The key concept of a literary analysis is to prove your interpretation by finding a pattern of examples in the literature that support your idea. All arguments introduced in a literary analysis must be supported by evidence. In a literary analysis, evidence is found mainly from the work you are discussing but you can also use information from secondary sources as well. Conducting research for a literary analysis will be intensive and time-consuming because you will have to go through the text in detail to pull out passages, sentences, paragraphs that highlight your thesis.
Use the following rules when inserting quotations or evidence into your essay:
1. Lead into the quote with an introductory phrase. Do not insert floating quotations! This means a quote must be introduced by the writer before inserting into the essay.
Examples of introductory phrases:
2. Provide context for each quotation. Explain when the quote takes place, who is involved, and information or background to the quote. Then explain why the quote is relevant to your argument or how it proves your claim.
3. All quotations, just like all paraphrases, require a formal citation. Surround direct quotes from a literary work with quotation marks and add an in-text citation at the end of the quote. Place citation information in your bibliography at the end of your essay.