Within the Text Itself:
* Characters:
* Actions, motivations, thoughts, and dialogue
* Relationships with other characters
* Growth or change over the course of the story
* Plot:
* Events, conflicts, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution
* The overall structure of the story
* Patterns, repetitions, or foreshadowing
* Setting:
* Time period, location, atmosphere, and significance to the story
* Theme:
* The overarching ideas or messages explored by the author
* How the theme is developed and illustrated
* Style:
* The author's use of language, imagery, symbolism, and literary devices
* Narrator:
* The perspective from which the story is told
* The narrator's reliability and impact on the reader's understanding
Beyond the Text:
* Author's Biography:
* The author's life experiences, beliefs, and influences
* How the author's life might have shaped the work
* Historical Context:
* The social, political, and cultural conditions of the time the work was written or set
* Literary Criticism:
* Interpretations and analyses by scholars, critics, and other readers
* Different perspectives and approaches to the text
* Other Works by the Author:
* Themes, characters, and styles that recur across the author's work
* How the current text fits into the author's overall body of work
* Cultural Context:
* The broader cultural values, beliefs, and traditions that influence the work
* How the work reflects or challenges the cultural norms of its time
Remember:
* The evidence you use should be specific and relevant to your argument.
* It's important to interpret the evidence you find, not just list it.
* The best evidence is evidence that supports your claims in a persuasive and compelling way.
By exploring all these potential sources of evidence, you can build a strong foundation for your analysis of any literary work.