Writing a Short Literary Analysis

Purpose
Rather than simply summarizing, a literary analysis should explore a possible interpretation of a work.
This interpretation should constitute an argument about what the work says about a social or cultural
reality.
Possible Approaches
Close Reading- An analysis of a short segment of the text, paying particular attention to details
(like word choice, imagery, facial expressions, etc.). Pay close attention to details, and frequently
ask why the author, artist, or director made the choices they did about language and/or visuals.
Symbolism- Consider the way objects or people function as representations of a particular value,
belief, or ideal.
Historical Context- Analyze the work according to the time period in which it was set or in which
it was written, considering for which events it could provide commentary. Be careful to
research the time period you address so as to better connect it with the text.
Cultural Analysis- Focus on the way a particular aspect of identity (gender, race, etc.) is
represented in the text, and what that indicates about how we can negotiate the social realities
of that aspect of identity.
Basic Necessities
A short summary that highlights important plot points and/or characters.
A short discussion of historical context (either the setting of the text *or* the context in which it
was produced).
Thesis statement that lays out a clear, arguable interpretation of the text.
Selection of short passages or scenes that will support the interpretation.
Analysis of those passages.
Conclusion that uses the evidence built from the interpretation of passages to demonstrate the
overarching interpretation, and some discussion as to why this text is useful for understanding
a particular issue/event.
Useful Terms
o Allegory
o Allusion
o Symbolism
o Theme
o Motif
o Metaphor
o Characterization
o Personification
o Onomatopoeia
o Foreshadowing
o Tension
o Conflict
o First-person

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Third-person
Point-of-View
Imagery
Setting
Speaker
Dialogue
Narration
Tone
Connotation
Denotation
Irony
Critique
Subjectivity

Characters
1. Who are the main characters? How are they described? What are their most important traits?
2. How do they interact with one another?
3. Are we meant to sympathize or identify with them? Are we meant to dislike or hate them? How
are these emotional connections accomplished?
4. What do the hero and villain do differently? Isolate scenes in which their actions are explained,
and ask if the explanation makes sense. What other possibilities are there?
5. What is the narrative arc of the character? How do they develop over the course of the work?
Setting
1. Where are the characters? Are they in an urban, suburban, or rural area? How is this area
represented in terms of language?
2. If the characters move to different places, how are these places represented differently in terms
of language? Do specific actions occur only in one type of place?
3. How are the people in different settings represented? Do they have different thoughts or
emotions in different settings?
Plot
1. What are the most important conflicts? What do these conflicts suggest about the overall
message of the work?
2. Isolate specific scenes that drive the plot. What happens in the scene? How does it represent the
characters? How do they act?
3. What does the overall narrative arc suggest about the message? Who wins? Who loses? Why?
4. What improbable events occur in this world? What might they suggest about the subtext?
Cultural Issues
1. Who is given character development? What characters are underdeveloped? What might these
choices say about our social reality?
2. How do men and women interact? What types of male characters are well-developed? What
types of female characters are well-developed? What types of characters are only given minimal
development? Are stereotypes used? How? What does this say about the roles played by men
and women in the world?
3. How are race and ethnicity represented? When do characters use racist or bigoted language?
Are minority characters well-developed? Are stereotypes used? How? What is significant about
how characters of different ethnicities interact? What does this say about cultural expectations
regarding race?
4. What are the major threats? What do they threaten? What might the threats represent?
5. What major contemporary events may have influenced the production of this text? How is the
author commenting on those events?
Style
1. What stylistic choices (word choice, dialect, description, method of characterization, etc.) has
the author made that affect meaning?
2. Consider how tone varies across the work, and examine what stylistic choices convey this tone.
3. How does the choice of narrator affect the work? Is the narrator the same throughout?

4. How are different scenes represented using different language?