The document provides guidance on how to write an effective essay response explaining how a work is characteristic of a literary period. It defines literary periods and the Modernist period specifically. Key characteristics of Modernist works include multiple points of view, nonlinear narratives, themes of the human condition, focus on the present, and use of techniques like symbolism over complex plots. The response recommends introducing how the text fits the period, explaining how, and citing two examples from the text as evidence to fully answer the question.