How to Do Literary Analysis (It’s Easy!)
Summary
TLDRCarly Stevens' 'English Nerd' video offers practical literary analysis tips, focusing on the significance of a story's beginning. Using George Orwell's '1984' as an example, she demonstrates how to uncover themes and character insights through close observation of the opening sentences. Stevens emphasizes that literary analysis is about making keen observations and questioning the details, empowering viewers to delve deeper into literature regardless of their expertise.
Takeaways
- 📚 The video is about literary analysis techniques to understand the deeper meanings in literature.
- 🔍 Literary analysis can be simplified by focusing on the beginning and end of a text, as they often encapsulate themes, tone, and character personalities.
- 🕰️ The example used is George Orwell's '1984', a common book studied in high school and college.
- 👀 Observation is key to good literary analysis; it's about noticing details and thinking about their implications.
- 🔢 The opening line of '1984', with the clock striking thirteen, suggests something is amiss, hinting at an unsettling or militaristic society.
- 🏚️ 'Victory Mansions' and 'vile wind' in the text contrast, indicating a discrepancy between the name and the actual conditions.
- 🧐 The protagonist's name, Winston Smith, suggests an everyman character with potential for greatness, given the historical context of Winston Churchill.
- 🌬️ The description of Winston Smith trying to escape the 'vile wind' and gritty dust could symbolize struggle or a harsh environment.
- 📝 Literary analysis involves picking apart the first sentences of a work, observing, and questioning why certain details are included.
- 📚 The video encourages viewers to become 'pro-level' literary analysts by closely examining the text and considering the author's choices.
- 📈 The process of literary analysis helps in understanding the underlying messages in literature, regardless of one's background or expertise.
Q & A
What is the main topic of Carly Stevens' video?
-The main topic of Carly Stevens' video is providing tips and techniques for literary analysis, specifically using the beginning of the book '1984' by George Orwell as an example.
Why is '1984' a common book to study in high school and college?
-'1984' is a common book to study in high school and college due to its rich themes, complex characters, and its relevance to discussions about society, politics, and individual freedoms.
What does Carly suggest as the key to good literary analysis?
-Carly suggests that the key to good literary analysis is observation, paying close attention to details, and thinking about the possible reasons behind certain elements in the text.
What does the opening line of '1984' suggest about the setting?
-The opening line of '1984' suggests an unusual and unsettling setting, as the clocks striking thirteen indicates something is amiss, possibly hinting at a dystopian society with a militaristic or authoritarian regime.
Why is the number 13 considered unlucky in many cultures?
-The number 13 is considered unlucky in many cultures due to various superstitions and historical reasons, which is why many buildings do not have a 13th floor.
What does the name 'Winston Smith' suggest about the character?
-The name 'Winston Smith' suggests that the character might be an everyman figure, with 'Smith' being a common last name and 'Winston' possibly invoking the image of Winston Churchill, hinting at potential for greatness or leadership.
What is the significance of the 'vile wind' and 'gritty dust' in the opening paragraph of '1984'?
-The 'vile wind' and 'gritty dust' in the opening paragraph of '1984' contribute to the bleak and oppressive atmosphere of the story, and may symbolize the harsh realities and struggles that the protagonist and society face.
What does Carly mean by 'reading between the lines' in the context of literary analysis?
-By 'reading between the lines,' Carly means interpreting the deeper meanings, themes, and implications that are not explicitly stated in the text but can be inferred through careful observation and analysis.
How does Carly recommend starting a literary analysis of a text?
-Carly recommends starting a literary analysis by closely examining the first few sentences of the text, as they often contain important clues about the themes, tone, and characters.
What is the importance of analyzing the beginning and end of a well-written book according to Carly?
-According to Carly, analyzing the beginning and end of a well-written book is important because these sections often encapsulate key themes, tones, and character insights, providing a solid foundation for understanding the entire work.
How often does Carly upload her videos, and what kind of content can viewers expect?
-Carly uploads her videos every Monday, and viewers can expect English nerdy tips, tricks, and general fun related to the study and appreciation of literature.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Literary Analysis
Carly Stevens introduces the topic of literary analysis, aiming to demystify it for her audience. She emphasizes that literary analysis can be simple and effective by focusing on the beginning and end of a literary work. Carly uses George Orwell's '1984' as an example, highlighting the importance of observing details and understanding the themes and tone set by the opening lines. She points out the significance of the clock striking thirteen, suggesting an unsettling and militaristic society, and discusses the protagonist's name, Winston Smith, as a potential 'everyman' character with the possibility of greatness.
🔍 Deep Dive into '1984'
Carly continues her analysis of '1984' by examining the second sentence of the book, focusing on the protagonist's actions and the setting. She notes the contrast between the name 'Victory Mansions' and the gritty, unpleasant conditions described, such as the 'vile wind' and the dust. Carly emphasizes the importance of observing these details to understand the tone and the character of Winston Smith. She concludes by encouraging viewers to apply these simple techniques of observation and analysis to any literary work to gain a deeper understanding, regardless of their expertise.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Literary Analysis
💡Themes
💡Tone
💡Character
💡Everyman
💡Unsettling
💡Observation
💡Militaristic Society
💡Victory Mansions
💡Gritty Dust
Highlights
Carly Stevens introduces her channel and the topic of literary analysis.
Literary analysis can be intimidating, but Carly offers simple strategies to make it approachable.
The video uses George Orwell's '1984' as an example for literary analysis.
The importance of analyzing the beginning of a literary work to understand its themes and tone.
Observation is key to good literary analysis; the example of the clock striking thirteen in '1984'.
