observation, historical, literary, and word study). I liked your advice about doing some research about the time period you want to write about. Summarize the text in 1 paragraph. Writing a Formal Analysis in Art History The goal of a formal analysis is to explain how the formal elements of a work of art affect the representation of the subject matter and expressive content. There are standard rules for how to write a thesis statement, a topic sentence, a blended quotation, etc. It does seem like a good idea for me to read a lot of historical novels. It offers a process and suggests some strategies for writing book reviews. You can use the summary that you wrote after reading the text or write a new one. Exegesis – Explore and interact with the text itself. To write an exegesis, first read your chosen Bible passage carefully and take notes on the interesting parts. awriterofhistory June 15, 2017 8:55 am Reply. A review is a critical evaluation of a text, event, object, or phenomenon. The emphasis should be on analyzing the formal elements—not interpreting the artwork. Focus on the main points that the text covers and leave out the rest. Writing commentary is undoubtedly the most difficult part of writing any essay. History’s subject matter is immense, encompassing all of human affairs in the recorded past — up until the moment, that is, that you started reading this guide. At these times, it's helpful to split the author into two personas, the authorial voice—the one writing the text— and the historical figure—who lived and (unless that author is a contemporary) died. You should also read other secondary texts about your passage, like theological articles and commentaries, to help you build your argument. In more technical terms, historical context refers to the social, religious, economic, and political conditions that existed during a certain time and place. The commentaries include the instructional context, student text, analysis, and instructional implications. A toolbox for analysing political texts. If you Then use commentaries to help you analyze the text. An exegesis is an essay that deconstructs and analyzes a Bible passage. But when it comes to commenting on evidence, there isn’t one set way to do it. The writing of an exegetical paper typically entails the following phases: Preparation – choose a text. I have been thinking about trying to write historical fiction. After you have provided your thesis statement, include a 1 paragraph summary of the work. Discourse analysis is a useful tool for studying the political meanings that inform written and spoken text. This is some really good information about writing historical fiction. (a.k.a., Making) History At first glance, writing about history can seem like an overwhelming task. This handout will help you write a book review, a report or essay that offers a critical perspective on a text. Observe before interpreting and responding. position and opinions in the text and the author as a historical figure. What is a review? a. consider the historical, social, economic, political, and religious background of what is in the text and of the time when it was written (the two may not be the same—think of a historical novel, for example, about ancient Rome that was written in the nineteenth century) b. be aware of genre c. note the borders of the text. That said, an understanding of the meaning of Hypothesis A hypothesis is your guess or theory as to the conclusion of your study. All other parts of the essay are more formulaic in nature. After you have performed a thorough, careful reading of the text write down what you think you will conclude based on your initial observations. Writing Samples and Commentaries Each sample of proficient student writing is accompanied by a completed rubric and a written commentary that provides a rationale for and specific examples used to determine proficiency. This stage involves your interaction with the text, not with secondary sources (e.g., commentaries, articles, etc.).