- What is a literary review?
- Characteristics of the literary review
- Structure of the literary review
- How to make a literary review?
- Examples of literary reviews
We explain what a literary review is, its characteristics, structure and examples. Also, how to write a literary review.
What is a literary review?
The literary reviews are texts critics (that is, belonging to the field of literary criticism) who approach a given literary work from an evaluative point of view. They offer a reading Y arguments useful for other readers, either as a way to promote the book (or perhaps not to recommend it), or for the purpose of offering a brief but justified look at it.
Said in fewer words, it is a text that offers an opinion or a look at a literary work, resorting to the particular criteria of the author. Many employ scoring systems, or some equivalent that conveys the general feeling of the reviewer, and accompany the text with information editorial regarding the work.
The literary review plays an important role in promoting the book and the authors, especially those published in large mass-circulation newspapers or in websites highly visited, and which are often aimed at the general reading public or even the most uninformed buyers.
But at the same time, the literary review can come to life in more elite circuits, such as the academy or the literary and cultural circuits of a country. In those cases, the public tends to be older knowledge on the subject, and the most demanding review in terms of methodology, criteria and the very selection of the text to be reviewed.
Characteristics of the literary review
In general lines, a literary review responds to a format rather free from rehearsal brief or article. It is usually relatively brief, although it may well span several pages, and is generally stated from the reviewer's point of view, or from an impersonal one.
Sometimes the text may even border the chronicle reading, with personal or small information narrations. All in order to give the reader a glimpse of what they will find within the book or work reviewed.
Structure of the literary review
There is no fixed or recommended structure for a literary review, since at bottom it is about somehow creative texts. However, since they are usually also argumentative-expository writings, it is not uncommon to see that they are governed by the traditional structure of:
- Qualification. That sums up the whole spirit of the text, whether or not the work to be reviewed is mentioned.
- Introduction. Where the reader is given a general perspective, point of view or previous information that later serves to enter the body of the text.
- Developing. That exposes the strength of the text: the arguments, with quotes, reflections, etc., depending on the approach pursued.
- Conclusions.. Where what was initially said is retaken, a closing is offered, a general feeling regarding what was reviewed and, on occasions, ancillary information is given or a score is placed on the reviewed work.
How to make a literary review?
It is important to read other texts about the work and about the author.
Although the proper writing of a literary review is as free as the author wants it to be, there are a series of minimum steps that should be taken into account when doing it, such as:
- Read the entire book. If possible, more than once. This will allow you to take notes, mark important episodes or quotes that will later be used to demonstrate points of view. Under no circumstances will the reviewer read summaries or incomplete versions of the text, or review a text that did not finish, did not want to finish or could not finish.
- Investigate as much as possible. It is never a bad idea to read some of what others have said about the work, not so much to confirm ideas, although a quote from a prestigious reviewer or specialist of some kind is always welcome in these cases, but to see what they have said. about it and to know if we are missing something, if there is something that we do not take into account, or even to know what statements the author has made in interviews, what keys have you shared about your own work, etc.
- Organize your ideas. It sounds obvious, but a literary review is not very different from any argumentative text, in which you must have some type of main idea or central concept around which the review will revolve. What is the main success of the book? In what context do your qualities stand out? What is the best way to understand it? In the light of what theme?
- Write as clearly as possible. A review is not a poemIt is not a story, nor is it a religious prayer, although it may well use all of this to fulfill its mission, which is to talk about the book. In any case, you have to have something to say about the book, some speech in which to insert it, some criteria to share with the readers, and it has to be written in such a way that it is understood. A book of poetry can be very hermetic, but the review that explores it must be understandable, even if it is for the connoisseur.
Examples of literary reviews
The following are perfect examples of literary reviews:
- "Like dumb trees." A review of the novel At bay by New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield, written by Pablo Puel.
- "The correspondences of the XXI century: facts of a lyrical diaspora". A review of the collection of poems The correspondences by the Mexican poet Alí Calderón, written by Fernando Torres Salazar.
- "I'm sorry for what happened, from Richard Ford." A review on the book of stories I'm sorry for what just happened by American author Richard Ford, written by Virginia Garza.
- "Joaquín Gianuzzi: To become poetry". A review of the complete poetic work of the Argentine Joaquín Gianuzzi, written by Martín M. Marchione.
- "Get up, Cassandra." A review on the novel Call me cassandra by Cuban author Marcial Gala, written by Gabriel Payares.