How to Write a Literary Analysis

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A literary analysis is the process where you read a literary work very closely to figure out how the author gets their main points across.

Start by taking notes on the text and reading it very carefully, then develop and outline your argument. Write the analysis according to your outline, and proofread it carefully before turning it in or sending it on.

1. 1 Write down ideas as you read through the text. The first time you read through your text, take notes on things that stand out, such as the main conflict, the characters’ motivations, the tone, and the setting.^[1]
   • Mark pieces of the text that seem interesting or noteworthy. Does the author seem to be making a major statement in one section? Are they suddenly being more philosophical? Highlight or make a note about that section.
   • For instance, one of the main quotes you see repeated from George Orwell’s novel 1984 is “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” As it’s the Party’s (the country’s only political party) main slogan, that keys you into the fact that it’s going to be important to the story. It’s a good idea to use a certain color highlighter to mark this statement every time it’s made. This makes it easier to spot the statement so you can analyze where, when, and why Orwell is repeating the line.
2. 2 Note the literary devices the author uses.
   Literary devices are things the author uses to tell the story or make a point. They could include alliteration, imagery, metaphors, allusions, allegories, repetition, flashback, foreshadowing, or any number of other devices the author employs to write the story or poem.^[2]
   • For instance, imagery is how the author uses vivid language to help create mental pictures. It can set the tone of the work. Take this example from George Orwell’s novel 1984, which is presented as the fourth paragraph in the novel:
     • “Outside, even through the shut window-pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere.”
   • Just from this short text, you get a sense of the harshness of the world, drained of color and very cold.
3. 3 Focus on the key themes the author seems to be expressing. Themes are the major ideas the author seems to be repeating throughout the text. They can be things like religion, government, good versus evil, authority, social structure, coming-of-age, war, education, or human rights, to name a few. Identify the themes as early as you can in your reading, as this makes it easier to annotate examples of the themes as you read.^[3]
   • In 1984, some of the main themes Orwell focuses on are war, authority, and social structure.
4. 4 Look at the form of the work. The form refers to how the text is constructed. In a long work, it can mean how the work is divided and whether it’s in first-person or third-person. In a poem, look at the line breaks, the stanza arrangement, the shape of the poem, and even the negative space the writer uses. Think about why the author chose this particular form and how it helps present the ideas.^[4]
   • Think about how the form and content relate to each other. Then, consider how they might be in tension with each other.
   • For example, a poem often contains less information than a novel, so the writer might use the form to draw attention to the unknown…

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