Lesson 1 - Literature

Literature

Any collection of written or oral work, but it more commonly and narrowly

refers to writings specifically considered to be an art form.

Literature

It commonly refers to works of the creative imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction and in some instances journalism and song.

As an art form can also include works in various non-fiction genres such as

autobiography, diaries, memoir (author’s personal memory), letters and the essay.

A means of exploring what is to be human.

A way of communicating with others about a huge range of ideas and concerns.

Allows a person to step back in time and learn about life on Earth from the ones who walked before us.

Appreciation for other cultures and beliefs.

Improves your command of language.

Teaches you about the life, cultures and experiences of people in other parts of the world.

Makes you a wiser and more experienced person by forcing you to judge, sympathize with, or criticize

Importance of Literature

Fictional and Non-Fictional

Kinds of Literature

Fictional Literature

Imaginary composed writing or work of art that is meant to provide information, education, and entertainment to the reader.

Based on the writer’s imagination rather than reality.

Non-fictional Literature

Factual writing or written work that is gives facts that can be proved as it provides real places, events, characters, times or reality rather than imaginary things.

Plays

Poems

Short stories

Novels

Oral or traditional literature

Songs

Examples of Fictional Literature

Autobiographies

Biographies

Essays

Diaries

Journals

Magazines

Newspaper

Subject textbooks

Examples of Non- Fictional Literature

Artistry

Intellectual Value

Suggestiveness

Spiritual Value

Permanence

Standards of Good Literature

Artistry

Quality which appeals to our sense of beauty

Intellectual Value

Quality which stimulates thought and enriches our mental life by making us realize fundamental truths about life and human nature.

Suggestiveness

Quality that is associated with the emotional power of literature

Spiritual Value

Elevates the spirit and the soul and this has the power to motivate and inspire drawn from the suggested morals or lessons of the different literary genres.

Permanence

Quality of literature that shows endurance that the piece can be read again and again.

Universality

Quality that refers to being timeless and timely which means that

a piece of literature is forever relevant in terms of its theme and conditions.

Style

The peculiar way in which a writer sees life, forms his ideas and expresses them.

Character

Characterization

Setting

Diction

Plot

Denotation

Themes

Conotation

Style

Tone

Point of View

Mood

Motifs

Elements of a Literary Analysis

Character

A person, animal, being, creature in a story. Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story along a plot line.

Examples: Protagonist, Antagonist

Characterization

A writer’s process used to develop their characters throughout the story. The author uses details to teach us about a character. This is used over the course of a story in order to tell the tale.

Types: Direct and Indirect.

Protagonist

This is the main character, around which the whole story revolves.

Antagonist

This character, or group of characters, causes the conflict for the protagonist.

The antagonist could be the protagonist, who is torn by a problem within.

Foil

Opposite character traits from another, character meant to help highlight or bring out another’s positive or negative side.

Static

Do not change throughout the story. A major character can remain static through the whole story

Dynamic

Changes throughout the story. They may learn a lesson, become bad, or change in complex ways.

Flat

Has one or two traits, usually only all positive or negative. They are the opposite of a round character. The flaw or strength has its use in the story.

Round

Opposite of the flat character. Characters have many different traits, good and bad, making them more interesting.

Direct

The author explicitly tells the audience what he or she wants you to know about the character.

Indirect

The reader makes inferences about a character based on their actions, thoughts, personality, and emotional affect on other characters.

Speech

Thoughts

Effect on Others

Actions

Looks

5 types of Indirect Characterization

Setting

The time and place (or when and where) of the story. It can be time period, location, the time of day, the season, the weather, the type of room or building.

Physical

The place where the story occurs.

Historical

The time period in history that either surrounds the story.

Atmospheric

The feeling, emotion, or mood that an author creates in a narrative through descriptive language.

Plot

The arrangement of events; consider chronology or use of flashback/flashforward.

Exposition

The opening of the story that sets up the characters, setting, (time and place), and basic information in introduced.

Conflict

The protagonist struggles between opposing forces.

Rising Action

The main character faces a series of conflicts.

Crisis

A significant turning point in the story that determines how it must end.

Climax

The highest point of tension or drama in a narratives’ plot. When the main problem of the story is faced and solved by the main character or protagonist.

Falling Action

The story begins to slow down and work towards its end, tying up loose ends.

Resolution/Denouement

The conclusion of the story’s plot.

Theme

The messages explored throughout a work of literature.

Motifs

Repeated patterns in the story, particularly the symbolic

Point of vVew

The vantage point from which the story is told.

First-person, Second-person, and Third-person.

Diction

Refers to word choice and phrasing in any written or spoken text.

2 Types: Formal and Informal

Mood

The atmosphere of the story. The reader determines the feel of the story.

First-person

The story is told through the eyes of the character telling the story.

Second-person

The narrator is speaking to you. This is seen mostly in poems, speeches, instructional writing, and persuasive articles.

Third-person

The narrator is describing what’s seen, but as a spectator. If the narrator is a character in the story, then we are reading what he or she observes as the story unfolds.

Formal

Involves choosing words that are polite and proper. Often filled with descriptive words that are quite precise, and sentences may be longer.

Informal

Generally uses shorter words. Sentences may be incomplete or ignore some finer points of grammar and usage.

Denotation

Dictionary definition of a word. Sometimes a word can have multiple definitions. Consider the way the word is used in context to the story.

Connotation

Feelings and images associated with a word or phrase.

Tone

The author’s attitude towards the subject they are writing about.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.

Universal

A word or object that most everyone agrees on the meaning.

Conventional

Widely recognized by a society or culture.

Contextual

A word or object that stands for something else just in the story or situation.

Imagery

Evokes the five senses.

Figurative Language

Used to describe someone or something by comparing to another or using words for description that do not have a literal meaning.

Metaphor

Makes a comparison of two unrelated things often using “is.”

Hyperbole

A purposeful exaggeration not meant to be taken literally. It is used to emphasize or draw attention to a certain element in a story.

Simile

Makes a comparison of two unrelated things to show common quality between them using “like” or “as.”

Personification

A thing—an idea or an animal—is given human attributes.

Allegory

The characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning in life.

Allusion

A reference to something in history, culture, or literature.

Express complex ideas in a simplified way by drawing connection to something.

A typical subtle reference to a famous person or event in life or in literature.