ENGL 200C—Fiction Analysis Assignment
Write a literary analysis essay at least 1000 words in length (roughly three pages) that
focuses on how one of the literary elements discussed in the fiction section of the course
relates to the overall theme of one of the stories we read this term.
A fiction analysis is an essay that “singles out” a specific element within a story
(character, setting, symbol, etc.) and interprets its function within the story, specifically,
in most cases, the relationship between the actual story (i.e., its plot) and the protagonist’s
struggle. And remember, you are doing this to write a persuasive essay that argues your
interpretation of the work’s theme (the major idea or slice of wisdom the writer is trying
to get across to the reader).
Of course, you will find yourself referring to other elements of fiction within the same
analysis because a symbol or character, for example, does not exist alone within a story.
That is, you must consider every literary element in the story before you can thoroughly
analyze one aspect of it. However, you are to refer to these other elements only to help
develop your thesis that narrows itself to one element. What follows is a sample thesis
statement from a literary analysis essay:
In an episode of The Simpsons’ titled “Lisa’s Pony,” the plot reveals how typical American fathers
try to easily fix their major parenting mistakes by buying their children’s forgiveness, which often
results in significant harm that is physiological, psychological, and financial.
It’s always a good idea to reread the work you are analyzing (with pen in hand for active
reading purposes). This will not only help you break down the work into manageable and
useful parts, but it will also keep you from simply summarizing what happens in the
story. Although a literary analysis requires you to summarize specific parts of the story,
you should not merely summarize the entire story to avoid writing a persuasive essay. If
you do, you should be prepared to receive a failing grade. Instead look for the most
important evidence that supports your thesis statement and then quote specific words,
phrases, and lines from the story to support your interpretation. Also, be sure to include
citations when you use quotations from the story.
As mentioned in the course syllabus, your essay should be written using MLA
documentation style (including a “Works Cited” page) and submitted electronically as a
Microsoft Word document attached to an email. For help understanding this assignment,
you are free to contact me at any time. However, please first read the chapters on formal
literary essays and MLA documentation, which I will be sending you as email
attachments.
It’s entirely okay to research or debate your chosen story and its theme to clarify your
thoughts and narrow your thesis statement, but your analysis cannot incorporate sources
or information outside of the story; in other words, you are to use your natural ability as a
critical thinker to analyze the story (thus why it’s called an “analysis essay”).
ENGL 200C—MLA Works Cited Format for
Fiction Analysis Assignment
Since you will be incorporating specific words, phrases, sentences, or any combination of these
from your chosen story to support your interpretation of its theme, you will need to include a
Works Cited page. ENGL 200 uses the MLA (Modern Language Association) documentation
style, so you will need to list your source on the “Works Cited” page in the correct way.
Because you will be referring to a short story within our textbook, your works cited entry should
show that you are using a book, specifically, a “work in an anthology.” Here is an example:
Walsh, Chad. “The Reeducation of the Fearful Pilgrim.” The Longing for a Form. Ed.
Peter J. Schakel. Kent, OH: Kent State UP, 1977. 64 – 72. Print.
What follows is the logic of this format and how you should think about the information you are
including in this format:
Story Author. Story Title Surrounded by Quotation Marks. Title of our Textbook in
Italics. Me as Editor. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year Published. Page
Numbers of the Story. Media Published in.
In other words, if you wrote a fiction analysis essay on “Greasy Lake” by T. C. Boyle, your
works cited entry should look like this:
Boyle, T.C. “Greasy Lake.” Introduction to Literature: Pearson Custom Library. Ed. J.
Rick Thompson. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014. 53 – 61. Print.
For those of you analyzing the Walker story, the page numbers are as follows, with the title page
and first line of the story beginning on page 262:
•
“Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker, pages 262 – 269.
Finally, make sure your entire works Cited Page includes nothing but bibliographic information.
That is, it must not contain any of your essay; instead, it should be its own sheet separate from
any of your writing.
Go the next page of this document for an example.
Works Cited
Besthoff, Len. “Those Crazy Wingfields: Why Tennessee Williams Is Crazy Himself.” WRAL
Online. 11 Nov. 1999. 12 Jan. 2001
Lowe, Chan. Cartoon. Washington Post 22 July 2000: A21.
Pena, Patricia N. “Patti Pena’s Letter to Tennessee.” Playwrights.com. In the Know. 10 Jan.
2001.
Presley, Elvis. “Why I Love Peanut Butter and ‘Nanna Sandwiches.” Esquire 2 Aug. 1971:
58 – 59.
Williams, Jamie. “Where are the Wingfields?” Washington Post 6 Dec. 2000: B1+.
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