Literary AnalysisIs focused on one topicA theme or symbol(s) or development, and so on.It may be interpretive or evaluative in natureIs supported by:textual examplesexplanationsoutside sources (cited, of course)It examines the text, not the author.It may consider any/all of the following:structure, plotsetting(s)character(s)style, tone, languagesymbols, allegories, allusionstheme(s)If there is a summary, it is extremely brief (perhaps a sentence or two, certainly no more than a paragraph).Remember that the narrator is not the same as the author.Literature is crafted, so examine the craftConsider the context of the literature:What forces shaped it?How was it received?You essay must be :Written in third-person narrative perspectiveUse multiple (at least three) sources that areExplainedCitedClearly organizedFollows MLA style and formatFive to seven pages in length, plus a Works Cited page and an outlineIf you plan to examine the book, then you’ll want to try to focus on just one aspect that runs through most, if not all, of the stories. It may be a character or characters such as Susan Calvin or Powell and Donovan. It may be the development and increased sophistication of the robots as the stories progress. It may be the Three Laws of Robotics and how they play out in the various stories. It may be the changing, dynamic relationships between robots and humans. I’m sure there are other ideas as well. Whatever you choose, please try to find something that threads its way throughout the majority of the nine short stories in our text.
