Literary Analysis Essay Example

A literary analysis essay is part of the assignments that students are required to write before transitioning to the next stage. They are incapable of focusing on other assignments before having this write-up. Understanding and deciphering the meaning of texts is important in facilitating their learning process. When you are aware of the literary analysis process, it means you’re capable of interpreting different authors’ texts. The article offers information for you to write a literary analysis essay. We give you tips on all the useful steps to draft a successful essay. If you follow them accordingly, you will not need to revise your essay after submitting the first draft. Take note of all the details to avoid redoing the essay due to hindsight errors. Also it will be useful to check sample literary analysis essay before start writing.

“After its publication in 1818, literary critics realized that Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is one of the topmost novels that extrapolate on Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis. The novel, in fact, is categorized under the bracket of “psychoanalytic criticism” which would be useful in the examination of oedipal underpinnings in Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” Much of Shelley’s life experiences have been included in the story hence, its feasibility in delineating the idea(s) of Freud’s psychoanalysis. Inclusion of the film based on Shelley’s “Frankenstein” will, in fact, be quite helpful in examining the idea of psychoanalysis in this novel.

According to the novel, Shelley’s audience is aware that the monstrous figure is a representation of Frankenstein’s persona and characteristics. The creation of a monster in itself appears as a narcissistic action that only works toward reflecting the protagonist’s ego. Unfortunately, there is a conflict between Frankenstein’s ego and id, whereby, the ego is affiliated with his desire for passion and success. Frankenstein appears enslaved to his ego and due to this, he ends up creating a monster that replicates all his characteristics. The creature appears, therefore, as a product of narcissism, which attempts to understand Frankenstein’s subconscious. Amidst his self-conceited behavior, however, the creation of this monster allows the protagonist to awake from his fantasy and deal with actualities in the real world.

Still on the monster and psychoanalysis, the audience realizes that the former is well attached to the idea of the libido. The eerie ‘birth’ of the monster, even if it does not include normal procreation, has undertones of coitus and immorality particularly due to Frankenstein’s passionate [and perverse] desires. The fact that this monster is a representation of eroticism in Shelley’s novel cannot be escaped since Frankenstein’s creation was ‘birthed’ from high levels of libido and sexual energy. Psychoanalytically, the audience understands that the monster’s violent behavior is gratified by both passion and sadism. The numerous deaths in Shelley’s “Frankenstein” appear as compulsive behavior, which Freud’s explains is an indication of sadism in one’s psyche. In fact, the extent of sadism in this monster manages to destroy the union and the possibility of marriage between Frankenstein and Elizabeth. Psychoanalysis explains that the monster [Frankenstein] may have been projection the unhappiness in his life by damaging other people. Again, the fact that Frankenstein’s monster is affiliated with compulsion shows a psychological urge to reclaim the order of one’s world. It is possible that by eliminating people, through death, the monster believes that he will remain superior.

In Shelley’s novel, the audience comes across Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist who ‘gives birth’ to a monster. Requisitely, the monster should have both a mother and father figure to ensure that his development is as per the ‘norm.’ He temporarily set his eye on the moon, which acted as his mother figure as it had the characteristics of this monster’s imaginary [an ideal] mother. The idea of psychoanalysis, however, is noted by the audience as Frankenstein plays the roles of this monster’s mother and father. Before looking into the issue of nurture, the protagonist automatically plays the role of the monster’s mother by ‘giving birth’ to him. The monster may be closely linked with “King Oedipus” whose desire was to marry his mother, as delineated in the genesis of Freud’s psychoanalysis. There is no dispute that Frankenstein is indeed the creator of this monster particularly due to the inclusion of pregnancy and childbirth metaphors in the novel.

Even in the 1931 film, the script shows a relationship between Frankenstein and psychoanalytic underpinnings. In the film, there is a psychoanalytic understanding of Victor

Psychoanalysis in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” has been well extrapolated using the characters of Frankenstein, the monster, Caroline and Elizabeth. An understanding of the protagonist’s libido and ego has played a significant role in looking at Freud’s place in the novel. The audience realizes that Frankenstein’s uncontrollable ego leads to the creation of the disastrous monster, which, in fact, is the protagonist’s reflection. It would be impossible to eliminate Freud’s sentiments from Shelley’s “Frankenstein” since the novel is an embodiment of the psychoanalytic criticism in literature.”

What is the purpose of a Literary Analysis Essay?

The literary analysis essay definition explores arguments within different texts such as novels, plays or books. Readers are supposed to analyze different elements such as plot, characters, style of writing and tone used by the author. These aspects form some of the literary analysis essay topics. From this analysis, you are capable of acquiring relevant information to jot down in the literary analysis essay. You may have these notes on paper to ensure that you remember them for future references.

Content of the Literary Analysis Essay

There is no standard way of how to write a literary analysis essay. If anything, the content is dependent on the text for analysis and the instructor’s requirements. You should understand the difference between the analysis of poems and novels, for example, because they are two distinct literary pieces. A teacher can give you a sample literary analysis essay high school so it will be easier for you to understand the requirements. When it to the length, as well, some instructors may require their students to write only 3 pages while others will ask them to write 10 pages. There are, however, some commonalities that professors require as the students draft a literary analysis essay. They include:

• Talking about the genre (or type) of literature being analyzed.
• Character analysis
• Plot analysis
• Reviewing of themes
• Offering a description of the symbols and symbolism
• Exploring the writing style

Literary Analysis Essay Outline

1. 1. The introduction is the foremost part of the literary analysis essay. You should commence with a “hook” and ensure that your write-up is creative enough to pique the audience’s attention.
2. 2. The body includes the content of the text/novel/book that you’re analyzing. Here, you should also include pieces of evidence that support your literary analysis essay.
3. 3. The conclusion is a wrap-up of the literary analysis essay. You should show how the literary analysis is connected to the book/text/novel, its reflection of the plot and the author’s ideas.

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

How is a Literary Analysis Essay written?

Like any other write-up, a literary analysis essay requires proper planning and preparation. You should not just work on it in a haphazard manner. There are some steps you can follow to ease the writing process. They have been detailed consequently and they include:

Having a Focus on the Topic

Read and reread the work that you want to analyze. You should understand the author’s main idea, storyline, plot and characters. Some of the questions that will help you in the analysis include:

1. Are there any parts of the text you consider memorable?
2. Are the author’s characters growing or deteriorating?

Collecting Evidence and Proof

You should acquire information and material that will be useful in making conclusions. Learning the author’s background, for example, is important. For example, if you are reading a book about religion, understand the author’s personal beliefs would be plausible in deciphering the text. Make sure you annotate the text while reading.

Writing an Outline

An outline is useful in planning and organizing your literary analysis essay. You should know the content of your introduction, body and conclusion.

Developing your Main Thesis Statements

You should develop a thesis statement that covers the arguments. Offer an explanation showing the connection of ideas to the authors’ text.

Essay Outline

Having an outline saves you a lot of time during the brainstorming process. You should simply write about a breakdown of your essay’s content. It would include:

• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

There are online examples of a literary analysis essay that can help you in writing your essay outline. However, remember to pay keen attention to the text/novel/book that you’re analyzing.