Writing a Literary Essay

The literary analysis helps to categorize literature and define the intentions of the authors. The most common structure of a literary essay is the following:

  1. In paragraph 1, write the introduction with the corresponding thesis.
  2. In paragraph 2, write certain evidence for the thesis.
  3. In paragraph 3, add more proof, as well as in paragraph 4.
  4. Paragraph 5 is focused on the summarization of the entire writing task.

The literary essay is a critical interpretation of a literary work.  The writer provides the main form with an interpretation of the topic.  It is necessary to provide an interpretation of the plot, setting, character, conflict and/or themes as they are in correlation with the discussed topics.

The advice is to outline the main points that will be used in the essay. In the outline, the topic tries to include a topic sentence for each paragraph of the body, with the 1to 3 quotations that illustrate the main points.

The introduction consists of a thesis and a thesis and should introduce the topic, the literary work and the author.

  • The body 1 paragraph should have a topic sentence and supporting details.
  • The body paragraph 2 should have a topic sentence and additional supporting sentences.
  • The body paragraph 3 should have a topic sentence and the supporting details with a conclusion.

There are several ways to place a thesis. For example, you may write a sentence that has the 3 points in which you will discuss in the paper. Nevertheless, you may write a sentence that has an overarching idea that you will try to prove.

An introduction always shows basic information about the topic. In the case of the literary essay, it is of vital importance to include the title and the author of the paper. Then, the thesis statement needs to be elaborated.

The introduction hook should be captive and grab the reader’s attention. For this purpose, you may use a striking metaphor or comparison, or even a quotation. Use more transition words. The qualitative body paragraph must have the beginning (topic sentence), the middle (examples or evidence), and the end (concluding sentence).

Topic sentences must provide a structure and organization to support the thesis statement. Thus, an idea needs to be presented about the entire paragraph. To present an argument, there is the S-I-R essay method. S is for statement (the point you want to make), I stands for illustration (example/quote from the novel), R stands for relation (explanation and connection to the thesis).

In conclusion, restate your thesis and summarize the strongest points of arguments of the paper. In the final sentence, write the final thesis conclusion.

An effective conclusion should restate the thesis, summarize the strongest points of arguments of the paper and place a final thought.

The citing sources should be written in a bibliographical order with the title centered and a double-spaced between title and the first entry.  An in-text citation allows the writer to use a quote from any source without plagiarizing any paper.

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