Transcript Elements of Literature

Elements of Literature
Character
The people (or
animals, things, etc.
presented as people)
appearing in a
literary work.
Character
Protagonist: main
character who
experiences conflict:
Cinderella, Luke
Skywalker, Frodo,
Hamlet
Antagonist: character
who opposes protagonist:
wicked stepmothers,
Darth Vader, Morder,
Claudius
Character
Round characters:
convincing – true to life;
feature several different
and sometimes
contradictory personality
traits.
Flat characters:
stereotyped, shallow,
and sometimes
symbolic; show only
one or two
personality traits.
Dynamic characters:
experience change
or development,
often because of
conflict(s)
Static characters: do not
change throughout the
story.
Characterization
Direct characterization  author develops
the personality of a character by direct
statements.
“First of all,” Betsy Johnson, the
vivacious blonde secretary of the
sorority, had told the five new
candidates over sandwiches in
the school cafeteria last Monday,
“first of all, each of you has a big
sister . . .”
“Initiation” by Sylvia Plath
Characterization
Indirect characterization  a character’s
personality is revealed through:
– the character’s thoughts, words, and actions
– the comments of other characters
– the character’s physical appearance
Indirect Characterization
through THOUGHTS
I floored the Taurus, most unwise, since I’d had one brush with the
law already today. I drove home, three miles under the speed limit (a
first), thanking God I was a free American.
I turned left at the Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 1 feeling something
wasn’t quite right.
I stared at the poster of the cholesterol-laden Dunkin’ Munchkins
nestled cozily in their box as the unrighteousness of it grew in my
soul.
I’d been publicly humiliated.
Falsely accused.
I have my rights!
I rammed Mom’s car around and headed back for Mitchell Gail’s.
“The Truth About Sharks” by Joan Bauer
Indirect Characterization
through ACTIONS
“The boy held his breath; he
wondered whether his
father would hear his heart
beating…Through a crack in
the counter he could see
where his father stood, one
hand to his high, stiff
collar…”
“I Spy” by Graham Greene
Indirect Characterization
through WORDS
“It was Kenny Griffen smiling
complacently. ‘Miss Bird sent
me after you ‘cause you been
gone six years. You’re in
trouble…yer constipated!’
Kenny chortled gleefully.
“Wait’ll I tell Caaathy!”
“Hear There Be Tygers” by Stephen King
Listen for dialect! Dialect is a representation of the speech
patterns of a particular region or social group. Naturally,
dialect changes from location to location.
Indirect Characterization
through APPEARANCE
“Miss Kinney was
young and blonde
and bouncy and had
a boyfriend who
picked her up after
school in a blue
Camaro.”
“Hear There Be Tygers” by Stephen King
In much of the best literature and
the greatest stories …
Character Drives Plot!
Plot . . .
. . . describes the structure of a story.
It shows the arrangement of events
and actions within a story. Plot
must have causality and conflict.
Plot Components
Climax: turning point, most intense
moment - either mentally or in the action
Rising Action: series
of conflicts & crises
leading to the climax
Exposition: beginning of
the story, the situation
before the action starts
Falling Action: all of
the action following
the climax
Resolution: conclusion,
the tying together of all
the threads
Plot
Plot: a series of related
events, each connected to the
next like links in a chain;
causality  cause & effect
Think of the chain this way:
“Once Upon a Time…”
“Suddenly…”
“Luckily…” or
“Unluckily…”
“Happily/Unhappily Ever
After…”
Plot: Conflict
Conflict: dramatic
struggle between
two forces in a
story. Without
conflict
no plot.
Plot: Conflict
I have enough
conflict with the
weather – let
another human!
Conflict makes the plot move
forward. Many plots are a series
of causes & effects – causality.
Conflict
Types of Conflict
Human vs. Nature
Human
vs. Human
Human vs.
Society
Human vs. Self
Setting
The setting is
the place
(location) where
the story takes
place and the
time it occurs.
Geographical location
(London, Cairo, Wyoming,
etc.)
Time period - day, month,
season, year, decade,
century, millenium. (WWII,
1865, Middle Ages, today,
etc.)
Socio-economic
characteristics of the
location (wealthy suburbs,
depression dustbowl, etc.)
The specific building, room,
and so forth (castle, log
cabin, bus, mountain top,
etc.)
Setting
Atmosphere: mood
or feeling in the
story.
Verisimilitude: the
appearance of being
true to life – life-like.
(veri = truth;
similtude = like).
Fantasy typically
lacks verisimilitude
and historical fiction
tries to achieve
verisimilitude.
