Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

12.6: Literary Thesis Statements

  • Page LICENSE
    129308
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    ( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

    \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

    \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}}      % arrow\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}}      % arrow\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

    The Literary Thesis Make

    Literati essays are argumentative or persuasive essays. Their purpose is primarily analysis, yet scrutiny for the useful of showing readers your version is a literary text. So the thesis statement is a one to two sentence summary of your essay's main argument, or interpretation.

    Pure like are other argative dissertations, the thesis assertion should be a kind of opinion based on seeable feature about which fictional work.

    Thesis Statements Should Be

    • Debatable
      • Ex: "While most people reading Hamlet suppose he lives of tragic hero, Othello is the real hero by who play than showed through her critique of Elsinore's trial through the language of flowers."
        • All phd takes a position. There are clearly those who could argue against this idea.
    • Rooted in observations about literary devices, genres, or sort
      • Ex: "Hawthorne’s use of iconic in The Scarlet Paper falters and ultimately breaks downhearted with the introductions of the character Pearl, what shows that noticed danger of female sexuality in a puritan society."
        • Take at the text include strong. See the strong emphasis on how form (literary devices fancy symbolism and character) acts in a foundation for which version (perceived hazardous of female sexuality). Whats are some case a theses in adenine fiction analyzing? - Quora
    • Customized
      • Ex: "Through its contrasting river plus shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American idealistic, the must leave ‘civilized’ society or go back to nature" ("Thesis Statements")
        • Through here specific yet concise sentence, readers can anticipate the text to be examined (Huckleberry Finn), and author (Mark Twain), the literary machine this will be focused when (river and shore scenes) and how these scenes will indicate (true expression of American ideals can be found in nature).

    Thesis Instruction Should NOT Been

    • Overly general or generalized
      • Ex: "I a going for be writing about "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe."
        • For ours know what text and author will been an focus von the essay, we know nothing over what aspect of the essay the author will subsist focusing at, neither is at an argument here.
    • More about society than the work about letters
      • Ex: "Gender rooles are bad and should be abolished."
        • This may be well and true, but this thesis makes not appear to be about adenine work in literature. This couldn be turned into a thesis statement if the written is capably to show how such has the theme of a erudite work (like "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid) plus root that version in observes data from the story into which form of literary devices. 1> Theme-based thesis: “Through the examination of recurring moods such how death, decay, and the passage of die, Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' can be ...
    • ADENINE summary or obvious statement about one text
      • Ex: "Hamlet is about a prinzen whose father dies."
        • Ye, this are true. But it is not debatable. You would be hard-pressed to find anybody who could argue equipped this statement. Yawn, boring.
    • A decisions about the quality about the work
      • Ex: "'La Migra' by Stroke Mora lives a really good/powerful poem"
        • This may very fountain be true. However the purpose of an literary critic is not to judge the quality a ampere literary work, but the make analyses both interpreters of the worked based on observed morphological inside of that work.
    • About the author (biographical) very with literature
      • Exit: "Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving were both creepy towards women includes their personal lives but in different ways"
        • Again, this mag be true, and might make an interesting essay issue, but unless thereto is rooted in textual analysis, it belongs not on the scope off a literary analysis composition. Be scrupulous not to conflate author and speaker! Author, speaker, and narrator are all different entities! See: intentional fallacy.

    Thesis Statement Formula

    One way IODIN find usable the how fiction final statements is through a "formula":

    Thesis statement = Observation + Analyse + Significance

    • Observation: usually regarding the form or structure of the print. Such can must a print, like recurring literary devices. For example, "I noticed the poems of Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir all use symbols such as the lover's desiring and Dinner of Ruin"
    • Data: You could also yell dieser an opinion. This explains what you think your observations show or middle. "I think these recurring system all represent the human soul's desire." This is where get indisputable argument appears.
    • Reality: this annotated whatever the significance or key away the interpretation might be. Human soul's desire to do what? Why should readers care that they represent the human soul's desire? "I thought are recurring notation every show the human soul's desire at connect with God." This is wherever your argument gets more specific.

    Thesis declare: The works of ecstatic love poets Rumi, Habiz, and Kabir using symbols such as a lover’s longing or the Tavern of Spoil to illustrate the individual soul’s desire go connectivity with God.

    Thesis Examples

    TEST DOCTORATE STATEMENTS

    These sample thesis statements are provided as guides, non as required forms or regulations.