The significance of the number thirteen as an unlucky number in many cultures.
The suggestion that the clock striking thirteen implies a militaristic society.
The protagonist's name, Winston Smith, is analyzed for its potential symbolism of an everyman character.
The name 'Winston' is associated with Winston Churchill, hinting at potential greatness.
The description of Winston Smith's actions and environment introduces the setting and tone of '1984'.
The contrast between 'Victory Mansions' and the 'vile wind' and 'gritty dust' sets an ironic tone.
The video emphasizes the importance of looking at the first sentences of a work for literary analysis.
Carly explains that literary analysis involves observation, picking apart details, and questioning.
The video encourages viewers to apply these techniques to any literary work, regardless of their expertise.
Carly provides a method for becoming a 'pro-level' literary analyst by focusing on the beginning of a text.
The video concludes with a reminder to subscribe for more English tips and tricks.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Applause]
hey welcome back to my channel my name
is Carly Stevens and this is English
nerd so today I wanted to give you some
hacks basically about literary analysis
now those words literary analysis can
freak some people out so it doesn't need
to be frightening at all there are some
really simple things that you can do to
be effective at literary analysis and
getting to the whatever's beneath the
surface of this story so a for use for
the example today that's a little bright
and hard to see there we go
new to use 1984 it's a really common
book to study in high school in college
and it's just really good in general if
you have not read 1984 you should by all
means check it out so the main thing I'm
going to be talking about today is
analyzing the beginning if you want to
get it at the heart of a book that's
well written you want to look closely
very closely at the beginning and the
end
very often the beginning will
encapsulate some of the themes or the
tone or sometimes the characters
personalities there is so much packed
into that beginning besides just having
an interesting hook once again I'm sorry
about the delights they seem to be the
weather's doing something funky anyway
let's take a look at the beginning of
1984 and I'll show you how you can do
some literary analysis even on your own
if you're not an English teacher or some
kind of expert
1984 by George Orwell begins this way
very famously it was a bright cold day
in April and the clocks were striking
thirteen now you don't need to be any
sort of English whiz to realize that
there is there's something off about
having the clock strike thirteen the key
to good literary analysis is just
observation that's it
it's just observation so let's let's
think about that idea that the clocks
were striking thirteen okay so 13 is
considered by many cultures to be an
unlucky number which is why we have no
floor 13
in most hotels so 13 we have an unlucky
number we also have one number above 12
of course which means that we are
probably on military time so already we
have this slightly unsettling feeling
that the clocks are striking 13 that
unlucky number and that means that we're
probably on military time for some
reason and the question becomes what is
that reason has the has the military is
this a militaristic Society or what so
it's a bright cold day in April
everything seems fine but then there's
that turn that twist and we got all of
that just from thinking the clocks were
striking 13 hmm interesting
so you have something to work with now
if you go on to the second sentence
which brings you to the end of the first
baby paragraph there says this Winston
Smith his chin nuzzled into his breast
and effort to escape the vile wind slept
quickly through the glass doors of
victory mansions though not quickly
enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust
from entering along with him okay so you
as the literary analyst will start
picking out some of those details like
the name of the protagonist Winston
Smith for instance Smith is a really
common last name maybe there's something
to that maybe anytime you have a
character whose name ends with Smith's
or begins with some form of John chances
are if it's you know great literature
that you're looking at an everyman kind
of character and Winston Smith is set up
anyway to potentially be that kind of
character
the name Winston is also interesting
this book was written in 1950 and so
that was within very recent memory of
World War two Stalin was still in
charged this book of course is going
against Stalinist ideas Winston would
bring too many people's mind Winston
Churchill if you see right here have
Winston Churchill bag he's he's a
fascinating guy so there's this sense
that we have an everyman but with the
potential for some kind of greatness
perhaps but it says his chin nuzzled
into his breast and effort to escape the
vile wind slipped quickly through the
glass doors of victory mansions may be
victory mansions stood out to you the
first time you read this or that I read
it to you we have victory mansions but
vile wind taking gritty dust comes in
with Winston so something's again not
quite matching up something's called
victory mansions but it sounds not so
nice all this gritty dust is swirling in
behind Winston so all of these things
these first two sentences set up this
unsettled militaristic things appear to
be one way that actually or another tone
as well as something about the
protagonist Winston Smith just by his
name alone we at least can can have the
hypothesis that he might be an everyman
character with the potential for
greatness of course all these things we
need to see how he'll do would play out
in the book as a whole you can't just
look at the beginning and go to your
test and say yeah I'm set to go you do
need to see if those things pan out or
if they're meant to be ironic and things
like that but that is one really simple
way that you can be basically a pro
level literary analyst no matter who you
are look at the first couple sentences
of whatever work that you're reading the
poem or a novel or whatever and pick it
apart observe and then think well why
might that be that's it that's it
literary analysis is just that taken to
an extreme so you have everything you
need to be successful at this no matter
which class you're taking or if you just
want to get better at understanding
reading between the lines of these great
works this is all you need to do okay
well thank you for listening
today make sure that you subscribe below
if you have not already I have lots of
English nerdy tips tricks and just
general fun I think so
subscribe my videos go up every Monday I
hope you have a great day until then
goodbye
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
Intro to AP English Literature (2022-2023)
Just the soliloquies: Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" (analysis)
INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY CRITICISM || QUARTER 3 WEEK 6 || GRADE 10 || MELC-Based || Aizie Dumuk
A beginner's guide to Critical Literary Analysis
What is Genre in literature? Explained in Bengali | English Major | Semester 1 | Chapter 3 | elit
Theme in Literature
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)