By writing a literary analysis essay, the student is enticed to open his mind to other opinions and adjust his way of thinking regarding certain topics towards a greater understanding of others.
A literary analysis essay is a professor’s way of helping his students understand the lesson being taught by the great writers. It begs the student to analyze more than just the written word and go beyond a superficial understanding of the novel and its characters. Therefore, a literary analysis essay is written following some very exacting guidelines.
- Choose a topic. When you write a literary analysis essay, you choose to concentrate on one particular aspect of the story. Such a topic would be “Romeo and Juliet: The Star-Crossed Lovers of Shakespeare”.
- Pre-writing is important. Go into detailed note-taking of pertinent characterizations and personal observations that will help highlight your ideas within the literary analysis essay. Using supporting details is an important aspect of a literary analysis essay.
- Develop an interpretative thesis. Keep in mind that your thesis may change over time as you read along and develop a better understanding of the literary characters, plot, theme, and symbolism within the story.
- Write, read, and revise your first draft. This will be the best time to correct any grammar and sentence structure mistakes in your literary analysis essay. Find the confusing sentences and reword them in a more coherent manner. Editing is a must at this point and should never be neglected. Any errors within the literary analysis essay that get past you at this point will have a direct effect on your literary analysis essay grade.
Now you are ready to submit your literary analysis essay. With any luck, your work will be impressive enough not to merit a revision request from your professor.