essay novel example

Novel - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. Essays might discuss the evolution of the novel as a literary form, analyze specific novels or authors, explore themes and stylistic features of novels, or discuss the impact of novels on society and culture. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Novel you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Winston against the Party in the Novel 1984

In 1984, the main character, Winston Smith goes through moments where he is in need; His needs consist of physiological needs, safety, and security needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Winston is the main character in his novel it follows his around during this time. In 1984 Winston has his physiological met. These physiological needs include; water, pleasure, and food. Winston had taken up his spoon and was dabbling in pale-colored gravy that dribbled across the […]

How does Jack Represent Savagery in the Novel?

In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the character, Jack, symbolizes evilness and savagery. At the beginning of the story, Jack manipulates the reader into thinking that he is a good character. This is shown when he volunteers to lead the group of boys. However, on the contrary, Jack portrays evilness throughout the book in many scenes such as when he kills the pig, chants the phrase "'Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood. and […]

The Alchemist and the Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

Literature is the mirror of the society. Literature writers always reflect the social, economic, political and cultural realities in the society and captures the same is their artistic expressions. It is on this basis the literature is the mirror of the society. Paulo Coelho in the novel The Alchemist and The Pilgrimage fundamentally offers inspiration to people to always follow their dream regardless of the circumstances that they go through. The Alchemist and The Pilgrimage are a compelling novels by […]

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Montag and Clarisse in the Novel Fahrenheit 451

Individuals can change because of the impact of others. The book, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury was about a firefighter name Guy Montag. Montag does the inverse from what a standard firefighter does. He starts fires as opposed to putting them out. In Fahrenheit 451 books are not normal to see and in the event that somebody is seen reading a book, the firefighters burn their homes. Rather than reading books, their society watches a lot of TV and tunes […]

The Problems in the Novel Fahrenheit 451

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, which is a dystopian fiction book, illustrates how the society in which the story is portrayed in turns to chaos. The citizens of the society become afraid of the people who they should trust to keep them safe, which are the firefighters, because they burn any books that they come in contact with. In the ending of Part 1 of the book, Captain Beatty tells Guy Montag about the history and […]

Deviations of the Hero’s Journey

In the realm of literature, various works are associated with Christopher Vogler and Joseph Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey. According to Campbell, a hero’s journey commences when a character departs his home, also known as his ordinary world, to navigate to an obscure world. Campbell is acknowledged to be the founder of the hero’s journey archetype. The hero endures and conquers difficulties in the process, which in return makes him stronger. He learns from his previous mistakes and establishes […]

Analysis of a Dystopian Novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Introduction Fahrenheit 451 is a book set in the 24th century written by Ray Bradbury which tells the story of Guy Montag who is a fireman. The book explores a dystopian world where firemen work to start fires and burn books. Dystopia is a word that is used to refer to the opposite of Utopia. Hence, it represents a world that is terrible in all ways imaginable. A dystopian novel, therefore, portrays a disastrous future. In this book, the protagonist […]

The Novel “The Namesake” and Gogol Ganguli

The novel "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri, exquisitely captures the life events of a certain Bengali immigrant family, the Ganguli's. The Novel captures the cultural and ethnic dilemmas that are placed upon Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli by the norms of American culture. This predicament is transferred to their first child Gogol. Gogol Ganguli is raised between the norms of American and Bengali cultural tendencies. This exposure and way of life have implemented a mental tug of war on which he […]

Expressing Feminism in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Background Information Jane Austen was an English novelist born in Hampshire, South of England on 16th December in 1775. She was very close to Cassandra, her sister. When together, the two would share a bedroom but when apart they would write to each other almost every. After Jane's death on 18th July 1817, her sister testified how the two loved each other, ""she was gilder of every pleasure, the sun of my life, and the soother of sorrow"" (Bendit 245). […]

Character Foil between Darcy and Wickham in the Novel Pride and Prejudice

In order for a reader to connect to the characters in a book and understand each of their individual qualities, authors decide to use characterization. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, she uses both direct and indirect characterization; this being, telling the reader exactly how she wants to portray a certain character, but also including characters who contrasts with other characters, most often the protagonist, in order to bring out certain qualities. This also known as character foil. One example […]

Okonkwo is the Legend of the Novel Things Fall Apart

Things fall apart is a disaster novel formed by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo, who is the legend of the novel and a champion among the most powerful men in the Ibo tribe routinely falls back on violence to make his centers appreciated. Down in his heart, Okonkwo is genuinely not a savage man, anyway his life is directed by his inside conflict, the fear of dissatisfaction and of inadequacy. Okonkwo made it a point in his life to isolate himself from […]

Socratic Seminar Slaughterhouse Five

How does the Vonneguts time shifting technique affect the understanding of the novel? Is there any advantage of structuring the slaughter house five in the teleporting manner? There is a linear story that emerges from the time shifting details of the novel. There is the story of Billy,? who makes his own way through time travel across the era of World War 2 toward the Dresden and show the scene of destruction. Whenever we came to the thread of the narrator, […]

