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Thesis Statement Examples for Literary Analysis

Updated: Nov 21

Thesis statement examples for literary analysis provide a template to follow to formulate your own effective thesis statements. A thesis statement can make or break your literary analysis essay or literary criticism essay. 


Let’s look at an example of a thesis statement: 

Hamlet’s motivations throughout the play are informed by the fact that he suffers from the Oedipus complex. He subconsciously desired to get rid of his father and marry his mother as a child. However, alas, his Uncle Claudius has beaten him to it by murdering his father and marrying his mother. Hamlet’s hesitation to kill Claudius lies in the fact that he is motivated by a strange mixture of jealousy and guilt at Claudius having done what he had secretly desired to do himself. 

This thesis statement clearly explains the the motivations of Hamlet by relying on a literary approach know as the psychological approach. It is a strong thesis statement because it ius established in literary theory and properly explained. The author needs to spend the rest of the argument bringing evidence to explain the theory. 

Ophelia Drowning Painting

They decide whether or not your literary essay ends up becoming a strong and compelling argument that can impress the reader or something that flops. Writing good literary criticism essays rely primarily on three factors:


  1. Familiarizing yourself with the major approaches and concepts of literature

  2. Bringing a unique perspective and interpretation to a literary work

  3. Writing an effective thesis statement


Literary interpretation can be deeply personal. This means that there is no such thing as a single correct interpretation for a work of art or a piece of literature. Therefore, no one meaning can be assigned to a poem, short story, or novel. 


Nevertheless, for your work to be taken seriously or be effective, your analysis must be placed within an established literary theoretical framework that easily recognizable by anyone with a basic understanding of literary concepts. 


Therefore, you should familiarize yourself with both literary devices and literary approaches. For forms of literature associated with oratory, such as speeches and theater, you should learn about rhetorical analysis or rhetorical devices. 


To see a list of speeches that make effective use of oratory-related rhetorical devices, check out this article: Speeches With Rhetorical Devices.


What is a thesis statement for literary analysis? 


A thesis statement is a statement that provides the main point of your literary essay. It has to be concise. This  means saying as much as possible in as few words as possible. 


In the thesis statement, you are summarizing the entirety of your essay into a few sentencec. Many advise that the thesis statement should be included close to the end of the introduction. However, it would be more impactful and straight to the point to include the thesis statement in the first one to three sentences of you literary essay introduction.


This is not always possible. Condensing an entire essay into one or two sentences in the very beginning of an essay is quite a difficult task. However, you should not worry about adopting this particular strategy. 


The main point is to make sure that your thesis statement is clear, concise, and coherent. It can be included either at the beginning or the ending of your literary analysis essay. 


How to write a thesis statement for literary analysis


A proper thesis statement is informed by your familiarity with three things:


  1. The specific work of literature that you are analyzing

  2. Approaches to literature

  3. How literary and rhetorical devices work


These factors in combination with relying on proper sources and bringing a unique perspective to your analysis, you can write effective literary analysis that you can take pride in submitting. 


We can condense these factors into four practical steps to follow: 1. Do the reading; 2. Develop your position or thinking of an issue; 3. Choose a literary approach 4. Write down your thesis statement; and 5. Refine your thesis statement. 


For more on these statements, please consult this previous article: How to Write a Thesis Statement. 


Examples of thesis statements for literary analysis


Below, we provide a list of examples of thesis statements for literary analysis: 


1. What are Hamlets motivations in the play?


Hamlet’s motivations throughout the play are informed by the fact that he suffers from the Oedipus complex. He subconsciously desired to get rid of his father and marry his mother as a child. However, alas, his Uncle Claudius has beaten him to it by murdering his father and marrying his mother. Hamlet’s hesitation to kill Claudius lies in the fact that he is motivated by a strange mixture of jealousy and guilt at Claudius having done what he had secretly desired to do himself. 

2. Why did Lady MacBeth go insane?


Lady Macbeth experiences madness because she chooses to embrace toxic masculinity as an overcompensation for her femininity and ignores her conscience in the process

3. What does The Great Gatsby say about the American Dream?   


The Great Gatsby portrays  the American Dream as phantom fuelled by fantasy and illusion that can only end in tragedy. 

4. What is the significance of hamlets death and that of all his family members? 


Hamlet's death and that of his family members represent a necessary human sacrifice that is required to atone for the original sin of Cluadius' fratricide and regicide.

5. What can we learn from the fate of Antogone?


The fate of Antigone shows the consequences of choosing between obligations to family and obligations to the state, especially a tyrannical state.

How EminentEdit helps with your literary analysis

EminentEdit provides editing and commentary on literary analysis essays to ensure that you get proper practice and models for writing rhetorical analyses.  

 

Our editing, proofreading, and commentary services are based on our deep and extensive familiarity with the standards and conventions of literary analyses.

 

EminentEdit provides editing and proofreading services that are:


  • Fast

  • Affordable

  • Reliable


More importantly, we are adaptable to your specific needs.

Get in touch with one of our representatives for help in editing your manuscript



We know what you want to say. We help you say it better.

 

EminentEdit’s proofreading and editing services for rhetorical analysis include:


  • Editing for tone of voice 

  • Critiquing your thesis statements

  • Substantive editing to improve the quality of your writing on a sentence level

  • Proofreading to make sure your writing is grammatically correct with proper spelling and punctuation

  • Commentary to point out areas of improvement


Do you need help in editing and proofreading your rhetorical or literary essay? Contact us today: CONTACT AN EMINENTEDIT REPRESENTATIVE 

 

Cite this EminentEdit article

Antoine, M. (2024, November 15). Thesis Statement Examples for Literary Analysis. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/thesis-statement-examples-for-literary-analysis


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