Analyzing Literature

Close Reading involves . . .

- making connections- creating inferences (filling gaps)- drawing conclusionsLiterary Analysis requires you to read closely, not just recreationally like we do poolside in the summer.

Anatomy of Analysis ~ Comprehension

- Tackle literature by reading it once for comprehension (the bare bones of the story - setting, plot, character)

- who, what, where, when, why, how

Anatomy of Analysis ~ Interpretation

Read the book again - this time, filling in the pieces with your own inferences about what the author doesn’t directly state. (the muscle, strong points of your analysis: character motivation, why author used a particular setting, etc)

Anatomy of Analysis ~ Make a Statement

Pull all the information together to make a statement about the work as a whole.Be bold, be brave, be loud and proud about your interpretation. 💪👍👏👏Maybe you see something no one has seen before when reading the novel!! 👀Keep in mind, if you can make an argument for a pattern being there, you articulate it and use it.

Some things to look for in your book:

The use of repetition, the type of dialect, characterization, the organization,

common themes and other rhetorical choices the author makes that makes the

story unique.

(rhetorical = elements of effective writing/speaking)

One example from our class, focusing on author’s use of language to reveal characterthoughts

This analysis focuses on symbolism to help illustrate characters.

Here, your peer is making predictions about how the story will continue to unfold:

Work under the assumption that the author makes deliberate decisions for everything in the novel. The

choices support the overall goal of delivering a specific message.

Literary Analysis a.k.a. Literary Criticism

- More of a review than a critique

- Your analysis is your own. You will use sources to ‘back up’ what you are saying about the book.