21ST LITERATURE REVIEWER

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Mahabharata is an Indian epic that tells of two warring families, the Pandavas and Kauravas, who are battling for the throne of Hastinapura
• The main antagonist in the Ramayana is Ravana
• The philosophical concept of Platonic love emphasizes deep emotional and intellectual connection rather than physical attraction
• Ovid’s most famous work is Metamorphoses
• Vishnu in the Hindu trinity is the Preserver
• Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex
• Agni Pariksha, the trial by fire, is a test of purity in Hindu tradition
• The stream-of-consciousness narration technique is most prominently used in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse
• Henry VIII’s first wife, whom he divorced to marry Anne Boleyn, was Catherine of Aragon
• Skimming is a reading technique used for quickly identifying the main idea of a text
• The Library of Congress is the biggest library in the world
• Scanning is a reading strategy used to find specific information quickly
• Shakuntala, a famous Sanskrit play, was written by Kalidasa
• Thespis is the first actor in ancient Greece
• The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture that forms part of the Mahabharata
• Catherine Howard, one of Henry VIII’s wives, was executed for adultery and treason
• Jocasta is the mother and wife of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex
• The Little Prince emphasizes the importance of imagination, love, and seeing with the heart
• Sita is abducted by Ravana in the Ramayana, which leads Rama to rescue her
• Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913
• The Raja in Shakuntala forgets his promise to his lover due to an amnesia attack
• Scheherazade tells stories in One Thousand and One Nights to delay her execution
• The biggest library in Asia is the Beijing Imperial Library
• Socrates believed that education must be free
• Greek performers were professionals, whereas Roman ones were slaves
• Anne Brontë wrote under the pen name Action
• The Dewey Decimal System is commonly used in small libraries for book classification
• Shiva is often associated with destruction and transformation in Hindu mythology, whereas Vishnu is the protector
• William Shakespeare is the father of modern English literature
• Oedipus blinds himself because he cannot bear to see the truth of his actions
• The main prophecy states Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother
• The Mahabharata contains philosophical discourses along with its epic battles, specifically that of the Pandavas and Kauravas brothers
• Henry VIII’s wife, Jane Seymour, gave birth to his only male heir, Edward VI
• The Ramayana includes the exile of Prince Rama, the abduction of Sita, and Rama's quest to rescue her
• Thespis was the first actor in Greek plays

Magic Realism

• A literary style blends magical elements with realistic settings
• Fantastical events are treated as ordinary by characters
• Popular in Latin American literature is Magic Realism
• Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude exemplifies the style
• Magic Realism combines myth, folklore, and surreal elements with everyday life

Paranoia

• A common theme in postmodern literature is paranoia
• Characters often question reality and feel watched or controlled
• Paranoia reflects distrust in institutions, technology, or unseen forces
• Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 exemplifies paranoia

Temporal Distortion

• Non-linear representation of time in storytelling refers to temporal distortion
• Events can be presented out of chronological order
• Flashbacks, time loops, or fragmented narratives are common elements
• Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is an example of temporal distortion

Pastiche

• Pastiche imitates or blends styles from multiple sources
• Often used in postmodernism to celebrate or mock traditional forms
• Different genres, tones, or artistic influences can be mixed
• Michael Cunningham’s The Hours mixes Virginia Woolf’s style with modern storytelling

Skimming

• A reading technique used to quickly identify the main ideas, called skimming
• Skimming focuses on headings, subheadings, and key sentences
• Skimming is useful for previewing a text or getting a general overview
• Skimming is commonly used in newspapers, articles, or textbooks

Scanning

• A reading technique for finding specific information quickly, called scanning
• Scanning involves searching for keywords, numbers, or particular facts
• Scanning is used when looking up dates, names, or definitions
• Checking a dictionary, schedule, or price list exemplifies scanning

Extensive Reading

• Extensive reading means reading large amounts of material for general understanding and enjoyment
• Extensive reading focuses on fluency rather than deep analysis
• Novels, magazines and online blogs all involve extensive reading
• Vocabulary and comprehension improve with extensive reading

Intensive Reading

• Intensive reading involves reading carefully and deeply to understand details and meaning
• Analyzing themes, structure, and vocabulary is required
• Academic studies, research, and critical reading all make use of intensive reading
• Studying a poem for literary analysis is an example of intensive reading

Literary Elements and Devices

• Literary elements are the components of a literary piece and are universal constituents of literature
• Man vs. Man is an external conflict between 2 like beings, example hero vs. villain
• Man vs. Self is an internal conflict between a character and his own will, confusion, or fears entailing self-discovery and redemption
• Man vs. Nature: External conflict between a character and forces of nature
• Man vs. Society is an external conflict between a character/characters and social traditions/concepts
• Themes are the central messages that authors are trying to convey
• A point of view (POV) is the perspective from which the story is told
• First person uses "I," "you," and "my."
• Second person POV makes the audience a character in the story with "you" and "your"
• With third person limited, the narrator is removed uses "he," "she," and "they" and focuses on the story as it surrounds one character
• Third person omniscient involves the narrator using "he," "she," and "they," but there are no limitations to one character, similar to god
• A Character refers to a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story
• A Protagonist is the main character and may also be the story’s narrator
• The Antagonist stands in the way of the protagonist’s movement in the story