How to Write a Literature Essay
<h3>What an Examiner Wants</h3>
<ul>
<li>A clear <strong>argument</strong> — not just a description of the text</li>
<li><strong>Evidence</strong> — well-chosen, embedded quotes</li>
<li><strong>Analysis</strong> — close reading of specific words and techniques</li>
<li><strong>Context</strong> — writer's intentions, historical/social context</li>
<li><strong>Structure</strong> — an organised, flowing response</li>
</ul>
<h3>PEEL Paragraph Structure</h3>
<table style="width:100%;border-collapse:collapse">
<tr style="background:#f0f9f4"><th style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">Letter</th><th style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">Stage</th><th style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">Example phrase</th></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd"><strong>P</strong></td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">Point / topic sentence</td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">"Dickens presents Scrooge as a miserly figure who values money over people."</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd"><strong>E</strong></td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">Evidence (embedded quote)</td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">"This is evident in the phrase '…'"</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd"><strong>E</strong></td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">Explain / analyse</td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">"The verb '…' suggests… The connotations of '…' convey…"</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd"><strong>L</strong></td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">Link to context/question</td><td style="padding:8px;border:1px solid #ddd">"Dickens uses this to criticise Victorian attitudes toward…"</td></tr>
</table>
<h3>Key Literary Terminology</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Protagonist</strong> — main character</li>
<li><strong>Motif</strong> — a recurring image or idea</li>
<li><strong>Allegory</strong> — a story with a deeper symbolic meaning</li>
<li><strong>Dramatic irony</strong> — audience knows something characters don't</li>
<li><strong>Semantic field</strong> — a group of words related to the same topic</li>
</ul>