Example Of A Literary Analysis Paper
Literary Analysis Research Paper by David A. James
The type of research paper required in most sophomore literature courses is generally referred to as a literary analysis research paper because its focus must be on an element of the literary work‟s construction as a piece of literature—for example, an element such as the work‟s characters or conflict or symbolism or theme, or perhaps two or more related literary elements [such as the interrelated elements of conflict development and theme, or symbolism‟s contribution to the creation of theme(s)]. It would not focus on such ideas as the author‟s life (biography), the historical events and beliefs of the period in which it was written (historical and/or sociological aspects of the work), or psychoanalysis …show more content…
In the body of the paper, follow a systematic, well-organized exploration of your argument by presenting:
your idea clearly explained
the textual evidence from the work(s) supporting the idea
the supporting critical analytic material obtained from your research
The previously offered example of a thesis about Hawthorne‟s use of Faith as a symbol in “Young Goodman Brown” might involve the following material in support, with the MLA in-text citations from the work referring to the Norton anthology, 5 th ed., version of the story, and the source citation being from a hypothetical source discussing the work:
Hawthorne very deliberately uses the name “Faith” for Brown‟s wife so that
Brown‟s words in the story can function as indicators of his internal conflict as he struggles with his decision to go into the forest and engage in the evil ritual.
In fact, he‟s barely left his house and wife before saying to himself, “‟Poor little
Faith!…What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand!‟” (1236). Thoughtful readers will soon connect his words with his powerful internal struggle
The type of research paper required in most sophomore literature courses is generally referred to as a literary analysis research paper because its focus must be on an element of the literary work‟s construction as a piece of literature—for example, an element such as the work‟s characters or conflict or symbolism or theme, or perhaps two or more related literary elements [such as the interrelated elements of conflict development and theme, or symbolism‟s contribution to the creation of theme(s)]. It would not focus on such ideas as the author‟s life (biography), the historical events and beliefs of the period in which it was written (historical and/or sociological aspects of the work), or psychoanalysis …show more content…
In the body of the paper, follow a systematic, well-organized exploration of your argument by presenting:
your idea clearly explained
the textual evidence from the work(s) supporting the idea
the supporting critical analytic material obtained from your research
The previously offered example of a thesis about Hawthorne‟s use of Faith as a symbol in “Young Goodman Brown” might involve the following material in support, with the MLA in-text citations from the work referring to the Norton anthology, 5 th ed., version of the story, and the source citation being from a hypothetical source discussing the work:
Hawthorne very deliberately uses the name “Faith” for Brown‟s wife so that
Brown‟s words in the story can function as indicators of his internal conflict as he struggles with his decision to go into the forest and engage in the evil ritual.
In fact, he‟s barely left his house and wife before saying to himself, “‟Poor little
Faith!…What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand!‟” (1236). Thoughtful readers will soon connect his words with his powerful internal struggle