Are you looking for extra tips and tricks to help you write your first literary analysis? Read this article to find out how to write a literary analysis.
Part of being a literature or even a high school student was writing a literary analysis essay. The teacher allotted the essay topic to you or you were expected to choose one yourself. Either way, it was a task that required great focus.
Usually, when it comes to writing a literary analysis, students find it hectic because of the extra layers within it. Choosing the topic, researching, and reading the text are a few of the many things that require attention. The list goes on. However, it is important to clarify what literary analysis is not.
When writing a literary analysis, it is crucial to know that it is not a summary or synopsis. Your instructor can find that on the internet as well. They want an analysis. A literary analysis is a critique of a text. It is a requirement that helps boost a person’s ability to think outside of the box.
If you are unsure where to start, this article is for you. We have broken down all the elements and tactics that give a clear indication of what to write for your analysis, what to include, and how to write it. It is important to know what elements make or break a good essay. For this reason, we have broken down the article to tackle all the factors crucial for this. Read through this article to find the answers to your question: how to write a literary analysis?
What is literature?
Before moving on to defining all the elements that describe and make a literary analysis what it is, the first step is to define literature.
Literature is any text or group of texts that convey meaning or an idea. Usually, literature is a text that is read for leisure. It acts as a window that opens the door to a world of imagination and creativity.
Literature is also seen as a voice that the author uses to express emotions or tell the world their story. It comes in many forms and sizes. It can be a long epic poem or a short story. Typically, the job is to unleash all the imaginative worlds that reside within the author onto a piece of paper.
A piece or form of literature is the basis of a literary analysis. When reading a novel or a poem, certain questions and ideas erupt in the mind of the reader. To explore and answer those questions you conduct an analysis.
What is a literary analysis?
Literary analysis is the process of reading, interpreting, and analyzing a piece of literature. The most common mistake people make is confusing literary analysis with summary writing.
To understand what it is, we need to break the term down.
The word ‘literary’ is extracted from literature itself. This insinuates the idea that the aspect explored is a piece of text. The text can be fiction, non-fiction, or even a poem. The term ‘analysis’ means intricately exploring all the nitty-gritty details of an idea. An analysis can be conducted on an image, a video, a new tech device, and yes, a piece of literature.
Combining them both, ‘literary analysis’ is the process of critically and intricately analyzing a literary text with hopes of exploring underlying meanings.
Importance and purpose of literary analysis
Now that a clear definition of literature and literary analysis is out of the way, let’s understand the why. Why is literary analysis important and what is its purpose.
When re-reading certain books you might find something new. An element or component that you did not see before. That enhances your perspective and adds another dimension to your understanding of the text. Here are things you might focus on.
Author’s choice
The author’s choice is extensively and carefully explored. To explore it meaningfully, you need to dive deep into the author’s choice of words, their chosen literary medium, what the background was, and what impact these have. There are also instances where some authors might hint at why they wrote the said piece. A literary analysis covers all that.
But why would you want to explore them? What is the purpose? The answer: To expand on ideas and add more layers of critical understanding.
Understanding style
Literary texts are read to pinpoint a change in style. For instance, various English literature eras have been explored and how each era differs from the other. We have had romantic poetry, gothic literature, Greek plays, and realism. What caused one style to be replaced by the other, is what literary analysis does.
Exploring new elements
The underlying elements that make the text what it is, presents themselves via analysis. A literary analysis also helps to explore new possibilities, providing a lens through which generalized ideas stand out.
Usually, under the layers of a literary text, are hidden meanings. A literary analysis takes and points them out while giving valuable insight into their usage. Lastly, a text usually reflects a specific era, and relating them together gives a general historical lesson on impact.
Benefits of Literary Analysis
There are innumerable benefits of writing a literary analysis. As we have already discussed and stated, it helps us to explore the untethered dimensions of a text. However, numerous benefits surround this analysis..
Enhance critical thinking
When composing your analysis, you are expected to understand and extract all the ideas that the author may embed. It prompts the reader or writer to critically think.
