Have a language expert improve your writing
Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.
- Knowledge Base
- How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide
How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide
Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.
Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.
A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.
Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :
- An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
- A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
- A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.
Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text
Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes
Table of contents
Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.
The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writingâthese are things you can dig into in your analysis.
Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices âtextual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.
To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.
Language choices
Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?
What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. âher eyes were oceansâ) and simile (e.g. âher eyes were like oceansâ).
Also keep an eye out for imagery in the textârecurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.
Narrative voice
Ask yourself:
- Who is telling the story?
- How are they telling it?
Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?
Consider the narratorâs perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.
The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?
Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.
- Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
- Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
- Plays are divided into scenes and acts.
Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.
There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res âin the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?
With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.
In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.
Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services
Discover proofreading & editing
Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. Itâs the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.
If youâre given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:
Essay question example
Is Franz Kafkaâs âBefore the Lawâ a religious parable?
Your thesis statement should be an answer to this questionânot a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isnât the case:
Thesis statement example
Franz Kafkaâs âBefore the Lawâ is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.
Sometimes youâll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, youâll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.
Your thesis should be something arguableâthat is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.
Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:
Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:
The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .
However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:
Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creatureâs narrative Frankenstein begins to resembleâeven in his own tellingâthe thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.
Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.
Finding textual evidence
To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence âspecific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.
It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether theyâre convincing.
To start your literary analysis paper, youâll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.
Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.
A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.
If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, donât worryâthis will be easier once youâve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.
âFearful symmetryâ : The violence of creation in William Blakeâs âThe Tygerâ
The introduction
The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.
A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.
Then you can end with a brief indication of whatâs coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldnât be more than one sentence.
Mary Shelleyâs Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creatureâs narrative Frankenstein begins to resembleâeven in his own tellingâthe thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creatureâs perception of him, and finally discusses the third volumeâs narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.
Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and itâs not a bad idea. After all, youâll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once youâve begun writing them!
If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.
The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.
Paragraph structure
A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.
Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Donât try to include everything you can think of to say about the textâonly analysis that drives your argument.
In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical momentsâa turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.
Robertâs first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels âa sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.â He identifies the moment of their meeting as âthe beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in itâ (p. 89). Gil-Martinâs âinvisible powerâ seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.
Topic sentences
To keep your points focused, itâs important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.
A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like âhoweverâ or âmoreoverâ are useful for creating smooth transitions:
⊠The storyâs focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.
Nevertheless, the âradianceâ that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.
This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word âneverthelessâ points out a contrast with the previous paragraphâs conclusion.
Using textual evidence
A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.
Itâs important to contextualize quotes and explain why youâre using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:
It isnât always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when youâre discussing the author’s language, but sometimes youâll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that canât be captured in a short quote.
In these cases, itâs more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the textâthat is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:
Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting
Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:
- Academic style
- Vague sentences
- Style consistency
See an example
The conclusion of your analysis shouldnât introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, itâs about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.
A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion theyâve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:
If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!
- Ad hominem fallacy
- Post hoc fallacy
- Appeal to authority fallacy
- False cause fallacy
- Sunk cost fallacy
College essays
- Choosing Essay Topic
- Write a College Essay
- Write a Diversity Essay
- College Essay Format & Structure
- Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay
 (AI) Tools
- Grammar Checker
- Paraphrasing Tool
- Text Summarizer
- AI Detector
- Plagiarism Checker
- Citation Generator
By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novelâs three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumesâfirst in the creatureâs accusatory voice, and then in his own voiceâincreasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankensteinâs narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from othersâ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelleyâs unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the âCite this Scribbr articleâ button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2023, August 14). How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide. Scribbr. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/literary-analysis/
Is this article helpful?
Jack Caulfield
Other students also liked, how to write a thesis statement | 4 steps & examples, academic paragraph structure | step-by-step guide & examples, how to write a narrative essay | example & tips, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".
I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”
Humanities 101 - Channing: Writing Analysis Papers for the Humanities
- Books on Reserve
- HUM 101 Course Reading and Study Materials
- Writing Analysis Papers for the Humanities
A Guide to Writing Analysis Papers for the Humanities
- How to Write a Research Paper
- How to Write about Architecture
- Music Analysis
- Writing a Literary Analysis
- Writing an Art Analysis
- Writing a Philosophy Paper
- Formal Art Analyses
- Writing in the Humanities
- Writing about Architecture
- Analyzing Visual Art
- Literary Analysis Example Essay 1
- Example Literary Essay 2
- << Previous: HUM 101 Course Reading and Study Materials
- Last Updated: Dec 6, 2022 10:22 AM
- URL: https://libguides.tmcc.edu/hum101
- Essay Guide
- Alex Essay Writing Tool
- Dissertation Guide
- Ask The Elephant
Humanities essays
What are the humanities.
