Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything

By: Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Dorsey Armstrong

Tap into the power of effective writing by developing the fundamental critical and analytical skills that transform your writing from "good" to "great." Regardless of your subject, goal, or occasion, these skills will help you organize your thoughts into a coherent piece, make a persuasive argument rooted in facts, and make responsible use of research materials.

You'll find the secrets of these and other methods in 24 accessible lectures that immerse you in the elements of successful writing. With engaging literary and everyday examples, inspirational prompts, and unforgettable insights, this course is the perfect reference guide for both professional and casual writers.

Survey the ways five major literary genres-fiction, essay, poetry, drama, and autobiography-can show you the path to stronger persuasive and critical writing. Writing prompts and practice examples will help you better understand how to apply the insights you'll uncover by studying each genre. See how the art of rhetoric can help you adapt your writing to different situations. The increased awareness of classical rhetoric you gain will go a long way toward making you a stronger writer by calling your attention to the basics of compelling analytical writing. Take a step-by-step look at the four major stages of the writing process-researching, writing a first draft, editing, and rewriting.

Chock full of useful strategies and real-world examples, this course is an invaluable tool for developing your effective writing skills so you can better express yourself to others.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2011 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2011 The Great Courses

Well taught.

I enjoyed it and will probably listen to it again some day. I enjoy learning anything, so if you're like me, you give all these courses five stars.

Why only 3 Stars?

While 2.5 is the middle of the road in a 5 star rating, sadly, it is not available. There was nothing wrong, or bad, about anything contained in this course. However, it was not what I had hoped it to be, nor did it contain much, if any, of the information I thought it would. This created thoughts of misrepresentation and a feeling of disappointment. Therefore, during the majority of the lectures, I was frustrated and bored. This is, probably, why I wasn't wowed by the professors performance. It wasn't until the last few chapters that my interest was sparked. I enjoyed them and found them both useful for future writing projects for school, and humorous when addressing the most common mistakes in grammer. I don't want to know how many mistakes I made in my review. Especially, given the course objective. Lol!

Overall excellent

Wished I get it early in life. Examples are excellent, narrative is awesome, contents are rich.

A course I wish I'd had in high school or college

I was an English major in college. I learned to do research and write papers. I think I have some natural writing ability, and I know I am very logical. Nevertheless, writing essays was agony for me. I had no idea how to outline. I put the project off to the last minute. Thanks to many all-nighters, I was able to get good grades.

Thirty-five years later, I listened to this course for a couple of reasons.

I'm a supervisor and have to provide written feedback. Almost always, I end up writing the reviews at the last possible moment and stress about not having done them sooner.

I am also a Toastmaster. As a Toastmaster, I give 15 to 20 speeches a year. After 24 years, I've finally learned to outline, but I thought this course might help me organize my thoughts more efficiently. I have a technical speech that I've been planning to give, but couldn't quite figure out how to organize and present it to a non-technical audience.

This course (perhaps the 20th I've listened to) is one of the two best I've heard. (The other was "The Other Side of History".)

Professor Armstrong is a gifted and engaging lecturer. She provides insight into her own writing, which informs her recommendations of best methods. She has concrete suggestions for how these techniques can be used both inside and outside academia. (Letters to the editor, resume writing, etc.)

She gives us examples of poor or average writing, then recommends changes that undeniably improve the work.

Her course is clear, well-organized, easy to follow and (surprisingly) fun.

My niece wants to teach high school English. I have recommended this course. If I had been presented with this material in my youth, my writing would have been better and my sleep more prolific. As it is, I believe my habits and my writing will improve thanks to Professor Armstrong and this course.

In review of Analysis and Critique:

Having just finished "Analysis and Critique" i can think of only one word to concisely convey my consciousness, phenomenal!

Signposts along the way

Many obvious suggestions, but with helpful examples and encouragement along the way. In high school, I despised English class, evaluating it a complete waste of time. Now, in my career, I wish I, and almost everyone else, had better writing, and, more generally, communication, skills. This is not to imply that such skills were taught back in high school. Perhaps, the most practical advise in this book is simply to practice and get/accept feedback; in other words, work towards improving.

A course for high culture writing

Do you remember that English teacher who focused on works from people who died centuries ago? Do you remember how difficult it was to relate? At times, this course is similar to that experience. There's a lot of good stuff in it, but much of the experience focuses on things I do not care much for like getting a good grade.

Structure can be better seems unorganized

Would you listen to another book narrated by Professor Dorsey Armstrong?

Yes She sounds like Julie Bowen. However she emphasizes on older classic literature less so on modern literature

Great reminders and tips for writing

Easy to digest lessons in writing. A wonderful reminder of what to do well.

Great

Another great one by Dorsey Armstrong. Certainly makes getting the information fun and interesting. She makes it easy to follow along and she gives real world examples to assist in the teaching process.