Writing the Literary Analysis

What is Literary Analysis?

• It’s literary (about literature)

• It’s an analysis (you are analyzing something)

• It’s an Argument!

• It may also involve research on and analysis of secondary (other) sources

Important literary concepts

• The Basics– Plot– Setting– Narration/point of view– Characterization– Symbols– Metaphor– Genre– Irony

• Other key concepts– Historical context

(how the time period affects the story)

– Social, political, economic contexts (how government, society, and money affects the characters in the story.

What is an Analysis?

• An analysis of a literary work may discuss– How the different parts of the book work

together (ex: character and theme)– How two separate texts (novels, movies, songs,

TV shows) deal with similar concepts or forms– How concepts of the book relate to larger

political, social, economic, or religious contexts (1960s issues that affect the plot)

How is a literary analysis an argument?

• When writing a literary analysis, you will focus on specific qualities 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 qualities.

• You will defend this point with reasons and evidence drawn from the text. (Much like a lawyer!)

Which is the best thesis statement?

• Moby-Dick is about the problem of evil.

• Moby-Dick is boring and pointless.

• Moby-Dick is about a big, white whale.

• The ocean could be considered a character in the novel Moby-Dick.

How do I support a thesis statement?

• Examples from the text:– Direct quotations– Summaries of scenes– Paraphrase

• Other writers’ opinions• Historical and social context (history

books/articles)• Always remember to read carefully and highlight

useful passages and quotes!

What is a secondary source?

• A book or article that discusses The Outsiders• A book or article that discusses an argument

similar to the one you are making about The Outsiders

• A book or article that discusses the social and historical context of The Outsiders (http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade60.html)

• Internet searching: (“What was life like in the 1960s?”)

Integrating secondary sources

• When you use secondary sources, be sure to show how they relate to your thesis

• Don’t overuse any one secondary source, or for that matter, secondary sources in general

• Remember that this is your paper, your argument—the secondary sources are just helping you out

• Never, never, never plagiarize! See the handout on plagiarism for more information.

Overview of Literary Analysis

• When writing a literary analysis:– Be familiar with literary terms– Analyze specific items (not general ideas)– Make an a argument– Make appropriate use of secondary sources

Possible Topics• Compare an aspect (one thing) of The Outsiders to

another book you read this year (Bluford series?), a movie (West Side Story), or a song that addresses a similar theme or character trait, such as forbidden love, friendship, or social ostracism (being an outcast).

• Analyze gang life in The Outsiders compared to gang life today. Are they similar? Are they different? What can you find out about suburban gang life (rich kids)? Which is more dangerous to society? Secondary Source: I would look up ___________________________

More Topics• Analyze Johnny’s experience with child

abuse. Has the nature of child abuse changed since the 1960s? If so, how?

What secondary source can you find? I would look up __________________________________________________

Topics• Analyze how irony is used The Outsiders in terms

of characters and events. More specifically, explain how the Socs were more of a disgrace and a menace to society than the Greasers. Look at how society viewed and treated the two groups. Examine the characteristics of each group, their actions, and the choices each made. What was S.E. Hinton trying to teach us about life? What secondary source can you find? I would look up _____________________ ___________________________________________________________________

Topics

• Explain how expectations (what people expect) played a role in the lives of the Socs and the Greasers. How did external and internal expectations influence each group’s actions in the novel?

Secondary source? I would look up ________________

_____________________________________________

When Writing your Literary Analysis….

1. Write in the present tense.

• EXAMPLE: In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the townspeople visit Emily Grierson's house because it smells bad.

• NOT: In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the townspeople visited Emily Grierson's house because it smelled bad.

• 2. Normally, keep yourself out of your analysis; in other words, use the third person (no I or you).

• 3. Avoid summarizing the plot (i.e., retelling the story literally).

• PLOT SUMMARY: In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the mad narrator explains in detail how he kills the old man, who screams as he dies. After being alerted by a neighbor, the police arrive, and the madman gives them a tour through the house, finally halting in the old man's bedroom, where he has buried the man beneath the floor planks under the bed. As he is talking, the narrator hears what he thinks is the old man's heart beating loudly, and he is driven to confess the murder.

• ANALYSIS: Though the narrator claims he is not mad, the reader realizes that the narrator in "The Telltale Heart" is unreliable and lies about his sanity. For example, the mad narrator says he can hear "all things in the heaven and in the earth." Sane people cannot. He also lies to the police when he tells them that the shriek they hear occurs in his dream. Though sane people do lie, most do not plan murders, lie to the police, and then confess without prompting. Finally, the madman is so plagued with guilt that he hears his own conscience in the form of the old man's heart beating loudly. Dead hearts do not beat, nor do sane people confuse their consciences with the sounds of external objects.

• Support your points with many quotations and paraphrases, but write the majority of your paper in your own words with your own ideas.

Literary Analysis Rubric

Value: 100 points• I. Format Value: ____ of 3 points

a. Title page (title is not the title of the novel)

b. Double-spaced & appropriate font (12 pt)

c. One-inch margins

d. All pre-writing material present

e. Evidence of editing

• II. Paper Value: _____ of 80 points

a. Introduction Value: ____ of 10 points

i. Introduces author of text

ii. Introduces title of text

iii. Gives indication of time period associated with text (1960s)

iv. Provides a clear thesis statement

• b. Body Value: _____ of 60 points

i. Topic sentences relate to and support thesis statement

ii. Information within paragraph supports topic sentence

iii. Evidence from the text connects to topic sentence

iv. Direct quotes have introductions

v. Direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries are correctly cited in APA format

vi. Transitions are appropriate and move the reader through the paper

• c. Conclusion Value: ______ of 10 points

i. Re states the thesis

ii. Does not summarize the paper

iii. Does not include “In conclusion” style statements

iv. Applies understanding of the literature to the greater world

• III. Reference Page Value: _____ of 7 points

a. Is correct in every way (spacing, order, punctuation)

b. Hanging indent, single spaced

c. MLA format

• IV. Grammar and Style Value: _____ of 10 points

a. Written entirely in present tense

b. Contains no sentence fragments or run-on sentences

c. Avoids contractions (she’ll)

d. Avoids use of the first person (I think)

e. Is properly punctuated

f. Contains no misspelled words

g. Well-written sentences vary in length

h. Language is appropriate to subject and course

• Total Points: Grade: