Strategies for Writing a Literary Analysis Final Draft due next Friday, April 9
Organization How do I organize my literary analysis essay?
Organization Introduce the text you’re analyzing and state your thesis. Cite passages from the text, one by one, explaining how each one supports your thesis and your interpretation. Sum up your interpretation in light of your analysis. Answer the “so what” question. Document your sources.
Introduction How do I structure the introductory section of my paper?
Introduction They Say Describe the larger conversation in which your own claims are a part of. You don’t need to make a detailed list of everyone who has written on your subject before you offer your own ideas It is generally best to summarize the ideas you’re responding to briefly at the start of your essay. Give your readers a quick preview of what is motivating your argument.
How to construct the thesis statement Although “The Burrow” by Kafka appears simply to be the telling of an animal’s life-long construction of his dwelling in the story, when critically examined, it provides the reader with a tale of Kafka’s own lifelong journey and both the physically and mentally rooted struggles he faced towards the end of his life.
More Examples Emma’s abnormal fixation on matchmaking can be attributed to the repression of her true sexual identity as a lesbian, and the delusional and compulsive thinking that accompanies her self- schema as a matchmaker exposes the unhealthy degree to which the repression of her homosexuality extends.
Examples Cont’d While traditional feminist interpretations of Austen’s Emma assume Emma Woodhouse is a bored, wealthy woman meddling in the lives of others, I argue that Emma is a feminist character attempting to challenge the rigid gender roles and social structure of upper-class society in nineteenth-century England.
Examples Cont’d In the classic Peter Pan, author J.M. Barrie insists that children possess an innate imaginative intelligence that adulthood confiscates.
Examples Cont’d Gregor's metamorphosis poignantly illustrates the power struggle within his family and shows how Gregor's transformation alters the family's dynamics.