Scribd
Upload
38 views

Analyzing A Novel or Short Story: Examples of Story Elements For Analysis

A literary analysis focuses on specific elements of a story such as themes, point of view, setting, characters, style, conflicts, climax, and symbolism. It makes an arguable thesis about these elements supported by examples from the text and outside sources. Story elements that can be analyzed include the central themes, narrative perspective, description of time and place, character development, language style, emotions evoked, internal and external conflicts, climax and resolution, genre, important symbols, meaning of the title, and multiple levels of interpretation. A plot summary alone is not sufficient for a literary analysis.

Uploaded by

joeeph
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
38 views

Analyzing A Novel or Short Story: Examples of Story Elements For Analysis

A literary analysis focuses on specific elements of a story such as themes, point of view, setting, characters, style, conflicts, climax, and symbolism. It makes an arguable thesis about these elements supported by examples from the text and outside sources. Story elements that can be analyzed include the central themes, narrative perspective, description of time and place, character development, language style, emotions evoked, internal and external conflicts, climax and resolution, genre, important symbols, meaning of the title, and multiple levels of interpretation. A plot summary alone is not sufficient for a literary analysis.

Uploaded by

joeeph
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Analyzing a Novel or Short Story

A literary analysis is not just a plot summary. Instead, it focuses on one or


more elements of the story and makes a specific, arguable point (thesis)
about these elements which can be supported with examples from the text and critics’ opinions.
The analysis can explore how different elements in a story relate to each other or how they connect
to a larger political, social, economic, or religious context.

Examples of story elements for analysis:

What are the themes – the central or unifying ideas, or recurring topics, that are developed in the
story?

What is the point of view – the perspective the author uses to tell the story? For first person (“I”),
the narrator is one of the characters. For third person (“he, she, they”), the author tells the story
from outside.

What is the setting - time and place? What is the atmosphere or mood?

What are the characters like, including their personalities and traits? Who is the protagonist? The
antagonist? Do any characters change, and are the changes plausible or believable?

How would you describe the story’s style, or use of language? Is the style informal or
conversational? Is it formal? Is there any dialect?

What emotions does the story elicit? Is it scary, funny, inspirational, or satiric?

What are the conflicts in the story? Determine the external conflicts and the internal conflicts.
Express the conflicts using the word versus, such as “the individual vs. society” or “dream vs.
reality.”

What is the climax of the story? Is there any resolution?

What is the genre – what kind of literature? Is it comedy, mystery, tragedy, satire, romance?

Are there important symbols – elements that represent another concept? What might they mean?

What does the title of the story mean?

Does the story have more than one level of meaning?

How does the plot unfold? What is a summary of the events in time order, including relationships
among those events?

Lowell Writing Center: LC-406B, 978-656-3365 Bedford Writing Center: LIB 7A, 781-280-3727

You might also like