The humanities refer to subjects that study people, their ideas, history, and literature. To put that another way, the humanities are those branches of learning regarding primarily as having a cultural character.
For example, one of the UKâs academic funding bodies, the Arts & Humanities Research Board or AHRB, tends to concentrate on the following sorts of subjects: Classics, Visual Arts and Media, Modern Languages, Music and Performing Arts, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Medieval and Modern History.
Key features â primary & secondary texts
In the majority of these subjects you begin with a primary text â e.g. a play or a film or a set of historical events. You are expected to show good knowledge of the primary text and to mount a discussion of it â or of aspects of it â that is located within current critical debate about it. You are expected to use your own judgement about other peopleâs judgements of the primary text.
Key features â logical argument
Readers of your essay will look for an argument that is clearly expressed in a logical order. They will not expect your essay to follow a specific set structure. For example, an English Literature essay might start with a plot summary of the work being discussed, a quote from the work or a quote from critical writing on the work. The important thing is to use your starting point to say clearly what you are going to write about and why; and to make the rest of your discussion flow naturally from it
Key features â balanced discussion
This is probably the one feature that distinguishes humanities essays from other sorts of writing. This does not mean that scientific papers or social science essays arenât balanced discussions: it means that a humanities essay is more likely to have review various opinions and interpretations.
Privacy Overview
HUM2020: Introduction to the Humanities
sharing what is means to be human
By analyzing different creative mediums, we learn how to think creatively and critically, to reason, and to ask questions. These skills allow us to gain new insights into the human experience, and this adds to our knowledge about our world. Analysis allows us to learn about the values of different cultures, the perspectives of different people, and the variety of ways people can draw conclusions. This module will present various exercises designed for using both critical and interpretive practices that will help develop skills needed to engage in the analysis of different artistic mediums. In lieu of memorizing information on works selected by me, your instructor, each lesson will instead provide you with analytical frameworks to evaluate an artistic expression of your choice. Through this practice, you will be equipped with tools you can continue to apply as you engage the humanities beyond this course.
Module Objectives
- define analytical frameworks and describe the role of analysis in exploring the humanities
- identify different methods and techniques used to interpret the humanities
- analyze a wide variety of creative mediums within the humanities to interpret the shared experiences of being human through time and across cultures
What is an analytical framework?
Analytical frameworks are tools that help students, teachers and scholars go beyond simply describing and/or memorizing details and information about phenomenon and move toward creating new information or a new perspective. Analytical frameworks are designed to structure a more systematic manner in the ways phenomena is approached, data is collected and organized, and conclusions are drawn.
Theories and Analytical Methods in the Humanities
Theories and analytical frameworks make it easier to draw conclusions that are based on a theoretical approach while at the same time acknowledging that there are different perspectives in the study of the humanities . By taking one analytical approach, you can formulate a conclusion while at the same time saying, âhey, there might be a different way to view this from a different analytical perspective.â
There are a wide variety of old and new frameworks in the humanities. Some disciplines in the humanities leans toward specific frameworks. For example, critical theory is popular in English and media studies. Hermeneutics and phenomenology is popular in religious studies. Here are a few more frameworks to explore and consider:
- interpretation
- aesthetic interpretation
- music theory
- hermeneutics
- literary theory
- literary criticism
- historiography
- design theory
- critical theory
- ethnography
- thick description
- interface theory
- phenomenology
- epistemology
- art criticism
- symbolic interactionism
- functionalism
Applying Analytical Frameworks in this course
Like tools in a tool box, analytical tools are not exclusive to each other. A student or scholar can use more than one and modify and manipulate a framework as needed. The idea behind using a framework is to help the researcher define their approach, organize information, and present new information from a particular perspective.
An analytical framework strengthens the study of the humanities in the following ways:
- It helps to create an explicit statement, or thesis, and permits the reader to evaluate it critically.
- It connects the researcher to existing knowledge which gives a basis for the thesis and the perspective.
- It forces the research to go beyond simply describing and generalizing by addressing âwhyâ and âhowâ.
- It defines the limits of a thesis, and highlights the need to examine phenomena from a different framework and perspective.
In this class you will be encouraged to experiment with applying a different analytical perspective as you move through the assignments. You can learn about other perspectives by reading about the ways other students have applied theoretical perspectives in their discussion posts. The terms and concepts presented here provide academic tools to complete activities in the upcoming lessons which will address an different creative medium each week.
References and Resources
To learn more about analytical frameworks and research in the humanities, explore the links below.
- Humanities and Social Sciences contrasting distinctions
- Tyree Library Catalog page (for books)
- Tyree Library Databases page (for articles – try Jstor)
For Discussion in Canvas
Select one of the analytical techniques used in the humanities (listed above), and use the Tyree Library book catalog or databases (Jstor is a great one) to locate a scholarly book or article about the specific technique.
