Analyseaufgabe im Abitur

Checklist: How to analyse literary texts

This checklist is supposed to provide guidance for analysing texts. Note that not every category is necessarily relevant
for your analysis!

Author and title

Type of text

Theme / message
Can you identify a central theme /
a “message” in the text?

Content / topic
What is the text about? What
aspects are mentioned? Is there a
clear focus?
Is a specific event or character or
problem in the centre of the text?
Structure and plot
Is there a headline? How does it
connect with the text? How clear
is its meaning?
How does the plot develop? Can
you identify a climax or turning
point?
Is there more internal or external
action?
Narrator and point of view
What is the narrative perspective
and point of view?
Does this have an impact on the
message?

Characters
Who are important characters and
how are they characterized?
What are the relationships
between them?

Setting
What do we get to know about the
time and place? Does the setting
have a symbolic meaning? How
does it influence our impression of
the story?
Language
What register and style is used?
What is the tone of the text?
What can be said about the
choice of words and the sentence
structures?
Are there any stylistic devices?
What effect is created by all this?

Marielle Borchert/Stefanie Klering/Claudia Koller-Bennett/Simon Schmeiser/Michael Wohlers