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Literary Analysis Essay Structure

INTRODUCTION:

The first paragraph of your essay. It begins creatively in order to catch your reader ’s interest, provides

essential background about the literary work, and prepares the reader for your major thesis. The

introduction must include the author and title of the work as well as an explanation of the theme to be

discussed.

The essential background may include setting, an introduction of main characters, etc. The major thesis

goes in this paragraph usually at the end. Because the major thesis sometimes sounds tacked on, make

special attempts to link it to the sentence that precedes it by building on a keyword or idea.

Creative Opening/Hook:

the beginning sentences of the introduction that catch the reader’s interest. Ways of beginning

creatively include the following:

A startling fact or a bit of information

Example: Nearly two hundred citizens were arrested as witches during the Salem witch scare of 1692.

Eventually, nineteen were hanged, and another was pressed to death (Marks 65).

A snatch of dialogue between two characters

"It is another thing. You [Frederic Henry] cannot know about it unless

you have it."

" Well," I said. "If I ever get it I will tell you [priest]." (Hemingway 72).

With these words, the priest in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms sends

the hero, Frederic, in search of the ambiguous "it" in his life.

A meaningful quotation

Example: "To be, or not to be, that is the question" (3.1.57). This familiar statement expresses the young

prince’s moral dilemma in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

A universal idea

Example:

The terrifying scenes a soldier experiences on the front probably follow him throughout his life—if he

manages to survive the war.

A rich, vivid description of the setting

Example:

Sleepy Maycomb, like other Southern towns, suffers considerably

during the Great Depression. Poverty reaches from the privileged families, like

the Finches who live on the outskirts of town. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life in this humid

Alabama town where tempers and bigotry explode into conflict.

The Thesis:

Your thesis is a statement that provides the subject and overall argument of your essay. For a literary

analysis, your major thesis must

(1) relate to the theme and Character in the work and

(2) suggest how this theme and character are revealed in the text

A good thesis may also suggest the organization of the paper.

"Through Paul’s experience behind the lines, at a Russian prisoner of war camp, and especially under

bombardment in the trenches, Erich Maria Remarque realistically shows how war dehumanizes a man."

Sometimes a thesis becomes too cumbersome to fit into one sentence. In such cases, you may express

the major thesis as two sentences.

"In a Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens shows the process by which a wasted life can be redeemed.

Sidney Carton, through his love for Lucie Manette, is transformed from a hopeless, bitter man into a hero

whose life and death have meaning."

The BODY - PARAGRAPHS

paragraphs support the thesis of your essay. These paragraphs contain supporting examples: (concrete

details) and analysis/explanation (commentary) for your topic sentences.

Each paragraph in the body includes

(1) a topic sentence,

(2) textual evidence (quotes from your reading) and commentary (explanation), and

(3) a concluding sentence.

In its simplest form, each body paragraph is organized as follows:

1. A topic sentence

2. A lead-in sentence to textual evidence

3. textual evidence (cite text)

4. commentary

5. transition and lead-in to outside evidence

6. outside evidence (cite outside source)

7. commentary

8. concluding or clincher sentence

Topic Sentence:

the first sentence of a body or support paragraph. It identifies one aspect of the major thesis and states

a primary reason why the major thesis is true.

"When he first appears in the novel, Sidney Carton is a loveless outcast

who sees little worth in himself or in others."

Textual Evidence:

a specific example from the work used to provide evidence for your topic sentence. Textual evidence

can be a combination of paraphrase and direct quotation from the work.

When Carlton and Darnay first meet at the tavern, Carlton tells him, "I

care for no man on this earth, and no man cares for me" (Dickens 105).

Commentary:

"Carton makes this statement as if he were excusing his rude behavior to Darnay. Carton, however, is

only pretending to be polite, perhaps to amuse himself. With this seemingly off-the-cuff remark, Carton

reveals a deeper cynicism and his emotional isolation."

Transitions:

words or phrases that connect or "hook" one idea to the next, both between and within paragraphs.

Transition devices include using connecting words as well as repeating key words or using synonyms.

Finally, in the climax…

Another example: …

Later in the story…

In contrast to this behavior…

Not only…

but also…

Furthermore…

Lead-In:

phrase or sentence that prepares the reader for textual evidence by introducing the speaker, setting,

and/or situation.

Later, however, when the confident Sidney Carton returns alone to his

home, his alienation and unhappiness become apparent: "Climbing into a high

chamber in a well of houses, he threw himself down in his clothes on a neglected

bed, and its pillow was wet with wasted tears" (Dickens 211).

Clincher/Concluding Sentence:

The last sentence of the body paragraph. It concludes the paragraph by tying the textual evidence and

commentary back to the thesis.

Thus, before Carton experiences love, he is able to convince himself

that the world has no meaning.