- Post the citation for your book or article
- Make the citation a hyperlink (see directions in the discussion)
- Write a minimum 150 word description of the analytical technique. Be sure to read and comment on the techniques presented by at least two of your classmates; their research might come in handy for you in one or more of the upcoming lessons.
Journal Expression
After immersing yourself in analytical thinking, exercise your right brain by creating a mandala (or something like it). A mandala is a spiritual and/or ritual geometric configuration of symbols in the Asian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. In typically American use, “mandala” has become a generic term for any diagram, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, though it originally meant to represent wholeness and a model for the organizational structure of life itself. In many ways, analysis helps to build configurations and associations within human and abstract phenomena. The basic form of most mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point of a radial balance. To l
To learn more about mandalas and how they can be applied in design, watch this video by Jeff Durham, Curator of Himalayan Art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
To create a mandala, you can either use a ruler and compass or freehand it. Stick with curves and circles or go with angles. Just relax and let your right brain run the show. For ideas on creating a Mandala with a ruler and protractor, watch the video below:
See also: Video 2 or Video 3 and to create a mandala freehand: Video 4 , Video 5 or Video 6
Your mandala does not need to imitate the designs in the tutorials. Feel free to take liberty with your own designs. and consider the Eastern influences in mandala-like art in Saxon and Scandinavian art. In the 9th century Saxon Fuller Broach pictured below, the Saxon King Alfred is depicted in the center and he is encircled by the five senses: Sight, perceived as the dominant sense in medieval times, commands the central position with staring eyes; he is flanked by figures representing Hearing, Touch, Taste and Smell. The outer border contains human, bird, animal and plant motifs, which may represent the variety of divine creation. Similarly, Celtic and Eastern influences shape the Scandinavian Urnes style using abstract images of knotted animals in in a balanced mandala-like fashion in the 11th century brooch pictured below. Similarly, Islamic geometric decoration, which tends to avoid using figurative images, makes frequent use of geometric patterns which have developed over the centuries.
When you complete the discussion, move on to the Fiction lesson.
Home / Essay Samples / Science / Humanities
Humanities Essay Examples
The benefits of studying humanities.
Old people themselves confirm that humanities contributes in understanding the information that transcends the verbal, linear, and measurable. The view of humanities is different in terms of the kinds of issues being asked and how they are being answered. Well-versed individuals use analytical methods to...
Exploring the Significance of Medical Anthropology in Healthcare
The writer of âwhy is anthropology important essayâ will define anthropology and medical anthropology and their roles. This essay will also discuss why medicine and anthropology are holistic and why and how to help understand disease. This will also include how people understand illness from...
The Most Important Humanistic Ideas to Study in Humanities
When taking the course of Humanities in college, it isnât just defined for specifically human beings; itâs more than that. It is defined as learning about what, how and why humanity functions in societies of every culture. The reason it is important to understand Humanities...
The Contribution of Humanities in Achieving Happiness
The definition and understanding of happiness has been a matter of discussion for thousands of years. Humans tried to classify and categorise the most desirable of emotions continually and never managed to reach a mutual agreement about its meaning. The reason for that is the...
Importance of the Study of Humanities for a Society
A thief of money. A waste of time. A subject of mockery. These responses often answer the question, âWhy do we study the Humanities?â Humanities degrees are portrayed in a negative way as a result of our increasingly technological world. Mandy Pipher, the author of...
Humanities for Personal and Professional Development
My initial definition of the term Humanities was âthe study of humankindâs history and evolvement over the course of different ages and time periods; societal, political, cultural, etc. â This definition was similar to what the major percentage of the classmatesâ perception of Humanities. Most...
Humanities and Its Significance in Life
Humanities are all those disciplines or activities related to these that focus on the phenomena of the human being. From this perspective it is understood that despite the aspiration to rigor that they have, they will always lack a rigor like that held by the...
Disciplines of Humanities and Sciences in Antiquity
In this essay I will argue that humanities and sciences in antiquity, rather than being regarded as separate disciplines; were viewed as codependent and as a result they overlapped. My evidence for this is from studying the structure of Greek education and analyzing the works...
Bioethics and Medical Humanities
Sex selection of embryos for the purpose of family balancing is not ethically permissible. First, I would first like to share my personal background on the issue. Thanks to assisted reproduction, I am here on this earth today. However, had my parents selected to have...
Life Skills We Learn from Studying Humanities
The humanities are an endless collection of human documentation; bounded together by our own values and perceptions of one another. As individuals, it is important for us to connect with each other and share our ideas. The humanities introduce us to many important themes that...
Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?
Donât waste your time and get a professional writer to help!
You may also like
- Bilingualism
- Poison Essays
- Earth Science Essays
- Japanese Essays
- Evolution Essays
- Bioethics Essays
- Biotechnology Essays
- Wildlife Conservation Essays
- Renewable Energy Essays
samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing weâll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->