Literary Analysis: How To Write It?

LITERARY ANALYSIS
HOW TO WRITE IT?

What is a Literary Analysis Essay?
As the name of the essay “literary analysis” suggests,
it is an analytical type of essay that analyses
literature work. This essay can also analyze a small
piece of content related to literature. Mainly, it is
written to analyze and explain the main idea or the
theme of a book you’ve read. Also, a literary analysis
essay can be written on a play, short story, or drama.
What is the Purpose of a Literary Analysis Essay?
Every essay type has a purpose of serving. A literary analysis essay aims to
prove that a writer has examined and evaluated a work of literature in
detail. But things might change according to the requirements. Your
instructor might ask you to only focus on one particular part of a book or
piece of literature.
In general, the purpose of a literary analysis essay is as follows:
● It allows you to analyze a particular aspect of the book or poem that you
have read.
● A literary analysis essay should allow you to express your thoughts and
also your intellectual concept towards it.
● This essay should also allow you to think and write as a critic.
● In this essay, your goal should be to convince the reader that you’re
making a valid point with your analysis.
How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay
Literary essays can’t be written like any other essay type.
As they aim to analyze a specific book or literature, it
must be written in a very expressive and logical way.
Writing a literary essay on a book is not just about
rephrasing it in a summarized way. To write this essay,
you need to study the book first. Afterward, you will have
to follow a particular writing format. To compose this
essay, you will need to follow the following steps.
1. Thoroughly read the chosen piece of literature. This will
help you to write your literary analysis essay like
professionals. Try to understand the plot and theme of
the book and analyze the characters in detail.
2. Choose an interesting literary topic for your essay.
3. To write a high-quality essay, try to gather information
from different but relevant sources.
4. Create an outline for your essay. An outline will provide
a definite structure for your essay.
5. Make sure to start the outline with a hook statement
and then develop your stance about the text.
6. In the outline, include an introductory paragraph and
also state your thesis statement.
7. After the introduction, write down the body
paragraphs, state all the supporting evidence to stand
for your point of view.
8. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence.
9. Write a formal and concise conclusion to wrap up your
essay.
10. Once you are done writing your essay, proofread and
revise it at least twice. This way, you will make your
essay error-free.
11. Once you are done with the writing and proofreading.
Now it’s time that you work and understand the purpose
of the literary analysis you have just written.
Daphne and Apollo
Carlo Maratta, Apollo Chasing Daphne, 1681

When Writing your Literary Analysis….
1. Write in the present tense.
EXAMPLE: In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the townspeople visit Emily
Grierson's house because it smells bad.
NOT: In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the townspeople visited Emily Grierson's
house because it smelled bad.
2. Normally, keep yourself out of your analysis; in other words, use the third
person (no I or you).
Avoid summarizing the plot (i.e., retelling the story literally).
PLOT SUMMARY: In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the mad narrator explains in detail how he kills
the old man, who screams as he dies. After being alerted by a neighbor, the police arrive, and the madman
gives them a tour through the house, finally halting in the old man's bedroom, where he has buried the man
beneath the floor planks under the bed. As he is talking, the narrator hears what he thinks is the old man's
heart beating loudly, and he is driven to confess the murder.
ANALYSIS: Though the narrator claims he is not mad, the reader realizes that the narrator in "The Tell-Tale
Heart" is unreliable and lies about his sanity. For example, the mad narrator says he can hear "all things in
the heaven and in the earth." Sane people cannot. He also lies to the police when he tells them that the
shriek they hear occurs in his dream. Though sane people do lie, most do not plan murders, lie to the police,
and then confess without prompting. Finally, the madman is so plagued with guilt that he hears his own
conscience in the form of the old man's heart beating loudly. Dead hearts do not beat, nor do sane people
confuse their consciences with the sounds of external objects.
Literary Analysis Rubrics
Total Value: 100 points
I. Format Value: ____ of 10 points

a. Title page (title is not the title of the novel)
b. Double-spaced & appropriate font (12 pt)
c. One-inch margins
d. All pre-writing material present
e. Evidence of editing
II. Paper Value: _____ of 80 points
a. Introduction Value: ____ of 10 points

i. Introduces author of text
ii. Introduces title of text
iii. Gives indication of time period associated with text.
iv. Provides a clear thesis statement
b. Body Value: _____ of 60 points
i. Topic sentences relate to and support thesis statement

ii. Information within paragraph supports topic sentence
iii. Evidence from the text connects to topic sentence
iv. Direct quotes have introductions
v. Transitions are appropriate and move the reader through the paper
c. Conclusion Value: ______ of 10 points
i. Re-states the thesis
ii. Does not summarize the paper
iii. Does not include “In conclusion” style statements
iv. Applies understanding of the literature to the greater world
IV. Grammar and Style Value: _____ of 10 points
a. Written entirely in present tense

b. Contains no sentence fragments or run-on sentences
c. Avoids contractions (she’ll)
d. Avoids use of the first person (I think)
e. Is properly punctuated
f. Contains no misspelled words
g. Well-written sentences vary in length
h. Language is appropriate to subject and course
Deadline
January 12, 2022
Thursday
Hardcopy format: Soft Copy format:
A4 Microsoft Word
Times New Roman Filename: LastName, First_Section
Font size 12 See google drive link for submission bin

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LITERARY ANALYSIS

HOW TO WRITE IT?

Carlo Maratta, Apollo Chasing Daphne, 1681

1. Write in the present tense.

Total Value: 100 points

I. Format Value: ____ of 10 points

a. Introduction Value: ____ of 10 points

i. Topic sentences relate to and support thesis statement

a. Written entirely in present tense

Hardcopy format: Soft Copy format:

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