Essay Prewriting

 



Our first step in writing our Critical Lens essay  is to complete some listing and freewriting to help think through ideas.

Take a moment and review at least two of the attachments below.  These are one-page handouts that summarize the ideas behind each of the critical lenses we’ve studied (and a few more if anyone wants to branch out into something new).  As you read, think about which critical lens might work best to analyze your science fiction novel.  These questions might help:

  • Which of these lenses do I personally identify with most?
  • Which of these lenses could be an interesting way to analyze my science fiction novel?
  • How might the experiences, plots, themes, and characters of my novel look if I tried on this lens?

Once you’ve decided on the lens you’d like to try, please print or save the handout that goes with it.  Then, on the back of the handout or in a word document, begin gathering ideas for how to use that lens to analyze your text.  Consider these questions:

  • What quotes might be most interesting through this lens? 
  • What characters might be most interesting through this lens?
  • What themes might be most interesting through this lens?
  • What conflicts might be most interesting through this lens?

Save your notes!  You’ll use them in our next session.