Literary Analysis

1. Literary Analysis Introduction

2. Introduction • The introduction to your literary analysis essay should try to arouse interest in your reader.

3. An introduction may be more than one paragraph, though in a short essay, it is typically only one. • The thesis statement usually is placed at the very end of the introduction.

4. A guideline to follow is that your introduction should contain at least five significant sentences, including your thesis statement.

5. Insignificant Sentence • Literature often portrays characters who have many conflicts.

6. Duh!

7. All sentences should have weight and meaning. • They may introduce background. • They may introduce new concepts and/or definitions. • They may provide transitions. • They may introduce quotations. • They may provide facts and support.

8. Empty sentences do not belong! • Nathaniel Hawthorne is a good author. • He writes about immoral, puritan women • Adultery was shameful. • The Scarlet Letter is a good book that deals with many issues relevant to literature.

9. YUCK!

10. You may also want to include background information relevant to your thesis and necessary for the reader to understand the position you are taking.

11. In addition, you need to include the title of the work of literature and name of the author.

12. Practice • Using only the information you have on the back of the novel, write an introductory paragraph on The Scarlet Letter. • Discuss how setting plays a major role in the plot of the novel.

13. Discuss how setting plays a major role in the plot of the novel. • Your intro paragraph must have 4 sentences and one thesis statement. The four sentences can be about any of the following: (you may use each one or a combination of them) • Background • Definition • Title of the work and author’s name • quote • Facts and support • thesis

14. Now let’s get more specific. Let’s mention our novel and the author.(1 sentence)

15. Now, let’s add our thesis statement.(1 sentence)