Literary Analysis

• Writing in Literature - Purdue OWL
• Close Reading and Avoiding Pitfalls
• Writing a Literary Analysis Paper - Germana College
• Bucks County College method (nine pages)
• Strategies for writing about literature
• Video explanation of theme
• Common themes in literature
• Tone and theme
• Ten literary concepts every reader should know
• Video -- concept examples
• Character profile tool
• Randian analysis (from The Romantic Manifesto)
  • Theme (81-82)
    • Summary of the novel's abstract meaning
    • Examples
      • Atlas Shrugged: The role of the mind in man's existence
      • Les Miserables: Society's injustice toward lower classes
      • Gone With the Wind: Effect of the Civil War on Southern society
    • May be historical or moral
  • Plot (82)
    • Events leading to a resolution of a climax
    • Must support the theme
    • Examples
      • The experiences of George and Lennie show the conflict between between knowledge and understanding (George's relationship with Lennie) and ignorance and judgment (others' interactions with Lennie)
      • Pearl's discoveries about her mother reveal the community's tendencies to pass judgment
  • Characterization (87)
    • "[T]he portrayal of those essential traits which form the unique, distinctive personality of an individual human being."
    • "A human being is the most complex entity on earth; a writer's task is to select the essentials out of that enormous complexity, then proceed to create an individual figure...."
    • Tools
      • action
      • dialogue
  • Style (94)
    • The means by which theme, plot, and characterization are presented
    • Content (description, narrative, dialogue)
    • Diction (word choice)
    • Syntax (sentences)
    • Structure

Rand, Ayn. The Romantic Manifesto: A Philosophy of Literature. New York: Signet, 1975. Print.

• Literary devices
  • Metaphors