During this term, you will complete two short literary analysis essays (each more than four but a maximum of six full pages, plus a Works Cited page). These essays differ from the Reading Response papers in that they require you to engage in deeper analysis of the chosen text and to interpret a statement about reality made by the text (a.k.a. a theme). You will need to present textual evidence supporting your central claim. One way to do this is to apply a specific school of literary thought to the text you are discussing, such as Marxism, Freudianism, Feminism, Cultural, Historical, or Archetypal criticism. (You are not limited to these literary theories, but they are good starting points. Others are discussed in Chapter 7 of the textbook, and you should seek additional clarity from me or reliable outside sources if using them.)
You may choose any of the texts that we have studied in class to date for your analysis. Do not choose more than one text. (I do not recommend choosing a short poem for this reason, although a longer poem may contain sufficient depth of meaning to warrant an analysis of this length.)
Remember that the purpose of literary analysis is to find a deeper truth within the text – subtext – that the author is trying to impart through the text. Your understanding of this theme should always be stated in the form of a full sentence, not a simple phrase, and be a comment about reality, not the text itself. (For example, “War is theme of ‘The Things They Carried’” is a superficial argument. “In ‘The Things They Carried,’ the mindless repetition of actions in the field, and the boredom of soldiers resulting from it, creates a lack of vigilance that can be disastrous on a battlefront” is focused and meaningful.) Your analysis should demonstrate at least three ways in which the text conveys the theme. It is, of course, possible for one text to include numerous themes—you need to focus on just one theme. Use direct quotations and paraphrases as support for your argument, and follow MLA style for internal documentation.
For your first analysis paper, you should find at least one reliable outside source of peer-reviewed criticism or data, which will either support your argument or be refuted by it. For your second paper, you need to use two such sources. I recommend using our library databases, such as Literary Reference Center Plus or JSTOR, to find relevant articles. (In some cases, there may be very limited criticism of the specific text you are discussing. In that case, use highly reliable texts about the literary theory you are applying, or a peer-reviewed historical argument that supports your position.)
Keep in mind that all of your sources must a) be identified with a proper MLA Work Citation in a Works Cited list and b) be relevant to the argument you are making—do not pull the first three random articles that appear in a search and mention them in your essay, even if they focus on a completely different topic of analysis. DO NOT USE GOOGLE OR SAFARI (or Yahoo or Bing, if you’re a weirdo) TO FIND PEER-REVIEWED CRITICISM. If you need help finding information, ask a reference librarian for assistance.
View Rubric
Literary Analysis Essay
Literary Analysis Essay
Criteria Ratings Pts
Argument
15 pts
Proficient
Essay is grounded in a literary theory and supports a clear thesis with multiple examples of solid textual evidence.
12 pts
Competent
Essay mentions literary theory, but fails to apply it thoroughly or consistently. Makes some unsupported assertions or mistakes in textual evidence presented.
9 pts
Mediocre
Essay makes no mention of literary theory, and/or has many mistakes in textual evidence or unsupported assertions.
5 pts
Marginal
Thesis is difficult to parse. May include too much summary, with few assertions or many mistakes in textual evidence betraying a misunderstanding of the text.
0 pts
Nonproficient
Incoherent. I’m still not sure what your thesis is.
/ 15 pts
Organization
15 pts
Proficient
Essay follows standard argumentative structure, using the “Claim, Data, Warrant” approach. Essay meets assigned guidelines for length.
12 pts
Competent
Essay generally follows argumentative structure, but drifts off focus or includes tangential ideas. Essay may be slightly shorter than assigned length.
9 pts
Mediocre
Essay meanders and is frequently unfocused. Essay may be significantly shorter than assigned length.
5 pts
Marginal
Essay is not broken into paragraphs effectively, or the paragraphs follow illogical order. Essay is too short to effectively fulfill assignment.
0 pts
Nonproficient
I’m still not sure what your thesis is, if there is one.
/ 15 pts
Grammar/Clarity
15 pts
Proficient
Clean, flowing, coherent English grammar with proper punctuation. Vocabulary is appropriate and precise. A few minor errors scattered throughout.
12 pts
Competent
Mostly coherent, although a few grammatical or diction errors slow the reading flow and change meanings.
9 pts
Mediocre
Reading fluency is significantly impeded by frequent grammatical or vocabulary mistakes that require decoding by the reader.
5 pts
Marginal
Barely coherent and very difficult to understand.
0 pts
Nonproficient
Is this German or Dutch? I’d say it was Russian but it doesn’t use the Cyrillic alphabet.
/ 15 pts
Works Cited
10 pts
Proficient
Works Cited is in proper, current MLA format, and contains the assigned number of reliable sources plus the source text.
8 pts
Competent
Works Cited is mostly in proper MLA format, and contains at least the assigned number of reliable sources plus the source text.
6 pts
Mediocre
Works Cited appears to be an attempt at current MLA format, and contains sources in addition to the source text.
4 pts
Marginal
Little effort to place Works Cited in MLA format. May be missing sources or use unreliable sources.
0 pts
Nonproficient
No Works Cited page.
/ 10 pts
Formatting
10 pts
Proficient
Formatting follows current MLA Style Guide standards.
8 pts
Competent
Formatting mostly meets current MLA standards, with some minor flaws.
6 pts
Mediocre
Formatting is in the ballpark of current MLA Style Guide standards, with several significant variations.
4 pts
Marginal
Little effort made to meet current MLA standards. This includes using other styles such as APA or Chicago style.
0 pts
Nonproficient
No effort made to meet academic formatting standards.
/ 10 pts
On Topic/Not Plagiarized
35 pts
Full Credit
This paper appears to be a good-faith effort to fulfill the assignment, in your own words, using the English language.
25 pts
Ehhh…
This paper appears to be a good-faith effort to fulfill the assignment, but a few spots are skating perilously close to plagiarism. Please read the notes left on the essay itself, and feel free to discuss with the professor.
0 pts
No Credit
This paper does not appear to be on an appropriate topic, is in a foreign language, or is plagiarized. Please know that plagiarism will be dealt with in the manner prescribed by the syllabus.
/ 35 pts
Total Points: 0
