A literature critique or literary critical analysis is an examination of a piece of literature.The scope of a critique of literature may include looking at a single aspect of the work, or work in its entirety, as well as breaking the literary piece into its separate components and evaluating how they fit together to accomplish the piece's purpose.Students, scholars and literary critics critique literature, but anyone can learn how to critique it.
Step 1: Don't read the literature carelessly.
When you sit down to read a piece of literature, you start a critique.In all works of literature, ask yourself why the characters do what they do.
Step 2: A graphic organizer is needed.
If you want to think about the text, you need to organize the plot and characters.There are many ways to set up a chart so that you can organize your observations.List the names of the characters in one column and their actions in another column as you read.Adding a column with why you think they did each action is possible after reading.
Step 3: Think about the meaning inside.
Think about what each character did and how each action contributed to the plot after you've finished reading a piece of literature.You can see what happened in the book by looking at your graphic organizers.Don't try to decide what the author is saying.Plot the actions at face value.This is similar to art.Instead of looking at a painting to figure out what the artist was saying, look at what is in the painting.What items are in Van Gogh's masterpiece?Think about the stars, the night sky, and the houses below, not what he is saying in this painting.
Step 4: Think about what the author is saying about society or humanity.
After you understand the events of the book, you can try to understand what the author was saying about human nature through the characters and their actions.The themes are these things.Why does the witch turn the prince into a beast in Beauty and the Beast?What is it that this action suggests about human nature?Think about what the reader can learn from the characters.What does the beast teach us?
Step 5: A thesis statement should be written.
It is time to make a thesis statement after you have selected one lesson the reader can learn from.A thesis statement is a single sentence that makes a claim about the piece of literature that can be supported with evidence.The format for a thesis may look like this.Your opinion is the first blank.The Beast taught us that we should be friendly to everyone.The rest of the blanks show why your opinion is correct: The Beast teaches us that we should be hospitable to everyone because he learns from his mistake, becomes a compassionate person through his time as a beast, and regrets that he was ever rude to the witch.There are many different ways to make a thesis.Make sure that your thesis includes a claim and a summary of the reasons for it.You could say your thesis is "Because the Beast suffers for his actions, Beauty and thebeast argues that we should be hospitable to everyone and this theme carries through the story."
Step 6: You should find evidence in the literature to support your thesis.
All of the reasons your thesis is true should be shown at the events you look at again.Make sure you have the page numbers for these events.You can use quotes from the book, but they need to have a page number.This doesn't allow plagiarism.One of your first examples might be a quote about how inhospitable the Beast is.You could use other examples from the text to show the continuation of this theme.You don't have to use direct quotes all of the time.You can either use your own words or describe the events in a less detailed way.You should include a page number for your evidence no matter what you are saying.
Step 7: An outline is made by making an outline.
An outline is needed in order to prepare an organized essay.An outline should have roman numerals for each paragraph and regular numbers for parts of it.An example of a good outline can be found here.The literature that supports each topic sentence can be found in the outline.
Step 8: Write the essay.
If you have a detailed outline for the essay, it shouldn't be difficult to write it.Write at least five paragraphs.Each body paragraph has one or two quotes from the text, and the thesis statement comes at the end of the first paragraph.Make sure to explain the quote or example after you put it in the body paragraphs.The conclusion paragraph is where you summarize the essay in a few sentences.
Step 9: The essay needs to be changed.
Your essay needs to be edited.There are some errors that you should look for.You should correct the mistakes before writing the essay.It's helpful to have someone else read the essay for you.
Step 10: Look at the work of literature critically.
If you want to critique a work of literature, you must read it with an active mind.As you read, you should ask questions.You should use a pen and paper to read, as well as a dictionary.Look up words as you write down the main ideas.Ask questions such as "how," "why," and "so what."
Step 11: Evaluate while you read.
You should note when important ideas occur in the margins of the text and write them down on a piece of paper as you read.Critical thinking about the text includes evaluating the work's clarity, accuracy, and current relevance to society.Plot, themes, instances of character development, setting, symbols, conflicts, and point of view are some of the elements that should be evaluated.The main theme is formed by how these elements interact.
Step 12: Write about a aspect.
Before you write a thesis statement, you should think about what you want to write about.Take your notes from when you were reading and see if there are any ideas that you have already come up with.You can choose a theme from the work that struck you and critique how well the author presented it through the elements you evaluated in your notes.Making a list, mapping out a web, and freewriting are some of the ways to come up with ideas.For example, if you were to read Pride and Prejudice, you might feel that Jane's character needed more development than Mr. Darcy did, or that she would have made a better hero.You can make a list, web, or free write out of these ideas.
