LITERARY
ANALYSIS
What is Not vs. What is
Expected
Basic Parameters of the
Assignment:
 It should be about three to four pages (plus
the "Works Cited" page)
 I'm looking for little over 800 words.
 It should be typed with a double spaced
text, and I prefer Time Roman.
 Follow standard MLA header and do the
Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA)
section according to your training.
Here is how it should look:
 Except of course there will be two pages
 MLA Guidlines
Guidelines for writing:
 Use evidence from text to support your
thesis.
 Organize points logically.
 Use present tense.
 If use quotations, make them few, short, no
longer than necessary to prove your point.
It is Not a “Book Report”
 In years past a book report
was for many of you the norm
in literary assignments.
 It requires large amounts of
summaries and a series of
opinions on the overall text.
 The purpose of a book report
is to show the instructor that
the student has read and
understood the work.
 It is NOT expected in most
College classes.
Think How You Would
Talk if You Enjoyed a
Movie. . .You would say. .
 what was specifically
interesting in the film.
 You would not re-tell
the story!
Literary Analysis
 Purpose:
 you are to share a
specific insight
about a literary
work in one
particular area.
Rationale:
 Increases reader’s
(& writer’s)
understanding,
appreciation of work
 Develops ability to
think critically and
independently
 Strengthens writing
ability
 Aids in learning
more about self,
others, life
Choose one of these
possiblities:
Plot, Setting, Character,
Point of View, Symbols
The Basic Questions of
Plot
 What happens?
 To whom?
 Why?
Analysis of Plot:
4 key
elements of plot
Climax
Complication
rising action
Exposition
Denouement*
* Pronounced as “/deɪːnuˈmɑ̃”, (It’s French) noun:
1. The final resolution of the main complication of
a literary or dramatic work.
a.k.a. “Resolution”
Conflicts




Man vs. Man
Man vs. Self
Man vs. Environment
Man vs. God
The essence of plot is the existence of
conflict.
Conflict Makes Plot
 What are the
conflicts?
 Why do they occur?
 What does the plot
reveal?
 Is the problem left
unsolved? Why?
Analysis of Setting
 Natural Setting


Hostile Force
Friendly Force
 Man-made Setting

Reveals character of
those who inhabit it
Setting








Time of day
Amount of light
Flora and fauna
Sounds
Weather
Clothing
Smells
Descriptions
Questions to ask about Setting
 What is it?
 What contribution is
made by using this
setting?
 How is it effective in
commenting on
theme, characters,
tone?
Character: Indicated in four
ways
 By what the
character says
 By what the
character does
 By what other
characters say about
him/her
 By what the author
says about him/her
Questions to ask about Character
 Why do the
characters act as
they do?
 Are the characters
consistent in
behavior?
 Is there a change in
behavior? Why?
Analysis of Theme
(Controlling Idea)
 What is it?
 What does it mean?
 How is it
developed?
 Is there unity?
Analysis of Point of View
Ask “Who tells the story?”
 First person narrator
 Objective (Dramatic
narrator)
 Limited omniscient
narrator
 Omniscient narrator
Questions to ask about Point of View
 What are the advantages?
 What are its limitations?
 How does the narrator’s
mind and personality affect
the interpretation?
 Why has author chosen this
point of view?
 Is selected point of view used
fairly and consistently?
Analysis of Symbolism
Symbolism - the
use of one object
to represent or
suggest another
Symbolism
Any symbolic
interpretation
must grow directly
out of the tones
and connotations
found in a close
literal reading of
the story.
GUIDELINES OF
SOUND CRITICISM
SOUND CRITICISM
 Interpret a
passage in its
context, noting
such matters as
the character, the
time, and the
author’s purpose.
SOUND CRITICISM
 Be humble and
open-minded, never
assuming that yours
is the only correct
interpretation.
SOUND CRITICISM
 Accept the
theological,
political, and
social premises
the work is
founded on.
SOUND CRITICISM
 Have perspective
and see both the
forest and the
tree.
SOUND CRITICISM
 Don’t assume
that there is a
message or
hidden meaning
everywhere.
SOUND CRITICISM
 Don’t be so
creative that you
lose sight of the
text and talk
about yourself.
SOUND CRITICISM
 DON’T
RETELL
THE STORY.
Guidelines for writing:
 Read work carefully.
 Assume audience is
familiar with story;
don’t rehash plot.
 Use third person.
 Research outside
sources.
 Have a clear thesis.
Faigley notes that a literary
analysis paper can. . .
 Review the repetition of particular images
(motifs) and even works which contribute to
the meaning of the work (its themes).
 Examine a problem—why does the narrator
in The Hobbit chat so much?
 Compare and contrast to provide an analysis
of two characters or two works—any pairs
that help the reader gain an insight about the
work.
 Use a critical strategy.
Some critical strategies:




Feminist criticism
Historical (biographical) criticism
Jungian (Archetypal) criticism
Freudian (Psychological) criticism
Look at Some Specifics
 The following concrete examples are based
on trying to write a literary analysis paper
on “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker which
was featured in
Sparknotes refers to this information
as context but it is biographical
 Born in rural Eatonton, Georgia, in 1944,
Alice Walker was the youngest of eight
children.
 When she was eight years old, she was
blinded in one eye by a BB shot by one of
her brothers.
 Although she eventually had surgery on her
scar and became valedictorian of her high
school, she endured teasing and low selfesteem throughout her childhood.
More biographical
 She received a scholarship to Spelman College,
a traditionally black college in Georgia, and left
home with three things given to her by her
mother,
 Minnie: a sewing machine to encourage selfsufficiency, a suitcase to nudge her curious
spirit, and a typewriter to nurture her budding
writing talents.
 Walker eventually left Spelman to attend Sarah
Lawrence College in New York, from which
she graduated in 1965.
Some Points about “Everyday Use”
by Alice Walker
Themes: the big ideas found within
a work.
 The Meaning of Heritage
 The Divisive Power of
Education
 Modern Culture vs.
Traditional Culture
Motifs:
Are any recurring element that
has symbolic significance in a story. Through
its repetition, a motif can help produce other
narrative (or literary) aspects such as theme
or mood.
 Eye Contact and Eyesight
 Naming and Renaming
Symbols: a concrete something
in a story which represents an
abstract idea  The Quilt
 The Yard
Citations (MLA and APA)
 MLA
“SparkNote on Everyday Use.” SparkNotes.com.
SparkNotes LLC. 2007. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
 APA
SparkNote on Everyday Use. (2007). Retrieved
October 17, 2012, from
http://www.sparknotes.com/shortstories/everyday-use/