© Donna L. Bennett 2010 Click the dinosaur. Click the bone. © Donna L. Bennett 2010

Click action Skip the bells and whistles. © Donna L. Bennett 2010 I need all the help I can get.... just need a quick review. Time is up ! You made your choice. Time is up ! You made your choice. Click.

© Donna L. Bennett 2010 Quick !! Click the tyrannosaurus to continue Today I’m going to introduce you to the concept of writing a literary analysis. Roger that. Oh, I see we have a bit of the military jargon going on today, eh ! jargon Affirmative. profession. Jargon: terminology associated with a particular group or This is fairly complicated, so you’ll need to pay close attention. Oops, you missed but he didn’t Click the, umm, dinosaur “goo” to continue

© Donna L. Bennett 2010 So. I’d like you to review the elements of a paragraph as our starting place. Click to rip the page out of the book. And you end with a conclusion. First you start with a topic sentence. Then you have a body. ELEMENTS OF A PARAGRAPH. Good, let’s use this page to build our notes about a literary analysis. That’s straightforward.

First, instead of a topic sentence, we are going to use a thesis statement. That’s right. The body is still called a body but it is made up of evidence that supports the thesis statement. ELEMENTS OF A PARAGRAPH First you start with a topic sentence. Then you have a body. And you end with a conclusion. © Donna L. Bennett 2010 Great, now we’re going to build on what you already know. Build on it? Yes, take these ideas and learn how they become a little more complex in a literary analysis. Ok Let me look that up. OK, a thesis statement is an argument. Evidence because I am proving something? Proving the thesis? You’ve got it. So what do you think the conclusion will be? becomes thesis statement which includes evidence to support the thesis Literary analysis Well, based on what I already know... I would guess the conclusion sums up my evidence. sums up evidence Absolutely, well done. Mouse over one of the cavemen to continue

Thesis statement is an argument Let’s clarify the difference between a topic sentence and a thesis statement. Read the following sentences as they appear. If you think the sentence is a topic sentence, click on topic sentence. If you think the sentence is a thesis statement, click on thesis statement. Sharks are the fiercest predator in the ocean.Cats make better pets than dogs. Enough about you, click to move on. © Donna L. Bennett 2010

Exactly, and with a literary analysis, the evidence is in the form of quotations from the piece of literature. We’re going to move from the thesis to the evidence which is contained in the body. The evidence is supposed to support the thesis. Yes, we only include evidence that proves the thesis. So, if I am arguing something – my thesis – the body of the paragraph contains the evidence for my argument ? Whoa there Nelly, that’s something new. “Whoa there, Nelly” ? Beg your pardon, Ma’am. Ok, well, your little slip up there gives me a chance to explain two particular aspects to a literary analysis. Whoof, saved by the “teachable moment”. Click the dinosaur to get out of this awkward situation. © Donna L. Bennett 2010

So, we segued, by accident, into certain conventions of © Donna L. Bennett 2010 Put your mouse on ‘de coconut My grandma goes to conventions. Not that kind of convention. The literary term, “convention”. Oh good, another term for my literary terms dictionary. Conventions: attributes that are assumed to be the givens of a particular style. Yes, and the first convention I’d like you to note is the convention of using a formal voice. A formal voice meaning no slang ? No colloquialisms ? Colloquialisms like “Whoa Nelly” ? Never mind. Why don’t we add the definition of colloquialisms to your literary terms collection before we move on. You got it ! Expressions in everyday language, often common to a particular region. Colloquialisms ?

© Donna L. Bennett 2010 The second convention I’d like you to note is the use of the third person voice. Wow, we’re really filling up the old terminology basket here. Third Person Voice: True. Do you remember what the definition of third person voice is ? Uhmm, in a minute I will. Uses the pronouns “he” or “she” rather than “I” or “Me” as the speaker stands “outside” the writing. Heh ? What’s with the standing outside the writing bit? I’m not going to do that. It’s cold out there. Yes, I’ll agree that’s sort of a weird way of putting it. For the moment, let’s just concentrate on the idea that we don’t use the pronouns “I” or “me” in a literary analysis. We’ll come back to the ideas of a writing voice later. Ok, if you insist. Mouse over to continue

Each of the following is terminology defined in this unit. On your own, read the term and write out or say aloud the definition as you remember it. Jargon Thesis statement Conventions Colloquialisms © Donna L. Bennett 2010 Third Person Voice

© Donna L. Bennett 2010