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To analyze something means to break it down into smaller parts and then examine how those parts work, both individually and together. Literary analysis involves examining all the parts of a novel, play, short story, or poem—elements such as character, setting, tone, and imagery—and thinking about how the author uses those elements to create ...
Step 1: Read the Text Thoroughly. Literary analysis begins with the literature itself, which means performing a close reading of the text. As you read, you should focus on the work. That means putting away distractions (sorry, smartphone) and dedicating a period of time to the task at hand.
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What is a literary analysis?
How do you write a literary analysis?
What are the elements of literary analysis?
Why is literary analysis important?
To analyze something is to examine it closely so that you can understand it. When applied to literature, this simply means reading carefully to find out what the author is trying to say. The trouble is, "reading carefully" is easier said than done, especially before we have much experience with great literature.
Finally, analysis is essentially the breaking apart of anything into its composite parts for close-examination. Literary analysis, then, is the deep examination of a work of literature. When you think of literary analysis, think of holding up a magnifying glass to the details of language in a work of literature.
- Mood. Starting with mood is an ideal entry point for literature analysis since it asks the readers how they feel about what’s in the work or how it’s communicated.
- Characterization. Focusing on characters is the next level of analysis. Students can identify the traits of a character–primary or secondary–and/or how a character changes throughout the text.
- Devices or Figurative Language. The examination of devices in fiction and their effect(s) and purpose shifts literary analysis to an area of the writer’s craft.
- Theme. This is where things can get a bit trickier for students especially when asking “What is literature analysis?”. Theme asks students to combine their knowledge of mood, characterization, and devices to determine how each contributes to the theme, or message, of a story.
To analyze, by definition, is to examine, in detail, the structure/makeup of something with the purpose of explaining or interpreting how its parts work together. A literary analysis is a paper on one, or many, of the key elements in a text and how they support a main idea or purpose. When writing a literary analysis,
Concentrating on the literary elements of the text, write a short essay in which you analyze the significance of specific literary elements with evidence from the text itself and from outside sources. Key Features of a Literary Analysis: Key Grading Considerations. All information is clear, appropriate, and correct.
