Analytical Writing
Writing About Literature
Novels
Short Stories
Drama
Poetry
Why bother?
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“I think, therefore I am.” (I guess some of you
may not be…)
Why dissect a frog? To learn how and why
things inside the frog work as they do. Why are
there two arteries here instead of one?
The written word gives us access to the
countless experiences and ideas of those around
us and those who came before us; it can deepen
our understanding of the world and how we live.
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If you don’t learn how to write well, my rabbit, Foo-foo,
will haunt your dreams forever…
What does good analytical writing
look like?
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Analysis does not equal description and
summary (though these may be present in your
writing)
Goes “beneath the surface,” going beyond
describing ideas to examining relationships
between ideas
Your own voice is present in the writing; don’t
just tell me what the author of the text has to
say, your voice should come through and tell me
how the text accomplishes what it does and why
it matters!
Different Types of Analysis
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There are many ways to conduct analysis
of text and many lenses through which we
examine literary works.
For our purposes, we will focus on
FORMALISM.
You will essentially “stay within the text”
as the source of your topics and evidence
in your analysis
Metacriticism
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Essentially, being critical of criticism.
Often writers and thinkers debate the validity
and value of using certain terms and guidelines
for evaluating literature.
Sometimes, artists can be quite satirical about
the way criticism is taught (Billy Collins).
Comes in waves and trends – critical thought
evolves to fit with the literary trends,
philosophies, and styles of the era.
Introduction To Poetry
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
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Billy Collins
Formalism/New Criticism
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Formalism attempts to treat each work as its
own distinct piece, free from its environment,
era, and even author.
This point of view developed in reaction to
"...forms of 'extrinsic' criticism that viewed the
text as either the product of social and historical
forces or a document making an ethical
statement"
Formalists assume that the keys to
understanding a text exist within "the text itself"
Formalism/New Criticism
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How does the work use imagery to develop its own symbols? (i.e.
making a certain road stand for death by constant association)
What is the quality of the work's organic unity "...the working
together of all the parts to make an inseparable whole..."? In other
words, does how the work is put together reflect what it is?
How are the various parts of the work interconnected?
How do paradox, irony, ambiguity, and tension work in the text?
How do these parts and their collective whole contribute to or not
contribute to the aesthetic quality of the work?
How does the author resolve apparent contradictions within the
work?
What does the form of the work say about its content?
Is there a central or focal passage that can be said to sum up the
entirety of the work?
How do the rhythms and/or rhyme schemes of a poem contribute to
the meaning or effect of the piece?
Formalism/New Criticism
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Its central tenant is that the text of the writer’s
work should be the focus of any inquiry or
criticism regarding the work.
Formalists believe that literature, including
poetry, should not be interpreted based on
ideology, historical interests, or psychological
principles.
Literary art is the total effect of literary devices
and “strategies” the writer uses to achieve her
aims.
Formalism/New Criticism
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One key feature that formalists identify as
distinguishing literature from other endeavors is
its use of “defamiliarization.” This term refers to
the way in which literature uses language in
new, unfamiliar, and even strange ways.
The writer is in control of a universe of her own
making. She can explain the world in a whole
new light through her choice of language and
story construction.
What the writer says cannot be separated
from how she says it.
Formalism/New Criticism
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Formalists believed that literature has its own distinct
history and innovations. It is left to the writers to find
new approaches to defamiliarization.
relationships between concepts are dependent on the
culture and language in which the concepts are created.
These relationships can be discovered and studied.
believe that literature must be studied on its own terms.
It cannot be evaluated in terms of cultural and historical
“externalities.” The focus of study should be the literary
strategies and craft of the writer.
Requires an understanding or literary jargon and how
various literary/rhetorical devices are employed
intentionally and carefully for a desired effect.
Good Literary Analysis
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An argument
When you write an extended literary essay, you
are essentially making an argument. You are
arguing that your perspective-an interpretation,
an evaluative judgment, or a critical evaluationis a valid one.
A debatable thesis statement
You must have a specific, detailed thesis
statement that reveals your perspective, and,
like any good argument, your perspective must
be one which is debatable.
Thesis Statement
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Step 1: What is your topic/subject?
Step 2: What is your
position/evaluation/criticism/idea about
the topic?
Step 3: Answer WHY? or HOW? Or SO
WHAT? about your idea(s) about the topic
Bad Example
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Shakespeare's Hamlet is a play about
a young man who seeks revenge.
Duh…
That doesn't say anything-it's basically just
a summary and is hardly debatable.
I call this “reporting”
Foo-foo doesn’t like reporting…
Better Example
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Hamlet experiences internal conflict because he is
in love with his mother.
That is debatable, controversial even. The rest of a
paper with this argument as its thesis will be an attempt
to show, using specific examples from the text and
evidence from scholars, (1) how Hamlet is in love with
his mother, (2) why he's in love with her, and
(3) what implications there are for reading the play in
this manner.
Adding a how, why, or so what to the thesis itself may
also strengthen it. Beware – a thesis that is too long
and wordy can compromise its clarity and power.
Another Bad Example
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Spirituality means different things to
different people. King Lear, The Book
of Romans, and Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance each view
the spirit differently.
Better Example
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King Lear, The Book of Romans,
and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance each view the soul as the
center of human personality.
In comparative analysis, the specifics of “why,
how, or so what” might need to be addressed
elsewhere in your writing because you may not
be able to make strong generalizations that are
true for each work discussed.
Evidence
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In FORMALISM, you must prove your
thesis using evidence.
You evidence should be direct quotations
from the text.
I don’t care how the text makes you feel
or how the barn on page 45 is like the
barn at your aunt’s house.
Evidence requires three things: context,
the quote itself, and analysis.
Context
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Briefly explain the
circumstances/conditions around the
quotation.
What is going on in the plot?
Who is speaking and to whom?
What information outside of the quotation
will be necessary for your reader to
understand its significance?
Context
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Atticus attempts to comfort Scout after
her difficult first day of school:
Dill recounts his story about the railroad in
Mississippi:
Ms. Maudie often invites the ladies over
for tea. At these meetings they would
discuss the importance of reputation:
The Quote
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It should only be one or two sentences
No “quote bombs” to fill space
Quotes longer than 4 lines in block format
Cite correctly per MLA, using the author’s last
name and page number (Moulison 34).
Periods go after the citation
Use ellipsis (…) to shorten quotations
It is ok to quote a word or phrase rather than an
entire passage
Analysis
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The most important part!
How exactly does this quotation support
your thesis and/or further your ideas?
Directly interject your own voice, and
make the connection for your reader.
Use some polysyllabic words, and vary
your sentence structure so you sound like
less of a moron.
Analysis
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Lee’s use of the words _____________
and __________ signify a negative
association with ____________.
Atticus tells Scout and Jem ___________
because _______________. This
recurring motif suggests that
_____________.
The Last Slide
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Introductions and conclusions are hard.
Do not begin with a random quote… Foo-foo
will break you.
Your conclusion and introduction should be
similar or parallel, but not rephrased copies.
Your conclusion should elaborate on the
implications of your thesis being correct and tie
up any loose ends not fully resolved in the body
of your essay.
FIN