You can uncover the notions that hide between the lines of the text. Analyzing a literary work means looking for more than just what is on the surface. This enhances critical thinking. By analyzing literature, you can connect the dots, look for converging points within the text, provide a more coherent and varied perspective, and reflect. All these elements are crucial for a critical thinker to have. You can solve problems and provide greater and more foolproof strategies while introducing a topic that everyone skimmed passed.
It does not matter whether or not you have a keen interest in literature. The mere act of raising questions and looking for ways to answer them is a sign that you are a critical thinker.
Helps to focus
Part of writing an analysis is focusing on the text. Sure, there are numerous distractions here and there. But at the time of analyzing and breaking down a text, you need to remain constantly vigilant.
Closely exploring a task or in this case, a piece of a literary text, asks for complete focus. All external forces are blocked and proper care is placed on the text. The reason that this focus remains consistent is because of the attention that this form of work requires.
In reality, you are taking apart and putting together a simple piece of text constantly. One little distraction can break it down. To remain consistent with your grounding, focusing on the task is the way to go.
Helps to form claims
It is pretty cool when someone starts quoting from Thomas Hardy’s book or Jane Austen enters the chat. You are in awe. Even when someone validates a point by quoting a line from Wuthering Heights, you are left amazed.
As cool as it sounds, it also becomes a great and monumental forum from where you can provide more insight. It is a great way to prove your point and sometimes gives you that edge.
Once you can back up your claim with, if not with quotes, but underlying ideas stated by the writer, your argument becomes sound.
Approaches to literary analysis
Literary analysis is a very broad term. There are many lenses from which the text can be looked at.It is not just a boring examination of the work but requires a plan.
These approaches help to specify the angle from which the analysis should be written. You can choose one of these lenses or even combine some of them. Either way, it will prove your point and add more credible value to it. These approaches are apparent once you start to conduct your research. For this, you need to open your mind to the endless dimensions of the text. It is imperative to back up the claim with a proper approach. You cannot use an approach just because you ‘feel like it.’ There are several different types of approaches to literary analysis. Each of them has its significance.
Historical approach
When carrying out your research or reading through the text, you might see elements that interlink the text with the context. When you focus on the text’s historical background, you employ a historical approach to conduct your analysis.
For instance, when analyzing Ernest Hemmingway’s “A Farewell to Arms”, you can focus on how it is a tale that surrounds the state of the First World War. The same is the case with Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22”, and its portrayal of World war II or Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” which highlights the brutality of slavery.
An analysis conducted from this approach helps to create a clearer and more accurate understanding of the text. Why the text was written the way it was and what caused it to reach this sort of height. You represent the external events that occurred when the text was written.
Thus, historical approaches clarify and further explains monumental events that took place in the past.
Cultural approach
Another approach that one can take when conducting an analysus is cultural. The cultural approach is when you focus on the cultural background that surrounds the text or is embedded within it.
For instance, “Beowulf” or “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer, narrate certain prominent cultural beliefs. Chaucer, in his poem, talks about certain members going on a pilgrimage and the values, beliefs, and laws that surrounded the cultural heritage at the time.
A cultural approach works to not just bring into light what culture is represented but also how the author displayed the culture.
Psychological approach
When reading a literary text, you see elements where the character’s or even the author’s psychological state is highlighted. The question ‘what was the author’s mental state?’ or ‘is the character suffering from a mental illness?’ becomes a defining factor.
When reading “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky or “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, you realize certain characteristics that pose the above question. A psychological approach helps to approach a text from the perspective of uncovering and understanding the character or text.
Many authors, poets, and playwrights employ this form of approach to showcase their personal feelings as well. An example is a play written by Sarah Kane, “4.48 Psychosis”, and Eugene O’Neil’s “Long Day’s Journey into the Night”.
These two plays not only show the mental state of the characters but also of the person who wrote them. Thus, this sort of approach can help to understand all the intricacies that remain unexplored.
Feminist approach
Some essays take the approach of studying the text through the lens of feminist theories. A feminist approach would look at a piece of literature and try to point out the tilted treatment of men and women.
