Discuss how understanding this life experience should shape the readers interpretation of the literature.

BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM ESSAY
“Description: Each student must complete a biographical criticism essay. In this essay, students
will construct a thesis statement that explains how an assigned authors life experience informs
or shapes his/her literary work. Students should:
1. Describe an authors experience
2. Identify where in the literature this experience is addressed; and
3. Discuss how understanding this life experience should shape the readers interpretation
of the literature.
Research: Students need to refer to 2 outside sources, not including the required textbook, in
the body of the essay. Use these sources to discuss the authors life experience and inform your
discussion of how this experience influences the authors literary output.
Appropriate parenthetical references in the body of the essay and a correctly formatted Works
Cited page must be included in the document.
Your sources must be taken from the MCC library databases (or a comparable online academic
database). The best outside sources to use are The Oxford English Dictionary, the Gale Literary
Databases, JSTOR, and the MLA Bibliography (all are available through MCCs library web
page). Also, only one of your two required outside sources may be used for
biographical information.
Requirements: The essay must be 750-1000 words in length and conform to MLA format.
Please refer to the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook for MLA format guidelines

*MCC is McLennan Community College

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