Writing About

Literature, 10th ed.

by Edgar V. Roberts

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Recording Your ResPonses in Your

ComPuter File, Notebook, or journal

Writing About Likes and Dislikes

Responding to Liternture

read for many reasons. In the course of daily affairs, they read signs,
lab..ls, price tags, recipes, or directions for assembling a piece of furniture
or tr toy. Thc.y read newspapers to learn about national, international, and local
cvcnts. Thcy rcacl magazines tcl lcaru abotrt important issues, celebrities, political figtrres, ancl Lriographical cletails rrbout significant people. Sometimes
tht'y rt'atl to pass tlrt' tirrc or to trrkc their rninds off pressing problems or sitru.rtions. Also, ptrrple rcatl out tlf nccessity-in school and in their work. Tl-rey
strrtly lirr t'rarnirrations irr chcnristry, biolclgy, literature, psychology, and politit'irl st'it'ntt'. 'l ht'y Iry to nremorizc noun paradigms and verb forms in a forcir;rr l.rrrrrr.rgt'.'l'lrey rcarl to acclr-rire knowledge in many areas, and they read
Io lt'.rlrr rrt'rnr skills, ncw irrformation, and new ways to do their jclbs better.
lltrt asidc frorn ir-rcidental, leisurely, and obligatory reading, many peoplt' turn to imagir-rative literature, which they read because they like it and
iincl it interesting. Even if they dorr't like everything they reacl eclually, they
nevertheless c'njoy reading and usually pick out authors and types of literature that are appealing.
It is therefore worth considering those clualities of imaginative literature
that at the primary level procluce responses of pleasure (or displeasure). You
either like or dislike a story, poem, or play. If you say no more than this, however, you have not said much. Analyzing and explaining your likes and dislikes requires you to describe the reasclns for your responses. The goal should
be to form your responses as judgments, which are usually int'ormed and ltformatiae , rather than as simple reactions, which may be unint'ormed and uru-

f)eople

crTilaine d.

Sometimes a reader's first responses are that a story or poem is either

"okay" or "boring." These reactions usually mask an incomplete and superficiirl first reading. They are neitl'rer informative nor informed. As you study
rnost works, however, you will be drawn into tl-rem and become interested
irrrcl irrvolved. To be interested in a poem, play, or story is to be taken into it
crlotiorrtrlly. To be involved suggests that your emcltions become wrapped
up in thc characters, problems, outcomes, ideas, and expressions of opinion
ancl cr.r.rotion. Both "interest" and "ir-rvolvement" describe genuine responses
46

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No one can tell you what you should or should not like, for yc-rur taste is uniquely your ..,*,-,. \,Vhil" youi reading is still fresh, therefore, you should use your
imp.rtet file or a notebook to record your responsel to a work and also your

you like
Observations about it. Be frernk in your judgment. write down what
alrd
brief
are
these
or dislike, and explain the reasons for your responses, even-if
or
cha.rge
you
incomplete. if, a?ter later thought and fuller understanding,
journal
is
a
Here
modify your impressio's, wriie d.w. these changes t.tl.
"The Necklace."
er-rt.y itrat explains a favorable resporlse to Maupassant's
,,T'he Necklacer" because of tl.re surprise encling. lt isn't that I like
Mathilde's bad ltrck, but I like the r,vary Maltpassant hides the't-nost important
for ntr
fact in the story r-rntil the er-rcl. Mathilcle drx's all that tvork atrcl sacrificer
reason at all, eurcl the strrprise e.ncling nrakcs this poirlt strorlgly.

I like

statement
This paragraph could be developed as pr-rrt ()f irtr essay. lt is a clt'ar
'flris
rt'sponse
sttrry'
of liking, Toll,owed by references to likable things in tl.rc
bew.rk
t6is
patterri which ca. be simply phrasecl as "l likc Idislike I
it
albccause
journal
etrtrics
iurr" . . . ," isa useful way to begin notebook or
that
(lt
.rlstl,
way,
is in this
ways requires that you explain ynr. ."tpot-tses.
If at iirst ytltt cittltrtlt
work.)
the
about
argument
an
develop
to
begin
.r,rn
yo.,
yot't
Lxplain the-causes of yc'rur responses, at least make a brief list oi the things

like or dislike. If you write nothing, you will likely forgetyour.reactiotrs. Ilccovering them laier, either for discussion or writing, will be difficult.

