AKE 103 Introduction to Literature I PDF

AKE 103 Introduction to Literature I ELEMENTS OF FICTION What you will learn:  Plot  Metaphor  Character  Symbol  Setting  Allegory  Conflict  Irony  Point of view  Personification  Theme  Allusion  Style ...

AKE 103 Introduction to Literature I ELEMENTS OF FICTION What you will learn:  Plot  Metaphor  Character  Symbol  Setting  Allegory  Conflict  Irony  Point of view  Personification  Theme  Allusion  Style  Voice PLOT The sequence of events in a short story. 1. exposition 2. the rising action 3. climax/turning point 4. the falling action 5. conclusion (resolution, denoument) “The king died, and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. The time-sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it. Or again: “The queen died, no one knew why, until it was discovered that it was through grief at the death of the king.” This is a plot with a mystery in it.» (E. M. Forster Aspects of the Novel) Types of Plot traditional plot: chronological order scenic plot: no chronology, a plot that juxtaposes(dizmek) seemingly unrelated scenes oblique plot: offers a slice of life, lack of a plot (action and conflict)  suspense: ? dilemma: ? foreshadowing? CHARACTER(izatio n) * the plot is performed by the characters! * not necessarily people (animals, inanimate objects!) * a character is materialized through the details provided by the author direct characterization: ? indirect characterization: ? Protagonist: the central character in conflict Antagonist: forces that work against a protagonist (could be people, things, ideas) Confidante: a minor/secondary character in whom the protagonist confides Round character: a character who encounters conflict and is changed by it. Flat character: a character that does not change in the course of a story or a play , Crabbe and Goyle (Harry Potter) Stock character: a character who has a stereotypical personality – does what is expected – no change, Tony Stark(womanizer, CEO…) a stereotypical character: a familiar character identified by an oversimplified pattern of behavior that typically labels the character as being part of a group of people. Rock Star, Clumsy Waiter, Noisy Neighbour Foil character: a character who serves to bring out the qualities of another/who makes another character seem better or different in an important way A character’s motivation: why a character does what s/he does Hero & Heroine Anti-hero  A central character who does not confrom to the pattern of the hero of the old fashioned kind.  An anti-hero is not necessarily capable of heroic deeds, strong, brave.  An anti-hero is generally bound to fail Ex: Don Quixote SETTING * the place and time of the story * where and when the writer locates the story (historical time, season, day, atmosphere, geographical location) * utopia: ? *dystopia: ? * fictional setting: ? *realistic setting: ? CONFLICT *internal conflict: ? *external conflict: ? * man vs. man man vs. society man vs. ideas man vs. himself man vs. circumstance man vs. nature man vs. fate POINT of VIEW (p.o.v) First person p.o.v (Participant) Third person p.o.v (Non-participant) Participant (first person) Narrator as a major character: The story is told by the major character and the story is chiefly about him. The writer participates in the action by assuming the point of view of the major character and writing first person. Narrator as a minor character: The writer adopts the point of view of a minor character. A first person narrator tells a story that focuses on someone other than himself. person) a. Omniscient: - impersonal point of view - detaches himself/herself completely - God-like: sees all, knows all, he can see into the minds of characters and even report everyone’s innermost thoughts. b. Selective omniscience: - the character selected is known from outside and inside. - All the other characters are seen through his eyes. c. Objective - Camera eye - The absence of the author’s feelings and opinions In modern fiction many writers use a combination of different points of view. THEME The central idea of a story. EX: The subject: suffering Possible themes: 1) Suffering is in God’s plan and should therefore simply be accepted. 2) Suffering is a drain on an individual’s spirit or mind and should therefore be avoided at all costs. STYLE AND VOICE: -use of language (everyday speech? figurative language?) -rhetorical patterns -sentence length and complexity -word choice and placement -punctuation Metaphor: *a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between them. ‘’to be’’ Ex. "America is a melting pot" Simile: type of figurative language that describes something by comparing it to something else with the words ’’like, as’’ Symbolism: * A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning. Ex. Black is used to represent death or evil. Chrysanthemums represent perfection. Allegory: *A story becomes an allegory when all the characters, places, things and events represent symbolic qualities and thie interactions are meant to reveal a moral truth. *An allegory is a complete narrative which involves characters, and events that stand for an abstract idea or an event. A symbol, on the other hand, is an object that stands for another object giving it a particular meaning. Ex. Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is an allegory that uses animals on a farm to describe the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW Pun: using a term which has a few meanings, refering to the simple and figurative meaning. -> cinas, kelime oyunu  IRONY: *verbal irony: discrepancy between what is said & what is meant *situational irony: discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens (expectation vs reality),Edepus, Shakesper(Rome and Juliet) *dramatic irony: discrepancy between a character’s perception and what the reader knows to be true or what actually happens personification: Ex. "Hadn't she known that something good was going to happen to her that morning - hadn't she felt it in every touch of the sunshine, as its golden finger- tips pressed her lids open and wound their way through her hair?“ Edith Wharton, The Mother's Recompense allusion: an indirect reference to a person, event, statement, or theme found in literature, the other arts, history, myths, religion, or popular culture (literal, historical, biblical allusions) Ex. “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn’t necessary.” Scrooge is an extremely stingy character from Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol. Questions for Analyzing Plot: *What are the major events/actions? *What conflict is most important? What kind of conflict is it? *What is the climax? What leads to it? *How is the conflict resolved? Does any conflict remain unsolved? *Is the ending appropriate? Any suspense? Any foreshadowing? *Is there a chronological order? If not, how are actions arranged? What does this arrangement achieve? Questions for Analyzing Point of view: *From what p.o.v. is the story told? *If the narrator is the first person/participant, is s/he reliable? *If the narrator is the third person/non- participant, is s/he omniscent, limited omniscent or objective? *How does p.o.v. affect the readers’ perception of the events? *How would another point of view change the story? Questions for Analyzing Setting: *What are the details? Time, place, season? What are the historical/social/political/economic contexts of the work? *What significance does setting have in relation to plot/character/theme? *What mood or atmosphere is created by the setting? Does the atmosphere change? Is the change significant? Questions for Analyzing Characters: *Who are the characters and which are the most important ones? *How are the major characters affected by their backgrounds and personal experience? *Are the major characters revealed? Directly or indirectly? *Are the characters believable/reliable? *Are the characters round/flat? What insights into human nature are revealed by the characters? Are they connected to the theme? Questions for Analyzing Symbols: *What are the predominant symbols? Are they conventional symbols? *What meaning does each suggest? *Does the work contain allegory? How does it work in the story? Questions for Analyzing Style, Tone, Language: *How does the dialogue develop the characters? What do the speech patterns/diction reveal? *Does the work contain simile, metaphor, personification, allusion? How do they contribute to the story? *Any unusual word choices or sentence structures? *How does imagery affect the story? (visual, aural, olfactory, tactile, gustatory?) * What is the author’s attitude/tone toward the characters/subject/theme? *Does the work contain irony? How does it contribute to the tone? What type of irony is used? Questions for Analyzing Theme: *What insight about life does the work contain? *Does the title suggest a theme? *How do other elements (plot, setting, character, conflict, symbols, point of view) contribute to the theme? *Does it present an optimistic or pessimistic view? Study questions are adapted from: “Writing about Literature” http:/english.msstate.edu