Excursus Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RL.6.3

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

An excursus is a point in a work of literature where the author goes off topic and provides a detailed discussion or explanation that is separate from the main topic. This is usually present in the appendix of the book and is written in a formal manner. These often have very little to do with the main topic. You find that authors use an excursus to lighten a tragic story or to provide their audience with much more backstory that they felt was necessary to truly appreciate their work. These worksheets will introduce students to this technique and help them understand the author purpose for providing them.

Excursus Worksheets:

True or False - Why would you enver need to know more than we explore here for you?

The Checklist - Use the checklist below to make sure that you have avoided excursus in your paper.

Exposition - How do these concepts overlap and spread apart from one another?

Pop Ins - Put the words in to finish off all the different thoughts.

The Basics - We look at the most fundamental aspects of this section.

Moby Dick - Why do you think Melville included so much of this technique in this book?

Active Work - How would you value the work of this author?

When to Use It - Evaluate the risks and acceptable times to use it.

Uses in Fiction - When can you use this within fiction and when does it not make any sense.

Subjective - Explore situation on whether or not something is subjective.

Digression - How do these two concepts relate?

May the Force Be with You... - Watch the clip of Qui-Gon explaining the force to Anakin in Star Wars episode 1, The Phantom Menace.

Lord of the Rings - Identify a passage in the novel that you feel is exposition. Why do you feel this passage is exposition and not excursus?

Keeping Labels - When do you feel that this appears in a work you are reading?

Evaluate It? - What is your primary means for choosing this work to evaluate?

What Is The Meaning Of Excursus?

In a work of literature, an excursus is a brief event or tale. Excursus may not have anything concerning the subject matter of the work and are employed to lighten the mood in a tragic narrative.


Sometimes, like in Pseudo-Apollodorus' Bibliotheke, they are employed to offer background to the topic at hand. In addition, this type of detour is frequently used in academic writing to convey digressive material that does not directly contribute to the argument but can nevertheless be related to the text's central theme. In short, it is a digression in which a topic is examined in depth; or an appendix devoted to a deep treatment of a topic that was left out of the main text.


The significance of this departure in any argument or tale is determined by what one considers to be the major subject. Of course, in many circumstances, this is a subjective assessment.


You're asking your reader to trust you as a writer. You're implying that they'll find anything useful in what you've written. In fiction, its value may be entertainment or inspiration, while in nonfiction, it could be persuasion and knowledge. You and the reader have an unwritten agreement: they give you their time and attention, and you pledge not to waste it. An excursus is a breach of the agreement.


If you wish to elaborate on a subject but aren't sure if it would be of interest to all of your readers, include it in a footnote or appendix. Readers who want to know more will have access to the material, while others who aren't as patient will be able to skip it.


Political Liberalism by John Rawls is one of the most significant works of the political philosophy of the twentieth century, and its core argument is tightly controlled - Rawls seldom deviates from his main topic, even for a paragraph. His footnotes, on the other hand, usually describe the connection between his beliefs and different ways of thinking. For example, he has a long footnote on the applicability of political liberalism to Islam. This footnote is an excursus, as the book's primary thesis is unrelated to Islam in any manner, yet it may still be of interest to certain readers.


In a formal essay, something similar can happen. Let's pretend you're writing about Coca-Cola's early years. Should you give a description of Coke's formula and the original components, or would that be an unnecessary digression? Of course, the answer is that it depends. If the paper's focus is on marketing and corporate growth, the formula will likely be less significant. However, it may still be useful in explaining, for example, the popularity of the drink. It is completely up to the readers to decide whether or not this explanation is an excursus.