Stating Reasons for Favorable Responses

UsuallyyouCanequateyourinterestirraworkwithlikingit.Youcanbemore
specific about favorableresponses by citing one or more of the following:

Yru like and admire

tl-re characters

and what they do and stand for' You get

involvedwiththem.Wherrilreyareindanger,youareconcerned;wlren

.
.

they succeed, you are happy; when they speak, you like what tl'rey say'
After you have read the last word in a story or play, you are solry to part
with these characters and wish that there were mirre to read about them
and their activities.
Even if you do not particu'larly like a character or the characters, yoll are
actions'
neverthe'less interestc-d in the reasons for and outcomes of their

,18

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o Vrtt l-itttl tllat rcacling enables you to relax ()r to tako yorrr rrrirrtl ()ll ,l
l)r.()l)
k'rn or I pressing responsibility.
o vrn learu s.mething new-something you had nevcr before k..w. .r
'

th.ught .b.ut Iruman

'
o

Vru learn about ctrstoms and ways of life in different places and times.
Vru gain new insights into aspects of life that you thought you aiready
u

o
o
'
'

bei.rgs ancr theii ways of rra-rndling their problems.

nclerstood

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and in the para.rs y()Ll iuclucle reas()l1s for your dislike, as in the list
fully, when yor't
more
the story
r,,r.,rPh,'y1111',-.ill1 Llse them again in consiclerirrg

r\s lorrg

new details'
rr,ill strrt,ly irlso expand thoughts, focus your argument, include

paragraphs, and otherwise modify vour

if you dcl
rr.rtclrook critry. You might even change youi mind' Howevet even
than tcl
honestly
it is better to r".ord your original i"tp,r^t"t and reasons
'.t,
Iorcc yourself tcl say you like a story that you do not like'
I'ir'k ,rcw i,,pics foi development

as

Vru feel happy or thrilled because of reading the work.

Vru are amused, and you laugh often as you read.
Vru like the author's descriptions of scenes, actions, ideas, and feelings.
Vru find that many of the expressions are remarkable a.d beautiful, and

etre

therefore worth remembering.

Stating Reasons for Unfavorable Responses

Although so far we have dismissed "okay" and "boring" ancr have stressecl
irrttrest, inrtolrement, ancl tiking, it is important to k.ow that disliking all or
l)'lrt of a work is rrrrmal and acieptable. yru do not neeel [. hiclt' trris resP().se.
I lere, for example, are two short journal responses expressirlg
dislike foi Maupassant's "The Necklace,,:
I do not like "The Necklace" beciruse Mathirde see'rs sp.ile-d, and I cio.,t
think she is worth reading about.
"The Necklace" is not an adventure story, and r like readi.g .rrly
ardventurc

stories.
'l'hese are

bothlegitimate responses because they are based on a crear standard

,l' judgment. The first tesponse stems from a diitaste for one of the main char,tt'ter's unlikable traits, and the second from a preference for rapidly moving
stot'it's that evoke interest in the dangers that main characters face ancl
overcorne.
Here is a paragraph-length notebook/ journal entry that might be devel_
r
'1x'tl from the first response. Notice that the reasons foi ctislike aie explained.
I lrly would need only slightly more development
for use in an essay.
tlislike "The Necklace" because Mathilde seems spoilecl, ancr I don,t thi'k
"ltt'is worthreacling about. she is a phony. sr-re.ags her husband because he
l" tt.t rich' she never tells the truth. I dislike her for hurrying away from
the
I

l"rl'ly because she is afraid of being seen in her threadbare shawl. She is foolt"lt ,trrcl disho^est for not telling
Jeanne Forrestier about losing the r-recklace.

