Critical essays are usually review essays that look in detail at some literary work. Critical essays may be positive or negative in tone, depending on the attitude of the writer towards the work analyzed. It is necessary to have in-depth knowledge about the author studied, his works and the corpus of criticism that has already appeared.

Critical essays should have the same structure as that of any other essay. The introduction of the critical essay should introduce the title, author and the nature of the work under analysis. The introduction should also codify the strengths and weaknesses of the work, with focus on one or two major features.

The second section of the critical essay should carry a brief summary of the work analyzed. The summary section will also touch upon the author