Literary Analysis

Purpose of Literary Analysis Analyze literature Explain something in the literature

What do I write about? Any aspect of literature is open for discussion – theme, characters, symbolism, imagery, religious implications, etc. The main goal of a literary analysis would be to analyze something that is important to and has an effect on the literature you are discussing.

But it’s only my opinion… That is right – an analysis is an argument of your own opinion, but one that you have evidence to defend. It is important to have information to back up any opinion, but you should start with that information when writing a literary analysis.

How do I start it? You must decide what you are going to write about before beginning. Once you have decided, the first place to go is your evidence. Evidence means QUOTES! Group the evidence and form an outline and then just fill in the pieces!

Writing a Good Literary Analysis Focus on the topic. Be sure your evidence supports your topic. Include quotes and explain their importance to your main point. Make your points clear and concise. Don’t put too much personal feeling into the essay – be sure your evidence is solid.

Four Simple Steps Read & gather information with a specific idea in mind. Organize your information and ideas. Decide what importance the ideas and information have to the literature. Begin writing.

Start Writing… The body paragraphs will form themselves from your outline & evidence. The introduction should include a thesis that hits home the main idea of the essay. The conclusion should link together your ideas from the body and the introduction.

General Rules of Academic Writing Write in third person – never use “I” “you” “me” “we” etc. [the reader] Don’t summarize the story – analyze it. Use literary terms and academic vocabulary, not slang. Be clear where you information is coming from (quotations, commas, characters, etc).