Put Dislikes into a Larger Context

imAlthough it is important to be lronest about dislikirrg a work, it is equally
di9a
example'
For
p.rtaniio broaden your persPective a.d expand your taste'
if generally
iik" bur".i on the pr"f"."'r." ior only mysteiy or adventure stories,
Ttr
maintair-r
literature.
tippliecl, would .irr" u person tcl dislikemost works of
r.t.h ot-t attitude seems unnecessarily selfJimiting'
is possible to
If negative responses are put in a larger context' however' it
some
instance'
Fi>r
expand tie capacity to like and appreciate good literature'
unbe
therefore
."ud"r. mighibe preoccupied *itt-, tn"t o\^,/n concerns and
reading
by
if
interested in remote or "iirelevant" literary figures' However'
of life'
about literary characters they can gain insightinto g.e]reral problems
just
about
in
like
to
and therefore their o*tt .or-t."rr-rs, tiley can find something

anywork.otherreadersmightlikesportsandthereforenotreadanything

is combui the daily sports pages. W[at probably interests them about sports
literary
in
a
conflict
petition, hcxrever, to iiin"y can follow the competition.r
*ork, they will have discovered something to like in that work'
for
As ar-t e*ample, let us consider again the dislike based on a preference
are
Here
widened'
adventure stories and see whether this preference can be
some reasons for liking adventures.

1.
2.

3.
4.

Adventure has fast action.

It has danger and tension, and therefore interest
It has daring, active, and successful characters'
It has obstacles that the characters work hard to overconle'

but the
No one could claim that the first three points apply to "The Necklace,"
overto
hard
works
character'
rnajor
fourthpoint is promising. Mathilde, the
If
debt'
large
the
pay
husba.cl
her
come an obstacle. She pitches in to help
you
then
goals,
worthy
gain
to
try
you like adventures be&use the characters
,,The Necklace" for the same reason. The principle here is clear:
can also like
in another
If a reason for liking a favorite work or type of work can be found
work'
new
work, then there is ieason to like that

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I trstrally like onl-y aclvcnture stories, alrd tltercfore I clislikerl " l lrt' Ntr.Llacc,,
at first be'ctruse it is not adventure. But one of my reasor-rs for liking arlvcn_
tr-rre is that the characters work hard to overcome difficult obstacles, like fincli'g buried treasure or exploring .ew places. Mathilde, Maupassant,s main
character in "The Necklace," also works hard to overcome an obstacle-economizing in order to help pay back the -l8,000 francs that her husband bor-

rows as part payment for the replacement necklace. I like adventure characters
because they stick to things and win out. I see thc same toughness in Mathilde.
Her problems E et more interesti'g as the st.ry moves on after a slow beginning. I came b like the story.

The principle of "bridging" from like to like is worth restating and emphasizing: If a reason for liking a favorite work or type of *otk car-r be founcl in
another work, therr there is reas()n to like that new work. A person who adapts
in such an open-minded way ca. redefine dislikes, no matter l-row slo#ly,
and can consequently expancl the ability to like and appreciate many kinjs
of literature.
. An equally.pen-minded way to develop unclerstanding and wide. taste
is to put dislikes in the following light: An author's creatioi of an trnlikable
c--haracter, situation, attitude, or expressic)n may be deliberate. your dislike
rnight then result frorn the author's intentions. A first task of stucly, therefore,
is to understand and explain the intention or plar-r. As you put tlie plan into
your own words, you may find that you can like a work with unlikarble
things
irr jt. Here is parap;raph that traces this pattern of thinkirrg, based again
on
"'l'he Necklace."
Maupassant apparently wa'ts the. reader to clislikc Mathilcle. At first, he
shows her as unrealistic and spoiled. she lies to everyorle and rrags her huslrand. Her rushing away fro'r the party so that ,-ro ,,r-," can see her shabby
shawl is a form of lyi'g. But I like the story itself because Maupassant makc-s
,rnother kind of point. He. does not hidr- her bad qualities, uut t-,e makes it
t'k'ar that she herself is the cause of her trouble. tf people like Mathilde never
l,rtt'the truth, tl-rey will get inkr bad situations. This is a good point, and I
lil't'the way Maupassant makes it. Tl're entire story is therefore worth liking
,'r'r.n though 1 still do not like Mathilde.

li

rllr of these "bridging" ar-ralyses are consistent with the original legative
)lrs..lll Lhe first pa ragraph, tlre writer a pplies one ()f Ir is principlet .rf
tltrrrri to rnr'lude "The Necklace." In the second, the writer.nrlii.i".s
her initial
t li"lr l . ir lhe context of the work, and she
discovers a basis for likir-rg the story
,r:; , r r'lr,lt' while still disliking the main character. The main
concern in boti-r
I

t ' r(

I r{

r'(':,1,i,r"('\ is to keep an open mind despite initial dislike and then to see
t' lrr'l lrr'r I lrt' r-rnfavorable response can be more fully and broadly considered.

