Literary Analysis

Jennifer F. and Mike M., Writing Center tutors

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Introduction

At some point in the academic career of most students, they will be asked to write an in-depth analysis of a literary work. While analyzing literary prose differs in some respects from analyzing poetry, there are many similarities. In both instances, the work’s text may be relied on to provide support to whatever the student is working to prove. But there are many other ways of thinking about literature, some of which will be focus on textual elements alone, and others which will focus on other important aspects such as the historical context, gender, and socio-economic factors. But before these ways of reading are clarified, a few words about the literary essay and some terminology will be provided. Textual elements will, of course, differ from work to work. In a poem, the text might be written in a traditional form such as a sonnet or a villanelle—these formal elements often provide insight into a work’s meaning. In a short story or novel, on the other hand, it might be plot or setting that provides the greatest amount of insight. But like other types of essay writing, essays about literature are formed around a thesis.

Components of a Literary Analysis

The Thesis

When forming a thesis about either a story or a poem, it is important to avoid what is general or readily apparent and seek out something more specific, but still possible to back up with textual support. It is also essential to have a degree of familiarity with the work, and toward this end, it might be helpful for the student to mark relevant passages in the text, or keep note of specific page numbers. The student should give thought to the work; the first idea isn’t always the best one, and it is never unexpected for a thesis to change as the work progresses and more complex meanings emerge.

Introduction, Conclusion, and Body

Even if the student might find themselves uncomfortable analyzing literature, they might take comfort in the familiar format of the academic essay. The thesis of a literary analysis generally appears in the introduction. From that point, the body of the paper often proceeds chronologically through the work—one should keep the audience, who might not have read the work, always in mind—providing examples and quotations from the text as it moves along. Just like any other academic essay, the conclusion will bring together the student’s final thoughts.

A Word about Quotations

It is necessary to use examples and quotations when writing a literary analysis, but one must proceed with care. More will be said later about how formatting prose and poetry quotations differ, but what should be kept in mind for both is that while quotes are vitally necessary, it is best not to overdo. While it might be tempting to use large blocks of text, the student should keep in mind that what they make of the work is equally as important. When possible, incorporate the quotation smoothly into a sentence. The student should avoid ending paragraphs with a quote, relying instead on their own thoughts and conclusions about what they have taken from the work. Block quotes should be used sparingly, as they may give the impression that the student isn’t comfortable using a smaller segment and commenting on it. See below for using quotations from a poem.

Format

For the most part, and unless otherwise noted, literary analyses are written using MLA format. One may refer to the most recent edition (the 7th) of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, or find information for citing various works at Diana Hacker’s Research and Documentation Online.

Writing About Literature

There are many different ways of writing—and thinking—about literature. Some courses will ask the student to work only with the text itself, taking all evidence directly from it and not relying on outside sources. This is not always how students think about literature, however, and it can be very daunting for the student to find their way through so many different means of thought and theory. But the elements of the text remain constant, even if viewed through a different lens. For example, it is possible to look at character or plot through a feminist lens or a Marxist lens. The story or poem does not itself change; it is the way that it is read that provides the difference.

A Brief Look at Literary Criticism and Theory

Literary criticism and literary theory have been around for a long time. Aristotle’s Poetics is the earliest surviving work regarding different types of literature, but the way in which literary critics and theorists view texts has changed a great deal since that time. In fact, in the 20th century, literary theory has undergone a whirlwind of alteration. One of the dominant ways of thought in the early part of the 20th century is a Structuralist view called Formalism or New Criticism, and while it is no longer the prevailing mode, an understanding of the premises of Structuralism are necessary to get a clearer perception of the many poststructural critical viewpoints that come after.

Structuralism: Structuralism is an attempt to make literature an empirical science. In this view, literature is not mimetic—that is, not a reflection of reality. Instead, it is a system of codes and signs that can be interpreted, and knowledge of the author of a text is not considered necessary to understanding it. One of the foremost structuralist views is briefly outlined below, but it should be noted that poststructuralist views were on the rise in the 1960s, and the ways of approaching a literary work became more varied and diverse; things were not perceived to be broken down quite as the structuralists believed.

Formalism, or New Criticism: A structuralist view, Formalism was first called Russian Formalism after its origin of development, but it spread out to Europe and the United States from there. As its name implies, formalism bases its approach on the formal (or structural) elements of a work. Formalism is also known for distinguishing between the everyday use of language and the literary use of language. When the formalist approach became popularized in America, it was known as the New Criticism. But as the twentieth century progressed, many critics disagreed with the notion that language use could be divided in such a way.

Poststructuralism: Poststructuralism questions and challenges the tenets of structuralism, particularly the break between “ordinary” language and “literary” language, and the notion that a text exists in a vacuum. There are a great many critical viewpoints under the heading of poststructuralism, among them reader-response criticism and new historicism.

Reader-Response Criticism: A poststructuralist way of approaching a literary work, reader-response criticism gives importance to the reader in the construction of a text. The interpretation of a given text differs from reader to reader. Reader-response criticism also asks questions, such as: Who was the text written for? Who is the implied reader? And what does knowing the implied reader tell today’s reader about the text?

New Historicism: New Historicism places importance on more than the text itself, and reads the work with an awareness of its social and historical context. There was a movement simply called historicism in the early half of the 20th century, but new historicism might take into account other theoretical frames as well, and view the work through the lens of gender or postcolonialism as well as historical context.

Deconstruction: Deconstructionism is a facet of postmodernism, but it is also considered a poststructuralist mode of thought. But deconstruction does more than simply challenge structuralist perceptions. It maintains that, not only is there no absolute interpretation of a text, but that there is no getting away from contradictory readings. If structuralism maintains that there is a system, deconstruction maintains that because of textual ambiguities, no such framework can exist.

Theoretical Frameworks for Literary Analysis

Marxist Criticism – A type of literary criticism that emphasizes the role of class and ideology within a literary work in reflecting, perpetuating, and even challenging the dominant social order.

Postcolonial Theory – A school of inquiry that examines and questions the situation of colonized peoples during and after colonialism.

Gender Criticism – A branch of explores and critiques common conceptions of gender, attempting to reveal its inadequacies as a classification device.

Psychoanalytic Criticism – A school of literary criticism that analyzes the relationship between authors, readers, and literary works. This approach focuses on the unconscious mind, its repressed desires, and its manifestations within the text.

For a more expansive overview of critical movements and theoretical frameworks within literature, see the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry on Literary Theory.

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