CONCLUSION paragraph:

This is the last paragraph in your essay. This paragraph should begin by echoing your major thesis

without repeating the words exactly. Then, the conclusion should broaden from the thesis statements to

answer the "so what?" question your reader may have after reading your essay. he

The conclusion should do one or more of the following:

1) Reflect on how your essay topic relates to the book as a whole

2) Evaluate how successful the author is in achieving his or her goal or message

3) Give a personal statement about the topic

4) Make predictions

5) Connect back to your creative opening

6) Give your opinion of the novel’s value or significance

HOW TO CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE WITHIN YOUR PAPER

PRIMARY SOURCE:

The literary work (novel, play, story, poem) to be discussed in an essay.

Example: Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Tell-tale Heart"

SECONDARY SOURCE:

• Any source (other than the primary source) referred to in the essay.

• Secondary sources can include articles that are critical analyses, biographies of the author,

reviews, articles, academic journals, etc.

• When citing primary or secondary sources, follow MLA style for parenthetical documentation for

dand "Works Cited" page.

WORKS CITED:

• In a separate page list all the works cited in an essay. It simplifies documentation because it

permits you to make only brief references to those works in the test (parenthetical

documentation).

• A "Works Cited" page differs from a "Bibliography" in that the latter includes sources researched

but not actually cited in the paper.

• All the entries on a "Works Cited" page are double spaced.

PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION:

In-Text Citation

Most often you will use the author’s last name and page number (MLA 8) after a direct quote referring

to a source listed on the "Works Cited" page.

However, if you quote for the first time, it is advised that you include in the sentence the title of the

work.

Marlo Shien in his article, "Hemingway and the Writer," states that "Hemingway’s writing declined in his

later career due his mental health" (Shien 789).

If you cite the author in the text of your paper, you only need the page number in parentheses:

According to Francis Guerin, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reflects, "those same nightmarish

shadows that even in our own time threaten to obscure the American Dream" (49).

If two works by the same author appear in your "Works Cited," add the title or a shortened version of it

to distinguish your sources:

"He wouldn’t rest until he had run a mile or more" (Dickens, A Tale 78).

BLOCK QUOTATION:

For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-

standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire

quote indented ½ inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing.

For any prose dialogue involving 2 or more speakers, start the quotation (dialogue) after a colon and

have each line of dialogue as its own paragraph (.5 inch indentation), placing the citation information

after the end punctuation.

During the trial scene, Bob Ewell immediately shows his disrespect

for both the court and his family:

"Are you the father of Mayella Ewell?" was the next question.

"Well, if I ain’t I can’t do nothing about it now, her ma’s dead," was the answer. (Lee 172)

Literary Analysis Essay Structure

INTRODUCTION:

The first paragraph of your essay. It begins creatively in order to catch your reader ’s interest, provides

essential background about the literary work, and prepares the reader for your major thesis. The

introduction must include the author and title of the work as well as an explanation of the theme to be

discussed.

The essential background may include setting, an introduction of main characters, etc. The major thesis

goes in this paragraph usually at the end. Because the major thesis sometimes sounds tacked on, make

special attempts to link it to the sentence that precedes it by building on a keyword or idea.

Creative Opening/Hook:

the beginning sentences of the introduction that catch the reader’s interest. Ways of beginning

creatively include the following:

A startling fact or a bit of information

Example: Nearly two hundred citizens were arrested as witches during the Salem witch scare of 1692.

Eventually, nineteen were hanged, and another was pressed to death (Marks 65).

A snatch of dialogue between two characters

"It is another thing. You [Frederic Henry] cannot know about it unless

you have it."

" Well," I said. "If I ever get it I will tell you [priest]." (Hemingway 72).

With these words, the priest in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms sends

the hero, Frederic, in search of the ambiguous "it" in his life.

A meaningful quotation

Example: "To be, or not to be, that is the question" (3.1.57). This familiar statement expresses the young

prince’s moral dilemma in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

A universal idea

Example:

The terrifying scenes a soldier experiences on the front probably follow him throughout his life—if he

manages to survive the war.

A rich, vivid description of the setting

Example:

Sleepy Maycomb, like other Southern towns, suffers considerably

during the Great Depression. Poverty reaches from the privileged families, like

the Finches who live on the outskirts of town. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life in this humid

Alabama town where tempers and bigotry explode into conflict.

The Thesis:

Your thesis is a statement that provides the subject and overall argument of your essay. For a literary

analysis, your major thesis must

(1) relate to the theme and Character in the work and

(2) suggest how this theme and character are revealed in the text

A good thesis may also suggest the organization of the paper.

"Through Paul’s experience behind the lines, at a Russian prisoner of war camp, and especially under

bombardment in the trenches, Erich Maria Remarque realistically shows how war dehumanizes a man."

Sometimes a thesis becomes too cumbersome to fit into one sentence. In such cases, you may express

the major thesis as two sentences.

"In a Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens shows the process by which a wasted life can be redeemed.

Sidney Carton, through his love for Lucie Manette, is transformed from a hopeless, bitter man into a hero

whose life and death have meaning."

