Doing exegesis means pulling meaning out of a text. You'll want to make a claim about what the text is doing (your thesis!) and use elements from the text as your evidence to back up your claim (your argument).
What makes this chunk of text a chunk worth analyzing?
What makes this chunk of text its own chunk?
What is this passage doing?
Can you boil that down to a one sentence statement?
That’s your THESIS!
Use these elements of plot to analyze a narrative
Exposition: Setting, characters, background, what's at stake
Inciting Moment: What starts the action or initial conflict?
Rising Action: The movement of the narrative toward climax
Climax: Major event of the story
Falling Action: Wrapping up
Denouement: Resolution
CLICK HERE for tips on getting started with exegesis paper writing
1. Who are the characters?
2. What assumptions are made about gender/sexuality?
3. How can we play with the text?
4. Other questions to ask
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