Intro Literary Analysis

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Lesson 8 Introduction toLiterary Analysis


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Writers Prompt:

v Listen to Janis Ians hauntingsong, At Seventeen.

v

Write what you think Iansmessage is

v Write your reaction to thissong

v How would you characterizethis song?


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Janis Ian At Seventeen
http://../Media/Eng%20170%20Media/At%20Seventeen%20-%20Janis%20Ian.rv


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Assignments

v Read, Reason, Write Readpage 717 through page 721 due next class

v Read The Story of an Hourby Kate Chopin page 726 due next class

v Read Jack Londons To Build AFire. This will be used asthe basis of your Literary

Analysis Essay.


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Literary Analysis


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What is Literary Analysis?

v Its literary

v Its an analysis

v Its--

v An Argument!

v

It may also involve researchon and analysis ofsecondary sources


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What is an Analysis?

v An analysis of a literary workmay discuss

How the various components of

an individual work relate toeach other

How two separate literaryworks deal with similar

concepts or forms

How concepts and forms inliterary works relate to largeraesthetic, political, social,

economic, or religious


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How is It Literary?

v Usually, a literary analysis willinvolve a discussion of a textas writing, thus the term

literary, which meanshaving to do with letters

vThis will involve the use of

certain concepts that arevery specifically associatedwith literature


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How is Literary Analysis anArgument?

v When writing a literary analysis,you will focus on specificattribute(s) of the text(s).

v When discussing theseattributes, you will want tomake sure that you aremaking a specific, arguable

point (thesis) about theseattributes.

vYou will defend this point with

reasons and evidence drawnfrom the text. Much like a


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Literary Analysis

v Uses same analysis process aswhen analyzing nonfiction:

Examine the context

To whom is the author writing?

Under what circumstances ishe/she writing?

What literary format is beingused?

What is the writers style?


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Anti Analysis Naysayers

v Some readers want a work ofliterature to mean whateverthey think it means

v If you decide that a RobertFrost poem should meanwhatever you are feelingwhen you read it you may

as well skip the poem andjust express your feelings

v One reads Frost and otherliterature to gain insightwhich goes beyond ones


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Anti Analysis Naysayers

v Some readers hate the wordanalysis as if an analysistears the work apart and

ruins it

v If so what about sportsanalysis? Does it ruin the

game being played?


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Writing a Literary

Analysis


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Important Literary Concepts

Other key conceptsHistorical context

Social, political,economic contexts

IdeologyMultiple voices

Various criticalorientations

Literary theory

v The Basics

Plot

Setting

Narration/pointof view

Characterization

Symbol

Metaphor

Genre

Irony/ambiguity


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v Moby-Dickis about theproblem of evil.

v

Moby-Dickis boring andpointless.

v Moby-Dickis about a big,white whale.

vThe use of whiteness inMoby-Dickillustrates theuncertainty about the

meaning of life that Ishmael

Which is the Best ThesisStatement?


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How Do I Support a ThesisStatement?

v Examples from the text:

Direct quotations

Summaries of scenes

Paraphrase

v Other critics opinions

v

Historical and social contextv Always remember to read

carefully and highlightuseful passages and quotes


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What is a Secondary Source?

v A book or article thatdiscusses the text you arediscussing

v A book or article thatdiscusses a theory related tothe argument you are

makingv A book or article that

discusses the social andhistorical context of the textyou are discussing


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How Do I Find SecondarySources?

v MLA International Bibliography

v Dictionary of Literary Biography

v Discipline-specific sources Example: America: History and Life

for American literature

v Other search engines

v A bibliography that is part ofyour text

v Ask your instructor


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There Was An Old Woman

Who Lived In A Shoe

There was an old womanwho lived in a shoe,

She had so many childrenshe didn't know what to do;

She gave them some brothwithout any bread;

She whipped them allsoundly

and put them to bed.


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Where Can I Go for MoreHelp?

vThe Purdue University WritingLab

v

http://owl.english.purdue.eduv [email protected]
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://owl.english.purdue.edu/http://owl.english.purdue.edu/


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If time permits

v Begin reading The Story of anHour in class

Documents

Intro Literary Analysis