Write a working thesis. The analysis will need a strong thesis that states a writer’s perspective but also allows it to be debated. The thesis should state a writer’s opinion, but it should also allow readers to arrive at their own conclusions. Example of a debatable thesis: Pride and Prejudice is about Elizabeth Bennet’s effort to overcome her own proud behavior and discrimination towards Mr. Darcy, as well as how her family is affected by the haughtiness and preconceptions of the society around them. (This is a debatable thesis because it asks the reader, “Does actually exhibit haughtiness and preconceptions? Is this why she doesn’t get along with Mr. Darcy? How is ’s family affected by the haughtiness and preconceptions of the society around them?”) Avoid a non-debatable thesis: Pride and Prejudice is about five sisters and their journey to find love. (This thesis is non-debatable because it is undisputable. The paper is framed as a summary rather than as a literary analysis.) Make an extended list of evidence. Find more evidence from the text to support the working thesis. Then select the evidence that will be used in the paper. Refine the thesis. Make sure the thesis fits with the evidence that has been presented. Organize the evidence. Match the evidence to the order of the thesis. Delete any of the original textual supports that may no longer follow the thesis, and gather new evidence if needed. Interpret the evidence. When writing a literary analysis, it is very important for writers to make sure they express their own personal interpretation of the work. Be careful that the literary analysis is not a summary. Create a rough draft. When writing a rough draft, there are several methods that may aid a writer in creating a strong final draft. Here are a few methods: Outline: An outline will help a writer to organize his/her thoughts and ideas. It will remind a writer of the order of the thesis, as well as the supporting points he/she would like each topic sentence to have. Free-write: A short, ten minute free-write will help to get all of a writer’s thoughts on paper. It will allow a writer to focus on the content, rather than the punctuation and spelling. Once the free-write is complete, a writer can read through it and circle the points that are strong, as well as omit the ones that are not.
Write a working thesis. The analysis will need a strong thesis that states a writer’s perspective but also allows it to be debated. The thesis should state a writer’s opinion, but it should also allow readers to arrive at their own conclusions. Example of a debatable thesis: Pride and Prejudice is about Elizabeth Bennet’s effort to overcome her own proud behavior and discrimination towards Mr. Darcy, as well as how her family is affected by the haughtiness and preconceptions of the society around them. (This is a debatable thesis because it asks the reader, “Does actually exhibit haughtiness and preconceptions? Is this why she doesn’t get along with Mr. Darcy? How is ’s family affected by the haughtiness and preconceptions of the society around them?”) Avoid a non-debatable thesis: Pride and Prejudice is about five sisters and their journey to find love. (This thesis is non-debatable because it is undisputable. The paper is framed as a summary rather than as a literary analysis.) Make an extended list of evidence. Find more evidence from the text to support the working thesis. Then select the evidence that will be used in the paper. Refine the thesis. Make sure the thesis fits with the evidence that has been presented. Organize the evidence. Match the evidence to the order of the thesis. Delete any of the original textual supports that may no longer follow the thesis, and gather new evidence if needed. Interpret the evidence. When writing a literary analysis, it is very important for writers to make sure they express their own personal interpretation of the work. Be careful that the literary analysis is not a summary. Create a rough draft. When writing a rough draft, there are several methods that may aid a writer in creating a strong final draft. Here are a few methods: Outline: An outline will help a writer to organize his/her thoughts and ideas. It will remind a writer of the order of the thesis, as well as the supporting points he/she would like each topic sentence to have. Free-write: A short, ten minute free-write will help to get all of a writer’s thoughts on paper. It will allow a writer to focus on the content, rather than the punctuation and spelling. Once the free-write is complete, a writer can read through it and circle the points that are strong, as well as omit the ones that are not.
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