Writing a Thesis for a Literary Analysis Essay



Writing a Thesis for a Literary Analysis Essay

A thesis…

1. offers an interpretation of the text that is not obvious.

            (It should make the reader say “Really?!” or “That sounds interesting—prove it!”)

 

2. takes a position that is debatable.

            (Others might challenge or disagree with your interpretation.  It doesn’t have to be

controversial, but it should be something about which reasonable people could

disagree.)

 

3. contains the language of literature.

            (Literary elements and devices are often what you analyze in a literary analysis—

which ones are used in what ways to accomplish what?  Literary terms are

therefore often present. Ex: setting, plot, theme, symbol, character, point of view, conflict, foreshadowing, irony, tone, style, diction, imagery, syntax.)

 

4. is specific and narrow, rather than broad and general.

(Wrong: Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is a great portrayal of life in the Dust Bowl.  In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses many literary devices to make his meaning clear to the reader. Right: Far from being a call to communism, Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath suggests that Americans need to shift from caring only about oneself or one’s family to an approach that considers the well-being of the entire community.)

 

5. may call upon a particular critical approach to interpreting literature in making meaning from the text.

            (Formalist criticism, feminist/gender criticism, , psychological criticism,

Marxist criticism, historical criticism, archetypal criticism, deconstructionist

criticism.)

 

6. should contain the title and the author of the piece analyzed

 

Formalist Formula: In (title), (Author’s last name) uses (one or more literary devices) to (show/criticize/explain) (the theme-explicitly stated).

Notice that the second part of such a thesis (beginning with "to") identifies the theme of the passage, which will be the focus of the analysis. An example of this type of simple thesis is: 
In "If you Were Coming in the Fall," Emily Dickinson uses simile, diction, and syntax to describe how people wait, hoping to fall in love.

If all you do in one body paragraph is give a few examples of irony from the text and simply identify them as irony, then you haven't analyzed anything. The analysis part involves explaining how those examples are irony and how they help to communicate the theme of the passage. But to be sophisticated in your analysis, you must have ideas that are "in-depth" - not just the superficial facts of what you see on the page. You must interpret what the author has given you to work with and show that you understand the theme.

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