A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.
To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.
Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.
With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.
Thesis statement example
…The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.
Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices—textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.
Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein. You could start by asking yourself:
There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res—in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?
You should collect expressions, facts and all reasonable evidence to help you write a solid essay and end it with an excellent conclusion. To make a persuasive conclusion, you need to collect enough evidence. Also, get to know the writer behind the text
Learning how to write this essay helps sharpen your thinking skills and develop critical writing skills. Whether you want to write a single analytical paragraph or a whole essay, the secret to an excellent literary analysis essay is trying to see things like the original author did. The main aim of the essay should be to uncover symbolism and help readers understand how different functions in the content. This includes explaining why they did certain things and the real meaning of the entire content.
You must have heard your, teacher, talking about the literary elements. This means you not only enjoy reading the text but also understand what the author is saying. The elements that must be in a literary analysis essay are:
- Avoid introducing any new points. You are concluding and should not start any discussion.
- It should be a summary of the points made in the essay
- Restate your thesis and show that your arguments in the essay proved it
How to write a literary analysis essay?
- Relevant background information about this literary genre should be in the essay. Besides, you can also write something relevant about the author of the text you are analyzing.
- Before you conclude the introduction, write the thesis statement. Make sure it’s a single sentence meaning clarity is essential but has to express in a few words.
Read the assigned work and analyze it until you understand it completely. The most important things are the writer’s plot, idea and characters. You can read the work as many times as you may need to. It will give you a clear understanding of the writer’s ideas, views and the whole content. Also, try to answer these questions:
- Setting
- Plot
- Theme
- Characterization
- Viewpoint
- Conflict
The answer to this question is known as your thesis. In order to serve as the foundation for your analysis, your thesis needs to meet several conditions. It must be:
Using your outline and notes from the text, you can now start writing your literary analysis. However, may find it helpful to leave room for your introduction and start by writing the body paragraphs, which contain your main arguments.
This means that your analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of the work will be through one of those lenses.
This strategy can also be beneficial because as you develop your arguments, you may generate new ideas or slightly adjust your thesis.
3. Create an outline.
Once you’ve fleshed out your body paragraphs and written a compelling argument, you can write your introductory paragraph (using the thesis statement you developed earlier), as well as your conclusion, which should neatly tie up your argument and leave your readers with some final insights.
Sometimes, you’ll want to read a book just for the pleasure of being entertained and taken to a different time or place, and see the world through the eyes of another.
Create an outline to organize your thoughts, so when it’s time to start writing, you won’t forget where you were going with those points.
You must have heard your, teacher, talking about the literary elements. This means you not only enjoy reading the text but also understand what the author is saying. The elements that must be in a literary analysis essay are:
This is where you form the context of the essay’s critique. However, you also must include the following:
- Each paragraph should address a single point.
- Include some relevant quotes, which should validate every argument. It should focus on answering the “how” question.
- Quotes with dialogue and narrative.
- Explain why you use a particular technique to address the specific question you’re answering.
- Conclude every paragraph with a solid statement to echo its primary focus.
- Mention the theme of the text in the paragraphs, but remain relevant to the question you are addressing.
Here is a simple way to help you understand the question that you must in the introduction part.
Create an outline
- Who- This refers to the author of the text.
- What- This is the response you have as the answer to the question asked.
- How- The way you bring the meaning
- Why- This refers to how the text’s meaning relates to life and real message that the author intends to deliver.
College and university students write a literary analysis. No one goes through any of these tertiary education levels without writing this essay at one point. It is not a paper that you research and write within a few hours it requires a lot of reading, analyzing the understanding of a given topic and text.
An excellent way to make your introduction catchy, include a quote analyzing one of the book’s characters. It helps you grab the attention of the reader, especially if you choose an interesting scene. Other things to include:
The conclusion is basically a summary of all the points you have stated in your essay so far. In this section, you could also hint at a significant point or lesson to be learned. However, your conclusion shouldn’t just end at restating or summarizing your thesis statement. Rather, it should go on to prove why your stance is relevant to the literary society.
Is there a pattern to be noticed in the text? If there is, follow the pattern closely to find out its significance and thematic implications. For instance, in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus , there was a pattern of abuse in the Achike family. This pattern was linked to Eugene’s religious fanaticism and his inherent need to control his family members.
Once you have formed your thesis statement, you can then begin to organize the examples and arguments that will back it up. These examples will form the middle of your essay and convince the reader that your thesis is credible and believable.
ANALYSIS : Although Kambili is initially portrayed in “Purple Hibiscus” as a quiet, withdrawn girl, the story explains how a change in environment can trigger a reconditioning in young children. For instance, after she visits Aunty Ifeoma’s house, Kambili becomes more carefree and extroverted. She makes new friends at school and even falls in love with a young priest.
Body paragraphs
Once you have outlined the questions you want your essay to answer, you can then go through the book to find evidence that will help you answer the questions. Pay close attention to certain symbols and images that correlate with your topic.
For high-school or college students, reading, assimilating, and critiquing texts are all core aspects of the learning process. As such, it is important to learn the basics and intricacies of literary analysis. But first things first. What is a literary analysis essay ?
In some cases, complex novels may contain several contradictory themes or events that you would need to explore. For instance, in George Orwell’s Animal Farm , the mantra, “All animals are equal” is contradicted by Napoleon’s treatment of Boxer after the latter’s usefulness has elapsed.
If you’re looking to write a great literary analysis essay, here are some tips that you may find useful: