This can be a pattern, like recurring literary devices. Observation: usually regarding the form or structure of the literature.Thesis statement = Observation + Analysis + Significance One way I find helpful to explain literary thesis statements is through a "formula": Be careful not to conflate author and speaker! Author, speaker, and narrator are all different entities! See: intentional fallacy. Again, this might be true, and might make an interesting essay topic, but unless it is rooted in textual analysis, it is not within the scope of a literary analysis essay.Ex: "Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving were both creepy towards women in their personal lives but in different ways".About the author (biographical) rather than literature.But the purpose of a literary critic is not to judge the quality of a literary work, but to make analyses and interpretations of the work based on observable structural aspects of that work. Ex: "'La Migra' by Pat Mora is a really good/powerful poem".A judgment about the quality of the work.You would be hard-pressed to find someone who could argue with this statement. Ex: "Hamlet is about a prince whose father dies.".A summary or obvious statement about the text.This could be turned into a thesis statement if the writer is able to show how this is the theme of a literary work (like "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid) and root that interpretation in observable data from the story in the form of literary devices. This may be well and true, but this thesis does not appear to be about a work of literature.Ex: "Gender roles are bad and should be abolished.".More about society than the work of literature.While we know what text and author will be the focus of the essay, we know nothing about what aspect of the essay the author will be focusing upon, nor is there an argument here.Ex: "I am going to be writing about "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe.".Through this specific yet concise sentence, readers can anticipate the text to be examined ( Huckleberry Finn), the author (Mark Twain), the literary device that will be focused upon (river and shore scenes) and what these scenes will show (true expression of American ideals can be found in nature). Ex: "Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature" ("Thesis Statements").See the strong emphasis on how form (literary devices like symbolism and character) acts as a foundation for the interpretation (perceived danger of female sexuality). Ex: "Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character Pearl, which shows the perceived danger of female sexuality in a puritanical society.".Rooted in observations about literary devices, genres, or forms.There are clearly those who could argue against this idea. Ex: "While most people reading Hamlet think he is the tragic hero, Ophelia is the real hero of the play as demonstrated through her critique of Elsinore's court through the language of flowers.".
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