Six pages (Your Works Cited list is page seven). Read all of the required essays by Joan Didion that are linked on Canvas. What do you notice about her writing style? What do you notice beyond the subjects/topics she addresses? What are the recognizable characteristics she employs as a writer, that make her style her own? I expect you to support your claim with at least four body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should be about a specific characteristic you notice in Didion’s writing. Be sure to organize your essay by ideas or style characteristics NOT by focusing on only one of Didion’s essays per paragraph. The topic sentence should make the specific point about each style characteristic and connect back to the thesis. The examples in each paragraph should show evidence from MORE than one of Didion’s essays and at least once compare Didion to the other writers (*see the following paragraph). Be careful to follow the 80% analysis 20% quotation rule. Each example also requires an in-text citation according to current MLA guidelines. Be sure to fully explain what Didion is doing and how it works or doesn’t work. Each body paragraph is an example of your thesis or a specific reason for your argument/claim. Use a minimum of four of the assigned readings in your paper.
*One way to talk about Didion’s style is to compare her to another writer. For this assignment, study her writing style in comparison to Lukianoff and Haidt in the articles that we used in class for Essay #1 (“The Coddling of the American Mind”). What are the similarities and differences? You may make only one comparison in your essay or mention the similarities more than once in several paragraphs. It’s up to you and the thesis you are proving.
You needn’t approve of or appreciate how Didion works to earn a good grade; you do need to demonstrate your careful analysis and direction and prove an argumentative thesis about how Didion writes. Please follow standard format: double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and clear references. Include in-text citations and a Works Cited page. Do not use “I” in your writing or talk about yourself.