Write an introduction that clearly states your intentions. This is your chance to explain what you are about to do and why. To begin, just state exactly what you are doing with your essay. For example, you might say you are going to compare how the women are depicted in the novels "Madame Bovary" by Gustav Flaubert and "Effi Briest" by Theodore Fontane.
State very clearly what your rationale actually is and why it is meaningful. This is the grounds for your comparison, so you would explain that that you have chosen these two texts as the women both have married husbands who make them unhappy, which leads to acts of betrayal. Expand on the similarities here and explore what is interesting about those similarities.
Explain, very clearly, in the introduction how you are approaching these texts; this is your "frame of reference." This means from what perspective are you looking at the works: feminist, psychoanalytical, deconstructionist or something else. Remember the introduction is an outline of what is to come, so be succinct but clear.
Choose the method you wish to use to compare the two works. You might like to write on a "text by text" basis, which means that you discuss all of "Madame Bovary" first and then discuss all of "Effi Briest" second and then complete the main body with thorough comparative links.
Alternatively, you could use the "point by point" method, which will create a kind of debate throughout the essay. This comparative method could be approached in this way: On the subject of love Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" states that "Love must come suddenly like thunder and lightening, a hurricane from on high and swoops into your life and turns it topsy turvey" (Flaubert G. 1995, P113). In Fontane's "Effi Briest," Effi states on the same matter, "Love comes first, but right after love comes brilliance and honour, and then come diversions ... the thing I can't stand is boredom."(Fontane T. 1995, P23) Comparing the two, it is clear that both women crave excitement through love and their expectations of love are similarly high.
By using the "point by point" method, an immediate comparison is possible and works well for the two novels in this particular example.
Link the main body of the text to the points you have made in your introduction. This is where you make sure you are doing exactly what you said you would do at the beginning. If you stated that you were going to take a feminist perspective, then ensure that throughout your analysis you have done this bringing in critical writing methods and using feminist writers' critical points in your essay.
Use good sources of reference. In the main body, if you have stated that the character Madame Bovary was ahead of her time and displayed feminist tendencies, back this up with a source that agrees with you. Or equally, find sources that distinctly disagree with your argument and make your case to disprove their theories backing this up with critical evidence.
Do not at this point rehash exactly what you have already said. The person reading your essay does not need to read all the same points again.
You have made a case; now you need to make your closing argument. Examine closely the conclusions you have reached through your analysis of the texts. Talk about what have you discovered and what you have found surprising, interesting and useful. Conclude your essay with a statement that draws together your points and brings the piece to a satisfying, logical finish.
Include a bibliography, references and any appendices necessary to complete your work. Good referencing is vital.