A religious analysis follows the same concept as an Author Specific Analysis. You should choose the literary work you wish to analyse, and then choose a religion and find the text that primarily represents it. For example, within Christianity you could use one specific branch, Protestantism, Catholicism, Puritanism, and then find the copy of the Bible that they follow. You may wish to first choose the religion and then the literary work, this is also perfectly fine.

Another option is to follow the idea of a comparative analysis, whereby you choose one literary work and apply more than one religion, or vice versa, and you choose one religion and various literary works to compare and illustrate your argument(s).

Elements that can often be analysed within religion are: moral concepts and behaviour; punishments; how belief got characters through hard times; how a divine force inspires people; why follow a collective belief in society; traditions arising from a chosen religion; or perhaps use one part of the text which exemplifies a follower who is questioning their faith, and compare it to a literary work of the same theme. The options are endless and extremely interesting as religion has been such an influential factor on all societies for so long.

Remember, you must first read and understand the works chosen, as much the literary text as the religious, and then you can begin to apply the points between them. Don’t forget to include examples and quotations to support your ideas, and summarise your statements from the introduction, in your conclusion.

A summary of various factors from the English Standard Version of the Bible have been compiled on Penman’s Guide, click here if you wish to use them for your religious analysis. Some lists include: people’s roles in society; the ten commandments and laws; punishments and sins; the ideal follower; logic and wisdom; and a compilation of positive and negative words.