The BODY - PARAGRAPHS

paragraphs support the thesis of your essay. These paragraphs contain supporting examples: (concrete

details) and analysis/explanation (commentary) for your topic sentences.

Each paragraph in the body includes

(1) a topic sentence,

(2) textual evidence (quotes from your reading) and commentary (explanation), and

(3) a concluding sentence.

In its simplest form, each body paragraph is organized as follows:

1. A topic sentence

2. A lead-in sentence to textual evidence

3. textual evidence (cite text)

4. commentary

5. transition and lead-in to outside evidence

6. outside evidence (cite outside source)

7. commentary

8. concluding or clincher sentence

Topic Sentence:

the first sentence of a body or support paragraph. It identifies one aspect of the major thesis and states

a primary reason why the major thesis is true.

"When he first appears in the novel, Sidney Carton is a loveless outcast

who sees little worth in himself or in others."

Textual Evidence:

a specific example from the work used to provide evidence for your topic sentence. Textual evidence

can be a combination of paraphrase and direct quotation from the work.

When Carlton and Darnay first meet at the tavern, Carlton tells him, "I

care for no man on this earth, and no man cares for me" (Dickens 105).

Commentary:

"Carton makes this statement as if he were excusing his rude behavior to Darnay. Carton, however, is

only pretending to be polite, perhaps to amuse himself. With this seemingly off-the-cuff remark, Carton

reveals a deeper cynicism and his emotional isolation."

Transitions:

words or phrases that connect or "hook" one idea to the next, both between and within paragraphs.

Transition devices include using connecting words as well as repeating key words or using synonyms.

Finally, in the climax…

Another example: …

Later in the story…

In contrast to this behavior…

Not only…

but also…

Furthermore…

Lead-In:

phrase or sentence that prepares the reader for textual evidence by introducing the speaker, setting,

and/or situation.

Later, however, when the confident Sidney Carton returns alone to his

home, his alienation and unhappiness become apparent: "Climbing into a high

chamber in a well of houses, he threw himself down in his clothes on a neglected

bed, and its pillow was wet with wasted tears" (Dickens 211).

Clincher/Concluding Sentence:

The last sentence of the body paragraph. It concludes the paragraph by tying the textual evidence and

commentary back to the thesis.

Thus, before Carton experiences love, he is able to convince himself

that the world has no meaning.

CONCLUSION paragraph:

This is the last paragraph in your essay. This paragraph should begin by echoing your major thesis

without repeating the words exactly. Then, the conclusion should broaden from the thesis statements to

answer the "so what?" question your reader may have after reading your essay. he

The conclusion should do one or more of the following:

1) Reflect on how your essay topic relates to the book as a whole

2) Evaluate how successful the author is in achieving his or her goal or message

3) Give a personal statement about the topic

4) Make predictions

5) Connect back to your creative opening

6) Give your opinion of the novel’s value or significance

HOW TO CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE WITHIN YOUR PAPER

PRIMARY SOURCE:

The literary work (novel, play, story, poem) to be discussed in an essay.

Example: Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Tell-tale Heart"

SECONDARY SOURCE:

• Any source (other than the primary source) referred to in the essay.

• Secondary sources can include articles that are critical analyses, biographies of the author,

reviews, articles, academic journals, etc.

• When citing primary or secondary sources, follow MLA style for parenthetical documentation for

dand "Works Cited" page.

WORKS CITED:

• In a separate page list all the works cited in an essay. It simplifies documentation because it

permits you to make only brief references to those works in the test (parenthetical

documentation).

• A "Works Cited" page differs from a "Bibliography" in that the latter includes sources researched

but not actually cited in the paper.

• All the entries on a "Works Cited" page are double spaced.

PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION:

In-Text Citation

Most often you will use the author’s last name and page number (MLA 8) after a direct quote referring

to a source listed on the "Works Cited" page.

However, if you quote for the first time, it is advised that you include in the sentence the title of the

work.

Marlo Shien in his article, "Hemingway and the Writer," states that "Hemingway’s writing declined in his

later career due his mental health" (Shien 789).

If you cite the author in the text of your paper, you only need the page number in parentheses:

According to Francis Guerin, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reflects, "those same nightmarish

shadows that even in our own time threaten to obscure the American Dream" (49).

If two works by the same author appear in your "Works Cited," add the title or a shortened version of it

to distinguish your sources:

"He wouldn’t rest until he had run a mile or more" (Dickens, A Tale 78).

BLOCK QUOTATION:

For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-

standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire

quote indented ½ inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing.

For any prose dialogue involving 2 or more speakers, start the quotation (dialogue) after a colon and

have each line of dialogue as its own paragraph (.5 inch indentation), placing the citation information

after the end punctuation.

During the trial scene, Bob Ewell immediately shows his disrespect

for both the court and his family:

"Are you the father of Mayella Ewell?" was the next question.

"Well, if I ain’t I can’t do nothing about it now, her ma’s dead," was the answer. (Lee 172)