Ready Player One: a Science-fiction Novel by Ernest Cline

The book Ready Player One is a science-fiction novel written by Ernest Cline. It was released in 2011 and became a New York Times bestseller. This post-apocalyptic like novel takes place in 2044, after the world has been struggling through economically hard times due to environmentally degradation. The only escape in this brutal world is a virtual reality video game called OASIS that lead character Wade Watts to use advance technology to fully engage himself within the game. The creator […]

Parallels between a Novel 1984 and Soviet Union

George Orwell is a politically charged author who writes novels as warning issued against the dangers of totalitarian societies. The novel is dystopian literature. A dystopian society is the not so good version of an utopian society which is pretty much a perfect world. While an utopian society IS a perfect world, a dystopian society is the exact opposite as it is dehumanizing and unpleasant in regards to trying to make everything ideal. The novel 1984 by George Orwell is […]

An Utopian Society in the Novel Animal Farm

Having power is something wanted by all, but it's sometimes it's the wrong people who obtain it. All around the world, signs are proving this to be true, even in literature. Classic novels which tend to address universal concerns such as too much power can change the way people view life. A classic novel such as Animal Farm which was written by George Orwell can portray how having too much power will eventually lead to the abuse of that power […]

George Orwell’s Fiction Novel 1984

With new technology and advanced programs, the government is gaining more power than one may realize. George Orwell’s fiction novel 1984, depicts Oceania’s control upon it’s party members thoughts and freedom showcasing the harsh effects that it had on its population. Too much control can often lead to social repression, Winston being a product of this repressed society. The cruelty Winston is faced with serves as both a motivation for him throughout the novel and reveals many hidden traits about […]

Multiple Points of View Paper

Anna Fitzgerald had a sister, Kate who besides having leukemia needed a kidney transplant. Anna is supposed to donate one of her kidneys to her sick sister, but apparently, she is already tired of donating organs to her. Anna did not just donate toys to her sister she also had on many instances donated blood and plasma to her in the past. Notably, Anna had been born out of a genetic engineering process which was purposely facilitated by her parents […]

A Political Novel 1984

1984 is a political novel composed for the humans below a totalitarian authorities and to give consciousness for the feasible dangers of it. George Orwell, the author, purposefully created the e book give emphasis to the rising of communism in Western countries who are nonetheless uncertain about how to approach it. He additionally wrote it due to having an insight of the horrendous lengths to which authoritarian governments that ought to possibly go beyond their power such as Spain and […]

Idyllic Society in the Novel Animal Farm

In the novel Animal Farm written by George Orwell is about how the animals attempt to create their own idyllic society which based on equality among the animals. The pigs create Animalism that all the animals have to follow and live by without going against it. First, the author describes the pigs as the "cleverest of the animal and they can easily take over the farm. Secondly, the pigs rely on rules they made together to keep the animals in […]

Main Theme in John Steinbeck’s Novel of Mice

In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men George and Lennie work at a ranch in California. They work there for a couple of weeks until Lennie accidentally kills Curley's Wife. George then finds Lennie and kills him. Some of the characters on the ranch symbolizes loneliness. Steinbeck symbolizes loneliness through Candy, Crooks, George, and Curley's Wife. Candy represents loneliness through his missing hand and old dog. Candy's hand represents an old soulmate that is now gone. Candy's dog represents […]

The Color of Water a very Touching True Novel

The Color of Water written by James McBride was a very touching true novel about a son's perspective of his Jewish mother. Throughout the book James searches for his own placing in society as he passes through life. There are many hardships that he, his eleven other brothers and sisters and mother go through to get there, but in the end everything seems to justify means to how they got there and why events had happened in that particular way. […]

Edgar Allan Poe Themes and Styles

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19th, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, the child of two actors. He was then adopted by the Allan family after his father abandoned him and his mother passed away. Living in Virginia, he attended the University of Virginia for only one year, due to lack of money, and was recruited into the army by his father. His time in the army was short-lived, and he soon returned home. Soon after he married his thirteen-year-old […]

Have you Ever Read a John Steinbeck Novel?

His novels have made him very famous and also put Salinas, California on the map. His status has risen in Salinas as he promised. In this paper, I will be telling you about his life and why he was important. John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California which had a population of around 5,000 people at the time. His parents were John Steinbeck, a manager at Sperry flour mill, and Olive Hamilton, a school teacher. […]

The Kite Runner a Novel Full of Betrayals

The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini is a novel full of betrayals and people seeking their redemptions. The novel is based off a major betrayal but is surrounded by other betrayals. The main character Amir betrayed his best friend Hassan and later in his life he tries to seek redemptions for past deeds. After twenty-six years, Amir returns to Afghanistan in order to redeem himself but falls short of acquiring full redemption. Amir cannot completely redeem himself due to watching […]

Dystopian Novel “Fahrenheit 451”

