Literary analysis is taking different parts of a story and breaking it down into its many facets to show the reasoning behind the work. Some critics believe this takes away from the work; others disagree.

They see analysis as an improvement allowing for better understanding of the work as a whole. In a thorough analysis, and this is usually done in high school and college classrooms, nothing about the story or the author is left to chance.

It can be said that in such settings, a literary analysis is to English classes what a frog dissection is to biology. As an example, the House of Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is analyzed by the W. John Campbell, Ph.D. in the Book of Great Books by the following formula:

Plot Summary:

This consists of a brief sentence telling the problem and how it is solved; problem solving being the basis for most writing. In this case a curse is removed by having younger members of two antagonistic families fall in love and marry.

Following that a breakdown and summary of chapters in five sections. Then, there's a background check, telling us what kind of work it is. Here, it is a psychological romance, or novel. Then the publisheris named, then the author, the setting of the novel, and the time.

Now we know that Nathaniel Hawthorne is a New England writer who lived in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1800s. The setting was the old seven gabled Pyncheon mansion somewhere in Massachusetts. The time was around August and October in 1850. In flashbacks we backtrack to 160 and proceed forward until we get the full story of the years proceeding up to this climactic closing of the curse'.

Characterization:

The main characters are Hepzibah Pyncheon, a pretentious old woman who has lived in crumbling old house for thirty years; her brother, Clifford who is home from prison after being there for 30 years; Phoebe, a seventeen year cousin, Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, and Holgrave Maule, A young man who falls in love with the young Pyncheon girl.

Main Theme and Ideas:

One hundred and sixty years ago old Colonel Pyncheon committed terrible sins and these were imposed on later generations; when the family gave up their aristocratic pride then the curse was lifted.

In other words the two families, the Phyncheon's and the Maule's were seen as equals. (This class distinction Hawthorne called 'aristocratic sin'.)

In this work, and in life, love really does conquer all. The dilapidated old house and its older occupants

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