How do I use critical quotes effectively in my exam?

At A Level you are expected to use different interpretations of your text in order to inform your discussion in the exam. These are supposed to HELP you to write a good essay and should not be a massive worry!!

First of all, there are many different things which come under 'different interpretations':

• short quotes from critics who have spoken about your text or about an idea which is relevant to your text.

• paraphrased arguments that have been made by critics.

• adaptations of the text on stage/TV/film or into other texts (e.g Wide Sargasso Sea is an interpretation of aspects of Jane Eyre).

Knowing a few paraphrased critical arguments and remembering details about adaptations of your text are easy ways to pick up marks as they require less memorising! However, if you do learn critical quotes (maybe 6-10 quotes), make sure they are short and could be easily adapted to fit lots of different questions. (Try going through past papers and seeing if you can think of a way to twist your critical quotes to fit each question).

When it comes to fitting them into the actual body of your essay, you can do this in three easy ways:

• Use them to support your interpretation. e.g. you have argued that the proliferated use of personal pronouns in a particular poem draws attention to the stark solitude of the poetic voice- x critic agreed with this when they discussed/wrote...

• Disagree with them- arguing that you think an aspect of an adaptation was done poorly, or that you think a particular critic has not quite made an important connection or argument that you have noticed, is a way of demonstrating impressive critical thought and command over your argument.

• Finally, in certain cases it is useful to use 'different interpretations' to actually structure your argument. This generally works by beginning with a critical idea or an adaptation of your text and using the essay as a way of discussing how valid/successful you think this interpretation is. (This could be prompted by the quotation in the question, or one of your own that fits with the question). As long as you ensure that you remain focussed on the question, and hit the other assessment objectives along the way, this can be a really effective technique.