Name: _______________________________ Date: _______________ Due: ____________

Big Fish Analysis Journal

About the Author: Before Wallace's most famous book Big Fish: A
Novel of Mythic Proportions was accepted for publication, he
wrote five novels, which were rejected by publishers. Since then, his
books have been translated into 18 languages, while Big Fish was
made into a film by Tim Burton. In a 2011 article for Pure Movies,
he wrote about how absurd he found it that Big Fish was the book
that was adapted into a film when all his others have clearer
narrative structures. His other books include Ray in Reverse, The
Watermelon King, and Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician.
While his short stories have been published in a number of
anthologies and magazines, including The Year's Best Fantasy and
Horror. Wallace says he tries to write everything he can, but
mainly focuses on novels and screenplays. Wallace believes that
"art is a distillation of experience." He believes that "writing
requires only a pen and paper, and not paint, brushes, canvases, nor expensive film or
photographic equipment, so it’s seen as something ‘anyone can do.’ But is it?

About the Book: A young man (William Bloom), at the deathbed of

his father (Edward Bloom), tries to reconcile his memories of his dad
with the person he really is. Whereas he always saw his father as
an irresponsible liar, he comes to understand his dad's exaggerations
and their roots in reality.

Oh, to say more would give away too much…

MLA Citation Reference:

Wallace, Daniel. Big Fish. Algonquin Books, 1998.

MLA in-text Citation:

(Wallace)

MLA Parenthetical Citation (w/page number):

(Wallace 9) A note about grading:
The attached essay is worth 100 points.
The reader’s journal is designed to help you
capture the analysis required to create a
solid literary analysis essay.

This Reader’s Journal will be collected and

scored periodically throughout this novel
study, so keep current!

1
 Literary Elements/Devices Intended Purpose
(How is this book written?) (Why was the book written that way?)

2
 Literary Elements/Devices Intended Purpose
(How was this book written?) (Why was it written this way?)

3
Literary Elements/Devices Intended Purpose
(How is the book written?) (Why was it written this way?)

4
Theme.
Identify possible themes of the book. Collect direct quotes, which support these possible themes;
don’t forget to cite the page numbers for your quotes. Brainstorm possible themes below:

Selected Theme:

(Select the theme you feel has the strongest textual evidence)

What chapters include evidence to support your selected theme?

Chapter Title: Direct Quotes Supporting Theme: Explanation of Evidence:

(How does this support your selected theme?)

5
Film Versus Print. So, we will watch the film version of Big Fish so that you can evaluate the effects
of the changes on plot, characterization, and theme.

6
Plot. Chart the plot of the story; feel free to use a plot diagram! Include evidence from the plot
structure that supports your theme; do not include plot elements that are unrelated to your
theme.

Write Your Selected Theme Above

7
Style Analysis. Think about the style in which this novel was written. Analyze specific excerpts
from the novel that demonstrate how the style supports the theme(s) of the novel through the
specific style of this novel.

8
Written Literary Analysis: You will need to respond to one of the following two prompts in an
MLA formatted literary analysis essay.

Analyze how the author’s writing style (vignette narrative) impacted the overall
theme of the novel, Big Fish.

Or

Using Big Fish, analyze how a fictional novel can deepen a reader’s understanding
of the human experience.
You must author an original literary analysis, typed, which adheres to MLA formatting
standards. Print the literary analysis essay and attach it to the back of this Reader’s Journal.

Checklist of things to include:

• An introduction, which provides a limited summation of the plot in order to provide the
reader with enough information to understand your analysis
o A literary analysis thesis statement within the introduction
• An analysis of the key literary element(s) included in the novel, as means to explore the
deeper meanings of the text
• Properly cited (MLA formatting) textual evidence, both direct quotes and paraphrasing
• Proper Grammar and Syntax

Things to NOT include:

• Personal pronouns
• Misspellings
• Grammatical errors
• Opinions
• Claims without evidence
• Rhetorical questions
• Clichés (especially as a “hook”)
• Quotes without citations
• Apathy

RUBRIC is included on the next page, for your enjoyment!