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As long as yott rchlt'
lirrtl lor. likirrg, Ilrt.rr y()rr sltortltl t'xPlairr vor-rr tlislike.
it by a cleerr standard of
v()ur'r'('slx)llst'to the work.tccttrateily and measure
liked work is not unacceptable'
l,'.i;',"'ti,, y.,trr dislike of even a ct)mmt'nly
like or dislike a particular work
you
that
'l'lrt' inrportatrt issue is not so much
and express your ideas'
but that yotr develop your own abilities io analyze

Writing About Your Responses of Likes or Dislikes

Nowthatwehavelookedbrieflyattheprocessesofwritirrg,withtwodrafts
to apply the principles of the
of the same essay for illustration, you are ready
to an essay about your recase'
writing Process to your own writing-in this
on your first reactions'
relying
by
,for-tr"r. In developing such u'-' ""uy, begin
after a lapse of time'
responses
youifirsf
L.,
Because it is not
"ury '"tt'nstruct
to*"t"r,youwillneedyournotebook/journalobservationstoguideyouin
essay by stressing those charif-r" p."fi^irlary writing'p.oct"' De"elop your
(or
interest) you'
not
do
u.i"'rr.ir-t.ia"r-rir, or-ld ileas that interest
to connect details from
be
will
your challenge
As you ptor-, yn.,.
"ssay,
you have begun by
once.
is,
That
the work to your central idla"or argument.
to niSnfgfi..tlls
forget
might
,iori,-tg that you like (or dislike) the story' you
IesPonseaSyouenumeratedetails.ThereforeyouneedtostressyourlnvolvementintheworkaSyoubringc.tutevidencefromit.Ytlucanslrowyour
by,commenting favorably
attitudes by indicating oppt""of (o"r disapproval)'
that seem new (or shopthings
(or unfavorably) on tf," iJtuitr, by irrdicaiing

giving assent to (or disworn) and particularly instructive (or-wrong)' and-by

sent from) id"ut ot expressions of feeling'
Otganize Your Essaq About Likes or Dislikes
your resPonse'
brtrotlttctiort Briefly describe the conditions that influence
thesis senYour
work.
the
dislike
or
ycrur central idea shouli be why you like
to be deare
whicl-r
resPonse'
your
tence should ir-r.tlra" it't" rnulot *""' of
veloped in the bodY.

BodyThemostcommonapproachistoconsiderspecificdetailsthatyou
-47=48
can help you articulate your resPonslike or dirtit The list n'-' pug"t
". yo.r-uJ-i"i a particular chaiactet, or you g.t so interested
es. For example,
likecl a particular passage in
in a story that yc.lu could not put it down, or you
reading the work' Also'
finished
a poem or play, o, fo.' felt thrilled.as you
or a particular outinsight'
fresh
a
idei'
;J;;"y *1r(io d'"t'"top a major
shows a surprise
which
47'
page
on
come, as in the a"-o,-,,t'lti''" pu'og'^ph
ending as the cause of a favorable response'
changes in your reA second approacl'r (see page +8i is to explain any
This approach
versa).
vice
or
positive
sponses about the work (i.e., r-r"gitirr" to

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lo n'lcll llrt.sloly lnrrl lrt,liirrrrirrr,, lo crrtl.
( )tlt'r'v.tv [tltlt'itl lvitlr strtlr it tltitngc tlrr"'lrlitlr,,t."
rn,'llr., l.l lr,rrrslcr.r.rrrr,,
l)r'('l('r'(.n(('l'rom or.rc typre of w()rk t() itn()thr,r is slrorvrr rrr llrr, lollolvirrr,
tl t'

ntorrsI r.r ti vc cssi-ly.

