Literary Review Precis
A précis is a special kind of summary that not only summarizes the main points or arguments that the author makes, but it also summarizes the major evidence used to develop those points and the secondary arguments that the author makes. You must write yours in your own words and in your own voice. This précis should be two full (but no more than two- and-a-half) double-spaced pages. You should include a full bibliographic citation at the beginning of your précis, and use the opening two or three sentences to state the author’s main idea or thesis. The rest of the précis should reconstruct the argument(s) for your reader, making sure to summarize all the evidence used to support the thesis. Remember, it is important to understand the way the author makes the argument, not just what that argument is. In addition to summarizing the article, you will comment on the thoroughness of the article. You will identify areas that are complete and areas that might have been further developed (or where a researcher like you might have to look elsewhere to “fill in the blanks”). You will also need to explain the intended audience for your article; was it written for a professional conference or to be included in a lay magazine? You may also want to comment on the complexity of the article. Purpose: To tell someone what an article is about and how the arguments are made so that they don’t have to read the entire article. Audience: Intelligent, educated person who has not read your article.Voice: 3rd person, but your point of view, not the author’s. Style: Formal.
