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The Literary Essay is an insightful, critical interpretation of a literary work.
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It is NOT A SUMMARY of plot, character or other elements of fiction in any given literary work.

 …you provide your own formal interpretation and/or opinion of the topic
 …you use the literary work to prove or substantiate your understanding of the topic

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…try to prove the plot – we know how the series of events unfolded because we read the book
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…need to prove that the characters, setting, or themes existed in the literary work

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…provide an interpretation of the plot, setting, character, conflict, and themes as they relate to the topic you are discussing
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…develop elements that will prove your argument

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…allows you, the writer, to provide your own understanding of the literary work in a properly structured format.

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…clearly introduces the topic, the literary work, and the author.
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Example:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee presents prejudice and discrimination of black people.
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The introduction allows you to give the reader the clear and specific direction of your essay.

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…states the main purpose of the essay
…has a narrow focus
…is often stated in the LAST sentence of your introduction
…answers the question:
What will you prove/show through this essay about the literary work under discussion?

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Poor thesis statements
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Are vague, general
Express more than one idea
Are irrelevant and don’t say anything new (too obvious) trite, irrelevant Shakespeare was the world's greatest playwright.

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Good thesis statements:
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Make a stand (are for/against) or can be argued
Are specific
Make one main point with supporting proofs
Justify discussion intriguing The success of the last scene in
Midsummer Night's Dream comes from subtle linguistic and theatrical references to Elizabeth's position as queen.
 http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/planning-and-organizing/thesis-statements

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…needs refinement
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Is it interesting?
Will the reader ask, “so what?” or “how will you prove that?”
Will the process of proving the thesis shed light on specific aspects of the text?
Does it reflect a high level of inquiry and literary criticism?
 E.g. In Shoeless Joe, Kinsella’s magic realist portraits of Ray,
Salinger and Joe Jackson express his vision of North
America as a miraculous baseball field brimming with endless hope and possibility symbolized by the sport.

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Another problem is not keeping all of the elements in a single sentence. Writers sometimes worry because the thesis statement ends up being very long so they try to break it into multiple sentences. While more experienced writers may be able to get away with this technique, students should keep the thesis statement to a single sentence.
Read more: About Thesis Statements | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_4741342_t hesis-statements.html#ixzz1utc6k02b

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IS YOUR THESIS STATEMENT:
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1. SPECIFIC? Do not make your thesis statement so general that it doesn’t mean very much. Avoid ambiguous or vague words (e.g. “thing”) and sweeping claims (e.g. “there are many similarities and differences).
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2. CLEAR? You know what your thesis means, but will someone else? Try reading it to a friend and see whether he/she knows what you are getting at.
3. UNIFIED? Do you list several points without showing their connection? A good thesis makes one strong point, not many unrelated ones.
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4. BRIEF? A thesis statement should be one or two sentences in length. If it is longer than that, you are trying to say too much. You do not have to list all your up-coming arguments in your thesis statement.
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5. VISIBLE? Is your thesis hidden away where your reader may not see it? Usually, but not always, your thesis will be at the beginning or end of your introductory paragraph.
6. ARGUMENTATIVE? A thesis statement presents an argument; it does not restate the topic. You should make an assertion which you then attempt to prove in the body of your essay. You can tell that your thesis is argumentative if it is debatable – that is, if you can think of a counter-argument.
7. RELEVANT? Is your thesis on topic? Does it accurately capture what you argue in your essay? If you revise the body of your essay, be certain your thesis still fits.
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8. INTERESTING? Will your reader want to read the rest of your essay? Do you make your argument sound important?

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…is divided into paragraphs
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…is composed of paragraphs which
begin with a topic sentence that clearly introduces the topic in the paragraph and end with linking sentences that introduce the next paragraph

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…serves to PROVE your thesis
NOTE:
In order to prove your thesis, you must develop and expand on the topic using examples and citations
(quotes) from the literary work to substantiate your statements
Once a quote is cited, you must provide an
interpretation (Think: literary significance), not a summary, about how this quote is relevant to the development of the topic and thesis

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…is where you develop your ideas about the topic
…is where you provide your own ideas by answering the following questions:
1. What is the topic? How is the topic relevant?
2. How does the topic relate to the literary work?
3. How does topic affect the development of the literary work as a whole?

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What is my understanding of the topic and the literary work?
How does the setting affect the development of the topic?
How do the characters assist in the development of the topic?
You DO NOT, however, write your essay in a “question & answer” format. It must flow like the literary work itself.

The first sentence of the conclusion is a restatement of your THESIS.
Do not introduce any new information in the conclusion.
Restate your most important points as a means of bringing your argument to a close.
The conclusion is your last chance to prove your opinion to the reader!

Introduction : Paragraph One
1 st sentence: General overview of the topic
2 nd & 3 rd sentences: Introduction of the author and the literary work
Additional sentences: Description and/or development of the literary work as it pertains the topic. It’s where you introduce your argument.
Final sentence: Statement of the thesis .

Paragraph 2 – Development of first argument
Topic Sentence: Introduces only the argument in this paragraph.
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Development consists of ideas which support the topic sentence and thesis
Choose 1 – 2 quotes from the literary work which will develop/support this topic and establish a connection to topic/thesis
A linking sentence will reinforce what was stated in this paragraph and connect it to the following argument.

Paragraph 3 – Development of second argument
Paragraph 4 – Development of third argument

 Restates the thesis
 Summarizes the main points of your argument from each paragraph
 Makes final concluding point

HOW IT LOOKS
INTRODUCTION
BODY
ARGUMENT 1
ARGUMENT 2
ARGUMENT 3
CONCLUSION

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Quotes of four lines or less can be included in the body of your essay using quotation marks
Example:
“He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying; his face was dirty.” (Lee 63)
Author’s last name and page reference

For citations that are MORE than 4 lines long, centre and single space the quote as shown below:
Indent 10 spaces
For reasons unfathomable to the most experienced prophets in Maycomb County, autumn turned to winter that year.
We had two weeks of the coldest weather since 1885 (Lee 63).

Alfredo, B. Critical Interpretations of To Kill A
Mockingbird. New York: Routledge, 1999.
Lee, H. To Kill A Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Warner
Books, 1960.
Use MLA format.
Include the literary work in the works consulted list .

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Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Be sure to use double-spaced text.
Double space again and center the title. Don't underline your title or put it in quotation marks.
Double space between the title and the first line of the text.

Here is a sample first page of an essay in MLA style:

Ensure you have completed the following before you submit your essay for assessment to your teacher:
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Double spaced your essay
Times New Roman, Verdana or Calibri, font size 12
MLA format throughout
Labeled each page, including page 1, with your last name and page number

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Included a Works Consulted page
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Cited the literary work in the works cited page and referenced it properly throughout
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Have introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
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Clearly stated thesis

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Edited for spelling and language errors (be careful of “typos”)
Stapled the essay in the correct order
Spelled the teacher’s name correctly
Indented each new paragraph 5 spaces to show its beginning
Italicized all book titles throughout the essay