Another way is to explain a change in terrns of .r new dw(lr.(,ncss ()r un,

clcrstanclirrg that yclu did rrot have on a first reading. Thus, for example, y()rrr
lirst rcspor-rse' tcl "The Necklace" might be unfavorable or neutral becatrse tlrg
st()ry nlay trt first seem to move rather slowly. But further consideratiol might
It'atl you to discover new irsights that change your mind, such as the needs
[., overcorne personal pride or to stop minor resentments frorn grclwing and

It'stt'ri.g. Yo'r essay would then explain how these new insightJhu*r" causecl

yotr [o likc the story.

(-onclusion In your conclusion you might summarize the reasons

for
v.rrr r'ajor response. You might also face any issues brought up by a change
or rnodification of your first reactions. For example, if you hav! ai rays he"ld
.t'rtain assumptions about your taste but like the work despite these assurnptions, you may wish to talk about your own change or ievelopme.t.
This topic is personal, but in an essay about your persJ.al responses, dis-

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Irott:;oltoltl(ll llt lrlllV. wrtl tt:, t;ltclllt t;lollttl:;, itttrl ltitt;t,;lt-'s willr
unpleasant
and
hard
do
who
slortcs
ittlvtlttlrtre
ttl
.lur;l ltkc llttr t;ltltt;tt;llt:,
admirable'
her
makes
this
to,
and
ltits
:;ltc
wllitl
rloc:;
llrirrt;:;, slltl
At first she is
Hcr strong chnracter show her endurance' a likable trait'
tells lies' but
and
wealth
about
dreams
always
she
nagging and frsry, and
the necklosing
and gets better. she recognizes her blame in
snJ
debt' She
the
"r,inges
redeem
lace, and she has the toughness to help her husband
way of
comfortable
her
giving
up
by
sacrifices "heroically" (par"agraph 98)
Her
beauty'
youth
and
her
loses
also
she
life, even though in ifre'proJess

jobsarenottheexoticandglamorousonesofadventureStories,buther
forceofcharactermakesheraslikableasanadventureheroine.

i4]Hersadfatealsomakesherlikable.lnadventurestoriesthecharacters
,r,ruttyrrtterasttreyOotfreirjobs'Mathildealsosuffers'butinadifferent

of adventure
way, because her suffering is permanent while the hardships
pitiable
because
especially
her
makes
characters are temporary.lfris tact
to
reader
the
invites
unfairness
This
not-necessary.
all her sacrif ices are
take her side.

t5]fhgngstimportantqualitypromotingadrnirationisthewayin]ryhjeh
ol-ldathldc' As she goes deeper into her hard

GGit"anlshrll.t-pirqle*
iif", Muup"rrrnt

tGit"t

her work and not the innermost thoughts he

revealsatthebeginning.lnotherwords,theviewintohercharacteratthe

covery about yourself is legitimate and worthy.

the focus at the

start, when she dreamJ about wealth, invites dislike; but

errdisonherachievements,withneveracomplaint-eventhoughshestill
has golden memories, as the narrator tells us:

Butsometimes'whenherhusbandWaSatWork,shesatdownnearthe

Demonstrative Essay

that party,
window, and she dreamed of that evening so long ago, of

whereshehadbeensobeautifulandsoadmired.(paragraph104)
Mathilde's fond
A ma.ior quality of Maupassant's changed emphasis is that

Some Reasons for Liking Maupassant,s.,The Necklace,,.

t1l

To me, the most likable kind of reading is adventure. There are many
reasons for my preference, but an important one is that adventure

characters work hard to overcome obstacles. Because Guy de Maupassant's "The Neckrace" is not adventure, r did not rike it at first. But in one
respect the story is like adventure: The major character, Mathilde Loisel,
works hard with her husband for ten years to overcome a difficult obstacle
(paying an overwhelming debt). Thus. because Mathilde does what
- Mathilde,s
appeal results
fror h"r hurd ''rork.
r"d fut". und ubo frofr th" *uy
"trolg
t "h"ru"t"r. "nd
9ur view of her chan

ll'l

Once she and her husband are

faced with the huge debt of 18,000 francs, she works like a slave to pay it
back. she gives up her servant and moves to a cheaper place. She does
the

