Writing Essays About Literature: Hindrances in the Writing Strategies of English Majors

Abstract

Writing is a daunting task for English language learners; writing a literary essay a nightmare: it requires not only writing proficiency but also literary content knowledge. Since the introduction of integrating Literature into English teaching and learning, many studies have examined its merits and drawbacks. However, an underresearched area in this field remains: students’ literary writing. Educators and lecturers often borrow the criteria of Academic Writing to evaluate students’ literary essays because they assume it is among the academic essay types. Simple as it may sound, writing a literary essay is more complicated. This study, therefore, was conducted to investigate students’ hindrances in the writing strategies of English majors, who, to some extent, are required to take at least one literary course as a prerequisite in their program. The research employed the qualitative paradigm with two research tools, students’ literary essays and interviews, to explore the issue. Findings reveal challenges experienced by the students from the preparation steps for the literary essay to the writing process. Implications and recommendations are then proposed to help lecturers better facilitate their students in writing this interesting essay. A research limitation is that the study only provides a checklist to evaluate writing, not rubrics.