Guidelines for Writing a Literary Review

Since you will be writing a literary review of the young adult novel, Over Sea, Under Stone, you may find the following guidelines and example valuable.

A literary review accomplishes at least three objectives:

• The review will summarize the story briefly and indicate the author's purpose in writing the story.

• The review will identify literary or technical devices the author uses to accomplish the intended purpose in writing the work.

• The review will attempt in some way to account for the impact of the work, either by describing how the reader is affected by the work or by placing the work in a context, showing how it works in similar or different ways to other works like it, for instance.

The following review of James Thurber's "Secret Life of Walter Mitty" accomplishes each of these objectives. I've discussed how below;

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Review by Philip G. Plotica

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a delightfully clever satire that ridicules one of the most common human idiosyncrasies, imagination. To illustrate the wonders of the imagination, Thurber creates Walter Mitty, a timid, mouse-like little man who is forever being victimized by a nagging wife and an arrogant, "know it all" society. With the entire world against him, the only escape left for poor Walter Mitty is his imagination, which he uses to the utmost of his ability.

Notice how, in the first paragraph, the writer of the review provides a brief summary of the plot of the story, then points out the author's purpose in writing the story, to illustrate how we use our imaginations to escape from reality.

What makes "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" more than just another amusing short story is Thurber's unique and effective use of contrasts. Consider, for example, the first three paragraphs. Here the Walter Mitty of imagination is placed side by side with the Walter Mitty of reality. The contrast between the iron-hearted Naval Commander bravely giving orders to his men and the chicken-hearted Walter Mitty timidly taking orders from his wife is quite apparent. But the use of contrasts is by no means restricted to the beginning of the story. On the contrary, it is employed all the way through to the very last word. Compare the quick-thinking Doctor Mitty, famous surgeon, to the Walter Mitty who cannot park his car, remove his tire chains, or readily remember to buy a box of puppy biscuits. Compare also the "greatest shot in the world" or the daring Captain M, or the "erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the Undefeated" with the Walter Mitty who seeks the quiet refuge of a big leather chair in a hotel lobby. Contrasts are effective tools for any writer, but the straightforward manner in which Thurber employs them enhances their effectiveness considerably.

In the second paragraph, the author identifies one literary strategy Thurber used to develop his story, contrasts between the real and the imaginary Walter Mitty. Notice how the the student writer is careful to develop his observation about contrasts with references to the story. He reviews several instances in the story where he sees these contrasts working.

After briefly skimming through the collection of contrasts that makes up "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" one might feel that there is little connection between the paragraphs describing the imagined Walter Mitty and the Mitty of reality. However, closer observation reveals that Thurber does, by the use of suggestive words and phrases, cleverly establish links between the Mitty of fact and the Mitty of fancy. Examine the following lines taken from the end of paragraph one and the beginning of paragraph two of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty":

"...The Old Man'll get us through," they said to one another, "The Old Man ain't afraid of Hell!"

"Not so fast! You're driving too fast!" said Mrs. Mitty. "What are you driving so fast for?"

As he did in the first paragraph, the student writer identifies another technique which Thurber uses to develop the story of Walter Mitty and provides one striking example of this observation.

We shudder to think that there might be a connection between Hell and life with Mrs. Mitty, but, unfortunately, such could be the case. Consider how Mrs. Mitty's mention of Doctor Renshaw and the event of driving by a hospital lead to a daydream in which Walter Mitty, a distinguished surgeon, assists Doctor Renshaw in a difficult operation. Take note also of how a newsboy's shout the Waterbury trial initiates the trial of Walter Mitty in the following paragraphs. Such skillful employment of transition, by which an event in reality triggers an event in the imagination, is sound not only from the literary standpoint, but also from the psychological point of view.

In this paragraph, the student writer provides addition supporting examples of the second literary device Thurber uses. Notice how he provides several so that the reader will understand clearly what he means.

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" affects the reader in a variety of ways. The purposeful use of excessively dramatic, imaginative heroes, the repetition of the sound "pocket-pocketa," the use of meaningless pseudo-medical terms such "obsteosis of the ductal tract"all these make us want to laugh. The plight of Walter Mitty, at the mercy of his domineering wife, arouses our sympathy. However, we neither laugh at nor sympathize with Walter Mitty. Thurber has created Mitty not as an individual, but as a representative of human beings in general. He has made us realize how similar our imaginative words are to those of his character. We cannot laugh at Mitty without laughing at ourselves. We cannot sympathize with him without feeling sorry for ourselves. The strength and heart of the satire lie in the reader's perception of the similarity of his own daydreams and those of Mitty.

In the final paragraph, the student writer carefully reacts to the story. He identifies a psychological principle, the fact that we identify with Walter Mitty by laughing at him on the one hand, and feeling sorry for him on the other.

Your review of Over Sea, Under Stone can follow this form if you wish, though other approaches are possible.

Don't forget that when you have written your review of Over Sea, Under Stone, you can always take it to the Writing Center and get a consultant to read it for you and make suggestions for revisions. Or, if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask them in person, by phone, or by email at closserb@andrews.edu.