Setting
Used to tell
readers about
characters.
She showed me the creek and we spent most of our
summers there, wading in the current, catching crawdads and
minnows with my parents’ abducted spaghetti colander,
building dams and then pushing out the one stone that would
send the water flooding through. We dug up creek clay and
made pots, and painted ourselves wildly with its blue streaks,
pretending to be Indians, Aztecs, or Mayas. I remember her
standing in the algae-green water that first summer, her long,
tanned legs half wet and shiny, half dry with the cracking clay
stripes and dots of an Aztec king.
“And Summer Is Gone” by Susie Kretschmer
Setting . . .
. . . can be used to
set the mood or
atmosphere for the
story. Setting may
become another
character.
“When I think of the hometown of my youth, all I seem to remember is
dust – the brown, crumbly dust of late summer – arid, sterile dust that
gets into the eyes and makes them water, gets into the throat and
between the toes of bare brown feet. I don’t know why I should
remember only the dust. … And one other thing I remember, another
incongruency of memory – a brilliant splash of sunny yellow against the
dust – Miss Lottie’s marigolds.”
“Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier
Theme
Theme: central idea or
central message of
the story. Themes
usually contain
insight into the
human condition –
telling something
about humans and
what it means to be
human.
Themes can be
stated directly
or implied by
the characters,
events, and
actions in the
story.
Vanitas
Theme
Remember – theme is not the subject!
The subject can be stated in one or two
words. For example: “love”
Theme is the central idea and it makes
a revelation about the subject. It must
be a statement. For example: Love is a
powerful and motivating force when it
is first experienced.
When stating a theme – avoid using
clichés!
Secrets to Finding the Theme
Check out the title,
it may provide clues
or information
about the theme.
Notice repeating
patterns or symbols.
Look for allusions.
Remember that the
theme is not usually
stated in the story.
Point of View
The perspective from
which the story is told.
Who is telling the story?
For example, is it a player on
the home team, an opposing
player, or someone watching
the game?
How do we know what is
happening? For example,
does a character tell us?
Someone else?
POV - 3rd Person Omniscient
The author is telling
the story directly.
The narrator is all
knowing.
“But just then, from somewhere far
off, Millicent was sure of it, there
came a melodic fluting, quite wild
and sweet, and she knew it must be
the song of the heather birds as
they went wheeling and gliding
against the wide blue horizons
through vast spaces of air, their
wings flashing quick and purple in
the bright sun.”
“Initiation” by Sylvia Plath
POV - 3rd Person Limited
Third person, told from the
viewpoint of a character in the story.
“They all laughed, and while they were
laughing, the quiet boy moved his bare
foot on the sidewalk and merely
touched, brushed against a number of
red ants that were scurrying about on
the sidewalk. Secretly, his eyes shining,
while his parents chatted with the old
man, he saw the ants hesitate, quiver,
and lie still on the cement. He sensed
they were cold now.”
“Fever Dream” by Ray Bradbury
POV - 1st Person Limited
Told from the viewpoint of one of the
characters, using the first person
pronoun “I”.
“The thousands of injuries of
Fortunato I had borne as best I
could, but when he ventured
upon insult I vowed revenge.
You, who so well know the
nature of my soul, will not
suppose, however, that I give
utterance to a threat.”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
by Edgar Allan Poe
Symbolism
A symbol represents an idea, quality, or
concept larger than itself.
A journey can symbolize life.
Water can represent rebirth (baptism).
A lion can represent courage.
A red rose can symbolize love.
Irony
A contrast or
discrepancy
between one thing
and another.
Irony
Dramatic Irony: When
the reader knows
something that the
character does not know.
Situational Irony: The
contrast between what
happens and what was
expected (or what would
seem appropriate).
Verbal Irony: A contrast
between what is said and
what is meant.
Sarcasm
The act of making fun
of a person to hurt his
feelings; harsh or bitter
irony.
A sneering or cutting
remark; ironical taunt.
So, when someone say
they are sarcastic, are
they really? Or are they
just ironic?
Satire
The art of ridiculing a
person, place, or
thing for the
purposes of
entertainment,
awareness, and / or
reform.
Language and Style
Connotation: The shade
or tone of a word's
meaning that the word
suggests. A word such as
brawny has a positive or
favorable connotation;
fat, however, has an
unfavorable or negative
connotation.
Denotation: The
dictionary definition of
the word.
Figurative Language
Language that is not intended to be
interpreted in a literal sense. Figurative
language always makes use of a
comparison between different things.
By appealing to the imagination,
figurative language provides new ways
of looking at the world.