!'
t,rln,\ 5 l2 for this
I
t , 'rrlr,rl irlt'rr.
I

li',t',,,(.11('ltce.

story.

in focus, from
memories do not lead io anything unfortunate. His shift

Mathilde,sdissatisfactiontohersharingofresponsibilityandsacrifice,

t6l

encourages the reader to like her'

of the
"The Necklace" is not an adventure story, but Mathilde has some

goodqualitiesofadventurecharacters'Also'thesurpriserevelationthatthe
lostnecklacewasnotvaluableisanunforgettabletwist,andthismakesher
arrang-ed the
more deserving than she seems at first' Maupassant has

StorySothatthereaderfinallyadmiresMathilde...TheNeck|ace,'isa
skillfully told and likable story'

Commentary on the EssaY

Thisessaydemonstrateshowareadercande-veltlpappreciationbytransfer'
that does not belong to the
rir-rg pr"f"."rl." for one type of work,to a.work
t-":t".1?1 adventure
iyp?.^fit the essay, the "bridge" is aL already established
that Mathilde, the main
stories, and the grouncis for iiklr-tg "The Necklace" are
heroes and heroines'
character, sharei the admirable qualities of adventure

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pilragritplt clcscribes how Mathildc's corrditi()l) (,v()l\(,s sVlnl).rllry,rrrrl pily.
'l'hcsc parilgraphs hence
explain the story's appeal by asst'rtirrr tlr.rt tht'nrairr
chnracter is similar to admirable characters from works of adveuture.
The fifth paragraph shows that Maupassant, as the story unfolcls, altcrs
tl-re reader's perceptions of Mathilde from bad to good. For this reason, parirgraph 5 marks a new direction from paragraphs 2, 3, and 4: It moves away

from the topic material itself-Mathilde's character-to Maupassant's tcchnique in handling the topic material.
Paragraph 6, the conclusion, restates the comparison and also introduces the

surprise er-rding as an additional reason for liking "The Necklace." with the

btriy and conclusion togethel, therefore, the essay establishes five separate reasolts as an argument to show the writer's approval of the story. Three of these,
rlerived directly from the main character, constitute the major grounds for lik-

ing the story, and two are derived from Maupassant's techniques as an author.
Througl-rout the essay, the central idea or argument is brought out in words
trnd expressions such as "likable," "Mathilde's appeal,,, ,,strong character,,,
"sl're does what she has to," "pitiable," and "take her side.,, Many of these expressions were originaliy made in the writer's notebook; and, mixed as they
are with details from the story, they make for continuity. It is this thematic development, together with details from the story as supporting eviderrce, that
shows how an essay on the responses of liking and disliking can be both informed and informative.

Special Topics for Studying

and Discussing Responses to Literature
1.

l\,r/r,r'.' \lt,rrl I tl', 'trt,l I tt ltl"

In the last six months, what literary works did you read that you liked or
disliked? Write a brief essay explaining your reasons for your positive or
negative responses. To illustraie your arguments, you may make liberal
references to these works, and, in addition, you may refer to films or TV
shows that you have recently seen.
Some readers have expressed a dislike of Poe's story "The Masque of the
Red Death" because of the "weirdness" of Prince prospero,s behavior.
Respond to this reaction to the work.
Consider the demonstrative likes,/dislikes essay on Maupassant,s ,,The
Necklace." Do you accept the arguments in the essay? What other details
and arguments can you think of for either liking or disliking the story?
lior what reasons should a reader be interested in Shakespe-are,s ,,Sonnet
I l(r: l-et Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds"?
l',xplain why a negative response to Glaspell's Trifles is not justified by
rvlrat lrappe.ns in the play.

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j'
like the charw'ltotrr yott havc'rca.l ln the first, try b make your reader
Write
character'
the
to
response
,tt'tt'r. ltr thc scconcl, try to create a hostile
to creyou.tried
in
which
ways
the
explaining
an atlditional paragraph
for a reader to dislike
atc thcse opposite ."rpo"r"r. Howlair would it be
is successful?
your negative po.ag'uph even though your hostile p<lrtrait