Feminist literary analysis can focus on the characters of the text itself and even on the author. An analysis employing a feminist approach might state that the author has written against females. They point out the influence of the patriarchal society and the stereotypes that surround women. They may even focus on the idea that the character has some sort of malice against women.
For example, a feminist literary analysis of “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood can focus on how the setting within the novel is primarily focused on a regime set out to destroy women. The hysterical stereotype associated with women in the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. Or how “The Hunger Games” by Suzzane Collins showcases a strong female lead.
All three examples look at how a text is analyzed from a feminist approach and how genders are treated within the text by other characters or the author.
New criticism approach
This sort of approach to an essay does not include external factors. Such as the background or historical context, when the play was written, and the cultural values of the society. The author’s life and background are also not the main concern. The only focus is just one aspect: the text.
A new criticism approach helps to understand how the text is impactful. It is valued and understood not because of external factors but internal factors.
What style is used, is it first-person or second, what is the plot, and what are the roles of the characters? All these questions are answered when conducting a literary analysis from a new criticism approach. Taking “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, you can analyze why it was written in the form of letters and not chapter-wise.
That is its impact. You study and analyze the text solely for its case.
Types of literary analysis
We have already learned possible ways of approaching a literary analysis. However, many other things need to be checked before moving forward: the types of analysis that exist. Literary analysis on its own is a very long project. It requires a lot of details. To go about assessing the aspects of the text you need help.
Just like the approaches that help you to specify the lens or lenses you want to use, these types help you to start your analysis altogether.
Let’s take a look at them with some examples of literary analysis.
Theoretical
Theoretical literary analysis is the process where a writer inspects the text through different theories. A writer lists down all the possible theories that support the main message of the text. After this, they use the theories to support their claim.
This adds an extra layer of proof and strengthens the claim of the writer. A theoretical framework is usually employed for this literary analysis. The theory chosen helps the writer to back up the analysis and convince the reader.
An example would be applying Sigmund Freud’s theory of hysteria to the character of Blanche from “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
Comparative
A comparative literary analysis is much broader. The text, as the title suggests, is compared. You can write a literary analysis by comparing texts written by the same author, texts written in the same era, or even similar texts.
In this process, the writer wants to see how various themes, styles, or even topics are similar in an array of various texts. Comparing all of Jane Austen’s novels in terms of themes or converging ideas to depict the writer’s attempt at showcasing cultural beliefs is an example of comparative literary analysis.
Contextual
A contextual literary analysis focuses on bringing all the external elements into the text. But only elements that emphasize your point. It is when you explore the time in which the text was written and how the background affected the text.
An example would be to study Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” as a mock-epic that satirizes the trivial beliefs of society.
Close reading
Understand the text for what it is, that is close reading. Close reading is analyzing the piece of literature and looking at all minor elements. The language the author used, the words, the structure, and all the details that may seem unimportant comes out with close reading. The use of language to express Holden’s alienation in “The Catcher in the Rye” is an example of close reading.
Elements of literary analysis
Literary analysis is extensive. To make sure you write the perfect analysis essay, we have broken down and introduced certain elements of literary analysis.
Why are these elements important? Because they specify all the components present in a text. There are thousands of things that you can choose to work on when writing your essay. But you cannot focus on them all. These elements help you narrow down your research.
A broad study for an analysis is not helpful. So, what do we do? We find out what those elements are and how you can choose what to focus on.
Literature elements and their analysis
There are many different types of literary texts. They come in all shapes in sizes. Each text has its own set of elements that have their own literary analysis.
Poem
A poem is composed of several lines and an undefined structure. It can be as long as a novella or even a one-page poem. A poem usually follows a theme or the inner thoughts of the poet. A poem’s analysis may focus on literary devices, the meter, the rhythmic pattern, or the author’s background. It can also focus on the various structures and types of poems such as epic, sonnet, ballad, mock-epic, etc.
