 The Literary Essay is an insightful, critical interpretation of a literary work.  It is not a summary of plot, a description of the characters or other elements of fiction in any given literary work. What is a literary essay?What is a literary essay?

 …you provide your own formal interpretation and/or opinion of the topic  …you use the literary work to prove or substantiate your understanding of the topic What will you be doing?What will you be doing?

 …try to prove the plot – we know how the series of events unfolded because we read the book  …need to prove that the characters, setting, or themes existed in the literary work YOU DO NOTYOU DO NOT

 …provide an interpretation of the plot, setting, character, conflict, and themes as they relate to the topic you are discussing  …develop elements that will prove your argument YOU DOYOU DO

In order to be complete, your essay must include the following : The Literary EssayThe Literary Essay

 …clearly introduces the topic, the literary work, and the author.  Example: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee presents prejudice and discrimination of African Americans.  The introduction allows you to give the reader the clear and specific direction of your essay. The IntroductionThe Introduction

 …states the main purpose of the essay  …is often stated in the LAST sentence of your introduction  …answers the question:  What will you prove/show through this essay about the literary work under discussion? The ThesisThe Thesis

 …is divided into paragraphs  …is composed of paragraphs which begin with a topic sentence that clearly introduces the topic in the paragraph and end with linking sentences that introduce the next paragraph The BodyThe Body

 …serves to PROVE your thesis NOTE:  In order to prove your thesis, you must develop and expand on the topic using examples and citations (quotes) from the literary work to validate your statements  Once a quote is cited, you must provide an interpretation, not a summary, about how this quote is relevant to the development of the topic and thesis The BodyThe Body

 …is where you develop your ideas about the topic  …is where you provide your own ideas by answering the following questions: 1. What is the topic? How is the topic relevant? 2. How does the topic relate to the literary work? 3. How does topic affect the development of the literary work as a whole? The BodyThe Body

4.What is my understanding of the topic and the literary work? 5.How does the setting affect the development of the topic? 6.How do the characters assist in the development of the topic? You DO NOT write your essay in a “question & answer” format. It must flow like the literary work itself. The BodyThe Body

Use the questions only as a GUIDE. They will help you interpret instead of summarize! The BodyThe Body

The first sentence of the conclusion is a restatement of your THESIS. Do not introduce any new information in the conclusion. Restate your most important points as a means of bringing your argument to a close. The conclusion is your last chance to prove your opinion to the reader! The ConclusionThe Conclusion

Introduction : Paragraph One 1 st sentence : General overview of the topic 2 nd & 3 rd sentences : Introduction of the author and the literary work Additional sentences: Description and/or development of the literary work as it pertains the topic. It’s where you introduce your argument. Final sentence : Restatement of the thesis. Graphic Representation of the Literary Essay

Paragraph 2 – Development of first argument Topic Sentence : Introduces only the argument in this paragraph. Development consists of ideas which support the topic sentence and thesis  Choose 1 – 2 quotes from the literary work which will develop/support this topic and establish a connection to topic/thesis  A linking sentence will reinforce what was stated in this paragraph and connect it to the following argument. Graphic RepresentationGraphic Representation

Paragraph 3 – Development of second argument Paragraph 4 – Development of third argument Graphic RepresentationGraphic Representation

Restates the thesis Summarizes the main points of your argument from each paragraph Makes final concluding point The ConclusionThe Conclusion

INTRODUCTION BODY CONCLUSION ARGUMENT 1 ARGUMENT 2 ARGUMENT 3 How it looksHow it looks

 Quotes of four lines or less can be included in the body of your essay using quotation marks Example: “He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying; his face was dirty” (Lee 63). Author’s last name and page reference How to use and reference quotes

For citations that are MORE than 4 lines long, double indent and single space the quote as shown below: DO NOT PUT QUOTATION MARKS For reasons unfathomable to the most experienced prophets in Maycomb County, autumn turned to winter that year. We had two weeks of the coldest weather since 1885 (Lee 63) Tab twice Quote citationQuote citation

Alfredo, B. Critical Interpretations of To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Routledge, Lee, H. To Kill A Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Warner Books, Use MLA format. Include the literary work in the works cited list. Works Cited

 Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.  In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Be sure to use double-spaced text.  Double space again and center the title. Don't underline your title or put it in quotation marks.  Double space between the title and the first line of the text. Formatting

Formatting

Ensure you have completed the following before you submit your essay for assessment to your teacher: 1.Double spaced your essay 2.Times New Roman font size 12 3.MLA format throughout 4.Labeled each page, excluding page 1, with your last name and page number – Example: Bashiri 1 Literary Essay ChecklistLiterary Essay Checklist

5.Included a Works Cited page 6.Cited the literary work in the works cited page and referenced properly throughout 7.Have introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion 8.Clearly stated thesis Checklist

9.Edited for spelling and language errors (be careful of “typos”) 10.Stapled the essay in the correct order 11.Spelled the teacher’s name correctly 12.Indented each new paragraph: Hit tab once 13.Italicize all book titles throughout the essay 14.Have a title 15.There are no contractions (unless in quote) 16.The essay is only in third person (unless in quote)