There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did. Plays are divided into scenes and acts.Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)? StructureĬonsider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told. The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events. Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?Ĭonsider the narrator’s perspective. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface. “her eyes were like oceans”).Īlso keep an eye out for imagery in the text-recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g.
Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic? Language choicesĬonsider what style of language the author uses. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices-textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing-these are things you can dig into in your analysis. The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices Step 3: Writing a title and introduction.Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices.A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.A main body, divided into paragraphs, that builds an argument using evidence from the text.An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay: Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.īefore beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.Ī literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis, nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review.
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