Interpretive Paper
Interpret the literary work provided and research the critical responses that have been regarding these works. you need to offer a close reading of the literature; that is, provide specific textual references through quotations to provide evidence of your interpretation and also refer explicitly to what other critics have written regarding the work.
Write an arguments to support their interpretation regarding some aspect of interest that others have addressed.
For example, you could research what other critics have suggested about the importance of language to Irish nationalism (as seen in Friel’s Translations or other themes that are evident.
Examine the literary work closely to your own interpretation before you seek out what critics have suggested, but recognizing that their essays are part of a larger critical reception of the literature is important.
Therefore, though the essay should be driven by your own analytical interpretation, it is informed by what other critics have written regarding some salient question(s). Our critical editions provide some examples of appropriate criticism regarding the works of Yeats, Joyce, and modern and contemporary playwrights.