Outline Structure For Literary Analysis Essay (Page 2 of 3) in pdf

Parts to a Great Essay

same as above, just worded differently

1. A Catchy Title

2. Introduction: the opening paragraph. The introduction should include the

following:

a. Hook, Author, Title, Main Characters, A Short Summary, Thesis

b. Hook: The beginning sentences of the introduction that catch the reader’s

interest. Ways of beginning creatively include the following:

 A startling fact or bit of information

 A meaningful quotation (from the work or another source)

 A rich, vivid description

 An analogy or metaphor

c. Introductions should identify the work of literature being discussed, name

the author, and briefly present the issue that the body of your essay will

more fully develop (your thesis). Basically, introductions suggest that

something interesting is occurring in a particular work of literature.

3. Body: The body of your paper should logically and fully develop and support your

thesis.

a. Each body paragraph should focus on one main idea that supports your

thesis statement.

b. These paragraphs include:

i. A topic sentence – a topic sentence states the main point of a

paragraph: it serves as a mini-thesis for the paragraph. You might

think of it as a signpost for your readers—or a headline—something

that alerts them to the most important, interpretive points in your

essay. It might be helpful to think of a topic sentence as working in

two directions simultaneously. It relates the paragraph to the essay's

thesis, and thereby acts as a signpost for the argument of the paper as

a whole, but it also defines the scope of the paragraph itself.

ii. Context for the quote

1. Who says it? What is happening in the text when they say it?

2. This prepares the reader for the quote by introducing the speaker,

setting, and/or situation.

iii. Quote/Concrete details - a specific example from the work used to

provide evidence for your topic sentence/support thesis.

iv. Commentary - your explanation and interpretation of the concrete detail.

Commentary explains how the concrete detail proves the thesis.

v. Clincher/Concluding Sentence - last sentence of the body paragraph. It

concludes the paragraph by tying the concrete details and commentary

back to the major thesis.

Outline Structure For Literary Analysis Essay Page 2