Methods of Literary Study
Presentation Guidelines

Objective: Familiarize yourself enough with a work of literary criticism to present an overview of it to your classmates that identifies the central argument, key points, strengths and weaknesses.

Groups: Organize yourselves into groups of 2-3 students and choose one critic below per group. Divide the task up as appropriate. Each student in the group should speak for a minimum of 5 minutes.

Date: You will be presenting on the date indicated on the syllabus for discussion of the chosen critical work:

Procedure:

• Choose one of the critical works from the syllabus—a work analyzing either Keats's poetry or Cather's My Ántonia.
• Sign up to present on that critical work.
• In five to ten minutes, explain the key points in that work's argument and approach.
  • What is its intended audience?
  • What is the time period in which the critic is writing?
  • Which parts of the primary text has the critic focused on?
  • Which techniques does the critic use to get her or his point across?
• Explain what you find persuasive about this critical work and what you find less persuasive or disagree with.
• Answer questions from classmates about the critical work that you have presented.

You are welcome to use visual aids such as PowerPoint or images on the board to illustrate any points you wish to make.

Grading standards:

Presentations will receive A-F grades based on the following criteria:

Adherence to topic guidelines.

Clarity of the argument about the critic's interpretation.

Effective use of examples.

Creativity in interpreting the critic's argument.