The last week of classes is always bittersweet. I will be sad to say goodbye to the students I have gotten to know this semester, but (like my students) happy to say hello to the break from classes, and (for me, at least) I am looking forward to some extended time to read and work on my research.

I worry at this point in the semester, as I prepare to give a final push to the students and send them out of the LitMeth nest, if the class has given everyone the tools they need to fly in the world of literary analysis.

I am happy to report that I have seen the majority of you mature as writers and thinkers: as a result, I am very excited to read your final analysis papers. I have spoken with or exchanged e-mails with several of you about your final papers. Based on this preview, I expect to see great results with this last set of papers.

I hope this last paper also will encourage you, whenever possible, to work through the draft process and to share your writing with others. Whether creative or not, writers write better when they share their work with readers for feedback. A rough draft reader encourages you to work through the revision process: all the more rewarding when it produces concrete results like a satisfactory grade.

You all have a range of tools and approaches to literature at your disposal. I hope that you will continue to add to your toolbox and continue to sharpen your skills and craft. Drop by my office now and then to tell me how you are doing . . . or perhaps I will see you in another of my classes in the spring. I hope so.