In the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, the government has taken measures to secure their utopian world. Things like having men going from house to house burning books because they think the knowledge in those books is dangerous to their cause. If anyone hears of someone with a book, they turn them in out of fear. The government brainwashed people into thinking books are bad, and nothing good can come out of them, just as Senator McCarthy did with Communists in […]

The Novel “Other Wes Moore”

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Theme of Redemption in the Kite Runner

It is only normal for humans to make mistakes, but it is how the mistakes are resolved that will dictate ones’ fate. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, he describes the life of a young boy named Amir whose mistake haunts him for years, and his journey to find a way to relieve the guilt he had to live with. The author demonstrates how guilt can physically and psychologically push a person to search for ways to redeem […]

The Great Gatsby: Movie and Novel Adaptations

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Loneliness in Kokoro Novel

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How to Write an Essay about a Novel – Step by Step Guide

Writing about literature used to scare the heck out of me. I really couldn’t wrap my mind around analyzing a novel. You have the story. You have the characters. But so what? I had no idea what to write.

Luckily, a brilliant professor I had as an undergrad taught me how to analyze a novel in an essay. I taught this process in the university and as a tutor for many years. It’s simple, and it works. And in this tutorial, I’ll show it to you. So, let’s go!

Writing an essay about a novel or any work of fiction is a 6-step process. Steps 1-3 are the analysis part. Steps 4-6 are the writing part.

Step 1. create a list of elements of the novel .

Ask yourself, “What are the elements of this book?”

Well, here is a list of elements present in any work of fiction, any novel:

Here is a table of literary elements along with their descriptions.


	The entire dramatic account of events, from beginning to end
	The way dramatic events are arranged in the story
	A list of main and secondary characters
	Ideas the novel is about, such as , , , etc.
	Literary devices in which the author uses a familiar word or phrase to apply to another concept to which it is not literally applicable. E.g. “ .”
	Literary devices in which the author likens something to something else to illustrate a point. E.g.
	Images used to represent an idea. E.g.
	Lessons you’ve learned from the book
	Mythological elements in the story, such as , , and
	Where, when, and under what circumstances the action takes place. E.g. “War and Peace takes place in 19th century Russia and centers around the Russian-French war of 1812.”

In this step, you simply pick 3-6 elements from the list I just gave you and arrange them as bullet points. You just want to make sure you pick elements that you are most familiar or comfortable with.

For example, you can create the following list:

This is just for you to capture the possibilities of what you can write about. It’s a very simple and quick step because I already gave you a list of elements.

Step 2. Pick 3 elements you are most comfortable with

In this step, we’ll use what I call The Power of Three . You don’t need more than three elements to write an excellent essay about a novel or a book.

Just pick three from the list you just created with which you are most familiar or that you understand the best. These will correspond to three sections in your essay.

If you’re an English major, you’ll be a lot more familiar with the term “metaphor” than if you major in Accounting.

But even if you’re a Math major, you are at least probably already familiar with what a story or a character is. And you’ve probably had a takeaway or a lesson from stories you’ve read or seen on screen.

Just pick what you can relate to most readily and easily.

For example, you can pick Characters , Symbols , and Takeaways . Great!

You Can Also Pick Examples of an Element

Let’s say that you are really unfamiliar with most of the elements. In that case, you can just pick one and then list three examples of it.

For example, you can pick the element of Characters . And now all you need to do is choose three of the most memorable characters. You can do this with many of the elements of a novel.

You can pick three themes , such as Romance, Envy, and Adultery.

You can pick three symbols , such as a rose, a ring, and a boat. These can represent love, marriage, and departure.

Okay, great job picking your elements or examples of them.

For the rest of this tutorial, I chose to write about a novel by Fedor Dostoyevskiy, The Brothers Karamazov. This will be our example.

It is one of the greatest novels ever written. And it’s a mystery novel, too, which makes it fun.

So now, let’s choose either three elements of this novel or three examples of an element. I find that one of the easiest ways to do this is to pick one element – Characters – and three examples of it.

In other words, I’m picking three characters. And the entire essay will be about these three characters.

Now, you may ask, if I write only about the characters, am I really writing an essay about the novel?

And the answer is, Yes. Because you can’t write about everything at once. You must pick something. Pick your battles.

And by doing that, you will have plenty of opportunities to make a statement about the whole novel. Does that make sense?

Just trust the process, and it will all become clear in the next steps.

Let’s pick the three brothers – Alexei, Dmitriy, and Ivan.

And don’t worry – I won’t assume that you have read the book. And I won’t spoil it for you if you’re planning to.

So we have the three brothers. We’re ready to move on to the next step.

Step 3. Identify a relationship among these elements

In this step, you want to think about how these three elements that you picked are related to one another.

In this particular case, the three brothers are obviously related because they are brothers. But I want you to dig deeper and see if there is perhaps a theme in the novel that may be connecting the elements.

And, yes, I am using another element – theme – just to help me think about the book. Be creative and use whatever is available to you. It just so happens that religion is a very strong theme in this novel.

What do the three brothers have in common?

They have the same father.
Each one has a romantic interest (meaning, a beloved woman).
All three have some kind of a relationship with God.

