Literary Analysis

A literary analysis is not merely a summary of a literary work. Instead, it is an argument
about the work that expresses a writer’s personal perspective, interpretation, judgment,
or critical evaluation of the work. This is accomplished by examining the literary devices,
word choices, or writing structures the author uses within the work. The purpose of a
literary analysis is to demonstrate why the author used specific ideas, word choices, or
writing structures to convey his or her message.
Essay Topics: Using your Summer Reading text and writing assignment, answer
one of the following four questions:
1. Is the text supporting dominant power structures? Is it subverting them?
2. What discourses do I find represented in the text? What social rules do they
enforce or undermine?
3. Is the author representing the dominant discourse or is he/she a subaltern?
4. What voices have been silenced in the text? What silenced voices have been
given room to speak?
Questions to ask oneself when doing historical criticism:
• How does the work reflect the period in which it is written?
• What literary or historical influences helped to shape the work?
• What were the common themes and motifs in the literature of the time
period?
• What philosophers/philosophies were important to the time period?
• How important is the historical context to interpreting the work?
• How do the specifics of the time period elucidate the meaning of the work?
• What position is the author taking regarding the events or conditions of the
time?
• What are some of the situations and references in the work that are
specific to its time period?