1.) For this Literary Analysis Essay, you will write about ONE of the nonfiction pieces that we’ve read and discussed from The Best American Magazine Writing 2013:
Write about Roger Angell’s memoir, “Over the Wall”
• 2.) Identify the literary nonfiction form or forms that are most important in the selection. In Module Two’s “Learning Unit,” you learned about six nonfiction forms: biographical sketch, sense of place, slice of history, personal opinion, personal reflection, and personal experience One way to analyze the selection is to explain what the writer’s selection teaches us AND how those literary nonfiction forms emphasize your interpretation of the selection. In short, how do the nonfiction forms contribute to the overall meaning and purpose?
• 3.) Locate textual evidence from the textbook that reflects the literary nonfiction forms in your thesis statement.
• Literary Nonfiction Forms
Six forms define literary nonfiction:
biographical sketch
personal experience
personal opinion
personal reflection
a sense of place
a slice of history
More often than not, literary nonfiction primarily uses one or two of these forms while employing other forms to a lesser degree. For example, an author might write about her/his life (biographical sketch), but also share substantial information about the place where s/he grew up (a sense of place) and describe many historical events (a slice of history). When authors weave nonfiction forms together, the technique creates an intricate narrative that can defy simplistic categorization.
• Use this quotes or any significant one
“What the dead don’t know piles up, though we don’t notice it at first. They don’t know how we’re getting along without them, of course, dealing with the hours and days that now accrue so quickly” (Angel 414)
“What I noticed most, though—the same idea came over me every time—was that time had utterly taken away the histories and attachments and emotions that had once closely wrapped around these dead, leaving nothing but their families and names and dates. It was almost as if they were waiting to be born” (Angel 419)
“Quite a lot of time has gone by since Carol died, and though I’ve forgotten many things about her, my fears about that are going away. There will always be enough of her for me to remember, and some of it, to my surprise, comes back with fresh force” (Angel 417)
“What Carol doesn’t know by now is shocking, let’s face it, and I think even her best friends of hers must find themselves thinking about her with a certain new softness or sweetness as if she were a bit backward. Carol, try to keep up a little, can’t you?” (Angel 445)