These are three ways in which the brothers are related to one another. All we need is one type of a relationship among them to write this essay.

This is a religious novel, and yes, some of the characters will be linked to a form of a divinity. In this case, the religion is Christianity.

Note: there are many ways in which you can play with elements of a novel and examples of them. Here’s a detailed video I made about this process:

Let’s see if we can pick the best relationship of those we just enumerated.

They all have the same father.

This relationship is only factual. It is not very interesting in any way. So we move on to the next one.

They all have women they love.

Each brother has a romantic interest, to use a literary term. We can examine each of the brothers as a lover.

Who is the most fervent lover? Who is perhaps more distant and closed? This is an interesting connecting relationship to explore.

One of them is the most passionate about his woman, but so is another one – I won’t say who so I don’t spoil the novel for you. The third brother seems rather intellectual about his love interest.

So, romantic interest is a good candidate for a connecting relationship. Let’s explore the next connection candidate.

They all relate to God in one way or another.

Let’s see if we can put the brothers’ relationships with God in some sort of an order. Well, Alexei is a monk in learning. He lives at the monastery and studies Christianity. He is the closest to God.

Dmitriy is a believer, but he is more distant from God due to his passionate affair with his woman. He loses his head many times and does things that are ungodly, according to the author. So, although he is a believer, he is more distant from God than is Alexei.

Finally, Ivan is a self-proclaimed atheist. Therefore, he is the farthest away from God.

It looks like we got ourselves a nice sequence, or progression, which we can probably use to write this essay about this novel.

What is the sequence? The sequence is:

Alexei is the closest to God, Dmitriy is second closest, and Ivan is pretty far away.

It looks like we have a pattern here.

If we look at the brothers in the book and watch their emotions closely, we’ll come to the conclusion that they go from blissful to very emotionally unstable to downright miserable to the point of insanity.

Here’s the conclusion we must make:

The closer the character’s relationship with God, the happier he is, and the farther away he is from God, the more miserable he appears to be.

Wow. This is quite a conclusion. It looks like we have just uncovered one of Dostoyevskiy’s main arguments in this novel, if not the main point he is trying to make.

Now that we’ve identified our three elements (examples) and a strong connecting relationship among them, we can move on to Step 4.

Step 4. Take a stand and write your thesis statement

Now we’re ready to formulate our thesis statement. It consists of two parts:

Your Thesis (your main argument)
Your Outline of Support (how you plan to support your main point)

By now, we have everything we need to write a very clear and strong thesis statement.

First, let’s state our thesis as clearly and succinctly as possible, based on what we already know:

See how clear this is? And most importantly, this is clear not only to the reader, but also to you as the writer. Now you know exactly what statement you will be supporting in the body of the essay.

Are we finished with the thesis statement? Not yet. The second part consists of your supporting points. And again, we have everything we need to write it. Let’s do it.

“Alexei’s state of mind is ultimately blissful, because he is a true and observant believer. Dmitriy’s faith is upstaged by his passion for a woman, and he suffers a lot as a result. Ivan’s renunciation of God makes him the unhappiest of the brothers and eventually leads him to insanity.”

Guess what – we have just written our complete thesis statement. And it’s also our whole first paragraph.

We are ready for Step 5.

Step 5. Write the body of the essay

Again, just like in the previous step, you have everything you need to structure and write out the body of this essay.

How many main sections will this essay have? Because we are writing about three brothers, it only makes sense that our essay will have three main sections.

Each section may have one or more paragraphs. So, here’s an important question to consider:

How many words or pages do you have to write?

Let’s say your teacher or professor wants you to write 2,000 words on this topic. Then, here is your strategic breakdown:

Thesis Statement (first paragraph) = 100 words
Conclusion (last paragraph) = 100 words
Body of the Essay = 1,800 words

Let me show you how easy it is to subdivide the body of the essay into sections and subsections.

We already know that we have three sections. And we need 1,800 words total for the body. This leads us to 600 words per main section (meaning, per brother).

Can we subdivide further? Yes, we can. And we should.

When discussing each of the brothers, we connect two subjects: his relationship with God AND his psychological state. That’s how we make those connections.

So, we should simply subdivide each section of 600 words into two subsections of 300 words each. And now all we need to do is to write each part as if it were a standalone 300-word essay.

Does this make sense? See how simple and clear this is?

Writing Your Paragraphs

Writing good paragraphs is a topic for an entire article of its own. It is a science and an art.

In essence, you start your paragraph with a good lead sentence in which you make one point. Then, you provide reasons, explanations, and examples to support it.

Here is an article I wrote on how to write great paragraphs .

Once you’ve written the body of the essay, one last step remains.

Step 6. Add an introduction and a conclusion

Introductions and conclusions are those little parts of an essay that your teachers and professors will want you to write.

Introduction

In our example, we already have a full opening paragraph going. It’s our thesis statement.

To write an introduction, all you need to do is add one or two sentences above the thesis statement.