9

Beginning (D)
Introduction The introduction is difficult to follow
and includes unnecessary summation
of the plot, which interferes with the
reader’s ability to understand the
intended analysis.
Thesis Statement The thesis statement is confusing and
poorly written, yet identifiable. The
thesis statement does not flow with
the balance of the introduction. The
thesis is focused on the literary work,
yet does not include a key literary
element. Very limited textual evidence
is included as support.
Analysis The analysis paragraph shows an
attempt to demonstrate an
understanding of the deeper meaning
of the literary work, yet is not fully
developed. The essay includes an
analysis of a literary element, yet not
a key element. The textual support is
woefully lacking.
Style & MLA The essay attempts to adhere to
formatting MLA (8th edition) formatting, yet
there are numerous formatting
errors. These errors are a distraction
to the reader.
Grammar & The essay demonstrates a limited
Syntax command of standard grammar and
syntax rules. The vocabulary is largely
grade-level or below. Many
grammatical errors are included,
which provides a distraction to the
reader.
Literary Analysis Essay Rubric
Partially Proficient (C)
The introduction provides an abridged
summary of the plot, much of which
could have been omitted without
impacting the reader’s understanding
of the intended analysis.
The thesis statement is identifiable,
yet slightly awkward. The placement
of the thesis is logical within the
introduction of the essay. The thesis
statement focuses on the literary
work and a key literary element to
form a literary claim. There is an
attempt to support the claim with
textual evidence, yet evidence is
lacking.
The analysis paragraphs demonstrate
a strong understanding of a deeper
meaning of the literary work. The
essay includes analysis of a key
literary element included in the text
to demonstrate thoughtful analysis.
The textual support is lacking.
The essay adheres to MLA (8th
edition) formatting, in general. There
are sporadic formatting errors.
The essay demonstrates a command
of standard grammar and syntax
rules. The vocabulary is grade-level.
Few minor grammatical errors are
included, yet these do not impede the
reader’s understanding.
10
Proficient (B)
The introduction provides a limited
summation of the plot in order for
the reader to understand the intended
analysis of the text; however some
plot details could have been omitted
without impacting the understanding
of the reader.
The thesis statement is easily
identified and logically placed in the
introduction of the essay. The thesis
statement focuses on the literary
work and key literary element(s) to
form a literary claim, which is
supported with textual evidence.
The analysis paragraphs demonstrate
a strong understanding of the deeper
meanings of the literary work. The
essay includes analysis of key literary
element(s) included in the text to
demonstrate a thoughtful and
purposeful analysis. The analysis
suggests original thinking. The
textual support is adequate.
The essay demonstrates a burgeoning
of personal style, yet a strong
adherence to proper MLA (8th
edition) formatting. There are a few,
minor formatting errors, but these
errors are consistent and do not
impede the reader’s understanding.
The essay demonstrates a strong
command of standard Grammar and
Syntax rules. While the vocabulary is
mainly grade-level, there are a few
instances of high-level vocabulary
correctly and effectively used in the
essay. No grammatical errors are
found.
Advanced (A)
The introduction provides limited, yet
adequate summation of the plot, in
order for the reader to fully grasp the
intended analysis of the text.
The thesis statement is easily
identified and logically placed in the
introduction of the essay. The thesis
statement focuses on the literary
work and key literary elements to
form a literary claim and is easily
and logically supported with textual
evidence and/or examples.
The analysis paragraphs demonstrate
a strong understanding of the deeper
meanings of the literary work. The
essay includes analysis of key literary
elements included in the text to
demonstrate a thoughtful and
purposeful analysis. The analysis
suggests independent, creative, and
original thinking. The textual support
includes parallels to similar concepts
in other works, when logical.
The essay demonstrates an artful
balance of personal style and
adherence to proper MLA (8th
edition) formatting. There are few, if
any errors in regards to MLA
formatting.
The essay demonstrates a well-
developed command of standard
Grammar and Syntax rules. High-level
vocabulary is correctly and
effectively used throughout the essay.
No grammatical errors are found.