Novels/novellas and short stories
Novels are usually organized in the form of chapters or segments, unlike short stories. Both, however, have characters, a plot, and a storyline. They may also employ a specific genre. A novel and short story can be as long or as short depending on the author. An analysis of novels or short stories would focus on character development, the plot’s organization, and the main theme.
Drama
A drama is a form of literature that is intended to be performed on stage. It has a specific setting, plot, and characters that reenact through dialogues. The setting on the stage is changed depending on the context of the text. An analysis on a drama could focus on the character’s language, their settings, and who it represents in an era. It may also focus on the plot and the devices the playwright employed to make a connection between the audience and the text.
Character and character development
Every form of literature contains characters. These characters carry the plot and make the theme of the novel, short story, or drama stand out. Even poems have characters, like T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.
Character development focuses on how the character of focus has changed. This can be a negative or positive development. A character’s development can be correlated with the plot.
There are four types of characters present in most literary works:
- Protagonist
- Antagonist
- Side characters
- Anti-heroes
Plot and plot development
Novels, short stories, and dramas are forms of literature that have a plot. Plot development is the pace at which the story moves forward. A plot is made of the following components:
- Exposition
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
- Resolution
In every plot, these elements focus on the plot’s overall structure. They determine the starting point, the climax, and the resolution. As an effect, people understand what significance these elements play.
Literary devices
Literary devices are present in all sorts of literary texts. These devices make the text interesting to read. Literary devices determine how the author evokes a sense of empathy, helps the reader visualize, or creates a rhythmic tone.
A literary analysis mainly relies on these literary devices. This is because they communicate basic information that makes the text what it is. There are many different types of literary devices, too many to count. Here are some of the most frequently used literary devices:
- Imagery
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Onomatopoeia
- Personification
- Alliteration
- Foreshadowing
- Theme
- Motif
Writing style
Different writers use different forms of writing styles. These writing styles play a crucial part in the formation of the text. A literary analysis may focus on how the writing style affects the reader, the impact it creates, and the environment it evokes.
There are three different perspectives from which the author might write:
- First-person perspective: The author acts as the character.
- Second-person perspective: The author addresses the reader.
- Third-person perspective: The author narrates the story of the main character.
- Third-person omniscient perspective: The author narrates the story from the perspective of various characters.
The writer may also choose to use either one or jump between times when writing in the present, past, or future. These voyages through time help the audience to gain a basic idea of what is happening and when it is happening.
Literary analysis outline
Now that we have covered the basic elements, approaches, and types of literary analysis, let us get on with writing one. It is primarily made of four crucial parts:
- Title
- Introduction
- Body paragraphs
- Conclusion
Let’s explore them one by one.
Title
A title is the first and most crucial part of any literary analysis. It states the main theme and captures the attention of the reader. A title relays the basic idea of what it is that you are exploring in your analysis.
A catchy title will contain the author’s name and the work that you plan on analyzing. You can start the title with a quote relevant or from the piece of literature you plan on analyzing. Either way, the title should capture the attention of the reader and push them to read it.
Introduction
Every literary analysis should have a proper introduction. An introduction not only carries the main theme of your analysis forward but also captures the audience’s attention. An introduction informs the reader of what your argument is based on.
An introduction should always include a thesis statement which will be discussed further.
An introduction needs a hook sentence. And as the name suggests, it should hook the reader and capture their attention. For an introduction to attract the reader, it needs to have a general statement that relays information about the literary text and the author who wrote it. You can also give a simple and clear overview of what you plan on exploring in the text and how you plan to carry the analysis forward.
An introduction provides context and informs the reader of all the details that are vital to the analysis. In your introduction, you need to address the question, why? Why is this literary analysis important, how can it benefit the literary world, and what new ideas are explored?
You need to convince the reader through your introduction that the topic you have chosen is worth reading and exploring. You need to emphasize the importance of the literary text and the impact it has had on the world. At the end of your introduction, after you have narrated the significance of the study, you need to present your thesis statement.
The introduction you write should be complete and easy to understand. It should aid the reader and help them understand what the literary analysis essay talks about. Avoid writing vague and incomplete statements.
