How to Write a Book Review中文版

How to Write a Book Review

There are two approaches to write book review.: the descriptive and the critical. A descriptive review is one in which the writer, without over-enthusiasmor exaggeration, gives the essential information about a book. This is done by description and exposition, by stating the perceived aims and purposes of the author, and by quoting striking passages from the text. A critical review is one in which the writer describes and evaluates the book, in terms of accepted literary and historical standards, and supports this evaluation with evidence from the text. The following pointers are meant to be suggestions

for writing a critical review.

有两种方法来写书评：描述和评论。描述性的评论，是一个作者对一本书的基本信息进行描述而没有过分热情的夸张。这是一种通过描述和论述，指出作者的目标和目的，并引述引人注目的段落文本。评论性的书评是评论者描述和评估图书，根据公认的文学和历史标准，运用书中的证据支持自己的评价。

Basic Requirements

Simply stated, the reviewer must know two things in order to write a critical review:

the work being reviewed and the requirements of the genre类型to which the work belongs (novel, short story, biography 传记, poetry, etc.).

Knowledge of the work demands not only an attempt to understand what the author's purpose is and how the component parts of the work contribute to that purpose, but also some knowledge of the author--his/her nationality, time period, other works etc. 认识要求不仅要试图理解作者的意图是什么，作品的部分如何有助于达成这目的，而且

Knowledge of the genre means understanding the art form and how it functions. Without such understanding, the reviewer has no historical or literary standard upon which to base his/her evaluation.认识流派是指理解作品的艺术形式和它是如何运作的，没有这些理解，评论者就没有历史或文学的依据作为他的评价标准。

Minimum Essentials of a Book Review书评最低要求

Description, not a summary, of the book. Sufficient description should be given so that the reader, as he reads the review, will have some understanding of the author's thoughts. This account of the contents of a book can often be woven编排into the critical remarks. 对一本书的描述，而不是摘要。赢给予读者充分的描述，使得读者阅读这本书时会有一些对于作者思想的理解。因而一本书的内容往往可以编排成评论性的摘要。

Something about, not a biography of, the author. Biographical information should be relevant to the subject of the review and enhance the reader's understanding of the work under discussion. 有关作者的一些事情，而不是传记。传记性的信息也应该与书评的主题相关，能够加强读者对正在讨论的作品的理解。

An appraisal, preferably indirect, through description and exposition and based on the aims and purposes of the author. While a critical review is a statement of opinion, it must be a considered judgement including: 一个评价，最好是间接的，通过描述和论述，并以作者的宗旨和目的为基础。虽然一个评论性书评是对一个观点的陈述，但它必须是一个深思熟虑的判断。

a statement of the reviewer's understanding of the author's purpose .

how well the reviewer feels the author's purpose has been achieved .评论者对作者表达目的的理解程度如何

evidence to support the reviewer's judgement of the author' achievement.

Preliminary 最初Mechanical Steps

Read the book with care.

Note effective passages for quoting.

Note your impressions as you read.

Allow yourself time to assimilate消化、吸收what you have read so that the book can be seen in perspective不同角度. Keep in mind the need for achieving a single impression which must be made clear to the reader.牢记获得单一印象的必要性，而这个印象必须要清晰地传达给读者

The Review Outline评论大纲

The review outline enables you to get an over-all grasp of the organization of the review, to determine what central point your review is going to make, to eliminate除去inessentials or irrelevancies, and to fill in gaps or omissions省略、删除、遗漏. 消除不必要或不相关的，填补空白或遗漏

By examining the notes you have made and eliminating消除，排除those which have no relationship to your central thesis, and by organizing them into groups, several aspects of the book will emerge出现: e.g., theme, character, structure,

etc. After ordering确定your topics--determining in what sequence顺序they will be discussed--write down all the major headings of the outline and then fill in the subdivisions细分. Keep in mind that all parts of the outline should support your thesis or central point.通过检查你做的笔记，消除与中心论点不相关的，并通过把他们组织成起来，书的几个方面就出现了，比如主题，人物，结构等等，在确定你的主题（）

The Draft草稿

The opening paragraph, like the concluding one, is in a position of emphasis and usually sets the tone of the paper. Among the various possible introductions are:开放性的段落，比如总结段落，是处于强调的低位，通常设置了整篇文章的基调，其中包含各种可能说明

a statement of the thesis

a statement of the author's purpose

a statement about the topicality of the work or its significance

a comparison of the work to others by the same author or within the same genre

a statement about the author

The main body of the review should logically develop your thesis 论题as organized by your outline. Changes in the outline may need to be made and transitional过渡paragraphs introduced, but the aim should be toward logical development of the central point. Quoted material should be put in quotation marks, or indented,空格，缩进and properly footnoted.

