course material

1. [From 10$/Pg] Many 20 Th Century
[From 10$/Pg] Many 20 Th Century Literary AnalysisIn this you should combine your
practice responding and analyzing short stories with support derived from research. So far,
in the discussion boards, we have practiced primarily formal analysis. Now I want you to
practice “joining the conversation.” In this you will write a literary analysis that
incorporates the ideas of others. The trick is to accurately present ideas and interpretations
gathered from your research while adding to the conversation by presenting your own
ideas and analysis. You will be evaluated, in part, on how well you use external sources. I
want to see that you can quote, paraphrase and summarize without
plagiarizing. Remember, any unique idea must be credited, even if you put it in your own
words.Choose one of the approaches explained in the “Approaches to Literary Analysis”
located at the bottom of this document. Each approach will require research, and that
research should provide the context in which you present your own ideas and support your
thesis. Be sure to properly document your research. Review the links in the “Writing about
Literature” tab as these will help guide you.While I am asking you to conduct outside
research, do not lose sight of the primary text to which you are responding—the
story! Your research should support your interpretations of the story. Be sure that your
thesis is relevant to the story and that you quote generously from the story.
Purpose: critical analysis, writing from sourcesLength: 3-4 pages, approx 900 – 1200
wordsDocumentation: Minimum of 4 sources required. One source will be the story you
are writing about. You will then need at least 3 secondary sources. All of them should be
documented in MLA format. (Note: review the material in “finding and evaluating sources”
to help you choose relevant and trustworthy sources.)Choose from the short stories located
in the folder accompanying these instructions.Below are some examples. I do not require
you to choose one of these topics. They are just here to give you an idea of the type of
approaches that will work for this . 1. Philosophical analysis: How do the stories by Jean
Paul Sartre and Albert Camus reflect the philosophy of existentialism? 2. Socio/cultural
analysis: What opinion about marriage and gender roles does Hemingway advance in “The
Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”? 3. Historical analysis: What social dilemmas faced
by African Americans in the 1960s might have inspired Toni Cade Bambara to write “The
Lesson”?4. Biographical analysis: What events in Salman Rushdie’s life might have
influenced the events in “At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers”?5. Psychological
analysis: How is John Cheever’s “The Swimmer” a metaphor for the psychology of
addiction? Approaches to Literary analysis Formal analysis – This type of analysis focuses

2. on the formal elements of the work (language, symbolism, plot, character, setting) in an
effort to explain how the story functions. It is concerned with the parts of the text and how
those parts fit together to create meaning. Outside information such as the author’s
background and historical events are generally not referenced in formalist criticism. A
formal analysis conceives of the literary work as a self-contained experience.If you choose
this approach you will need to research scholarly interpretations of your selected story and
include those as part of the conversation. Historical analysis– This type of analysis uses
historical context to understand the work. Many 20 th century stories can be best
understood within the framework of major events: Industrialization, The Holocaust, WWII,
The Great Depression, The Civil Rights Movement, feminism, etc. A historical analysis will
“base interpretations on the interplay between the text and historical contexts.”” a piece of
literature is shaped by the time period in which it was written and thus must be examined
and interpreted in the context of that time period. This theory attempts to tie the characters,
events and language in a piece of literature to events from the time period in which it was
written. “If you choose this approach for your literary analysis, you should be well aware of
the major events of the time period. Biographical analysis – This type of analysis uses the
author’s life as a starting point for interpreting the story. The belief is that it is necessary to
know about the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of his times in
order to truly understand his works. How do the themes present in the story reflect the
concerns and experiences of the author? In this approach there may be considerable
overlap with historical analysis. That’s ok-they are not mutually exclusive. Sociological
analysis (cultural criticism) – This type of analysis interprets the story in term of social
structures: class, race, gender, culture, nationality or economics. Feminist criticism,
postcolonial criticism, Marxist criticism, etc. all fall into this category. It can also overlap
with historical analysis. For example, a Marxist criticism of Catcher in the Rye might claim
that Holden’s depression is derived from material wealth and social inequality.
Philosophical analysis: This approach uses a philosophical framework from which to
approach the work. The belief is that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality
and to probe philosophical issues. Existentialism is a common philosophy that find roots in
literature, particularly in that of Sartre and Camus. Here are some questions to ask if you
are interested in this approach.• &νβσπ; What religious or ethical beliefs does the text deal
with directly? Are any religions or philosophies mentioned specifically in the text?• &νβσπ;
What religious or ethical beliefs or philosophies does the author seem to favor? How can
you tell?• &νβσπ; What religious or ethical beliefs or philosophies does the author seem to
disfavor? • &νβσπ; What behaviors do the characters display that the author wants us to
think are “right”? Psychological Analysis: This approach uses theories of human behavior
as a means of analyzing the story. Psychological critics view works through the lens of
psychology. They look either at the psychological motivations of the characters or of the
authors themselves, although the former is generally considered a more respectable
approach. Most frequently, psychological critics apply Freudian psychology to works, but
other approaches (such as a Jungian approach) also exist.• &νβσπ; Are there any specific
psychologists or psychological theories mentioned in the text? In what ways?• &νβσπ;
What theories of human behavior does the writer seem to believe? How can you tell?•

3. &νβσπ; What theories of human behavior does the writer seem to reject? How can you
tell?• &νβσπ; How do people’> s minds work in the text? How do people think? How are
their thoughts shown?• &νβσπ; In what ways do the structure and organization of the text
indicate the writer’ s beliefs about the workings of the mind?