Like all other essays, you want to begin with a GRABBER. Quotations and provocative questions are acceptable starters. However, two that work best for this mode of writing are background information related to text or a general insight. This insight is often into life in general (as it pertains to your paper topic) or may be into the specific literary concept you are discussing. This sentence (or sentences) serves as your grabber. After the insight, make the explicit connection to the text. At some point, you must include the book title and author’s name in the introduction; we call this the TAG. The most obvious place is here. Generally, the THESIS/CLAIM comes as the last sentence of your intro, however, it really fits well as part of the aforementioned connection. While PREVIEWING THE BODY is helpful, it is done so through a few explanatory sentences (not necessarily in a traditional PSSA manner where you present three main points). Literary Analysis: Introduction

The primary task of the body is to validate your THESIS (or argue your CLAIM). It is here you will use SPECIFIC TEXTUAL EVIDENCE. This is a combination of summary, paraphrase, and excerpts. Be careful to not just summarize but to provide the content to discuss your own INSIGHTS and elaborating on inferences and concepts presented in the text –this is the “SO WHAT?” that adds a RELEVANCE to the information you’re providing. This may take four paragraphs, five, six, etc. Literary Analysis: Body

Much like traditional conclusions, you should revisit the THESIS/CLAIM and REVIEW THE BODY (arguments/insights) you have created; do not over summarize your paper or introduce new info/ideas. In this mode of writing, your ZINGER should consist of connect to SOCIETY by relating back to the general INSIGHT you made in your introduction. Be general as opposed to discussing a specific event that might require specific knowledge. And because the task requires SPECIFIC TEXTUAL EVIDENCE, include a Work(s) Cited entry. Literary Analysis: Conclusion