Possible shapes for thesis statements

Some common strategies for thesis in literary arguments:

·  A sophisticated observation that reveals something essential about an aspect of this novel

·  X seems true, but really it’s Y

·  X character, event, detail seems unimportant, but if we look closely at it, it changes our understanding of the novel in Y and Z ways

·  Two things seem similar but really they’re different (or vice versa)

·  There is some underlying historical, philosophical, or cultural idea contemporary to the novel that sheds greater light on this novel

Less common but also possible:

·  Question re: some significant aspect of the work. Statement that indicates what element(s) of the work you will have to explore in order to answer the question.

·  Many other approaches harder to boil down into a formula.