Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices.\u00a0It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.<\/p>\n
A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis<\/a>, nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay<\/a> where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.<\/p>\n Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and come up with a <\/span>thesis statement<\/a> to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure<\/a> of an academic essay<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing\u2014these are things you can dig into in your analysis.<\/p>\n 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<\/strong>\u2014textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting<\/a> multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.<\/p>\n To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.<\/p>\n Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?<\/p>\n What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor<\/strong><\/a> (e.g. \u201cher eyes were oceans\u201d) and simile<\/strong><\/a> (e.g. \u201cher eyes were like oceans\u201d).<\/p>\n Also keep an eye out for imagery<\/strong> in the text\u2014recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.<\/p>\n Ask yourself:<\/p>\n Is it a first-person narrator<\/strong> (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator<\/strong> who tells us about the characters from a distance?<\/p>\n Consider the narrator\u2019s perspective<\/strong>. Is the narrator omniscient<\/strong> (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator<\/strong> who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.<\/p>\n The tone<\/strong> of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa<\/a>? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?<\/p>\n Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.<\/p>\n Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.<\/p>\n 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<\/em>\u2014in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?<\/p>\n With poetry, consider how the rhyme<\/strong> and meter<\/strong> shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.<\/p>\n In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters<\/strong> are built up through different scenes, and how the setting<\/strong> relates to the action. Watch out for\u00a0dramatic irony<\/strong>, where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.<\/p>\n Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It\u2019s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:<\/p>\n Is Franz Kafka\u2019s \u201cBefore the Law\u201d a religious parable?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Your thesis statement<\/a> should be an answer to this question\u2014not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn\u2019t the case:<\/p>\n Franz Kafka\u2019s \u201cBefore the Law\u201d is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sometimes you\u2019ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you\u2019ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.<\/p>\n Your thesis should be something arguable\u2014that 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.<\/p>\n Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein<\/em>. You could start by asking yourself:<\/p>\n Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:<\/p>\n The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:<\/p>\n Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature\u2019s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble\u2014even in his own telling\u2014the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process<\/a>, so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.<\/p>\n To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence<\/strong>\u2014specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted<\/a> and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.<\/p>\n It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they\u2019re convincing.<\/p>\n To start your literary analysis paper, you\u2019ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.<\/p>\n Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.<\/p>\n A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.<\/p>\n If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don\u2019t worry\u2014this will be easier once you\u2019ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.<\/p>\n \u201cFearful symmetry\u201d: The violence of creation in William Blake\u2019s \u201cThe Tyger\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n The essay introduction<\/a> provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Then you can end with a brief indication of what\u2019s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn\u2019t be more than one sentence.<\/p>\n Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em> is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature\u2019s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble\u2014even in his own telling\u2014the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature\u2019s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume\u2019s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it\u2019s not a bad idea. After all, you\u2019ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you\u2019ve begun writing them!<\/p>\n If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.<\/p>\n The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.<\/p>\n A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs<\/a>: the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.<\/p>\n Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don\u2019t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text\u2014only analysis that drives your argument.<\/p>\n In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments\u2014a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.<\/p>\n Robert\u2019s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels \u201ca sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.\u201d He identifies the moment of their meeting as \u201cthe beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it\u201d (p. 89). Gil-Martin\u2019s \u201cinvisible power\u201d seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n To keep your points focused, it\u2019s important to use a topic sentence<\/a> at the beginning of each paragraph.<\/p>\n A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words<\/a> like \u201chowever\u201d or \u201cmoreover\u201d are useful for creating smooth transitions:<\/p>\n \u2026 The story\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the \u201cradiance\u201d that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word \u201cnevertheless\u201d points out a contrast with the previous paragraph\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes<\/a> from the text and explaining their significance to your point.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you\u2019re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you\u2019re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you\u2019ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can\u2019t be captured in a short quote.<\/p>\n In these cases, it\u2019s more appropriate to paraphrase<\/a> or summarize parts of the text\u2014that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:<\/p>\n The conclusion<\/a> of your analysis shouldn\u2019t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it\u2019s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.<\/p>\n A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they\u2019ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:<\/p>\n If you want to know more about AI tools<\/a>, college essays<\/a>, or fallacies<\/a> make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!<\/p>\n <\/em>Fallacies<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/em> College essays<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/em>\u00a0(AI) Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel\u2019s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes\u2014first in the creature\u2019s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice\u2014increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein\u2019s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others\u2019 perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley\u2019s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices.\u00a0It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing. A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis, nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[50090],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices<\/h2>\n
Language choices<\/h3>\n
Narrative voice<\/h3>\n
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Structure<\/h3>\n
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Step 2: Coming up with a thesis<\/h2>\n
Essay question example<\/h6>\n
Thesis statement example<\/h6>\n
Finding textual evidence<\/h3>\n
Step 3: Writing a title and introduction<\/h2>\n
The title<\/h3>\n
The introduction<\/h3>\n
Step 4: Writing the body of the essay<\/h2>\n
Paragraph structure<\/h3>\n
Topic sentences<\/h3>\n
Using textual evidence<\/h3>\n
Step 5: Writing a conclusion<\/h2>\n
Other interesting articles<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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