Body paragraphs
A literary analysis is made up of several body paragraphs that relay ideas regarding your topic. It is the main part of the whole analysis. It provides plausible information that makes your argument compelling.
You address the question and the idea posed in the thesis statement. To convey your idea, body paragraphs tend to have relevant quotations from the literary text. Each body paragraph should end in a way that would prove your point. Typically, there are three to five body paragraphs, and each paragraph addresses a component in the analysis. Each body paragraph also starts with a topic sentence which we will talk about in what to include in a literary analysis.
All the information that asserts your argument is added within the body paragraph. It is important to add relevant quotes and information rather than narrating a tale. Each body paragraph should talk of a specific point and not mesh with the others. You can end a body paragraph with a transition sentence. A literary analysis is made up of body paragraphs that convey the underlying idea behind your study. In these sections, you need to convince the reader and provide enough data to support your thesis statement.
If the reader is not convinced, you need to do more work.
Literary analysis conclusion
A conclusion in a literary essay is when you summarize all your arguments. These closing remarks leave a huge impact on the reader as they reiterate what is said in the body paragraph and the introduction.
However, you mustn’t introduce a new topic, a discovery, or add a new perspective to the literary analysis. The thesis statement and the questions answered in the body paragraphs are addressed in the conclusion.
A conclusion should be precise and should not contain extensive sentences or paragraphs. The conclusion is the easiest thing to write in a literary analysis essay as it talks about your thesis statement, major findings, and how they are interlinked.
What should a literary analysis include
Every literary analysis is made up of a title, introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. But you cannot simply start writing them without a proper plan or structure. Many other components make your literary analysis outline more coherent.
Thesis statement
A thesis statement is added within the introduction of your analysis. It is a one or two-sentence-long statement. A good thesis statement will not be vague or complex but simply pose a question within the readers’ minds. You would also inform the reader how you plan on answering that query. A thesis statement for a piece of literature mentions shreds of evidence that can back up your essay. Not only does the thesis statement help your reader to understand what you want to explore but also keeps you on track. You remain consistent with the main idea of the analysis.
Topic sentence
Each body paragraph of your essay starts with a topic sentence. A topic sentence, as the name suggests, summarizes the topic you will address in the following paragraph. It acts as a preview of what is explored in the paragraph. A topic sentence might also follow up on the previous paragraph and add another dimension to it. It can start with a transition sentence such as, ‘furthermore’, ‘however’, ‘moreover’, etc.
Evidence from the text
You cannot prove your point or add value to its meaning without evidence. To prove your stance you need to quote relevant instances from the text. The quote you plan to use should fit into the argument and should be explained. You can paraphrase the quote and link the instance with the argument that you are building.
How to write a literary analysis
Many fear that writing a literary analysis requires a lot of extra work. It is fairly simple when you know the whats and hows. It is not as complicated as it sounds. We have already discussed the important components present in literary analysis; title, introduction, thesis statement, body paragraph, topic sentence, and conclusion.
Here are the tips you need to answer the question: how to write a literary analysis?
Research
Before you start writing your analysis, you need to conduct research. You need to know what you are writing for, what is the purpose, and if any other work has been carried out on the topic. The research will help you to bring in data and comments made by other researchers and critics. You can use these comments to build up your analysis. This is a long and hefty process but it helps you to choose a topic and implement changes.
Argument
Your literary analysis should be an argument and assessment of the topic you have chosen. You need to develop a good, complete, and easy-to-understand argument. You can create your argument and fully present it when you have carried out your research on the topic. Researching will help you narrow down your approach, the type of literary analysis you want to choose, and the argument as well. To determine what your argument should focus on, the best thing to do is to narrow down your research. The more broad your argument is, the vaguer it is. Your argument is hinted at in your title and then elaborated on on in your introduction. You present it clearly so that the audience may understand what your goal is.
