Understanding Fiction and Romance

Literature - Fiction

• Literature consists of words that stir imagination
• Fiction is a synonym for a novel
• Protagonist: The central character that attracts interest
• Antagonist: Character who opposes the protagonist

Popular Fiction

• Types: Adventure, Western, Horror, Romance
• Traits: Happy endings, momentary relief from daily problems, often marketed for sale

Romance Formula

• Plot: A love relationship between a hero and heroine develops with several complications
• Heroine: Young woman, often vulnerable and attractive
• Hero: Older, handsome, successful man
• Secondary characters: Help advance the plot (other men/women)
• Setting: Exciting and contemporary
• Love Scenes: Should appeal to senses but avoid graphic descriptions
• Genres: Classic, contemporary, historical, young adult, fantasy

Theme

• Central idea of a story, distinct from the subject
• Example: Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison

Motif

• Recurrent poetic concepts or formulas
• Example: Carpe Diem in "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick

Plot

• Author's arrangement of events in the story
• Types: Chronological, back and forth, beginning at the end, in medias res, flashback
• Elements: Suspense, surprise, unity of action, foreshadowing
• Standard Plot Sequence: Exposition, Rising action, conflict, climax, resolution

Point of View

• Narrator's perspective in a story
• 3rd person: Narrator outside the story, refers to characters by name or pronouns
  • Omniscient: Knows everything about the characters
  • Limited: Knows things about one or a few
• 1st person: Narrator is a character, experiences are limited to their scope
• 2nd person: Narrator addresses the reader using "you"

Style

• How speakers or writers express themselves (e.g., pure, ornate, sober, simple)
• Classification: Various systems based on literary period, influential texts, individual authors, or institutional use

Tone

• Author's attitude towards people, places, and events in a story

Irony

• Reveals reality that differs from what appears to be true
• Types: Verbal, Situational, Dramatic, Cosmic

Symbol

• Object, person, or event with deeper meaning beyond a literal interpretation
• Conventional/Public symbols (e.g., Cross in Christianity)

Formalist Reading Strategies

• Focuses on internal aspects of a literary work (e.g., irony, narration)
• Might include external elements (e.g., history, biography)

Biographical Reading Strategies

• Examines an author's life to gain better understanding of their work

Psychological Reading Strategies

• Applies psychological theories (e.g., Freud) to analyze texts, considering the unconscious, desires, and different aspects of the psyche (id, ego, superego)

Historical Reading Strategies

• Analyzes texts within the historical context in which they were created, considering cultural, political, and economic factors

Gender Reading Strategies

• Examines how gender impacts a literary work
• Types: Feminist, Gay/Lesbian

Mythological Reading Strategies

• Looks for archetypes and universal themes in literature

Reader-Response Reading Strategies

• Examines how a reader's experience and thoughts affect the interpretation of a text

Deconstructionist Reading Strategies

• Questions fixed meanings of a text, emphasizing the complexities and ambiguities in language use