Focus of the Essay:

The language of the literature being investigated, rather than the author.

You will be graded on your ability to show the following things:

An in depth study of a literary topic beyond plot, character, and themes.  Explore the language and structure rather than just summarizing the story.

Balance between expressing personal judgement and established critical comment.

The structure, fluency, coherence, conciseness, and clarity of the ideas in the essay itself.

Choosing the topic:

The essay should be based on literature written in the language of the essay.

Sources:

It is much safer to use printed materials rather than online sources due to piracy and copyright laws.  It is important to use secondary sources, but too few could limit the accuracy and reliability of the essay and too many could show a lack of personal judgement.

Good to use a modern version of a classic text with an introduction and notes.

Treatment of the Topic:

Focus on the author's language and writing style over content. Avoid over use of historical, biographical, or narrative information.

Balance analysis of the author's ideas, personal ideas on how the author has treated this topic, and examples that support and disagree with your personal views through secondary sources.

Any narrative of descriptive material should be directly related to the research question.

Compare similar elements of ideas found in two or more pieces of literature, but remember to focus on how these authors use language to present the ideas.

Previous Problems of Students:
Students used secondary sources in place of their personal opinions and responses rather than to back them up.  Use of vocabulary that is not fully understood has also been a problem, although avoid language that is too informal or colloquial.  Structure and quotations have also been a problem.