Recap
In an argument about a whole work, you write from memory, so the choice and form of your evidence decide how strong the argument can be. Evidence should be relevant, specific, accurate, analysable, well placed and purposeful. It is effective when commentary explains its link to the claim, and sufficient when its quantity and quality support the line of reasoning; for a whole-work claim that means evidence from more than one part of the work. Use three forms: a short quotation you are certain of, a close paraphrase, or a precise reference to a named scene. Never invent a quotation. Prepare an evidence ledger for two or three works so you can choose quickly. The full explanation, with a ledger for Jane Eyre, is in the study guide.
Key relationships
| Form | Use when | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation | The wording carries the effect and you are sure of it | Misquoting costs credibility |
| Close paraphrase | You know the content, not the wording | Less to analyse, but safe |
| Precise reference | A claim needs breadth | Needs a named scene or pattern |
| Check | Question |
|---|---|
| Relevant | Does it prove this claim? |
| Specific | Can I name the scene, speaker, action or detail? |
| Accurate | Am I sure of it? |
| Analysable | Is there something to say beyond what happens? |
| Placed | Does it add something new from a different part of the work? |
| Purposeful | Which job: illustrate, clarify, exemplify, associate, amplify, qualify? |
Ledger columns: where in the work, scene, evidence (quotation or description), what it shows, which prompts it serves.
Conditions to remember
- A claim about the whole needs evidence from the beginning, middle and end, not necessarily every part.
- Qualifying evidence strengthens an argument when you use it.
- Prepare two or three works; choose the one that best fits the prompt.
- Plan in five minutes: scan the ledger, choose three or four scenes, assign jobs.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing every paragraph about one famous scene.
- Presenting a guess as an exact quotation.
- Summarising the plot as a substitute for evidence.
- Quoting a vivid detail that does not bear on the claim.
- Ignoring evidence that complicates the thesis.
Quick self-check
- What are the three forms of evidence?
- Why must evidence for a whole-work claim come from more than one part?
- What should you do when you cannot recall exact words?
- What goes in an evidence ledger?
- What is qualifying evidence, and why use it?
Answers.
- Quotation, close paraphrase and precise reference.
- A claim about the whole cannot rest on a single scene; evidence must be sufficient for the line of reasoning.
- Paraphrase closely or refer precisely to the scene; never invent a quotation.
- For each key scene: where it falls, a quotation or description, what it shows and which prompts it serves.
- Evidence that complicates a claim; using it refines the argument and supports sophistication.
Next: the practice questions.