Here is our thesis statement:

“In his novel Brothers Karamazov, Dostoyevskiy describes a world in which happiness is directly proportional to proximity to God. The closer to God a character is, the happier and more emotionally stable he is, and vice versa. Alexei’s state of mind is ultimately blissful, because he is a true and observant believer. Dmitriy’s faith is upstaged by his passion for a woman, and he suffers a lot as a result. Ivan’s renunciation of God makes him the unhappiest of the brothers and eventually leads him to insanity.”

As you can see, it is a complete paragraph that doesn’t lack anything. But because we need to have an introduction, here is a sentence with which we can open this paragraph:

“Dostoyevskiy is a great Russian novelist who explores the theme of religion in many of his books.”

And then just proceed with the rest of the paragraph. Read this sentence followed by the thesis statement, and you see that it works great. And it took me about 30 seconds to write this introductory sentence.

You can write conclusions in several different ways. But the most time-proven way is to simply restate your thesis.

If you write your thesis statement the way I teach, you will have a really strong opening paragraph that can be easily reworded to craft a good conclusion.

Here is an article I wrote (which includes a video) on how to write conclusions .

Congratulations!

You’ve made it to the end, and now you know exactly how to write an essay about a novel or any work of fiction!

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

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The 1950s was a decade plagued by traditional gender roles for women and men. It wasn't uncommon for a book to mention that the best career for every woman is, of course, taking care of her husband and home. Therefore, it isn't surprising that Ken...

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart

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The Kite Runner

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Of Mice and Men

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Jasper Jones
Literature Review

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Family Values
The Godfather

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Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

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African American

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Short Story

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Protagonist

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Book Review

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The Deliverance

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The Glass Castle

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John Steinbeck

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Literary Devices Used In George Orwell's 1984

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The Use Of Literary Devices And Other Techniques In Orwell's "1984"

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The Symbolism Of The Doll's House In Doll's House

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A Doll's House

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Station Eleven

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The Common Motif Of Betrayal In Kite Runner

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Comparative Analysis Of Station Eleven And War For The Planet Of The Apes

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To Kill a Mockingbird

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The Presentation Of Betrayal In The Kite Runner

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Gender Roles And Womanhood In Adichie Purple Hibiscus And Emecheta‘s The Bride Price

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Reflection On Louis Zamperini's Life In Unbroken

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Remain Unbroken: The Story Of Unlikely Survival

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Exploring Hidden Symbolism Of Growth In "Purple Hibiscus"

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The Notion Of Justice In Boccaccio's The Decameron

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The Decameron

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The Aphorisms Of Change In Tuesdays With Morrie

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Symbolism And Exposition In David Guterson's Novel Snow Falling On Cedars

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Snow Falling On Cedars

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The Fault in Our Stars

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Analysis Of The Uniqueness In Leo Tolstoy's Critically Acclaimed Novel War And Peace

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War and Peace

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This Boy's Life

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A Fine Line Between Love and Immortality

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The Killer Angels

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White Noise

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Claude Mckay

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The Role of Women in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

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Zadie Smith's Work and Revolutionary Ideas in Literature

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Falling in Love

Oedipa as the Central Figure of The Crying of Lot 49

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The Crying of Lot 49

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East of Eden

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One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
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The Red Badge of Courage

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Adolescence

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Sherman Alexie
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Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Literary Analysis Essay

Literary Analysis Essay Writing

Last updated on: May 21, 2023

Literary Analysis Essay - Ultimate Guide By Professionals

By: Cordon J.

Reviewed By: Rylee W.

Published on: Dec 3, 2019

A literary analysis essay specifically examines and evaluates a piece of literature or a literary work. It also understands and explains the links between the small parts to their whole information.

It is important for students to understand the meaning and the true essence of literature to write a literary essay.

One of the most difficult assignments for students is writing a literary analysis essay. It can be hard to come up with an original idea or find enough material to write about. You might think you need years of experience in order to create a good paper, but that's not true.

This blog post will show you how easy it can be when you follow the steps given here.Writing such an essay involves the breakdown of a book into small parts and understanding each part separately. It seems easy, right?

Trust us, it is not as hard as good book reports but it may also not be extremely easy. You will have to take into account different approaches and explain them in relation with the chosen literary work.

It is a common high school and college assignment and you can learn everything in this blog.

Continue reading for some useful tips with an example to write a literary analysis essay that will be on point. You can also explore our detailed article on writing an analytical essay .

On this Page

What is a Literary Analysis Essay?

A literary analysis essay is an important kind of essay that focuses on the detailed analysis of the work of literature.

The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to explain why the author has used a specific theme for his work. Or examine the characters, themes, literary devices , figurative language, and settings in the story.

This type of essay encourages students to think about how the book or the short story has been written. And why the author has created this work.

The method used in the literary analysis essay differs from other types of essays. It primarily focuses on the type of work and literature that is being analyzed.

Mostly, you will be going to break down the work into various parts. In order to develop a better understanding of the idea being discussed, each part will be discussed separately.

