Literary analysis essays are a bit different from analytical essays that are usually assigned to students in schools. Analytical essays are written for the purpose of enhancing reading, understanding and analytical skills whereas literary essays extract intense concepts by analyzing the work of others. So if you are looking for some tips to aid you in writing your literary analysis essay, you have landed on the right blog. Below we discuss some information that is not to be missed when writing such an essay.
What Is A Literary Analysis?
In a literary analysis essay, you present your arguments after analyzing a specific work of literature. Whether its a fiction or non-fiction literature, a novel, a drama or an educational piece of work, an essay can be used to analyze and explain it. Interconnecting the behavioral patterns of characters, the background of events, the history of a place, and the tone in which the story is defined can form the composition of a literary analysis essay.
A literary analysis essay justifies the writer’s argument and opinions about the literary work. It may answer some questions such as reasons for selecting a certain writing style by the writer or the purpose of using symbolic representation in a certain scene. The appropriate utilization of a particular simile can be identified and justified in these essays.
Thus a literary analysis essay requires you to uncover the details and subtleties of every aspect of a literary work. The way different scenarios relate to each other can be discussed in detail. In short, a literary analysis essay covers in detail, all the aspects of the work of literature.
Types Of Literary Analysis:
The type of literary analysis you will make use of depends upon the nature of your assignment and the topic. There is no limitation to the types of literary analysis and each type defines a distinct writing style. Below we explain the types of a literary analysis essays to give you a basic guideline for when you sit down to write one.
Close Reading Analysis:
As the name suggests, a close reading analysis requires you to pay close attention to every little detail mentioned in a literary work. The reason behind every little sound should be well-explained in this essay along with a convincing justification for the usage of specific words in addition to repetition of certain lines. An insight into the writer’s psyche is obtained after ready a close reading essay.
Theoretical Analysis:
In this type of literary analysis, an author is required to make use of literary theories. To analyze a piece of literary work, one may use theories for the purpose of comparison or contrasts. These theories may be related to science or can be theories popular within a particular social group. For example the theories of feminism, gender development and aging etc.
Comparative Analysis:
A comparative analysis mainly draws comparisons between two or more literary texts. An example of that would be, if a writer talks about a certain religious belief, he may also bring forth similar and dissimilar ideas followed in other religions. The author may also draw a contrasting theory among the subgroups of that particular religion.
Historical Analysis:
The events and affairs within a literary piece of writing lie under a strong historical background and relevant contemporary society. A perfect analysis is formed after performing a close reading of each. Extensive research of the historical events and the dots of their relation to the modern-day should be connected to form a good analysis.
Sample Literary Analysis Essays:
It can be a daunting task to select the perfect topic for writing a literary analysis. Before choosing a topic, we recommend you identify the amount and quality of reading that you’ve done on a topic. For example, if you’ve done extensive reading and are confident that you have covered all possible aspects of a particular piece of literature, you can choose to write on specific concepts adopted within the literature. For example, Misogyny in Hamlet, the concept of Love in Romeo and Juliet, witchcraft in Macbeth or deaths in hamlet etc.
Other than these, if you believe that you can write better on the overall concept of the story, you can opt for topics that cover wider topics. For example, A fatal flaw in hamlet and other Shakespeare works, analysis of women’s condition during the victorian era, the role of fate in Romeo and Juliet or treatment of blacks in America. Go for a comparative study of the tragedies by Shakespeare or that of Jane Austen’s work if you believe you understand the writer and have read his literary works quite often.
Specific depictions within the literature can be explained in topics as well. Some more examples include Significance of Horror in the Hearts of Darkness, Role of fate or role of time in Romeo and Juliet. Apart from these, the Significance Of Love in Romeo and Juliet can all make great topics for a literary analysis essay.
Conclusion:
In short, there are various types and ways of writing a literary analysis essay. A well-written essay features a substantial explanation of the small details along with the support of wider concepts depicted within the literary work. Choose a topic that sparks your interest and try to write on writers whose writing style is specifically understandable to you. Catch the hidden meaning in each and every subtle expression within the text and then construct your essay. If you are looking for professional essay writing services to save yourself from the burden, visit Write My Essay 4 Me.