Book Review

LIT 220
Poetry
Book Review

Book Review

Each student will read a book of poetry by a single author and write a review

Spend some time reading various authors in the text. Find one whose work interests you, visit the library and take out a book by that author. You might also choose to read an author whose work is not covered in the text.

It will be important for you to do a thorough reading of the book you choose. This will mean reading the book more than once so you can write about it effectively. Get started early.

The Review

We will discuss this assignment in excruciating detail in class, but here are some things to think about as you select a book and start your reading: An effective review of a book of poetry might do a number of jobs

• Analyze the work for important themes and issues. What sorts of themes get repeated? What does the author have to say? How? Why?

• Analyze tone and voice throughout the book

• Analyze elements such as form, rhyme, and rhythm, figurative language, symbolism, etc. What works best? What doesn’t work so well?

• Make specific use of the text, referring to specific poems, using quotation when necessary.

• Identify important historical, social, political, or biographical concerns that help the reader to better understand the work.

• Compare and contrast the work to other poetry that you’ve read in or out of class.

• Make an overall judgment on the effectiveness of the work? Do you like the book as a whole? Why? Why not? What do you think was done well? What was not? Would you recommend this book of poems to someone? Why? Why not?

FORMAT AND RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS

Sources: You may use outside sources other than the book itself. Just remember to document properly
Documentation: MLA. Works Cited page must be included. Parenthetical documentation should be used as necessary.
Format: MLA
Length: 4-6 pages.
Due Date: April 30, Noon

TOPIC APPROVAL FORM

Author: _______________________________________________________

Title: ________________________________________________________

Publisher:___________________________________________________

Year:________________________________________________________

APPROVED:_________________________________________________

Failure to have a book approved by the instructor could result in failure of the assignment.

Classroom Policies
Student Contract
Geoffrey Woolf

I have read the classroom policies for this course, and I understand them.

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Signature Date

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Print Name