How to Write a Book Analysis Paper

College students may feel like a book analysis paper is just a grown-up book report. However, a book analysis paper is an essay describing factual and personal information regarding a work of literature. Book analyses are typically only about four paragraphs. They are meant to provide a brief overview and review of the book without providing unnecessary details. Writing a book analysis potentially helps writers think critically about the literature piece or determine their literary preferences through active reading of the text and essay writing. In order to write a book analysis paper, first read the book and then create an outline followed by the actual book analysis essay writing.

First, in order to write a book analysis paper, you need to have to read the assigned book or book of your choice. This will enable you to analyze the book and better comprehend its positive and negative attributes. You can find a book to read online, at the library or bookstore.

Create an outline in order to organize your information for the book analysis paper. Your outline should have at least four headings. The first heading can be the introduction while the second heading can be the literary objective. The third section can be about the characters in the book, and the fourth section can be the positive and negative aspects of the book.

Organize the introductory information in the outline. The introductory paragraph of the book analysis paper should contain basic information about the book, such as the title, the author, the publication date, a very brief summary, whether or not the book is part of a series, and the genre.

Determine the literary objective of the book. Under the second heading of your outline, write notes about the message the author wanted to portray when writing the book. For example, the author may have written a book about friendship in order to display its typical characteristics. Also, list some of the prominent literary devices within the book. For example, the author may have used foreshadowing in order to provide you with insight on how the book would end.

Take notes on the characters within the story. When you write the outline and the book analysis paper, you have to explain the qualities of the main characters within the book. For example, the main character of the book may have a bold personality whereas the friend of the main character may be shy and timid.

Record notes about the positive and negative aspects of the book. Your book analysis should describe the strengths and weaknesses of the book. For example, the positive aspects of the book might be that the plot and characters were engaging. The negative aspects of the book could be that more characters were not involved in the story and that the final outcome was disappointing.

Write the book analysis paper. Use your outline to help you write the paper. Each heading corresponds to a separate paragraph. As you write the paper, do not use the pronoun "I."

Proofread your book analysis paper. When you proofread your paper, read it aloud. This will help you to find mistakes that you will not always notice by reading it silently. Also, have a friend read your paper aloud. Then, fix your mistakes and create the final draft of your analysis paper.