Writing a Literary Essay
English 10
The literary essay asks writers to analyze literature with regards to a specific topic or question
There are three types of paragraphs in a literary essay.
They are:
Introduction: Introduces the reader to the literature you will be discussing and the
ideas you will be presenting.
Body: Uses examples from the literature to support and explain your ideas.
Conclusion: Summarize key ideas for the reader
The introduction has three types of sentences. They are:
Hook
The hook is the very first sentence of the essay. It should be very general and apply to
almost anyone but still be on topic. To figure out what the topic should be, look for key words in
the essay question or writing prompt. The hook should NEVER mention the specific literature or
characters that will be discussed in the essay. If it did, it would be specific, not general.
TAG
TAG stands for title, author, genre. The second sentence of the essay should be more
specific than the first. It should state the information about the literature that will be discussed in
the essay. Remember titles of major works get underlined (or italicized if typed), authors’ names
start with capital letters (first and last), and genre is the type of work it is. By genre, we mean
poem, short story, novel, play, song, etc…; we do not mean historical fiction, realistic fiction,
science fictions, etc…. The TAG should also connect the literature to the topic of the essay
mentioned in the hook. Usually all TAG information can be found in the essay question or writing
prompt.
Thesis
The thesis ends the introduction. It is the most important sentence of the essay. It informs
readers of the specific point that the writer will make in the essay. It is more specific than the hook
or the TAG. It establishes the focus of the entire essay. It should encompass a bit of each body
paragraph planned for the essay. To determine the point you are supposed to be making, you
should look at what the essay question or writing prompt asks you to do or prove.
An essay introduction can be written just by reading the essay question or writing prompt.
A person does not even have to have read the literature about which they are supposed to
write in order to write the introduction.
The body paragraph follows a paragraph writing formula.
The sentences are:
Topic Sentence (TS) – This sentence gives the reader an idea of what the
paragraph is about. All other sentences in the paragraph should relate back to the
topic sentence and help to prove that it is true.
Concrete Detail (CD) – This should be a specific detail that supports the topic
sentence. It is a fact.
Commentary (CM) – This is where the writer shows a connection. This sentence
should explain why or how the CD is good or reasonable support for the TS.
Concrete Detail (CD) – This should be a specific detail that supports the topic
sentence. It is a fact.
Commentary (CM) – This is where the writer shows a connection. This sentence
should explain why or how the CD is good or reasonable support for the TS.
Concluding Sentence (CS) – This sentence should sum up the main point of the
paragraph and tie up any loose ends for the reader.
The conclusion paragraph has three parts:
Reword Thesis: reword this sentence from the introduction paragraph
Summarize Key Points: summarize the points from each body paragraph
Unhook: reword the hook from the introduction paragraph
The essay is a way for you to express what you know in an organized way with appropriate detail.
Following this format will ensure that you stick to the task and provide ample detail with appropriate
explanation in a way that your reader will understand.
To write an essay, you must brainstorm your ideas and then plan your details in an organized way.
This will help you make sure that you address the task and provide all of the necessary parts to
your writing.