Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Writing About Literature
Purdue University's Writing Lab offers some hints and tips for writing about literature, including how to construct a thesis and how to handle secondary material.
Other
Western Michigan University: Writing Papers of Literary Analysis
Lots of great guidelines and rules for writing a literary analysis essay. Areas covered include organization, content, style, and documentation.
Other
Lampstand Press: Tapestry of Grace: Sample Literary Analysis Paper [Pdf]
Lampstand Press: Tapestry of Grace: Sample Literary Analysis Paper An example of a two-page literary analysis paper on the Odyssey including parenthetical citations and a works cited entry.
Other
Carson Newman College: Close Reading of a Literary Passage [Pdf]
Provides a number of questions that students can ask themselves about a literary passage when doing a "Close Reading" and following this with an organized piece of writing. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.5
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: 10th Lit/comp
Contains learning modules on the following topics: Research and MLA Foundations, Novels and Short Stories, Poetry: the Sonnet, Shakespearean Drama, Informative and Argumentative Essays,Research and MLA Review, Narrative Nonfiction,...
Rutgers University
Rutgers University: Studied Barbarity: Johnson, Spenser, and Literary Progress
Literary analysis of Johnson's writings in relation to Edmund Spenser. Features extensive notes and bibliographical info.
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College: How to Analyze Literature
In addition to briefly explaining the reason for analyzing a work of literature, this site provides the definition of key terms used in literary analysis. W.11-12.9a Amer Lit 18th,19th, 20th cen/Analy
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement:charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wall Paper" Writing Women
A close reading of "The Yellow Wall-paper" employing the analysis of such literary concepts as setting, narrative style, symbol, and characterization. Students will write an essay discussing what the story suggests about middle-class...
Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore
Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore: Poe's Literary Criticism
This site, part of the E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore, includes links to more than fifty different sites with literary criticism by and about Edgar Allan Poe.
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina: Writing Center: Writing About Literature (Fiction)
Students are instructed in a nine-step process of how to write a literary response paper that includes a thesis, strong ideas, and specific supporting details from the text. W.11-12.9a Amer Lit 18th,19th, 20th cen/Analy
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Understanding and Analysis of Literary Text: Allusion
A learning module that teaches students about allusion as a literary device in five mini-lessons: Introduction, Allusion Defined, Allusion in Speeches, Allusion in Writing, Test Your Understanding.
Other
Suny: Conventions of Writing Papers About Literature
A professor's excellent explanation of how to write a professional sounding essay. Covers all aspects of an essay, and detailed examples give information on exactly how to write the essay.
Other
Clemson University: Literary Essay
Literary essay example by a student discussing two works by Annie Dillard and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. A good example of a strong literary essay.
Harvard University
Harvard College Writing Center: How to Do a Close Reading
A brief explanation of the tasks involved in doing a close reading in preparation for writing. This writer breaks the process into three steps which involve annotating the text, looking for patterns, and asking questions of the text.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: 5.1 Writing About Literature: The Basics
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Learn the basics of how to write about literature by asking subjective and objective questions; use tone, diction, and syntax; identify plot elements, and...
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Reading and Interpreting Literary Texts: Literary Criticism
This instructional activity focuses on how to write a literary criticism, the different theories and approaches to literary criticism, and their standard format.
University of Toronto (Canada)
University of Toronto: Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing
Aimed particularly towards writing about non-fiction, this site describes ways to think about what you read so you can write more clearly. Focuses on analyzing the "ways of thinking" that an author uses so you can evaluate the validity...
University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Madison: Writing Center: How to Write Critical Reviews
This site provides the viewer with a step-by-step guide to writing critical reviews for non-fiction works. Its steps include analyzing the assignment as well as writing a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Links to other writing...
Other
Chateauguay Valley Regional High School: The Past Through Poetry by Mary Sully
This is a good example of how to write a literary analysis essay on poetry. This example compares and contrasts Tennyson and Yeats, Victorian poets, on the basis of their lives and their poetry. W.9-10.9a Analysis
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Comparing and Contrasting Texts
Two PowerPoint presentations and a video [2:57] on comparing and contrasting literary and informational texts as well as how to write a literary analysis. Includes links to external resources.
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Writing About Literature: Additional Resources
This is "'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow': An Allegory for a Young America," an exceptional student example of literary analysis as well as an explanation to the main body of her paper. A link to the MLA website is also provided.
Capital Community College Foundation
Guide to Grammar and Writing: Classification and Analysis
This site provides some help reading an essay that deals with the classification and analysis of a piece of literature. Offers some instruction about the type of essay, a sample text, and guiding questions to help you analyze your own...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Literary Text: Imagery, Metaphor, and Simile
Writers use sensory imagery ("smelled the salty air"), similes ("like a strong man playing tug-of-war"), and metaphors ("the waves roaring in my ears") to capture the reader's imagination. In this lesson, you will learn how to identify...
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina: Writing Center: Handouts: Evidence
What kinds of evidence best support the points you make in a paper? Where can you find the evidence you need? This handout answers all these questions and more, including the difference between primary and secondary sources. You'll also...