English 421/504 Fall 2006 Development of the Novel: Haywood, Defoe, Richardson, and Austen

Critical Summary-Response in two parts/sections: the Summary (Part 1 of this assignment, 300-400 words) should present a straightforward, selective account of what you consider to be the article's most important or engaging ideas and points of argument and interpretation. Your summary should strive to represent the original article—or an important aspect of it—accurately and fairly. Be direct and concise, take an "objective" stance and tone, use your own words to express the author's ideas (except for brief quotes), use attributive tags (such as according to Richetti or Richetti argues that) to keep the reader informed that you are expressing another's ideas, and focus the summary to produce a cohesive and coherent account. You might begin the summary by identifying the question or the problem that the reading addresses, then state the article's purpose or thesis and summarize its argument selectively point by point. Include a complete bibliographic citation to note the author, essay title, place of publication, publisher, date, and page numbers for the article.

Part 2 (300-400 words) should express your understanding of the original essay's rhetorical strategies and premises, and the effectiveness and significance of its argument. You might explore your initial approach to the summary by determining to what extent and how the reading has influenced your views and understanding, by determining points of agreement or doubt, by determining significant questions raised by your experience with this essay, by determining the most important ideas you "take away" from the reading, and by reflecting on what you might "say back" to the author in sharing your perspective on the essay and on the novel. You may also choose to extend the essay's critical perspectives by explaining its potential relevance to other aspects of the novel, or you may also read "against-the-grain" of the original argument to present a different or opposing perspective and argument based on your reading of the novel, on other critical perspectives, and on your own understanding and reasoning. Your response can be both reflective and persuasive in its emphases and aims, and our discussions and reading may inform your views. You may find it effective to compose a thesis for your response that maps out for readers the challenging, engaging, important points that you want to develop and discuss.