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How To Write A Literary Analysis Essay

Most students find the literary analysis very confusing, and there are many reasons why. Firstly, some confuse it as a type of book report, which is not so, while others mistake it for a review. However, with deeper introspection, students will realize that a literary analysis essay is not as complicated as it seemed at first glance. Some would even find it interesting, as it would enable you to get a deeper understanding of your favorite book

This type of essay cannot be avoided in an academic environment, especially in an English class, and you would do well to educate yourself to thoroughly understand how it works to enable you to write the perfect essay when the time comes.

Think about Statement

Your thesis must be arguable; it must state a claim or refute a claim about your issue. A thesis must have some chance of being true in order to be debatable. It should not, however, be widely recognized as true; instead, it should be a statement that people can disagree with. It's important to remember that a thesis includes both an observation and an opinion:

observation + opinion (the "why") = thesis

Seeing if your thesis creates a powerful antithesis is an excellent approach to determine how strong it is.

Common thesis pitfalls:

• A thesis in the form of a fragment.
• A thesis that is overly broad.
• A thesis that is phrased as a question. (The thesis is usually derived from the solution to the question.)
• Extraneous information is included in a thesis.
• A thesis that begins with the words "I believe" or "In my opinion."
• A thesis that deals with a tired or cliched topic.
• A thesis that includes phrases that lead to erroneous generalizations (all, none, always, only, everyone, etc.)

Literary Analysis Essay Outline

Even though a literary analysis essay has similar properties to other forms of essays, there are still distinct differences that should be looked into. Here is the basic literary analysis essay format:

• Introduction
• Body
• Paragraphs

A Literary Analysis Essay Introduction

You should look at sample literary analysis essays to get a feel of this before starting on yours. Firstly, you want to make sure you capture the attention and interest of the reader in this section before moving into the body paragraphs. That is why you need a hook, to hook the reader and prevent them from dropping the article once they’ve started. You can do that by bringing their focus immediately to the main point you want to make.

This is your statement thesis. This term explains the focal point of the entire essay and should tell the reader what aspect of the book you will analyze in the subsequent sections.

You want to first start by:

1. Stating the title of the book and the author’s name
2. Mention why this book is worth analyzing; and its literary impact.
3. Explain the main idea

Body

The outline for the literary analysis essay is incomplete without the body. Each point you make in your thesis should be outlined in a separate paragraph to avoid bombarding the reader with data.

You can have from three to five paragraphs depending on the topic given to you. The common mistake students make is not using transition words when writing. These words are important to help readers fluidly transition between sections without a break in transmission.  

Start each paragraph with a sentence that tells the reader what to expect if they keep reading. This is also as effective as the hook, and it holds the readers’ attention till the article is over.

End with a finishing sentence that explains the main subject to the reader. Always express your main ideas with a lot of points and data. This tells the reader that you truly know what you are talking about.

Conclusion

Don’t rush through this section just because it’s the concluding arm of your work. It also has an equal impact on your essay as the introduction and body. Be careful not to introduce a new topic in this section, and only spend your time explaining and strengthening the facts you have listed in the body of your essay.

How To Write A Literary Analysis Essay

Read The Text

Writing literary analysis essays does not require writing alone. In fact, reading is the most important part of the entire essay. As you read the book, you want to pay attention to every detail. The part that excites you, the part that annoys you, even the part that confuses you, would give you points to analyze.

Remember, your goal is not to simply analyze the information in the text but to dissect the subject on a deeper, analytical level.

To get started on your literary analysis, there are certain key areas you want to focus on. They are:

1. Language choices
2. Narrative voice
3. Structure

Language Choices

This should explain the style of language used by the author. Do they make use of complex structures? Or favor shorter and simpler methods? You should also check out for vulgar words, grammatical structures, and the length of the entire essay.

Narrative Voice

Before your literary analysis, you want to be sure of the narrative voice used in the nook. Is it a first-person narrator? A second-person narrator? Or a third person? Asides from the voice used, you want to know the narrator’s perspective. Are they omniscient? Do they have a whole or partial perspective of the entire events? Or do they give warped narratives?

You should also note the tone of the voice. Is it tragic? Comedic? Tragic-comedy? Realistic? Or fantastical?

Structure

Consider the structure of the essay and how it relates to the entire story being told. Novels are divided into chapters and parts, plays are divided into scenes and acts, while poems are divided into lines and stanzas.

