Literary Analyses / 247• includes specific details from the work, either quoted [see quotation marks in
the Glossary] or paraphrased [see Chapter 32, Paraphrase], which support the
topic or thesis,
• includes, if necessary, background research,
• follows a rather formal writing style, including the use of a third-person point
of view,
• uses the present tense to discuss the work but the past tense to discuss the
historical or literary period or author’s background,
• concludes with a reaction to the work as a representative of its genre, but
limits the reactions to only those topics discussed in the paper.PRoCESS
Use the following process to develop a literary analysis discussing a literary work.
STEP 1: Prewriting—Determining the Topic
After you have read the entire work, determine the approach your paper will take.
One of the most frequent mistakes students make in writing an analysis is venturing
off the analysis to simply retell the plot. As a result, be particularly cautious to select
a topic and develop it, using elements of the plot only as they support your topic and
your ideas.
If you have not been assigned a specific topic, use these questions to help you select
a general topic:
• Does the work rely on some unusual characteristic for its success? Are there
shortcomings as a result of this atypical characteristic? Advantages?
• Does the work exhibit some particularly strong characteristic that elevates it as
a model of its genre?
• Does the work exhibit some unique characteristic that sets it apart from its
genre?
• Are certain literary elements particularly attractive to readers’ interests (or to
your interest in particular)?
• Do certain literary elements combine in an unusual manner to further enhance
the work’s theme or overall impact?
• Are underlying elements, less obvious to casual readers, helpful in furthering
the work’s impact?
• Will unraveling complicated symbols or images enhance the reader’s enjoyment
of the work?
• Do certain characteristics of the work attract your attention because of their
relationship to other works?