HOW TO WRITE A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY
The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and sometimes evaluate a work of
literature or an aspect of a work of literature. As with any analysis, this requires you to break the
subject down into its component parts. Examining the different elements of a piece of literature is not
an end in itself but rather a process to help you better appreciate and understand the work of
literature as a whole. For instance, an analysis of a poem might deal with the different types of
images in a poem or with the relationship between the form and content of the work. If you were to
analyze (discuss and explain) a play, you might analyze the relationship between a subplot and the
main plot, or you might analyze the character flaw of the tragic hero by tracing how it is revealed
through the acts of the play. Analyzing a short story might include identifying a particular theme (like
the difficulty of making the transition from adolescence to adulthood) and showing how the writer
suggests that theme through the point of view from which the story is told; or you might also explain
how the main character‟s attitude toward women is revealed through his dialogue and/or actions.
REMEMBER: Writing is the sharpened, focused expression of thought and study. As you develop
your writing skills, you will also improve your perceptions and increase your critical abilities. Writing
ultimately boils down to the development of an idea. Your objective in writing a literary analysis essay
is to convince the person reading your essay that you have supported the idea you are developing.
Unlike ordinary conversation and classroom discussion, writing must stick with great
determination to the specific point of development. This kind of writing demands tight
organization and control. Therefore, your essay must have a central idea (thesis), it must have
several paragraphs that grow systematically out of the central idea, and everything in it must be
directly related to the central idea and must contribute to the reader’s understanding of that
central idea. These three principles are listed again below:
1. Your essay must cover the topic you are writing about.
2. Your essay must have a central idea (stated in your thesis) that
governs its development.
3. Your essay must be organized so that every part contributes
something to the reader’s understanding of the central idea.
THE ELEMENTS OF A SOLID ESSAY
The Thesis Statement
The thesis statement tells your reader what to expect: it is a restricted, precisely worded declarative
sentence that states the purpose of your essay -- the point you are trying to make. Without a
carefully conceived thesis, an essay has no chance of success. The following are thesis
statements which would work for a 500-750 word literary analysis essay:
Gwendolyn Brooks‟s 1960 poem “The Ballad of Rudolph Reed” demonstrates how the
poet uses the conventional poetic form of the ballad to treat the unconventional poetic
subject of racial intolerance.
The fate of the main characters in Antigone illustrates the danger of excessive pride.
The imagery in Dylan Thomas‟s poem “Fern Hill” reveals the ambiguity of humans‟
relationship with nature.
Typically, the thesis statement falls at the end of your introductory paragraph.