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The Literary Analysis Research Paper: How to Make it Strong

A literary analysis research paper, also called a critique, is a study on existing text, to demonstrate the student’s understanding. It is to show how well the student can understand existing written works. It is difficult, because the student needs to support their thoughts, as well as present them. Thus, they need to research the work as well, and understand what all is going on in it, and what effects it has. Here are some tips in writing a strong literary analysis research paper.

Read the Work
Research It
Use an Allegory
Use Character Representation
Use Implied Connotations
Use Imagery

Read the Work

Using things like cleft notes, and the best the student can do is a moderate paper. This is because they are working off from someone else’s view of the work. Work only off from the student’s own view. This allows a much stronger presentation of the paper.

Research It

Look for reviews of the work, and see what others are saying about it. Focus on those that agree with the writer’s own view, but also shows some of the different views as well. Using both gives more depth to the work, and makes it stronger.

Use an Allegory

Write the essay using the character’s represented in a humanistic metaphor; like greed, lust, heroic, and so on. In this way, the characters are shown in a light that describes their part in the story.

Use Character Representations

Much like the Allegory, but here represent them in a light of a similar, and well known story, to help the reader associate them in the essay. This can also be applied to places, things, and plots.

Use Implied Connotations

This one is risky, as the connotation for a character can change in the story. But if done right, and the connotation is done to allow that change, then this can work excellently. Someone who is not well liked in the beginning, but becomes a major figure later on, could be referred to as the “black duckling”, as in the kid’s story.

Use Imagery

Be vivid about the story, and use imagery in the wording to help show the points that are being made. Imagery, can help expand the range of the essay, giving it more life. This is a strong way of writing, and one that takes practice to do.