Analyzing a Literary Text
Analyzing a Literary Text
You might think you're done with a story as soon as you read the final sentence. However, you'd be wrong.
Just like scientists use a microscope to examine objects, you can use questions to go deeper into a story and examine all of its parts.
To examine a story, you can ask the following questions:
- What is the title of the story?
- Can you summarize the story?
- Who was the narrator of the story?
- What was the genre of the story?
- What was the theme of the story?
- Would you recommend this story to others? Why?
- Did you like the ending of this story? Were you satisfied with it?
- Did this story remind you of anything else you have read or seen?
- Did you like the story that you read?
What is the Title of the Story?
With an informational text, the title of the story usually gives you an idea about the topic. This is not always the case in a story. However, the title of a story can sometimes reveal an important character or theme in the story.
Can you Summarize the Story?
A summary is a shortened version of what happens. It only includes the most important events and details. If you cannot summarize the story, you know you need to go back and re-read some of it.
Who was the Narrator of the Story?
A story can be written from first, second, or third person point of view. Sometimes the narrator is also a character in the story. Knowing who the narrator was can help you understand why the story was told the way it was.
What was the Genre of the Story?
Genre is the category the story fits. A story could be historical fiction, realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, an adventure, a fairy tale, a fable, or one of many other genres. Knowing the genre of the story can help you understand why the story was told the way it was and help you put together some of the details.
For example, if you wonder why the story is full of crazy, futuristic ideas, it will help to know that the genre is science fiction.
What was the Theme of the Story?
Theme is the general message of the story. Knowing the theme helps you know the point of the story or what it was all about. A theme is usually more than one word. It may be something like, Best friends always stick up for each other or When life gets tough, you can make it through.
Would you Recommend this Story to Others? Why?
Some stories are so good you want to tell everyone about them. Other stories are so awful you want to keep people from reading them. Deciding whether you'd recommend a story to others and why you would or would not recommend it can help you understand how you felt about the story.
Did you like the Ending of the Story? Were you satisfied with it?
Sometimes you're reading a story that you like, but when you get to the ending you find that you're disappointed. Stories don't always turn out the way we want them to. Thinking about whether you liked the ending of a story helps you sort out your feelings about the story and it can help improve your understanding of the story. If you didn't like the way the story ended, how would you have ended it? Can you understand why the author chose to end the story that way?
Did the Story Remind you of Anything Else you have Read or Seen?
Good readers make connections. Stories are often written to entertain, but we read stories to help fill our minds with new ideas and details. When you connect a story to other things you have read or seen, you start making connections between all the different ideas in your head.
Did you like the Story that you Read? Why?
Sometimes you will love a story. Other times, you'll hate it. Figuring out what stories you liked and disliked can help you when it comes to choosing other stories to read. You should also take time to figure why you liked or did not like a story. Doing that can help you understand more about the story and more about yourself.
The practice questions and worksheets below may not ask you exactly the same questions in this lesson, but you can use these questions to help you understand and answer the questions about the stories.
Related Worksheets:
Related Lessons:
Additional Resources: