Essay Examples

Tips on how to write your literature analysis properly

Literature or literary analysis deals with the practice when a writer takes into account the small parts of an essay to see the way they affect the whole paper. Literature analysis observes the main principles and techniques used by the author to create a complete meaning of the paper. Such techniques include plot, structure and the characters.

Thesis statement and an introduction to your literature analysis essay

To make your essay impressive, the first thing you have to think of is an introduction and a thesis statement. When you start working on these two significant parts of your literature analysis, there is a scheme you can follow to get the right direction and include what’s necessary for your literary analysis. A thesis covers the topic of your essay and shows the reader what your work is about, its purpose and gives the arguments to follow the reading.

A precisely worded thesis statement outlines the main point of your essay, while a carefully conceived introduction is aimed to grab your reader’s attention and interest. How to make a reader focus on your subject? That’s the question that has an answer. You may use various tricky techniques such as using a quotation or a question that intrigues, any possible statement that has a lot to do with the subject of your essay, or some of them simultaneously. Whatever you choose, remember to mention the title of the literary work and the author’s name.

How can you make sure you have included all the necessary information into your literature analysis? Use Who-What-How-Why approach to check this:

“Who”is the author and the literature work you are writing about.

“What” relates to the question that is being asked and highlighted.

“How” is connected to the ways the main answer is highlighted in the work.

“Why” will show your reader the reasons why your analysis is so important.

The body of the literature essay and the significance of the topic sentences

The central idea of the literary analysis essay is always developed in its main part called the body. In this section of the work you should include from 3 or more paragraphs to continue your thesis statement. Each next paragraph should include a topic sentence, which binds the parts of your literature analysis essay. Usually the topic sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph. It reveals two main purposes:

1) Helps you to relate the parts of the essay, namely connect the details of the thesis statement and the introduction with the next paragraph.

2) Connects all the paragraphs included into the body in one logical structure.

What needs to be included into the body of your literature analysis essay? Each paragraph of the essay’s body is written properly when it contains some explanations, the details, and quotations to support and develop the idea you mentioned in the topic sentence.


The concluding paragraph is the last but no less important part
of your essay than an introduction. It completes the idea mentioned at the beginning and gives some conclusions to it, usually supported by the arguments. Literary, it restates a thesis but in different words, provides a small summary of it and gives you a space to set argument for the analysis you have made.

In conclusion, it is a good idea to think of your audience that is not limited by your professor only. The professor is probably the only one who can be familiar with the topic of your work. But it is not necessary to retell the whole story, you have been analyzing, to others. Your purpose is a little bit different, as the essay is aimed to explain the audience the central idea of your work and avoid conveying the plot of the story while completing your literature analysis essay.