Step 13: A thesis statement should be formulated.
You should compose a working thesis statement once you have populated a list and picked a critical perspective.A working thesis can be changed as you write the essay.Your opinion should be presented in an arguable manner with a solid reason why you think it's true.The formula for a basic thesis statement might look like this.
Step 14: An outline is something to create.
In order to make your critique sound and credible, you should always use an outline as it requires you to organize your thinking in a logical manner.The content of your body paragraphs, quotes and examples with page numbers are included in an outline.It makes it much easier to write an essay because all of your research is in one place.You can use an outline to form key sentences such as the hook, topic and transition sentences, and your conclusion.
Step 15: You can choose quotes and patterns that support your thesis.
You can start to pick out direct quotes and examples from the text itself while you are creating the outline.Adding the right quotes to support each idea is possible if you place a topic sentence in each body paragraph.If you were trying to prove the validity of Pride and Prejudice, you should look at your notes and identify any patterns in the text that support your thesis statement.Any time you talk about a specific event, paraphrase a quote or use a direct quote, you must include a page number.After the sentence, you usually put a page number in parentheses.
Step 16: If you want to support your thesis, look for other criticism.
You need outside sources to agree with you in order to write a strong critique.It shows that you have the strength of mind to think critically about what you read.Secondary sources include peer reviewed literary journal or magazine articles, published books, and chapters from books.Refuting the counterargument also builds your credibility, and you should address any criticism that does not agree with your thesis.
Step 17: To write a paper, use the outline.
It is time to write the critique after you have gathered your research, formed a thesis statement, and filled in a detailed outline.All the organization has been completed, so writing the piece should go smoothly.You can fill in the outline with additional information if you created it on a word processor.The outline can be treated as a plan.As you draft your paper, make sure you include all of the points and examples that you have identified.
Step 18: The assignment and style guidelines are important to pay attention to.
You should follow your instructor's guidelines for the assignment.You may have questions that you need to answer in your paper.It is possible that you need to meet a page length or word count requirement.You will need to use the correct style to format your paper.If you are not sure, you should ask your instructor.
Step 19: Discuss the quotes with your friends.
The quotes from the primary and secondary sources should be included in your paper.If you want to express your own opinion, you need to analyze every quote that you include.You might explain what the quote means or demonstrates as well as how it supports your thesis after you offer a quote.Requote or summarize the quotes after you give them.Critical thinking is not shown in the summary.Try to explain the significance of each quote to your readers.Try to make sandwiches with quotes.A quote sandwich is how you position a quote in an essay.You should have a sentence introducing the quote and its author, followed by one or more sentences analyzing it right after it.All sources you quote from or paraphrase in the essay should be included in a references/works cited list.This doesn't allow plagiarism.
Step 20: Your critique should be revised.
Before turning in or publishing a critique of literature, proofreading, editing, and revision should be done.It's a good idea to have someone else look over the essay or read it aloud to make sure you don't make any mistakes.
Step 21: Look up the author.
If you want to critique a piece of literature internally rather than for an essay, you need to understand the cultural context of the piece.Knowing the social context of a written work will help you form an accurate critique.
Step 22: Look up words you don't know.
You can mark words you don't understand with a pen or highlighter.You can increase your understanding of the text by looking them up in a dictionary.
Step 23: Examine the meaning of the title.
Consider the significance of the title when you start reading.Why did the author choose this title?The title of the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" is related to the main setting or object.Why would the author understate the work?The title helps in determining the main theme and contributes to a more accurate critique.
Step 24: The central theme should be decided.
The main theme of the work can be determined by thinking about the title.The main theme provides a trunk from which the rest of the text can be examined.You can critique how well the author accomplishes this by knowing what theme they should be pointing to.
Step 25: Look at parts of the work.
You can explore how each element is presented in the text by examining the elements of the piece of literature.Determine how each element relates to the main theme by identifying examples.In order to organize your thoughts, you may want to write down where these connections take place.The setting describes the surroundings.The plot is about the events of the text.The depth of each character is determined by how much they change or don't change as a result of the events.In poetry, characters can be people, objects, or ideas.Conflict is the opposition that the main character encounters.The narrator observes human nature.A point of view is the way a character thinks.Can be the perspective the text is told in.Tone is the way the text feels.There are objects, people, or places that repeat throughout the story and seem to represent another idea.
Step 26: Take an interpretation of the work.
You can use your analyses to form an interpretation of the text.The author could have done a better job, the author is profound, some elements of the text connect to modern society, etc.If you need to write a paper about this text in the future, you should write down your interpretation of the work at this point.Peer reviewed articles and books can be used to verify your interpretation.