LITERARY ANALYSIS FORMAT

General Format Expectations

MLA (Modern Language Association) heading required for all assignments.

Original title required: The yellow wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Introduction

Begin by establishing the context of your analysis. Include the authors first and last

name, the title of the work you are analyzing, and any needed information that will help

to preview your thesis and thematic statements.

You may choose to include any of the following: summary of the work; definition of

terms used in the thesis statement; background information about the author;

historical, social, or political context; quotation from a scholar, writer, literary critic,

ideas discussed in class; anecdote; summary of literary criticism about the work. You

may choose other options.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of the introduction this will have the

who, the what, and the how. It should clearly and concisely state the main point of the

essay.

Body Paragraphs

A minimum of three body paragraphs is required for your literary analysis.

Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that states the main idea of that

paragraph.

The sentences that follow should be supporting sentences that give examples and

details from the literary work and from the research information you have collected.

Explain how you interpret these examples and research information. This is how you

analyze the literary work.

Use transitions to unify your sentences and paragraphs.

Concluding Paragraph

Begin by restating your thesis.

The conclusion should answer the so what question. I have written a paper analyzing a

literary work. So what? How does it relate to the real world?

Use the following questions to assist you in writing your conclusion:

o What does the analysis reveal about human nature?

o Is there a relevant point (moral) to the work?

o What implications does the work make about human behavior and human

relationships?

You can also choose to explain the importance of the work:

o The contribution the work makes to literature.

o The influence of the work on future writers.

o The value of the work according to the critics.

Reminders:

Write in present tense except when quoting from the work.

Write in third person (do not use I, we, or you).

Do not use contractions or abbreviations.

You must include quoted examples from the literary work.

You must include research information to support your views. (MLA format required for

all in-text citations)

Use literary terms to discuss your points (i.e., plot, character, theme, setting, rhyme,

point of view, alliteration, symbols, imagery, figurative language, protagonist, and so

forth).

Avoid summarizing the plot. Assume your reader is very familiar with the work.

Support your points with many quotations and paraphrases but write the majority of

your paper in your own words with your own ideas.

Attach an MLA Works Cited page to all of your assignments. This should include all of

your research sources including the main source the literary work or works you

analyzed. (Your instructor will provide you with MLA Works Cited Guidelines)

Any assignment that does not include in-text citations or a Works Cited page will

receive a grade of F.

This assignment will showcase your ability to write a critical literary analysis essay that

incorporates scholarship to interpret and discuss the attributes of a primary literary work.

Instructions

The Critical Literary Analysis is a 3 to 4-page essay which focuses on a single work of

literature, contains no less than three scholarly articles/secondary sources of support, and

engages a sustained, cogent, and organized discussion.

The essay should have well-developed body paragraphs and citation of all borrowed material;

include an effective conclusion which clearly indicates the path of development taken in the

essay and informs the reader of the strategies/resources used to develop and support the

thesis; be completed as a Microsoft Word document and submitted as an attachment on or

before the posted due date. All essays submitted must meet these minimum assignment

requirements.

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