Activity

Here, Naomi talks in general terms about the structure and argument of the essay she is discussing on Elizabeth 1. She is particularly impressed with how this student has made intelligent use of her reading

Activity 1 - sample sentence beginnings from each section of this literature review

After listening to the audio clip, notice how this student has structured her argument across and within the three sections by looking at the short phrases reproduced below:

defining the topic (this is the function of this sentence - the phrase you might like to use is picked out in purple)

Firstly, it is essential to define the term ‘cult of Elizabeth’. Strong used this term as the title of his 1977 work which addressed the iconography of Elizabethan portraiture and how along with lavish pageantry, the ‘myth’ of Elizabeth was skilfully created.

justification for choosing Strong's work as a starting point

This work stood out at the time of its publication for suggesting that ...

starting to evaluate the issues raised

However, as Helen Hackett has since commented, ...

Strong goes so far as to suggest that ....

focussing on historical perspective to justify later choices

Being an art-historian, Strong’s aim is to ...

His work particularly addresses the ..

what more recent scholars have to say, together with an evaluation of this work i.e. 'taking on the scholars'

Having established the cult of Elizabeth as separate to Elizabeth I herself, scholars have since pushed the boundaries a little further by recognising that ...

‘The Heart and Stomach of a King’ by Carole Levin is worth mentioning here as it provides a summary of ...

indicating that this student has her own view

While the study has faced criticism for ... it does stand out as an interdisciplinary study ...

Though she fails to ... this expansion of sources allows her to ....

etc

defining the research gap - this student's 'niche' - which she plans to address in her dissertation project. By evaluating the current state of research, she poses her research question and outlines the approach she plans to take.

The historical gap that remains to be explored effectively is the concept that ....

Scholars such as Hackett, Betteridge, Dobson and Watson have touched upon this notion briefly in recent research, though there remains work to be done. Hackett has ...

The project produced by the team of Michael Dobson and Nicola Watson, … takes a much more promising step in this direction. This work is unique as it ...

Similarly to Montrose it concludes by suggesting that ...

Most recently, Susan Doran has picked up the gauntlet in her collection of essays that aim to ...

etc

NOTE: that all comments made are developed with reference to the contribution of each scholar - what they actually said!

Collect phrases
Develop your academic phrase bank
It is a good idea to collect a phrase bank of useful academic phrases that perform a particular function in developing an academic tone, without appearing either pompous or subservient to the literature.

Naomi says that this student's academic voice is strong as she uses nuance and critiques intelligently, as you can see above. If you download this document, you will see the main body of her argument in full and can judge for yourself. These phrases are useful - do note how they are used without distracting from the content of the essay and incorporate them into your own writing if you wish: Dismantling the Cult of Elizabeth Lit Review.doc

Moving on

Activity 2