Literary Paragraphs – The Basics
What is a literary paragraph?
A literary paragraph is a paragraph about literature. Usually a literary paragraph iswritten in response to questions or instructions such as: What is the theme in this story?How did the main character’s actions influence the outcome of the story? Describe thechanges that a character went through.
What is the form of a literary paragraph?
A good literary paragraph will have at least 5 sentences:Topic Sentence (first sentence):
This is your main idea. Answer the question that theparagraph is supposed to respond to. Include the name of thebook/story/poem/play and its author in the topic sentence. Do NOT start yourtopic sentence with statements like “I think..”, “I chose…”, “I am going to talkabout…”
Examples:In “The Stone” by Lloyd Alexander the character Maibon learns an important lesson that changes his attitude about growing older.In “Stray” by Cynthia Rylant, the dog surprises Doris’s parents by behaving welland being easy to care for.
Supporting Sentences:
Give examples from the story that support or prove your mainidea. Be specific. For example, if the purpose of the paragraph is to describe acharacter and your topic sentence states that the character is selfish, then youwill think of examples from the story (the character’s actions, words, orthoughts) that prove that he is selfish. If the purpose of the paragraph is toexplain the theme of the story, then your examples will be parts of the storythat show the reader what the theme is. Make sure to show how your examplesconnect to your main idea.
Clincher Sentence (last sentence):
The clincher restates the main idea andconcludes the paragraph. Show that your supporting details do prove your mainidea. Often you can start the clincher with phrases like: “In conclusion…” or “Asthese examples demonstrate…” Do not include new information or youropinion (unless the question asks for your opinion).
How do I write a literary paragraph?
Step 1:
Make sure you understand the question or instructions for theparagraph.
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Literary Paragraph Guidelines
This handout explains what a "literary paragraph" is and how to write one. You should use this worksheet as you work on your literary paragraph for "Stray."
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