Come Up With A Thesis

Depending on what you want to write, you should check out examples of literary analysis essays on short stories to see how other excellent writers structured their work. A thesis should be the main point of your entire work and should be strong enough to hook the readers’ attention.

According to its basic definition, it is the core of your essay and should contain related keywords to the text’s title.

Write The Outline

To write a good literary analysis essay example, you need a good outline. It should be divided into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. All the main points are to be stated clearly and concisely to avoid data bombardment, which would cause fatigue and boredom in the reader. Space out your ideas, and leave the reader thirsty to know more.

Literary Analysis Essay Examples

1. Literary Analysis Paper – Cathedral

2. Literary Analysis Essay Critical Analysis

3. Literary Analysis – the Road Not Taken

What Is The Purpose Of A Literary Analysis Essay?

The main purpose is to prove that you have thoroughly examined a literary analysis essay sample from various aspects and have now arrived at a stance with enough evidence to back it up. This literary analysis should be highly personal and should tell people exactly how you feel about the book.

During a literary analysis, be aware that you are not reading for pleasure. Asides from your emotions and colorful visualizations, you also want to put the following into consideration:

1. Main theme
2. Characters’ strengths and weaknesses
3. Storyline
4. Form and content
5. Main plot and subplot

Tips On How To Write Good Examples Of Literary Analysis Essay

When working on literary analysis, there are some guidelines to follow to help you write a good essay.

Here are a few:

Thoroughly Read The Work

You want to make sure you spend adequate time reading and dissecting any book you choose. This would provide you with enough data for your literary analysis.

Choose An Interesting Topic For Your Essay

If your topic is not interesting, you would not be inspired to write on it. After reading, choose a topic that relates to the book you found the most interesting. This would inspire you to do deeper and more analytical research.

Support Your Statements

Every claim you make in your essay should be backed up by evidence found in the book. This would go on to prove how professional you were in your literary analysis.

Cite Properly

You don’t want to write a good work, then mess it up with incorrect citations. Nor do you want to get flagged down by plagiarism. After penning down your literary analysis, take out time to do proper citations and references.

Literary Analysis Essay Topics

Literary Analysis Essays On Hamlet

1. The Role of the Writer in Society
2. Hamlet’s Indecisiveness
3. Hamlet in Comparison to the Lion King
4. Characteristics of Revenge Tragedy
5. Psychoanalysis of Hamlet
6. Theme of Revenge in Hamlet
7. Justice in Hamlet
8. Shakespeare Relevance Today
9. https://phdessay.com/the-corruption-of-denmark-in-william-shakespeares-hamlet/
10. Characters Analysis in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Gertrude and Ophelia

Literary Analysis Essays On The Us Constitution

1. Democratic and Undemocratic Elements of the Constitution
2. US Constitution Reflections on the First Amendment Paper
3. The US constitution with the articles of confederation
4. Importance of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution
5. The Relevance of the US Constitution
6. The Right to Bear Arms in the US Constitution
7. Constitution Ethical Issues
8. Constitution and Government System
9. Declaration of Independence- Constitution
10. The Constitution and Civil Liberties

Literary Analysis Essay Topics On Fahrenheit 451

1. Compare and contrast conformity and individuality as presented in Fahrenheit 451
2. Examples of Censorship in Fahrenheit 451
3. Montag and Clarisse in the Novel Fahrenheit 451
4. What is the Role of Censorship in Fahrenheit 451?
5. Fahrenheit 451: what’s Wrong with Montag’s Society
6. History of the Fireman in Fahrenheit 451
7. The Problems in the Novel Fahrenheit 451
8. Themes and Symbolism in “Fahrenheit 451”
9. Happiness in “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
10. The Negative Effect of Technology in Fahrenheit 451

Literary Analysis Essay Topics On To Kill A Mockingbird

1. To Kill a Mockingbird: a Literary Analysis
2. Slavery in To Kill a Mockingbird Novel
3. Moral Principles in Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird
4. To Kill a Mockingbird main themes
5. “To Kill a Mockingbird”: Book and Movie Differences
6. Analysis of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
7. Who’s Afraid of Boo Radley: An Essay on To Kill a Mockingbird
8. The Two Types Of Underprivileged People In To Kill A Mockingbird
9. Violence And Alienation In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee
10. Why is the Novel Called To Kill a Mockingbird

Conclusion

Literary analysis essays are quite insightful and give you more knowledge about a work of literature. With the above tips and guidelines, acing it would be a breeze.

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