The essay should explain the choices of the author and point of view along with your answers and personal analysis.

How To Write A Literary Analysis Essay

So how to start a literary analysis essay? The answer to this question is quite simple.

The following sections are required to write an effective literary analysis essay. By following the guidelines given in the following sections, you will be able to craft a winning literary analysis essay.

Introduction

The aim of the introduction is to establish a context for readers. You have to give a brief on the background of the selected topic.

It should contain the name of the author of the literary work along with its title. The introduction should be effective enough to grab the reader’s attention.

In the body section, you have to retell the story that the writer has narrated. It is a good idea to create a summary as it is one of the important tips of literary analysis.

Other than that, you are required to develop ideas and disclose the observed information related to the issue. The ideal length of the body section is around 1000 words.

To write the body section, your observation should be based on evidence and your own style of writing.

It would be great if the body of your essay is divided into three paragraphs. Make a strong argument with facts related to the thesis statement in all of the paragraphs in the body section.

Start writing each paragraph with a topic sentence and use transition words when moving to the next paragraph.

Summarize the important points of your literary analysis essay in this section. It is important to compose a short and strong conclusion to help you make a final impression of your essay.

Pay attention that this section does not contain any new information. It should provide a sense of completion by restating the main idea with a short description of your arguments. End the conclusion with your supporting details.

You have to explain why the book is important. Also, elaborate on the means that the authors used to convey her/his opinion regarding the issue.

For further understanding, here is a downloadable literary analysis essay outline. This outline will help you structure and format your essay properly and earn an A easily.

DOWNLOADABLE LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY OUTLINE (PDF)

Types of Literary Analysis Essay

Close reading - This method involves attentive reading and detailed analysis. No need for a lot of knowledge and inspiration to write an essay that shows your creative skills.
Theoretical - In this type, you will rely on theories related to the selected topic.
Historical - This type of essay concerns the discipline of history. Sometimes historical analysis is required to explain events in detail.
Applied - This type involves analysis of a specific issue from a practical perspective.
Comparative - This type of writing is based on when two or more alternatives are compared

Examples of Literary Analysis Essay

Examples are great to understand any concept, especially if it is related to writing. Below are some great literary analysis essay examples that showcase how this type of essay is written.

A ROSE FOR EMILY LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY

THE GREAT GATSBY LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY

If you do not have experience in writing essays, this will be a very chaotic process for you. In that case, it is very important for you to conduct good research on the topic before writing.

There are two important points that you should keep in mind when writing a literary analysis essay.

First, remember that it is very important to select a topic in which you are interested. Choose something that really inspires you. This will help you to catch the attention of a reader.

The selected topic should reflect the main idea of writing. In addition to that, it should also express your point of view as well.

Another important thing is to draft a good outline for your literary analysis essay. It will help you to define a central point and division of this into parts for further discussion.

Literary Analysis Essay Topics

Literary analysis essays are mostly based on artistic works like books, movies, paintings, and other forms of art. However, generally, students choose novels and books to write their literary essays.

Some cool, fresh, and good topics and ideas are listed below:

Role of the Three Witches in flaming Macbeth’s ambition.
Analyze the themes of the Play Antigone,
Discuss Ajax as a tragic hero.
The Judgement of Paris: Analyze the Reasons and their Consequences.
Oedipus Rex: A Doomed Son or a Conqueror?
Describe the Oedipus complex and Electra complex in relation to their respective myths.
Betrayal is a common theme of Shakespearean tragedies. Discuss
Identify and analyze the traits of history in T.S Eliot’s ‘Gerontion’.
Analyze the theme of identity crisis in The Great Gatsby.
Analyze the writing style of Emily Dickinson.

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Our essay writers will help you write outstanding literary essays or any other type of essay. Such as compare and contrast essays, descriptive essays, rhetorical essays. We cover all of these.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should a literary analysis essay include.

A good literary analysis essay must include a proper and in-depth explanation of your ideas. They must be backed with examples and evidence from the text. Textual evidence includes summaries, paraphrased text, original work details, and direct quotes.

What are the 4 components of literary analysis?

Here are the 4 essential parts of a literary analysis essay;

No literary work is explained properly without discussing and explaining these 4 things.

How do you start a literary analysis essay?

Start your literary analysis essay with the name of the work and the title. Hook your readers by introducing the main ideas that you will discuss in your essay and engage them from the start.

How do you do a literary analysis?

In a literary analysis essay, you study the text closely, understand and interpret its meanings. And try to find out the reasons behind why the author has used certain symbols, themes, and objects in the work.

Why is literary analysis important?

It encourages the students to think beyond their existing knowledge, experiences, and belief and build empathy. This helps in improving the writing skills also.

What is the fundamental characteristic of a literary analysis essay?

Interpretation is the fundamental and important feature of a literary analysis essay. The essay is based on how well the writer explains and interprets the work.

Law, Finance Essay

Cordon. is a published author and writing specialist. He has worked in the publishing industry for many years, providing writing services and digital content. His own writing career began with a focus on literature and linguistics, which he continues to pursue. Cordon is an engaging and professional individual, always looking to help others achieve their goals.