Literary devices
Every piece of literature is made up of various literary devices. A literary device beautifies the text, making it more interesting. When you write an analysis, you need to be aware of the multiple literary devices present in the text. These literary devices strengthen your essay and make it more interesting. You use these devices to explain your point and add to your argument. To do that, you need to know what the literary device is, what impact it has, and how the author uses it.
Close reading
Whichever approach you choose for your analysis, you need to closely read the text to conclude. Close reading is a literary analysis technique that helps to pinpoint and extract all the necessary data which can support your topic. Close reading is crucially important to conduct before even starting the analysis. This is because it creates a clear and coherent idea as well as provides necessary evidence.
Brainstorm titles and organization
Now that you have carried out the basic steps, you need to brainstorm for titles and the structure of your analysis. Your topic, the argument, and the literary devices are all done. You should brainstorm for a title that would capture the attention of the reader as well as convey the topic of your analysis.
Your title is plastered on the front page of the essay. It needs to be catchy. Two things every literary analysis title has are: the author’s name and the text’s name. You can add a quote that is the crux of your topic as well. You also need to organize your analysis. We know the typical format and it has been stated above. But you also need to organize which argument or which body paragraph should come first. This adds proper coherency to your essay. You cannot jumble the arguments but need to keep them properly intact.
Write
Now we start writing our analysis. We are aware of what needs to be added to ananalysis essay. Let’s quickly go through them
Introduction
Your introduction explains your topic and title. It contains two very important things:
- Hook sentence
- Thesis sentence
A hook sentence in the introduction helps to grab the reader’s attention. It is exciting and relevant to the topic. Your introduction should contain details about the author and a small overview of the text. A thesis statement is presented at the end of the introduction. It further elaborates your title and becomes the foundation of your body paragraphs.
Body
Your body paragraph explains your argument and adds value to your analysis. It is where you explain and build up your thesis statement. It starts with a topic sentence and ends with a transition sentence. Each body paragraph should cover and explains a different topic.
Conclusion
A conclusion wraps up all the arguments and summarizes the entire essay under one single heading. No new information or topic is presented in this section. It gives the reader closure and adds finality to the whole essay.
Proofread and submit
Once you have written your literary analysis, you must proofread it thoroughly. Check for any grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and spelling mistakes. Do not proofread the text once. You need to read it at least thrice.
Pro tip: read forward to detect any grammar or punctuation mistakes and backward for spelling mistakes.
Mistakes to avoid when writing a literary analysis
If you are writing your first literary analysis, you need to beware of making these mistakes.
- Do not summarize: A literary analysis is not a summary. You should only give a brief overview of the text in your introduction. Other than that, refrain from summarizing.
- Do not plagiarize: Your work should be original and should not be copied from any other writer or critic. Plagiarism discredits your entire argument.
- Do not use contractions: Never use contractions like ‘isn’t’, ‘can’t’, ‘don’t’, etc in your literary essay. An analysis should always be formal and adding contractions detracts from the topic.
- Do not address the reader: Do not directly or indirectly address the reader in your literary analysis.
- Unclear thesis statement: Make sure your thesis statement is clear and coherent. A vague thesis statement will confuse you and the reader.
- Adding unnecessary information: Adding unnecessary quotes and information within your analysis drags the essay.
- Not to add new information in the conclusion: your conclusion should not introduce a new topic. You need to conclude, not add.
Tips to help you write your literary analysis
Here are some more tips and tricks that can help you write an amazing literary analysis. These easy tips are some of the basic know-how that we usually miss.
The tips are to:
- Always write in the present tense
- Use third-person narration
- Remember to analyze not summarize
- Write a proper hook sentence and thesis statement
- Know all the literary terms
- Not use confusing and complex words
- Extract relevant quotes and evidence from the text
- Quote other critices
- Cite sources
Conclusion
Literary analysis helps you to understand the depth of the literary text from various perspectives. When it comes to how to write a literary analysis, many confuse it with summaries. Your essay should add new information. For a good essay, you need to research, choose a topic, thesis statement, and organize it perfectly. If you keep all these tips and tricks in mind, you are for sure going to write an amazing analysis.
