Like an argumentative paper, literature essays must have a debatable thesis. Analyzing the work and its literary elements are necessary to come up an interpretation of the text. Saying that King Lear is about a king with three daughters is not arguable. Stating that "Storm symbolism in King Lear mirrors the king's inner turmoil and leads to the epiphany that he is, after all, a mere mortal" can be supported by concrete evidence from the play.
Become familiar with literary terms and their meanings. Understanding the function of characters, imagery, symbolism, plot, narrators and point of view provides a way for writers to focus their attention. Consider these elements the strategies the author uses to convey meaning. Keeping a guidebook handy to review the terms and keeping a journal to record your responses to the work helps writers see patterns that lead to a potential original thesis.
Everything in a literary essay must be supported by evidence from the book. This means that when a writer makes an assertion, she must back it up with direct quotations from the work. Most paragraphs should be developed by discussing a point, building support by including a quotation and citing the work. Directly after each quote, the writer should analyze the significance of the quoted material and explain how it relates to the thesis statement.
Research provides an effective way to add credibility to any literary argument. Scholarship about the work itself, interviews and biographies about the author, and background about the historical time period in which the author lived offers writers deeper insight into the work. Knowing that Sartre is connected with existentialism and learning about the philosophy helps writers better understand and discuss his book "Nausea."
Most of the time, literary arguments are formed by reader response, which relies on the reader's own reactions to interpret the text. Students also may be asked to use theory to support their argument, including feminist, gender-based, class-based, context-based and race-based theories. If a writer believes the female version of "The Odd Couple" reinforces gender stereotypes, supporting this thesis with scholarly articles written by feminist or gender-based theorists would add credibility to the argument.