Hints for Writing a Good Paper

1. Make sure you have a thesis. A good thesis is limited, original, and sophisticated.
2. Make your thesis shape your paper.
3. Support your thesis with evidence. Your primary evidence should be the words on the page; refer to them frequently.
4. Don't make simple errors of fact.
5. Pointing out parallels or "foreshadowing" is not enough: this is just noting a pattern. The question is: what is the significance of such a pattern?
6. Beware of reading literature as history.
7. Give your paper an interesting, pithy title. The title should convey a sense of your argument.
8. Proofread papers, unless you want to distract attention from a bad argument with bad spelling.
9. For your own safety: make and keep copies of your papers in case there is a problem in your getting them to your TA or in your TA getting them to you.