devices: Again do not simply list. Does the imagery of the passage arise from the metaphors, similes, personification, or any other figures of speech? How successful are these figures of speech? What effects do they have on theme or (in a prose passage) setting, plot and character development? Are there any symbols in the text and if so, are they structural or incidental? Literal or figurative? Concrete or abstract? What are the effects of the symbolism in the passage? (Note: be careful not to overinterpret!) Organisation A. Introductory Paragraph(s) An introduction can include many different kinds of issues, but ideally it will provide some kind of angle or unifying principle. Try to be brief and move promptly into your task: to assess what the text is doing and analysis of how it does it. The first paragraph might include the following: • A statement of the passage’s central idea or intended effect. • Identification of the ‘situation’ of the text and its voice and tone (if relevant). • focus on the craft of the writer and the most significant and pervasive of his/her techniques. • Identification of the type of text and the author’s intention. • Identification of voice and tone of persona (if relevant). • Focus on the central idea. • The primary emphasis or direction of your commentary. B. The Body of the Essay This will be developed according to the type of passage you are dealing with and what you have found in your analysis. Beware of fragmentation and mere listing or ‘clumping’ of details. All the evidence should be seen to contribute to the central effect or idea that you have identified in your introduction. Organise your essay into logical divisions. Two possibilities might be: By techniques used by the writer. eg) an introduction that focuses on the writer’s use of ironic contrast to develop a theme. Subsequent paragraphs might then in turn identify and illustrate contributing contrasts or ironies, contrasting settings, contrasting voices, deliberate shifts in pattern or structure, etc. By following structure of the original text. eg) an introduction that pinpoints the writer’s deliberate building of a narrative to a climax. Subsequent paragraphs trace this development with a variety of relevant techniques, through the stanzas or paragraphs of the original. (warning: this second method of organisation tempts one into a mere retelling of a story, or a kind of ‘walk-through’ of a poem. Keep your purpose, analysis of craft, in mind) Avoid making sweeping generalisations without proof. It is important that you support your ideas with specific textual references. C. Concluding Paragraph Do not attempt to summarise what you have already said. But you may remind the reader of the central effect or idea to which all the evidence has been directed. Focus (or refocus) on the intention of the writer and the purpose of the piece of writing. If anywhere, this is where you might venture a personal evaluation of the effectiveness of a technique or a comment on the idea or theme, but don’t launch into anything too extensive.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 20:00:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015