Literary Analysis #1 Common Problems Italicize book titles when typing; underline them when hand writing. When providing a statistic (like in the intro), cite the source. When citing, the end punctuation comes AFTER the parenthetical citation. Example: Holden says, “Don’t ever tell anyone anything. If you do, you start missing everybody” (Salinger 52). Do not include the page abbreviation or a comma between the author’s name and the page number. Weak Examples: (Salinger, p. 52); (page 52); (Salinger, 52) Strong Example: (Salinger 52). Quotations should not stand alone! They need a correctly-punctuated lead-in: Example: Holden says, “Don’t ever tell anyone anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” Example: According to John Smith, the leading expert on J.D. Salinger, “The Catcher in the Rye is J.D. Salinger’s most beloved work.”

Refer to authors by full names or last names, never first names. Analyze topics in the order in which you list them in your thesis statement. Refer to events in literature in the present tense. Weak Example: In the novel, Holden felt frustrated and disappointed. Strong Example: In the novel, Holden feels frustrated and disappointed. Weak Example: Fitzgerald expressed Holden’s feelings very effectively. Strong Example: Fitzgerald expresses Holden’s feelings very effectively. One female=woman. More than one female=women. Do not include personal pronouns or statements of your feelings in formal essays. No “I,” “me,” “my,” “In my opinion,” “I think,” “I feel,” etc. State your thoughts as though they are fact.

Already discussed, but worthy of reminders: Diction=words, not sentences, ideas, or images Symbolism and symbolic diction are different things Figurative language and figurative diction are different things Words don’t have feelings! Don’t say “sad diction;” instead, say “diction connotative of sadness.” Remove spaces between paragraphs!