The image above is an optical illusion: At first glance, it looks like one thing, but when you examine it more closely, you can see another, completely different shape as well. In general, studying something carefully—whether it’s an image, another person, or a work of literature—tends to reveal more information than you noticed the first time around.
When you take a careful, more thoughtful look at a novel, poem, or play, you’re practicing a complex set of skills called literary analysis. You performed an informal type of literary analysis as you read, discussed, and wrote about the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. In this lesson, you will continue analyzing Taylor’s novel. However, this time you’ll develop your thoughts about the story into a literary analysis essay.
A Closer Look
An analytical essay is not a book review—it does not give your opinion of a novel or explain why you would or would not recommend it to other readers. A literary analysis is also not a summary of a novel’s plot. Instead, it makes an argument for how readers should think about the book and its meaning. Unlike most argumentative essays, which may use a variety of sources to prove a point, literary analysis depends on examples from the work of literature itself for evidence. It considers why the author wrote the story in this particular way and not another.
Can you identify the most important characteristics of literary analysis? Try the activity below to find out.
When you analyze something, what are you doing?
- studying it closely
- writing about it
- skimming it
When you analyze something, you often study its individual parts carefully.
When you analyze something, you often study its individual parts carefully.
When you analyze something, you often study its individual parts carefully.
A literary analysis is a type of _____ essay.
- narrative
- argumentative
- descriptive
A literary analysis uses persuasion to convince readers to agree with the writer’s point of view.
A literary analysis uses persuasion to convince readers to agree with the writer’s point of view.
A literary analysis uses persuasion to convince readers to agree with the writer’s point of view.
Which would be most likely to appear in literary analysis?
- a description of a key scene
- opinions about an issue
- a detailed summary of a plot
A literary analysis should also include textual evidence that supports the writer’s opinion.
A literary analysis should also include textual evidence that supports the writer’s opinion.
A literary analysis should also include textual evidence that supports the writer’s opinion.
What do literary analysis essays use as proof or evidence?
- a variety of articles
- mostly historical facts
- passages from the text
Quotes and explanations from literary works make up the majority of evidence in a literary analysis.
Quotes and explanations from literary works make up the majority of evidence in a literary analysis.
Quotes and explanations from literary works make up the majority of evidence in a literary analysis.
What is the goal of literary analysis?
- to summarize the most important plot events of the story
- to decide if a novel should be recommended to others
- to understand or explain why an author made certain choices
A literary analysis looks at different literary elements to try to determine why the author wrote the book in a certain way.
A literary analysis looks at different literary elements to try to determine why the author wrote the book in a certain way.
A literary analysis looks at different literary elements to try to determine why the author wrote the book in a certain way.
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
