Writing a Thesis Statement

The Point of a Literary Analysis When writing a literary analysis, you will focus on specific attribute(s) of the text(s). When discussing these attributes, you will want to make sure that you are making a specific, arguable point (thesis) about these attributes. You will defend this point with reasons and evidence drawn from the text and secondary sources –literary crticism. (Much like a lawyer!)

What goes into the introduction? A hook A lead into the author and his/her context (what’s going on in the world when he/she wrote these novels? The titles –with brief plot summaries The settings A clear, one-sentence thesis statement!!!

What does a thesis do? An analytical paper breaks down a text(s) into its component parts, evaluates the data, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience as an argument. In other words, “I believe this text is saying … and here’s how I know and here’s why you should believe it too.”

What else does it do? tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. makes a claim that others might dispute.

Where do I get one?? A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships.

What should it include? For a critical literary analysis, your thesis statement will typically include the title(s) of the work(s) you will discuss in your paper and the author(s) of those works, as well as what it is that you will argue about those works.

Example for a single title: In her Victorian-era novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses vivid sensory imagery to suggest that the ocean mirrors her female protagonist’s powerful and ultimately destructive sexual awakening. Stylistic devices: sensory imagery, implied metaphor Meaning as a whole: Edna’s sexual awakening is dangerous and deadly. Just like the sea.

Is it any good? Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument. Does my thesis pass the “so what?" test? If a reader's first response is “so what?" then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.

Literary Criticism You have an idea about what you want to say, now you need to find TWO relevant articles of literary criticism to support your idea. Use BLS databases ONLY