· What do I want to write about?
o A Pastiche
§ The unique writing style of Camus interests me. Moreover, it gives me the opportunity to write in a different way than I have been accustomed to.
§ Fill in a scene that I believed was missing or would’ve been interesting
· A cross examination of one of the characters
· Or a scene with the protagonist and Marie
· Necessary steps to be able to write a good Pastiche
o Re-read the entire book once more (makes it a total of two times
§ Highlight important passages that illustrate Camus’ writing
§ Analyze the difference between his writing in the first part as oppose to the second one.
· Decided which one suits me best
o Read secondary sources
§ Might help me further understand why the author writes the way he does
· Research
o This may be the most important part of the process upon which my World Lit paper will be written
§ I need to know the author’s life inside out, understand what pushed him to write the book the way he did
§ Or even why he chose this topic
· Read autobiographies as well as secondary sources that analyze Camus’s character.
o Also, if given the time I will read the book in French. Fortunately, the language in which the text is originally written is one I know.
§ This will help see the ‘exact’ structure and method Camus wrote the book. Often vital information is lost in translation, and I will merely make sure of the fact that I didn’t miss anything important.
o Recognizing the history of the time period in which this book was written may be of great importance
§ Comprehend the history of France during the time at which the book takes place as well as when it was written
· The Specific Structure of the World Lit Paper
o Make a vivid outline in bullet points (very similar to this one) where all the ideas are clearly explained.
§ The evidence should be good and so should the writing, the only thing missing should be the transition between the ideas and paragraphs
o Come up with a thesis statement.
§ Once that my examples are laid out and I know what my main points will be, I will construct my thesis statement
· It should clearly state what my paper will be about and should relate to all my main ideas
o I’ll keep on polishing the thesis statement until it fulfills the requirements provided above
o Put the bullet point form into ‘essay form’
§ Figure out in which orders the ideas should be
§ Include the transition between ideas
o Read my essay over and over
§ Need to be sure that my essay demonstrates EXACTLY what I want to say
§ Make corrections as they are deemed necessary
o Write the conclusion
§ Once I’ve made sure that my essay articulates exactly what I want it to, I’ll write the conclusion
o Read my highlights in the book again
§ This is to make sure that the evidence that is used in my paper was the best choice
o Read, read, and read…
§ Every sentence should flow well
§ Read the paper multiple times out-loud
· To make sure everything makes sense, no words are missing, and the necessary pauses are there
· Give yourself a break
o Take some time off the paper and then go back to it
§ Edit as much as possible until you are left with a smile on your face and are proud of your paper!
Hey Aka$h,
ReplyDeleteI see what you are trying to do. However, I do not see the necesity of comparing the first and second parts. Is that really going to be your biggest issue at the time? Wouldn’t you rather worry about certain techniques of writing? When you say that research is a big part, is it? I understand it is important to know about his life, but at the end of the day wouldn’t you be graded on the relevance to Camus’ writing styles? Also who do you think you are reading the book in French? Excuse me! No just kiding I see the relevance of this. It makes sense but make sure that you do not get confused about the different writing styles between French and English. I agree about the transitions not being the issue at the certain point of the process. It is very important to get all the information out at this point. Friend, I do not agree with editing before you write the conclusion. I think it is important for you to do write your whole thing out first and get all the ideas out and then worry about editing. Editing is all good though, but don’t you think it would help to get some external editing done? I also very much agree that you should take a break and then get back to editing so don’t get to annoyed or too used to the paper.
See you!
Hey Akash,
ReplyDeleteYou have a very different approach to writing an essay and perhaps this works best for you? There are some parts of your plan like " Fill in a scene that I believed was missing or would’ve been interesting" which I find quite unnecessary unless it helps you further understand the book overall.
Also, I'm not sure I agree that you need to "Analyze the difference between his writing in the first part as oppose to the second one." Is that really necessary? Will it really help you write a good pastiche? Try not to go off task doing other things, focus on the task at hand.
In your plan, you have not mentioned when you brainstorm ideas, when you choose a specific idea, when you look for quotes that relate to that idea. When does that all happen?
I like how you said to "read the paper multiple times out-loud." I agree that it really helps because you can hear yourself and correct a sentence if it sounds wrong. I also like the break part, this is definitely needed!
Overall, this is very interesting!
Akash, It's important to recognize and acknowledge different literary features, since you'll potentially mimic them in your pastiche. What motifs do you see? Symbols, metaphors? Do you have a grasp of the thematic? All of this is relevant to your task. I would focus less on the biographical and more on the stylistic. ~Ms. M
ReplyDeleteHey Akash, I just read your essay plan and I found a few things a little bit unclear. First of all I think that your first step should be: reading the book. You mention it later but this makes the different steps of your organization confusing. You said that in order to be able to write a good pastiche, you need to highlight important passages in the text. I would like to know more about these passages. What makes them important? How are you going to analyze the difference between his writing in the first and second part? It will be important for you to know that once you start working on your essay. You also say that you want to read secondary sources. Remember that your plan needs to be specific, and so you should include the kind of secondary sources that you prepare to consider. This includes biography of the author, historical background etc… you do mention that a step further in your plan, but I was confused by the organization of your thoughts. What do you hope to gain by reading the book in French? What kind of aspects will be lost? What do you mean by a vivid thesis statement? How can you define a source as ‘good’? When you read your essay over and over, what will you are looking for?
ReplyDeleteAs you can see your plan raised a few questions for me, but that can be personally related. Overall I think that you’re on a good track, keep it up!
Hey Asim,
ReplyDeleteI see you figured out a new way to write my name.
Well, yes, I do believe that researching the author in depth is vital. I understand what you’re telling me and there is no doubt that you have a valid point, but keep in mind that I want to do a pastiche. I believe that in order for me to be successful in that venture is if I’m able to understand why the author wrote how he did and why he wrote about it. The whole point of a pastiche is to mimic the author, and according to me if I fully comprehend the reasoning behind his actions then I can better copy his writing style. Again, this is a pastiche, so it is very important for me to know the difference in style between the first part and the second one. The reason for that is because if I choose to write about a scene that took place in part two, then my writing should reflect that; it shouldn’t be based on part one. And as you know the parts have very different sentence structures.
Hope this answers your questions. If you have any more comments or questions please let me know. Thanks for your help.
Also, I know Monique and Jorina had the same question regarding part one and part two. Hope my answer helps you understand why I deem it necessary to analyze the two in great detail.