LWR - Interpretive and Research Writing Lesson

This paper will be an interpretive analytical essay, in which you will analyze an aspect of the chosen literary work. This type of paper goes beyond a book report or summary. Read below to get a better understanding of interpretive/analytical writing.

Interpretive/Analytical Writing

An interpretation, or analysis, involves the discovery of meaning in a text or the production of meaning in the process of reading a text. As such, analytical writing focuses on the questions of "how?" and "why?" It tries to assist the reader in understanding specific events (literary, cultural, or otherwise) rather than just engaging in summary. Writing about literature (poems, short stories, plays, etc.) often involves making an argument that can be backed up with specific examples from the text. For example, a student writing an interpretive paper about a specific book may try to explain the author's attitudes or views on a specific subject matter. The writer of the paper must then use evidence found in that book—specific lines, words, or phrases—to backup their claims.

While writing this paper, you will use evidence from the text itself, but also from other sources, called "secondary sources". Continue reading to learn about research writing.  

Research Writing

When writing a research paper in the humanities, you will likely be relying on a number of different sources to support a broader claim that you're trying to make. It is crucial that you correctly cite and attribute all ideas and information that are not common knowledge and not your own. For example, you would need to provide a citation for a statement like, "60% of guns recovered in crimes are sold by unlicensed dealers," which is likely written about in a specific study, but not for a statement like, "William Shakespeare was born in 1564," which is common knowledge and referenced in many different sources. (Source Links to an external site.)

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