Writing the Literary Analysis Paper

Thinking about Your Topic

The literary analysis paper is meant to gauge your understanding of what you have read, to demonstrate your ability to evaluate the literary elements of the text, and to communicate your ideas in a manner appropriate in a college freshman-level essay.Your interpretation should come from your own reading and thinking about the work—not from a critical or literary analyses you have read about it. The following questions will help you find and explore a topic for analysis. I recommend keeping these questions in mind as your read.

• Do you like the text? What, specifically, do you like or dislike about it?
  
• Do you like or dislike any of the characters? Make a list of the characters who made an impression on you, and say why you like or dislike them.
• Do you identify with any of the characters? Which ones? Why?
  
• What recurring images or objects did you notice in the text? What might they mean?
  
• What is the title of the text, and why did the author choose that title?
  
• Who is "telling" the story? Why did the author select this character to tell the story? How would the story be different if told from someone else's point of view?
  
• Why might the author have written this text?

Developing a Thesis

After you have answered the questions for "Thinking about your Topic," think about which of those questions interested you the most? Your answer to that question is your thesis. You may need to rewrite the answer as a concise and affirmative thesis statement.

• What is your thesis statement?
• Is the thesis complex enough to allow for a reasonable and lengthy argument?
• Is there sufficient evidence in the text to support this thesis?

Gathering the Evidence

Search the text for evidence to support your thesis. You should be looking for passages in the text that are relevant to your argument.

• 1st Piece of Evidence:  Briefly note relevant textual evidence from the literary work that you plan to quote or paraphrase to support your argument.
• 2nd Piece of Evidence:  Briefly note relevant textual evidence from the literary work that you plan to quote or paraphrase to support your argument.
• 3rd Piece of Evidence:  Briefly note relevant textual evidence from the literary work that you plan to quote or paraphrase to support your argument.
• Etc. -- More is always better when it comes to evidence.

Writing the Paper

• In the first paragraph

  • State the thesis of your literary paper that you developed in the exercise "Developing a Thesis."

  • Provide unity and a sense of direction for the entire paper.

• Each body paragraph should develop a single argument.

• You should have at least one quote or paraphrased passage per body paragraph.

• Keep in mind the following:

  • Write what you know and feel, not what you think somebody wants to hear.
  • Pause now and then to rethink the direction of the paper.
  • Write portions of the paper when you are ready; if necessary, leave blank spots on the page to remind you that more evidence will be required.
  • Initial drafts are attempts to get words on the page rather than to create a polished document; write without fear or delay.
  • Cite the names of the sources in your text.
  • Enclose quotations in the text.
  • Supply page numbers to the sources.