LITERARY COMMENTARIES GENERAL ADVICE

The basic principle of a commentary is simple enough: you should analyse what is most
interesting about the passage you have been given. There is no foolproof recipe for doing this,
but there are basic guidelines which should help you to understand what the exercise is aiming
to achieve.
You should distinguish carefully between the techniques of essay-writing and commentary.
From the standpoint of demonstrating textual knowledge and insight, these are complementary
but different skills. A commentary should never be merely a general discussion of the passage.
It should always be a detailed analysis of key themes and stylistic devices, showing how the
language used conveys or inflects (perhaps sometimes undermines) the themes being presented.
It should relate the passage to the rest of the text or collection, but remain largely focused on
the detail of the passage itself.
Things to do:
- Do read through the passage carefully, picking out its general shape (if it has one) and the key
aspects you want to discuss, before you begin writing the commentary itself.
- Do consider why this particular passage has been set. What is particularly interesting about it?
What is its significance in the book or collection you are studying?
- Do remember that what is being asked for is a critical examination of the passage as a
representative sample of the text or collection as a whole. What light does the passage shed
on the aims and achievements of the larger work?
- Do comment on the overall structure of the passage, how it develops, how ideas or themes or
word patterns are built upon as it progresses.
- Do refer to line numbers (where given) to avoid quoting at length except where necessary.
- Do cover the whole passage - try to say something about each verse, for example, in a poem.
- Do take account of the genre of the passage - for instance, a commentary on a poem would
be incomplete without some discussion of versification, and a commentary on a narrative
passage would usually consider point of view.
- Do try to give a shape and structure to your commentary, as far as possible, or at least
connect the points you make.
- Do give time to discussing form, style and content. Ideally these are inseparable, but if you
discuss them in distinct sections make sure you show their interdependence.
Things to avoid:
- Avoid merely describing what the passage says. This is an exercise in analysis, not paraphrase.
- Avoid lengthy digression. You can refer outside the passage where relevant, but most of your
commentary should concentrate on the text in front of you.
- Avoid spending too much time on saying what comes before and after the passage (especially
in the case of narrative fiction or drama). You should place the passage in context, but
normally a sentence or two will suffice.

- Avoid unnecessary verbosity or inaccurate terminology - be clear and precise, and avoid
words like effective, atmospheric or beautiful unless you carefully explain what the effect,
atmosphere or beauty of the passage are and how they are achieved.
- When discussing form, avoid generalities - if your passage is a sonnet, for instance, dont just
run through the general rules of the sonnet, but consider how the sonnet form works in this
particular case.
The best commentary rarely follows a pre-set formula, and there are always different possible
plans. This is one possible plan, but you should exercise your judgement in deciding how much
emphasis to give to different issues according to their importance.
i)

A brief context section - the context of the passage within the work, its main structural
sections and development, and a summary of its most important themes, aspects or impact.
ii)
A discussion of each of the main sections in turn, showing how each section illustrates
points of both immediate and broader interest.
iii)
Any points not previously dealt with (e.g. leitmotifs, imagery, allusions, that underpin the
passage as a whole).
iv)
A conclusion which draws together the different aspects you have discussed. What is
the general significance of the passage, what does it tell us about the style, intentions or
achievements of the text, what do your readers now know that they wouldnt have known
before?