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Literary Analysis: Using Elements of

Literature
Students are asked to write literary analysis essays because this type of
assignment encourages you to think about how and why a poem, short
story, novel, or play was written !o successfully analy"e literature, you#ll
need to remember that authors make specific choices for particular
reasons $our essay should point out the author#s choices and attempt to
e%plain their significance
&nother way to look at a literary analysis is to consider a piece of literature
from your own perspective 'ather than thinking about the author#s
intentions, you can develop an argument based on any single term (or
combination of terms) listed below $ou#ll *ust need to use the original te%t
to defend and e%plain your argument to the reader
Allegory + narrative form in which the characters are representative of
some larger humanistic trait (ie greed, vanity, or bravery) and attempt to
convey some larger lesson or meaning to life &lthough allegory was
originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to
parallel story and theme
William Faulkners A Rose for Emily- the decline of the Old South
Robert Louis Stevensons Strange ase of !r" #ekyll and $r"
%yde- mans struggle to contain his inner &rimal instincts
!istrict '- South African A&artheid
( $en- the evils of &re)udice
%arry *otter- the dangers of seeking +racial &urity,
Character - representation of a person, place, or thing performing
traditionally human activities or functions in a work of fiction
Protagonist + !he character the story revolves around
Antagonist + & character or force that opposes the protagonist
Minor character + Often provides support and illuminates the
protagonist
Static character + & character that remains the same
Dynamic character + & character that changes in some
important way
Characterization + !he choices an author makes to reveal a
character#s personality, such as appearance, actions, dialogue,
and motivations
Look for- onnections. links. and clues bet/een and about characters" Ask
yourself /hat the function and significance of each character is" $ake this
determination based u&on the character0s history. /hat the reader is told
1and not told2. and /hat other characters say about themselves and
others"
Connotation + implied meaning of word B,W&',- .onnotations can
change over time
confidence3 arrogance
mouse3 rat
cautious3 scared
curious3 nosey
frugal3 chea&
Denotation + dictionary definition of a word
Diction + word choice that both conveys and emphasi"es the meaning or
theme of a poem through distinctions in sound, look, rhythm, syllable,
letters, and definition
igurati!e language + the use of words to e%press meaning beyond the
literal meaning of the words themselves
Metaphor + contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance
the meaning of a situation or theme without using li"e or as
o 4ou are the sunshine of my life"
Simile + contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance the
meaning of a situation or theme using li"e or as
o What ha&&ens to a dream deferred. does it dry u& like a
raisin in the sun
Hyperbole + e%aggeration
o 5 have a million things to do today"
Personification + giving non+human ob*ects human
characteristics
o America has thro/n her hat into the ring. and /ill be
)oining forces /ith the 6ritish"
oot + grouping of stressed and unstressed syllables used in line or poem
Iamb + unstressed syllable followed by stressed
o $ade famous by the Shakes&earian sonnet. closest to the
natural rhythm of human s&eech
How do / love thee0 Let me count the ways
Spondee + stressed stressed
o 7sed to add em&hasis and break u& monotonous rhythm
Blood boil, mind-meld, well- loved
rochee + stressed unstressed
o Often used in childrens rhymes and to hel& /ith
memori8ation. gives &oem a hurried feeling
!hile / nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there c
ame a tapping,
"napest + unstressed unstressed stressed
o Often used in longer &oems or +rhymed stories,
!was the ni#ht before $hristmas and all through
the house
%actyls + stressed unstressed unstressed
o Often used in classical 9reek or Latin te:t. later revived by
the Romantics. then again by the 6eatles. often thought to
create a heartbeat or &ulse in a &oem
Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
;he iamb stumbles through my books< trochees rush and tumble< /hile
ana&est runs like a hurrying brook< dactyls are stately and classical"
#magery + the author#s attempt to create a mental picture (or reference
point) in the mind of the reader 'emember, though the most immediate
forms of imagery are visual, strong and effective imagery can be used to
invoke an emotional, sensational (taste, touch, smell etc) or even physical
response
Meter + measure or structuring of rhythm in a poem
Plot + the arrangement of ideas and1or incidents that make up a story
&oreshadowin# + When the writer clues the reader in to
something that will eventually occur in the story2 it may be
e%plicit (obvious) or implied (disguised)
Suspense + !he tension that the author uses to create a feeling
of discomfort about the unknown
$onflict + Struggle between opposing forces
'(position + Background information regarding the setting,
characters, plot
)isin# "ction + !he process the story follows as it builds to its
main conflict
$risis + & significant turning point in the story that determines
how it must end
)esolution*%enouement + !he way the story turns out
Point of $iew + pertains to who tells the story and how it is told !he point
of view of a story can sometimes indirectly establish the author3s
intentions
+arrator + !he person telling the story who may or may not be a
character in the story
&irst-person + 4arrator participates in action but sometimes has
limited knowledge1vision
Second person + 4arrator addresses the reader directly as
though she is part of the story (ie 5$ou walk into your
bedroom $ou see clutter everywhere and67)
hird Person ,-b.ective/ + 4arrator is unnamed1unidentified (a
detached observer) 8oes not assume character3s perspective and
is not a character in the story !he narrator reports on events and
lets the reader supply the meaning
-mniscient + &ll+knowing narrator (multiple perspectives) !he
narrator knows what each character is thinking and feeling, not
*ust what they are doing throughout the story !his type of
narrator usually *umps around within the te%t, following one
character for a few pages or chapters, and then switching to
another character for a few pages, chapters, etc Omniscient
narrators also sometimes step out of a particular character#s mind
to evaluate him or her in some meaningful way
%hythm + often thought of as a poem#s timing 'hythm is the *u%taposition
of stressed and unstressed beats in a poem, and is often used to give the
reader a lens through which to move through the work
(See meter and foot)
Setting + the place or location of the action !he setting provides the
historical and cultural conte%t for characters /t often can symboli"e the
emotional state of characters ,%ample 9 /n :oe#s ;he Fall of the %ouse of
7sher, the crumbling old mansion reflects the decaying state of both the
family and the narrator#s mind We also see this type of emphasis on
setting in !homas ;ann#s !eath in =enice
S&ea"er + the person delivering the poem 'emember, a poem does not
have to have a speaker, and the speaker and the poet are not necessarily
one in the same
Structure 'fiction( + !he way that the writer arranges the plot of a story
Look for- Re&eated elements in action. gesture. dialogue. descri&tion. as
/ell as shifts in direction. focus. time. &lace. etc"
Structure '&oetry( - !he pattern of organi"ation of a poem <or e%ample,
a Shakespearean sonnet is a =>+line poem written in iambic pentameter
Because the sonnet is strictly constrained, it is considered a closed or fi%ed
form &n open or free form poem has looser form, or perhaps one of the
author#s invention, but it is important to remember that these poems are
not necessarily formless
Sym)olism + when an ob*ect is meant to be representative of something
or an idea greater than the ob*ect itself
ross - re&resentative of hrist or hristianity
6ald Eagle - America or *atriotism
O/l - /isdom or kno/ledge
4ello/ - im&lies co/ardice or rot
*one + the implied attitude towards the sub*ect of the poem /s it hopeful,
pessimistic, dreary, worried0 & poet conveys tone by combining all of the
elements listed above to create a precise impression on the reader