Analysis of the Novel
Directions: Write an analysis of the novel Ireland by Frank Delaney.
Format: Follow MLA Guidelines and Style for Paper Format; Follow MLA Guideline for Documentation and Citation.
Length: A minimum of 1,200 words (do not be restricted by the word count – if you have more to say, then say it!
References: A minimum of six (6) quotes from the novel. You must cite and document.
Analysis:
You will determine which of the literary elements you find the most important in terms of analyzing the novel. For example, if you feel characterization is the most important element of the novel, then you would determine your thesis based on the element of characterization. Then you would prove your thesis with quotations, examples, and paraphrases from the novel. Thus, your entire analysis of the novel is centered on the characters in the novel and the role they play moving the story forward. Also, you want to show the breadth of your knowledge of the novel as a whole, so be sure you choose examples from the whole text and not just a small section.
The analysis is not a synopsis or a summary of the story. A literary analysis is your analysis and discussion of the novel according to its literary elements. You may discuss how the various components of the work relate to each other, as well as how concepts and forms in the work relate to larger aesthetic, political, social, economic, or religious contexts. A literary analysis is an argument. The focus is on specific attributes of the text with a specific, arguable point (thesis) about these attributes. You will defend this point with reasons and evidence drawn from the text. Certainly, you can use outside evidence and support. Evidence from the text includes: direct quotations, summaries of scenes, and paraphrases. As well, you may use other critics’ opinions, along with the historical and social context of the novel.
Literary Elements: Below is a list of the most common literary terms and their general definition. Note that there are many other elements that you could discuss. Also, some of these elements could connect to your discipline/field of interest.
• Theme – The idea or point of a story formulated as a generalization.
• Character – Imaginary (or not) people created by the writer.
Protagonist – Major character at the center of the story.
Antagonist – A character or force that opposes the protagonist.
Minor character – 0ften provides support and illuminates the protagonist.
Static character – A character who remains the same.
Dynamic character – A character who changes in some important way.
Characterization – The means by which writers reveal character.
Explicit Judgment – Narrator gives facts and interpretive comment. Implied Judgment – Narrator gives description; reader makes the judgment.
Look for: Connections, links, and clues between and about characters. Ask yourself what the function and significance of each character is. Make this determination based upon the character’s history, what the reader is told (and not told), and what other characters say about themselves and others.
• Plot – The arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make up a story.
Causality – One event occurs because of another event.
Foreshadowing – A suggestion of what is going to happen.
Suspense – A sense of worry established by the author.
Conflict – Struggle between opposing forces.
Exposition – Background information regarding the setting, characters, plot.
Complication or Rising Action – Intensification of conflict.
Crisis – Turning point; moment of great tension that fixes the action.
Resolution/Denouement – The way the story turns out.
• Setting – The place or location of the action, the setting provides the historical and cultural context for characters. It often can symbolize the emotional state of characters. If you choose this discussion, let the setting determine the answer to the question you might form.
• Point of View – Again, the point of view can sometimes indirectly establish the author’s intentions. Point of view pertains to who tells the story and how it is told.
Narrator – The person telling the story.
First-person – Narrator participates in action but sometimes has limited knowledge/vision.
Objective – Narrator is unnamed/unidentified (a detached observer). Does not assume character’s perspective and is not a character in the story. The narrator reports on events and lets the reader supply the meaning.
Omniscient – All-knowing narrator (multiple perspectives). The narrator takes us into the character and can evaluate a character for the reader (editorial omniscience). When a narrator allows the reader to make his or her own judgments from the action of the characters themselves, it is called neutral omniscience.
Limited omniscient – All-knowing narrator about one or two characters, but not all.
• Language and Style – Style is the verbal identity of a writer, oftentimes based on the author’s use of diction (word choice) and syntax (the order of words in a sentence). A writer’s use of language reveals his or her tone, or the attitude toward the subject matter.
• Irony – A contrast or discrepancy between one thing and another.
Verbal irony – We understand the opposite of what the speaker says.
Irony of Circumstance or Situational Irony – When one event is expected to occur but the opposite happens. A discrepancy between what seems to be and what is.
Dramatic Irony – Discrepancy between what characters know and what readers know.
Ironic Vision – An overall tone of irony that pervades a work, suggesting how the writer views the characters.
Or, you can consider the following:
• The Hero (es)/Heroine(s): Who is presented as hero/heroine in the work? What heroic qualities does he/she possess? Does he/she partially fail? How does he/she develop as a hero/heroine? What are the steps in the hero’s/heroine’s formation? What in particular advocates certain qualities of mind and action? This approach is a way of discussing an author or culture’s conception of goodness. You may, if you wish, deconstruct the image of the hero by showing how the author gives contradictory moral imperatives.
• The Political Implications: What are the political implications of the work? Who in the work is powerful and powerless? Does the text approve of the status quo? Does it advocate or depict revolution? Does the text cry out for change? Does the text leave mixed messages?
• Demonization: Whom (or what group or what attitudes) does the work demonize? What does the author (or components of his society) define itself against? Why might the author find these qualities threatening or dangerous?
• Gender Construction – you can combine these two genders for your analysis or work with one gender:
Construction of Gender (Feminine): What model(s) of femininity is/are depicted? Which are approved, rejected, corrected, preferred, etc.?
Construction of Gender (Masculine): What model(s) of masculinity is/are depicted? Which are approved, rejected, corrected, preferred, etc.?
• The Psychological Approach: What seems to be the psychological quirks/neuroses of the characters (or even author)? You may use the criteria of scientific diagnosis or even of pop psychology. You may even invent your own terms and construct your own definitions for the mental or behavioral conditions you note. In all cases, you must provide appropriate definitions of your terms. Note that this approach allows you to use “presentist” assumptions (deals with the present in reference to time and thought).
• Audience: For what audience(s) was the work conceived? What message(s) does the author have for its discreet audience? What tone or attitude does the author take toward the audience? Does he flatter, cajole, coax, reprimand? What is the author’s purpose in writing this text.
• Historical Criticism: This option allows you to investigate the origins of the events in the text, as written by Delaney. In other words, discuss the genre historical fiction. What is the true history of the events told by Delaney? Does he follow the truth closely? Why do you think he tells the story of Ireland in this way? This discussion compares Irish history to the story (stories) written by Delaney.