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Interesting Literary Analysis Essay Topics for Students

Write a Perfect Literary Analysis Essay Outline

How to Write an Essay About a Novel

Soheila battaglia, 25 jun 2018.

Think about the last novel you read. What about it did you love or hate? The purpose of a literature essay is to examine and evaluate a work of literature in an academic setting. To properly analyze a novel, you must break it down into its constitutive elements, including characterization, symbolism and theme. This process of analysis will help you to better understand the novel as a whole in order to write a thorough, insightful essay.

Explore this article

Parts of the Novel
Main Argument in the Essay
Textual Evidence in the Essay
Personal Interpretation Based on Evidence

1 Parts of the Novel

During and after reading a novel, the reader should ask a series of questions about aspects of the text to better understand the material. Readers might ask questions like regarding the characters' motivations. Or ask what are the main characters’ virtues and vices? Which of their actions or statements give insight into their morals? What do the characters desire? In terms of the novel's theme, the reader should ask, what is the story about? Are there any social problems conveyed through the novel? What messages does the author communicate regarding shared human experiences and perspectives on reality? If the story uses symbols, what do they represent? You may find that one or more of your responses to these questions will then become the base of your essay.

2 Main Argument in the Essay

The first step to writing an essay about a novel is to determine the main idea or argument. Millsaps College advises students, "Your essay should not just summarize the story's action or the writer's argument; your thesis should make an argument of your own." If the point you are making seems too general or too obvious, be more specific. For example, for the novel "Farenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, the following main argument is too general: "The novel talks about the dangers of technology." A more specific and effective main argument would be, "Through its depiction of a highly controlled dystopian society, the novel conveys the dangers of using technology as an escape from human emotion and relationships." This main argument is your thesis statement.

3 Textual Evidence in the Essay

The English department at California State University, Channel Islands writes that "it's fine to make a point... but then you must provide examples that support your points." Specific evidence to support your argument includes direct references to the novel. These can be paraphrases, specific details or direct quotations. Remember that textual evidence should only be employed when it directly supports the main idea. That evidence must also be preceded or followed by analysis and an explanation of its relevance to your main point. Textual evidence must always be cited with page numbers from the novel.

4 Personal Interpretation Based on Evidence

Analysis and explanation show the reader you have closely read and reflected on the novel. Instead of summarizing or retelling the story, the focus of a literature essay should be the development of a particular point being made about the text. Your personal interpretation of the material can be conveyed through the conclusions you draw about the motivations and meanings of the novel and any real-world relationships. Those related conclusions need to be based on specific evidence from the text. Options for analyzing the text include looking it through an argument, story structure and author's intent, in a social context or from a psychological standpoint.

1 California State University, Channel Islands: Essay Writing Essentials
2 University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Some Questions to Use in Analyzing Novels

About the Author

Soheila Battaglia is a published and award-winning author and filmmaker. She holds an MA in literary cultures from New York University and a BA in ethnic studies from UC Berkeley. She is a college professor of literature and composition.

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Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Literary Genres / Novel

Novel Essay Examples

The namesake: cultural conflict.

"The Namesake," a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, weaves a compelling narrative of the immigrant experience and the complexities of identity. The story follows the life of Gogol Ganguli, born to Indian immigrant parents in the United States, and his journey of self-discovery. This essay explores...

The Namesake: Unraveling the Concept of Alienation

"The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri is a poignant exploration of the concept of alienation, which resonates deeply with individuals experiencing the complexities of cultural identity, belonging, and self-discovery. The novel centers around Gogol Ganguli, an Indian-American protagonist who grapples with feelings of isolation and disconnection...

A Critical Review of James Baldwin’s Another Country

James Baldwin’s 1962 novel, Another Country, takes place primarily in Harlem, New York, in the late 1950’s, and features the lives and relationships of Rufus, Vivaldo, Ida, Cass, Richard, and Eric. In Book One: Easy Rider, Rufus recounts the events that lead up to his...

Exploring "My Side of the Mountain": a Journey into Wilderness and Self-discovery

"My Side of the Mountain," written by Jean Craighead George, is a captivating novel that takes readers on a unique journey of self-discovery through the eyes of a young protagonist. In this essay, we will delve into the world of "My Side of the Mountain,"...

The Theme of Sex and Sexism in "Drown "By Junot Diaz

Many themes are depicted in Junot Diaz’s novel, “Drown.” However, one theme that stood out the most and one that was constantly played throughout the whole novel was sex and sexism. Junot Diaz’s “Drown”, a story about an impoverished immigrant from the Dominican Republic named...

Toxic Masculinity and Gender Roles in Junot Diaz’s Novel Drown

In the novel Drown by Junot Diaz, we get to follow around many characters but the story is mainly focused on a Dominican family who came from the Dominican republic. The family especially Yunior struggles with not having a father figure as he grew up....

