Literary Analysis and Argumentation

Literary Analysis and Argumentation deepens students' skills in close textual analysis of literature, in making and supporting meaningful arguments, and in crafting elegant argumentative prose. Students will hone their critical writing skills, particularly with regard to thesis development, paragraph unity, and argumentative structure. The reading is from a wide range of literary genres; most are from the British tradition, organized chronologically. Students will thus explore how the tradition evolved and how it reflected or drove developments elsewhere in British culture, gaining a deeper appreciation for the complex, two-way relationship between literature and history.