literary analysis

Writing a Preliminary Draft for a Literary Analysis in the Humanities 

The following steps should help you prepare the preliminary draft of the literary analysis: 

1. Read the work of literature that you have chosen with an eye to discover how the theme associated with the work applies to it.  Be ready to answer questions about how the theme you've chosen is illustrated in the work of literature. 

2. Choose a literary element of the work of literature to examine, such as plot, structure, character development, symbolism, and so on (For guidance, see Humanities folder, “Writing About Literature” from Pearson.).  Make a preliminary assessment about how that literary element can be seen as a "thread" that you trace through the "fabric" of the piece literature to explore the work's theme. 

3. Create an outline that illustrates an attempt to trace a literary element through the work you've chosen to analyze.  An outline can be used to write the preliminary draft of your literary analysis. The more detailed your outline, the easier the preliminary draft will be to write. 

4. Re-read the work, and also re-read the Pearson chapter that explains how to analyze literature. 

5. Be prepared to explain the theme of the work as you see it, as well as several examples in the text where the thread you are tracing illustrates the theme, whether the thread is a symbol, structural element, metaphor, or character development point. 

6. Write a preliminary thesis statement for the preliminary draft.  Remember that the thesis should follow this pattern:  By examining X, readers can better understand Y. X stands for some literary element (thread in the fabric) that pertains to the work of literature you are analyzing, and Y stands for the work's theme (a way to label the entire fabric). 

7. Write the topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the draft.  The topic sentences are examples of X (the literary element) you plan to explore in the paper.

8. Read the sample Preliminary Literary Analysis (which does not contain the use of outside sources) and the Literary Analysis and note how the PLA does not contain outside sources (it is the student’s analysis of the work of literature, along with a few selected quotes from the literature), while the Literary Analysis expands upon the PLA, adding secondary academic sources from literary journals in order to supplement the reader’s own original thoughts. For now, however, concentrate on an analysis of the work without these resources: the preliminary draft will not incorporate secondary sources, just your own intro and thesis, body paragraphs exploring the thread/examples from the work, and a conclusion.

9. Write the body paragraphs. The body paragraphs will consist of your analyzing each literary example in the thesis list, one by one, in separate paragraphs.  Begin with a topic sentence that connects the literary element with the theme. The rest of the paragraph will cite instances in the story that illustrate this point.  Use both direct quotations and paraphrasing as you cite the source.

 

10. Write the introduction.  Describe, briefly, the theme of the work: specifically, focus on the author's view or opinion concerning the overall theme related to your work.  The introduction should end with a thesis that lists the specific literary elements you will examine in the work to explore the author’s theme.  For example: “By analyzing the bird symbolism in ‘A Worn Path,’ the reader can better understand the story's theme concerning overcoming life's obstacles through love; examples of bird symbolism include the main character's name; her encounters with a buzzard, scarecrow, and hunter; and her vision of her grandson waiting for her at home.”

 

11. Write the conclusion. The conclusion should begin with a reworded thesis, followed by a return to a brief discussion of the work's theme.

 

12. Review again the sample literary analysis. Note that this sample contains references to literary criticism (secondary sources).  Your preliminary draft due should not have to have any secondary sources, just the primary source you are analyzing.  

Eventually, after you do some research using EBSCO (from the FTCC Library) and NCLive.org, you will incorporate the same kinds of secondary sources into your paper.  Note, however, how the sample literary analysis cites the primary source being analyzed as well as how that student author incorporates citations from the short story analyzed into the paper.  You should imitate those kinds of citations to the work in your preliminary draft.  You will need a 500-750 word essay that includes in-text citations to the work as well as a Works Cited entry to the work.  Your in-text citations should include both direct quotations and paraphrasing.

Once you have written your preliminary draft, please submit it as a Word document attachment in .doc, .docx, or .rtf. Please do not submit a PDF file.