A Theme of Overcoming Obstacles in "The Year of the Flood" by Margaret Atwood

Maturity sometimes comes with growth. Othertimes, it's struggles in life that teaches you who you are, regardless of what life throws at you. This indicates that many people get used to the struggles they faced, which would be seen as as a way of life...

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver: an Exploration of Identity

"The Bean Trees" is a novel by Barbara Kingsolver that delves into the lives of its characters as they navigate challenges, form relationships, and undergo personal transformations. This essay analyzes the central themes of the novel, focusing on the characters' journeys of self-discovery, the resilience...

Literary Analysis of Herrick's 'Friday Evening" Verse Novel

During all of Herrick's Narrative verse novels, we can see similar themes represented in the story. Some might be connecting with family, with nature or more. But what Herrick does best is he describes the themes well, this is because he uses the form narrative...

The Journey of Self-discovery in "Long Way Down"

The novel "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds is a thought-provoking and impactful story that explores the cycle of violence and the consequences of revenge. The book follows Will, a fifteen-year-old boy who embarks on a life-altering elevator ride to seek justice for his brother's...

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Novel - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Winston against the Party in the Novel 1984

How does Jack Represent Savagery in the Novel?

The Alchemist and the Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

Montag and Clarisse in the Novel Fahrenheit 451

The Problems in the Novel Fahrenheit 451

Deviations of the Hero’s Journey

Analysis of a Dystopian Novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Novel “The Namesake” and Gogol Ganguli

Expressing Feminism in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Character Foil between Darcy and Wickham in the Novel Pride and Prejudice

Okonkwo is the Legend of the Novel Things Fall Apart

Socratic Seminar Slaughterhouse Five

Ready Player One: a Science-fiction Novel by Ernest Cline

Parallels between a Novel 1984 and Soviet Union

An Utopian Society in the Novel Animal Farm

George Orwell’s Fiction Novel 1984

Multiple Points of View Paper

A Political Novel 1984

Idyllic Society in the Novel Animal Farm

Main Theme in John Steinbeck’s Novel of Mice

The Color of Water a very Touching True Novel

Edgar Allan Poe Themes and Styles

Have you Ever Read a John Steinbeck Novel?

The Kite Runner a Novel Full of Betrayals

Dystopian Novel “Fahrenheit 451”

The Novel “Other Wes Moore”

Theme of Redemption in the Kite Runner

The Great Gatsby: Movie and Novel Adaptations

The Life of Gogul in the Novel the Namesake

Loneliness in Kokoro Novel

Related topic

How to Write an Essay about a Novel – Step by Step Guide

Writing an essay about a novel or any work of fiction is a 6-step process. Steps 1-3 are the analysis part. Steps 4-6 are the writing part.

Step 2. Pick 3 elements you are most comfortable with

You Can Also Pick Examples of an Element

Step 3. Identify a relationship among these elements

Let’s see if we can pick the best relationship of those we just enumerated.

Step 4. Take a stand and write your thesis statement

Step 5. Write the body of the essay

How many words or pages do you have to write?

Writing Your Paragraphs

Step 6. Add an introduction and a conclusion

Introduction

Congratulations!

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Essay Samples on Novel

"We Were the Mulvaneys": An AP Literature Analysis

"Haroun and the Sea of Stories": A Journey Through Imagination and Reality

"Fourth Wing": A Spellbinding Journey into a World of Magic and Self-Discovery

Dear Martin: Depiction of Racism in Nic Stone's Novel

Kennedy's Revenge: A Blend of Fiction and Non-Fiction

The Intricacies of Fiction and Nonfiction

Empowering Female Lead in 'Little Women'

Empathy and Redemption in J.M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace'

Disgrace': A Tale of Post-Apartheid South Africa

Social Divisions, Traditions in 'Brooklyn' by Colm Toibin

Brooklyn' by Colm Toibin: Navigating Immigration and Romance

Emigration Struggles and Triumphs: A Journey in 'Brooklyn'

Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing: Struggle of Finding One’s Self

13 Reasons Why: Raising Awareness of the Issue of Teen Suicide

Loss Of Innocence Through The Lord Of The Flies Novel

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Plot And Novel Analysis

The Writing Style of Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart

"The Kite Runner" By Khaled Hosseini: Book Review

Perception Of The Time In K. Vonneguts’ Slaughterhouse - Five

Ruined Friendships And Broken Dreams In "Of Mice and Men"

Craig Silvey’s Australian Novel “Jasper Jones”

“The Godfather”: Within and Beyond the Family

The Famous Book “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi

Novel "The Help" Become a Movie

Functionality of Suspense in the Poe’s and Shelley's Novels

Guilt as the Central Theme in the Literature

The Virgin Suicides: A Story Of Desperation

The Division Of Nature in The Deliverance

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword: How Authors Change The World Around Them

The Impact Of Bad Parenting On Child Development In The Glass Castle

The Theme Of Abandonment In The Veldt

Literary Analysis Of Of Mice And Men Y John Steinbeck

Hegemony And Resistance And Culture Clash In Things Fall Apart