As in other writing, the thesis of a literature paper should not be too factual, too broad, or too vague. For an essay on Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, for example, the following would all make poor thesis sentences.
TOO FACTUAL
As a runaway slave, Jim is in danger from the law.
TOO BROAD
In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain criticizes mid-nineteenth-century American society.
TOO VAGUE
Huckleberry Finn is Twain’s most exciting work.
Here is a thesis about the novel that avoids these pitfalls.
ACCEPTABLE THESIS
Because Huckleberry Finn is a naive narrator, his comments on conventional religion function ironically at every turn, allowing Twain to poke fun at empty piety.
Exercise:
Thesis statements in literature papers
Related topics:
Revising a thesis that is too factual
Revising a thesis that is too broad
Revising a vague thesis
Drafting an interpretive thesis
Outlining an interpretive paper