This essay is based off of Terry Eagleton’s “Introduction: What is Literature?”
and includes an abstract, a key word search, a summary, and an evaluation of his essay. In my summary, I discuss the different definitions of literature that Eagleton refutes and his own definition of the word. In my analysis, I proceed to discuss why I only partially agree with the definition that Eagleton produced and what I believe it should be instead.
I began the writing process of this essay by first reading Eagleton’s “What is Literature?” and taking notes in the margins to help myself understand his thought process. From there, I was able to produce the summary portion of this assignment, which came easy to me as Eagleton had distinct steps to his writing process.
The evaluation portion of this essay, on the other hand, was a bit more of a process. I began with a simple agree or disagree of Eagleton’s writing, but I was agreeing with each of his definitions rather than his argument as a whole. After the first draft, the whole evaluation had to be trashed so I could start all over.
It took me a few drafts just to have a clear claim and state it definitively (exhausting, I know). As you can see, this essay took quite a few drafts to be ready for my portfolio, but as many artists and writers say, trust the process.
