South Pacific: in Fiction, Film, and Culture

Bruce Harvey

GUIDELINES FOR BOOK REVIEW DUE NOV. 10

--Present a review of a scholarly/secondary book (not an article) about or related to one or several of our authors or the issues/content in the course or your paper topic: a biography, a work of literary-cultural interpretation, an historical or cultural studies volume, or a theoretical volume, etc.

--Obviously, you should a select a secondary work that you already are using for your essay.

--It should be between one and two single-spaced pages, and written in a format and style kindred to what you would find in an academic journal.

--Although short, this should be a showpiece: your very best, impeccable writing.

--The review should include:

a) A summary of the argument/content of the work.

b) A critical assessment pointing out strengths and weaknesses.

c) If you were really writing a review, and knew the subject matter well, you'd have also a prefatory paragraph that puts the work in a larger context of kindred works ... but I'm not expecting that necessarily.

--It's good to have a couple of key quotes to exemplify good points or bad points or crucial terminology.

--It is best to learn by imitation, and so go to ProjectMuse via FIU’s library’s digital resource section, locate the journal “Contemporary Pacific” and read several sample reviews from several different years/quarters of the journal.  The reviews, in the table of contents for each issue, will be at the end.

--Do NOT write as if you are a student; imitate the tone and rhetoric of the examples above.

--Email your review to me.