A literary analysis essay discusses a particular aspect of a piece of literature. Essentially it presents an argument or an interpretation about this work. Developing a clear and concise thesis for a literary analysis essay is highly important in guiding the reader through the essay and expressing your interpretation of the work. There is a lot of legwork before you even start writing the thesis.
Gather ideas and information
Step 1
The work of literature you plan to write about. Read it more than once and read it carefully. Make sure you understand the plot, who the characters are, and what makes that piece of literature special.
Step 2
Brainstorm important elements at work. Does it highlight any symbol or theme? How important is the environment? Thinking critically about the work at this stage will help you choose a theme and form an interpretation.
Step 3
Develop a topic for the essay. Use the instructions the instructor gave to do so. The topic for a literary analysis should focus on an important aspect of the work. It should enhance knowledge in some way and not simply express a summary of the piece.
Step 4
Make sure the theme expresses an interpretation of the work. To develop a theme, answer this question to help you decide if it’s acceptable: What can you tell people about the work that they can’t get just by reading it?
Write the thesis
Step 1
Write a sentence that expresses the aspect of the literary analysis that you are discussing and your interpretation of it. Both things must be clear in the crisis. The reader should read this one sentence and know exactly what the essay will discuss.
Step 2
Clearly express the type of hypothesis that you will explain in the essay. This is an example of a good argumentative thesis: “The narrator’s description of the family’s old house, their dream house, and the house on Mango Street fills the family’s struggle with expectation and reality.”
Step 3
Don’t just state a piece of history. The following thesis is not good because it does not attempt to improve knowledge and simply states a fact: “Emily killed Homer and kept his body for years. From reading William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, we know that this is a Summary of the end of the story.
Step 4
Use clear, concise and specific language. Don’t be too broad. If you want to write about a symbolism in a play, you can’t possibly write about all the symbols. To make your thesis more concise, choose just a few. Be very specific in listing the symbols you will be discussing.
Step 5
Do not announce the thesis in a literary analysis. For example, don’t write: “This essay will discuss the symbolism in ‘A Rose for Emily’.”
