So you’re writing a literary analysis, huh?

1. So you’re writing a literary analysis, huh?

2. What is a literary analysis? • You can write about theme, characters, plot, point of view, symbolism, foreshadowing, and more. • It is not a book report. • It requires a minimum of 4 quotes from the novel and 1 citation from an outside source.

3. How to analyze a text • 1st step – Read novel! • 2nd step – figure out what you will analyze • 3rd step – Reread passages of your novel

4. What can I analyze? • One thing you can look at is theme!

5. Looking at theme • The idea or point of a story. • You can write your essay explaining what the theme of the novel is. • Some common themes are…

6. themes in Fahrenheit 451 • Censorship • Ignorance vs. knowledge • Life vs. death • Technology conflict with nature • Society vs. individual • Plus more…

7. What if theme is not your thing? What about characters!

8. Characters – what to look at? • Protagonist – major character at the center of the story • Antagonist – a character or force that opposes the protagonist

9. Characters • Minor– often provide support and illuminate the protagonist • Sometimes a minor character has a major impact on the plot

10. Characters • Characterization – the means by which writers reveal character • There are many ways an author reveal character’s personalities or traits.

11. Characters • Explicit – narrator gives facts and comments in a very clear manner. For example, “Jimmy was very angry at his father.”

12. Characters • Implied– narrator gives description, reader judges • For example – “Jimmy threw open the door and stormed into the room, glaring at his father.”

13. Characters – what to look for • Connections between characters • What function does each character serve? • Foils

14. What if you’re not into characters? Plot - that's what's happening!

15. Plot • Causality – one event occurs because of another event • What are the triggers? • What leads to major events occurring?

16. Plot • Conflict – struggle between opposing forces – may be internal or external

17. Plot • Foreshadowing – a suggestion of what is going to happen • Think about all the examples from Of Mice and Men

18. Plot • Suspense – a sense of worry established by the author • Scary movies create suspense because you know something bad will happen at any moment, just not when. • Fahrenheit keeps mentioning the fighter planes flying overhead.

19. Point of view • Narrator – the person telling the story 1st person? 3rd person? How different is our story since it was told in 1st person? What if Mildred told the story?

20. Not characters? • What do you do if you don’t want to analyze characters???????

21. Irony • Verbal – we understand the opposite of what the speaker says • Example – “war is kind” from Stephen Crane poem

22. Irony • Situational – when a character or reader expects one thing to happen, but the opposite occurs • Example – In Chekhov’s “The Bear” – a woman is happy when her husband dies

23. Irony • Dramatic – the reader knows more than the characters • Example – Romeo & Juliet or Titanic – we know the characters fate, but they don’t

24. Symbolism • Many stories have elements that are symbolic • “Raven” – represents death • “Mockingbird” – a wonderful creature that should not be harmed

25. Allusions • I think you should be able to find a few. You can focus your essay on one type. • Ex – look at just literary or biblical or historic allusions

26. Language use • You could analyze use of simile, metaphor or imagery. • There are lots of these to choose from in Fahrenheit 451

27. All of these and more could be analyzed in your essay.