An Introduction to Literary Analysis Writing

Although the Writing Process is the same for different types of writing in terms of drafting, editing, and revision, a literary analysis breaks down a certain topic of a work of literature by combining elements of the Persuasive Essay and the Expository Essay to analyze a key aspect of the literary work and show its significance to the work or world.

The primary source for evidence in the Literary Analysis Essay is: Literary Analysis Writing - Illustrated graphic of two hands typing on a laptop surrounded by books.

The text that the writer chooses to write about
The secondary sources are texts that support the writer's claims about the chosen work of literature

In the Literary Analysis Writing module, you will learn how to demonstrate proper grammar and mechanics when writing an organized, well-developed literary analysis essay. You will continue demonstrating your understanding of the research process by finding evidence that supports individual claims regarding the text. If more help is needed in this module, please refer back to the first module of the course for more MLA and writing review. In this module, you will be writing about one of the major texts from this course:

Romeo & Juliet
Or the novel assigned in this course

The process for the paper in this module will be:

Step 1: Brainstorming

Step 2: Outline & Potential sources

Step 3: Rough Draft (including Works Cited page)

Step 4: Editing & Revising

Step 5: Final Draft (including Works Cited page)

Interpretive & Research Writing

Your literary analysis paper will be an interpretive analytical essay, in which you will analyze an aspect of the chosen literary work. This type of paper goes beyond a book report or summary. Read below to get a better understanding of interpretive/analytical writing.

Interpretive/Analytical Writing

ANALYTICAL WRITING
-Focuses, on the "how" and
the why
-Assists the reader in
understanding specific events
-Often involves making an.
argument that can be supported
by evidence An interpretation, or analysis, involves the discovery of meaning in a text or the production of meaning in the process of reading a text. As such, analytical writing focuses on the questions of "how?" and "why?" It tries to assist the reader in understanding specific events (literary, cultural, or otherwise) rather than just engaging in summary. Writing about literature (poems, short stories, plays, etc.) often involves making an argument that can be backed up with specific examples from the text. For example, a student writing an interpretive paper about a specific book may try to explain the author's attitudes or views on a specific subject matter. The writer of the paper must then use evidence found in that book—specific lines, words, or phrases—to backup their claims.

While writing your literary analysis paper, you will use evidence from the text itself, but also from other sources, called "secondary sources". Continue reading to learn about research writing.

Research Writing

When writing a research paper in the humanities, you will likely be relying on a number of different sources to support a broader claim that you're trying to make. It is crucial that you correctly cite and attribute all ideas and information that are not common knowledge and not your own. For example, you would need to provide a citation for a statement like, "60% of guns recovered in crimes are sold by unlicensed dealers," which is likely written about in a specific study, but not for a statement like, "William Shakespeare was born in 1564," which is common knowledge and referenced in many different sources. (Source)

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