How to Write a Comparative Review
Tips on Interpreting Film Adaptations of Books
Writing comparative reviews can be time-consuming particularly because critical analyses that compare and contrast works of art must be preformed with caution. It’s easy to mix up artistic contexts and motives only to arrive at some unsustainable conclusion. In order to write with authority, you must make sure you have a good grasp of comparative writing strategies. Here’s how you go about it.
Introduction in a Comparative Review
The introduction should name the subject of your analysis. Give full titles of the works you’re about to explore critically and briefly explain which common elements, specifically, invite comparison between the novel and the movie. If the film constitutes cinematic adaption of the book, state clearly your position with respect to its originality and faithfulness. The introduction, by its very essence, informs readers about interpretative profile with which the following body review will be approached.
Comparative Review Paragraphs
Split your remarks into three main groups and write about them separately – in three respective paragraphs. How you organize your body essay depends on you only, and on how you relate your arguments to different facets of the novel and film. Your comparative review should, however, answer some universal questions. To learn all about them as well as researching strategies, read How to Research a Comparative Review.
Conclusion in a Comparative Review
Summarize your findings and impressions. Subsequently, you will want to restate your thesis mentioned already in the introduction and reinforce it with the whole of researched material. You can choose to recommend either both the book and the movie, one of them only, or none. It’s a very good idea to end the review by drawing a unique conclusion that hasn’t been made by others so far. In this way, you will be able to convince your readers that your review really adds up to the critical discussion.
General Advice Concerning Writing Comparative Reviews
- Don’t be afraid of a slightly subjective language – your opinion is the starting point for the ensuing critique;
- Maintain a proportion between references to the movie and to the book in terms of quantity;
- Compare and contrast only these artistic means which can be considered corresponding or accounting for analogical impressions;
- Don’t be afraid to express both praise and criticism of any of the works – your review is a critical evaluation of them and not a product review so you don’t have to “take sides”.
Essay structure of a comparative review is not much different from other types of five paragraph essays. It is; however, important to keep in mind that argumentation must be balanced, adequate, and directly related to source contents. For more tips on writing on books and movies, see the following articles:
How to Write a Response to a Movie
How to Write a Response to Literature
Writing Book and Movie Reviews
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