AI Research Assistant for English & Literature
Jordan teaches an analytical essay on the theme of power in Macbeth, and students need to incorporate literary criticism alongside textual evidence. The AI Research Assistant gives Jordan a plan to build on: he helps students articulate an arguable literary interpretation, identifies relevant schools of literary criticism, shows MLA 9 format for both the primary text and secondary criticism, and adapts the notes guide with places for quoted passage, page number, literary device, interpretation, and critical source.
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How English and literature teachers use it
Research workflows for your own class.
Textual evidence strategy: selecting and framing quotations
Finding relevant quotations is only half the task, knowing how to frame them is the other half. You can adapt the notes guide for literary analysis, asking students to record not just the quotation and page number, but: the literary device at work, the initial interpretation, and an alternative interpretation that a reader might propose.
Literary criticism and secondary source research for English papers
English and literature research papers require engagement with literary criticism, not just the student's own reading of the text. You can name the relevant schools of literary criticism for the topic and suggest search terms for the MLA International Bibliography and JSTOR.
MLA 9 formatting for primary texts and literary criticism
MLA 9 has specific formatting requirements for citing literary works that differ from citing articles or books: plays require act, scene, and line numbers; poems require line numbers.
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What this page does here
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Questions teachers ask
Can it help students who need to write about a text they have not finished reading?
The Research Assistant is a research planning tool, not a reading substitute. Students need to have read the text to identify relevant passages. However, the AI can help students identify key themes, critical debates, and secondary literature for a text they are in the process of reading.
How does it help with the thesis for literary analysis?
A literary analysis thesis needs to make an interpretive claim. The form has no thesis reviewer; when you read a thesis, check whether it makes a specific interpretive claim that is arguable, rooted in the text, and focused enough to develop in the allotted length.
What databases should English students use for literary criticism?
MLA International Bibliography is the primary database for literary and linguistic scholarship. JSTOR is also useful for literary criticism. Project MUSE covers humanities and social science journals with significant literary scholarship.
Can it help with comparative literature essays involving multiple texts?
Yes. For comparative essays, you can adapt the notes guide with parallel columns for each text and look for critics who have written about both authors or texts together.
Does it help with citing film, poetry, and non-traditional texts?
Yes. MLA 9 citation formats differ for film, poetry, short stories, web articles, and social media posts. Students format citations for each type, and for performance texts they distinguish between citing the written text and citing a specific production.
Related tools
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