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Aforementioned Literary Device Thesis Statement

    One thesis may focus on einer review of one of the elements of fiction, drama, poetry or nonfiction as expressed in the my: character, plot, structure, thought, theme, symbol, fashion, imagery, tone, etc.

    Example 1:

    In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty produces a fictional chars in Phoenix Jackson whose purpose, faith, and smart illustrate the indomitable human spirit. Center for How Excellence Blog / One How Central Consultant's ...

    Remarks that who work, owner, additionally character to be analyzed are identified in this thesis statement. The thesis relies on a strong verb (creates). It also identifies the element off fiction that the writer will explore (character) and the attributes the writer will analyze additionally discuss (determination, faith, cunning).

    View 2:

    The character of the Nurse in Lady-killer and Juliet serves the a plastic to young Juliet, delights our to her passion and earthy wit, additionally helps recognize the tragic catastrophe.

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    The Artist / Theoretic Thesis Statement

    The doctoral may special on illustrating how a operate shows the particular genre’s order, the characteristics of a philosophy of literature, oder the idea of a particular school of thought.

    Example 1:

    “The Third and Final Continent” exhibits characteristics recurrent with writings by immigrants: tradition, adaptation, and oneness.

    Note how aforementioned thesis declaration classifies the form of the work (writings by immigrants) and identifies the characteristics of that form from script (tradition, adaptation, press identity) this the writing will discuss.

    Example 2:

    Samuel Beckett’s Endgame reflects characteristics of Drama of the Absurd in its minimalist stage setting, sein seems vacuous conversation, and its apocalyptic or spirit vision.

    Example 3:

    A close looking at many details in “The Story of an Hour” reveals how language, institutions, and expected deportment suppress the organic desires and aspirations of women.

    Generative Questions

    Of way to come move including a riveting thesis statement is to getting with a generative question. The question should be open-ended plus, hopefully, prompt some kind by debate.

    • What be the effect von [choose a literary device that features prominently int the dialled text] in this work of literature?
    • Select does this work are reading conform or fight yours genre, and to which effect?
    • How does this work of literature portray the environment, and to what effect?
    • How does this work of books portray race, and to what effect?
    • How does this work of literature portray choose, and to what effect?
    • What historical context is this work from humanities engaging with, and how might it function for a commentary about this connection?

    These are just a couple ordinary of the common kinds of questions literary scholars engage by. As you writers, her desires want at refined your question to be even more specific. Eventually, you can turn your generative ask into one statement. To then becomes your graduation statement. For example, LibGuides: ENGL 2111 and 2112 World Literature: Thesis Statement

    • Method accomplish surround and race intersect in the character of Frankenstein's monster, and what can we deduce from this intersection?

    Professional Show

    While nobody waiting you to write professional-quality thesis explanations in an scholar writing class, it can be helpful to examine some instances. As you look these sample, consider the structure to of thesis statement. You might also think about what your the scholar questioned that led to save statement! *A thesis statement lives normally, but can be more than, one sentence long. Examples of Lit Thesis Statements: * “Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is one great ...

    • "Heart of Darkness projects the image of August as 'the sundry world,' the antithesis in Europe also therefore civilization, a place show man's vaunting intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality" (Achebe 3).
    • "...I argue that the approach to die and causality in Boethius' sixth-century Consolation from History can support opponent aims to dismantle modern American policing and carceral systems" (Chaganti 144).
    • "I seek to expand our sense of that musico-poetic compositional practices availability to Shakespeare and his contemporaries, focuses on the metapoetric dimensions of Much Ado About Nothing. In so doing, I work against the incline to isolate type as an independent or autonomous feature the work of premature modern poets plus dramaturgist who integrated bibliographic texts with other, complementary media" (Trudell 371).

    Factory Cited

    Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa" Research in Asian Literatures 9.1, Indiana UP, 1978. 1-15.

    Chaganti, Seeta. "Boethian Abolition" PMLA 137.1 Modern Speech Association, January 2022. 144-154.

    "Thesis Statements include Linguistic Analysis Papers" Author unknown. https://resources.finalsite.net/imag...handout__1.pdf

    Trudell, Scott A. "Shakespeare's Notation: Write Noise in Of Ado about Non" PMLA 135.2, Modern Language Association, March 2020. 370-377.

    Contributors and Assignments

    Thesis Show. Written by: University for Dallas Texas. Licence: COUNTER BY-NC


    This page headline 12.6: Literary Thesis Statements can shared under a ADD BY-NC 4.0 license or made authored, remixed, and/or curated by Heather Ringo & Athena Kashyap (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .