1st Edition

Literary Analysis: The Basics

By Celena Kusch Copyright 2016
    158 Pages
    by Routledge

    158 Pages
    by Routledge

    Literary Analysis: The Basics is an insightful introduction to analysing a wide range of literary forms. Providing a clear outline of the methodologies employed in twenty-first century literary analysis, it introduces readers to the genres, canons, terms, issues, critical approaches, and contexts that affect the analysis of any text. It addresses such questions as:

    • What counts as literature?
    • Is analysis a dissection?
    • How do gender, race, class and culture affect the meaning of a text?
    • Why is the social and historical context of a text important?
    • Can digital media be analysed in the same way as a poem?

    With examples from ancient myths to young adult fiction, a glossary of key terms, and suggestions for further reading, Literary Analysis: The Basics is essential reading for anyone wishing to improve their analytical reading skills.

    1. Introduction: Thinking about Literature  2. Close Reading: Words and Forms  3. Analysis in Context  4. Comparative Analysis  5. Analysis and the Critics  6. Analysis and Literary Theory  7. Conclusion: Analytical Writing  Glossary  Index

    Biography

    Celena Kusch is Associate Professor of American Literature at the University of South Carolina Upstate, USA.