The concluding paragraph may sum up or restate重申your thesis or may make the final judgement regarding the book. No new information or ideas should be introduced in the conclusion.

Steps in Revising修订the Draft

1.Allow some time to elapse经过、流逝, at least a day, before starting your revision.

2.Correct all mistakes in grammar and punctuation标点符号as you find them.

3.Read your paper through again looking for unity, organization and logical development.

4.If necessary, do not hesitate to make major revisions in your draft.

5.Verify确认quotations for accuracy准确性and check the format格式and content of references引用.

Fiction

(above all, do not give away the story)Character 人物

1.From what sources方面are the characters drawn?

2.What is the author's attitude toward his characters?

3.Are the characters flat or three dimensional?

4.Does character development occur? 人物性格是否会有进一步发展

5.Is character delineation 描画、描绘direct or indirect?

Theme

1.What is/are the major theme(s)?

2.How are they revealed揭示and developed深化?

3.Is the theme traditional and familiar熟悉的, or new and original?

4.Is the theme didactic说教的、教诲的, psychological心心理的, social, entertaining, escapist逃避现实者, etc. in purpose or intent?

Plot情节、结构

1.How are the various elements of plot (eg, introduction, suspense悬念, climax高潮, conclusion) handled?

2.What is the relationship of plot to character delineation刻画、描画、描写?

3.To what extent, and how, is accident employed as a complicating复杂and/or resolving force? 在何种程度上，以及如何，使意外事故被当成了一个复杂的或者可解决的外力

4.What are the elements of mystery and suspense玄疑?

5.What other devices策略of plot complication and resolution解析are employed?

6.Is there a sub-plot子情节and how is it related to the main plot?

7.Is the plot primary or secondary to some of the other essential elements of the story (character, setting背景, style, etc.)?与故事的其他重要元素相比，情节是首要的还是次要的

Style 文体、风格

1.What are the "intellectual qualities" of the writing (e.g., simplicity简单, clarity清晰)?

2.What are the "emotional qualities" of the writing (e.g., humour, wit风趣的, satire讽刺的)?

3.What are the "aesthetic美学的、审美的qualities" of the writing (e.g., harmony, rhythm)?

4.What stylistic文体devices are employed (e.g., symbolism象征, motifs主题, parody戏仿, allegory寓言、讽喻)?

5.How effective is dialogue?对话的效果如何

Setting 背景

1.What is the setting and does it play a significant role in the work?

2.Is a sense of atmosphere evoked, and how?

3.What scenic场景effects are used and how important and effective are they?

4.Does the setting influence or impinge撞击、冲击on the characters and/or plot?

Some Considerations When Reviewing Biography

1.Does the book give a "full-length" picture of the subject?

2.What phases方面、阶段of the subject's life receive greatest treatment and is this treatment justified?

3.What is the point of view of the author?

4.How is the subject matter organized: chronologically按年代先后的, retrospectively回溯的, etc.?

5.Is the treatment superficial肤浅的or does the author show extensive study into the subject's life?

6.What source源materials were used in the preparation of the biography?

7.Is the work documented有文件证明的?

8.Does the author attempt to get at the subject's hidden motives?

9.What important new facts about the subject's life are revealed in the book?

10.What is the relationship of the subject's career生涯、经历to contemporary history?

11.How does the biography compare with others about the same person?

12.How does it compare with other works by the same author?

Some Considerations When Reviewing History

1.With what particular period does the book deal?

2.How thorough is the treatment? 如何全面的评价

3.What were the sources used? 来源是什么

4.Is the account描述given in broad outline or in detail?

5.Is the style that of reportorial writing, or is there an effort at interpretive writing? 风格是报告性的，还是致力于解释性写作的

6.What is the point of view or thesis of the author?

7.Is the treatment superficial or profound? 肤浅的还是深刻的

8.For what group is the book intended (textbook, popular, scholarly, etc.)?

9.What part does biographical writing play in the book? 传记性写作在书中起什么作业

11.Is social history or political history emphasized?

12.Are dates used extensively, and if so, are they used intelligently?

14.Is the book a revision修订本? How does it compare with earlier editions?

15.Are maps, illustrations插图, charts, etc. used and how are these to be evaluated?

Some Considerations When Reviewing Poetry

1.Is this a work of power, originality独具匠心的, individuality?

2.What kind of poetry is under review (epic史诗, lyrical抒情的, elegaic挽歌、哀歌, etc.)?

3.What poetical devices have been used (rhyme押韵, rhythm节奏, figures of speech修辞手法, imagery比喻, etc.), and to what effect?

4.What is the central concern of the poem and is it effectively expressed?