Introduction to English Literature PDF

Introduction to English Literature SEN105 Level 1 What is literature?  Literature is any piece of writing in verse or prose  with different form or expression  presenting ideas of permanent or universal interest. Literary Genres: I. Short Story: It is a work of...

Introduction to English Literature SEN105 Level 1 What is literature?  Literature is any piece of writing in verse or prose  with different form or expression  presenting ideas of permanent or universal interest. Literary Genres: I. Short Story: It is a work of fiction that develops a single idea. economy of setting concise narration. The Character is rarely fully developed. The two traits of the short story are brevity and density. II. Novel: It is a fictional prose narrative of considerable length deals with human experience imaginatively through a connected sequence of events involving a group of characters in a specific setting. III. Drama: It is a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or characters usually involving conflicts and emotion through action and dialogue and designed for theatrical performance. IV. Poetry: It is a composition in verse characterized by the presence of imagination, emotion, truth, sense impressions and a dignified language that is expressed rhythmically. Elements of literature: Theme: It is the underlying meaning in a work of literature. It is NOT the subject, the plot or the summary. It is rarely stated explicitly. Some of the common themes are appearance versus reality, the individual in society and the journey from innocence to experience. Character: How are characters presented in a work of literature? Through outward appearance, significant action, motives for behavior, inner thoughts and feelings, conflicts, choices and development. Characters can be divided into: Flat characters: a character that is centered around one main idea or trait. Round characters: they are more fully developed and believable both in action and motive and reveal more than one trait. Dynamic characters: characters that develop and grow in response to events Static characters: characters that remain untouched and experience no growth. Protagonist: a character that is central to the action Antagonist: a character that is in conflict with the protagonist. Plot: It is a series of interconnected events and all are related to each other. A plot traces how a conflict or struggle develops. Two kinds of conflict: Internal: character has an inner struggle External: -character versus another character -character versus Nature -character versus society  Plot structure: Exposition →Rising action→Climax→Falling action→Resolution Exposition: introduces the reader to the characters, setting and background to the action Rising action: building of tension as conflict heightens Climax: the turning point where there is the greatest tension or emotional response Falling action: the reader witnesses the effects of the climax or the working out of the conflict Resolution: shows how the struggle ends in the untying of complications Method of Narration: First person: the point of view of one character who is telling the story using the personal pronoun I. Third person limited: the narrator focuses on the thoughts and feelings of just one character Omniscient (all knowing): the narrator knows everything about all characters and all events past, present and future. Remember: The narrator is not the author. Setting: It includes the background to the work of literature. It includes space, time and society. Symbolism: A symbol is a concrete object, action, character or scene which takes on another dimension of meaning that is abstract. Imagery: An image is a mental picture that taps into the reader’s past experiences and memories and through association allows him to imagine and recreate physical scenes. Kinds of imagery: Visual – what you can see Auditory – what you can hear Tactile – what you can touch Olfactory – what you can smell Kinetic – what can move Gustatory – what you can taste Figures of speech: Simile: a comparison between two different things using like or as Metaphor: an implied comparison between two different things Personification: human or life-like qualities are given to something non-human Irony It is a technique used by the writer whereby there is a difference between what is said and what is meant. Kinds of irony: Verbal irony – what is said is different than what is meant Situational irony – a situation that is contrary to what is expected or intended Dramatic irony – a situation in which events or facts not known to a character are known to other characters or the reader Foreshadowing It is a technique used by the writer to hint at events occurring as the action progresses in the future.