Foundations of Literary Analysis slides

Foundations of Literary Analysis

1. Teaching Team

  • Prof. dr. Inge Arteel

    • German Literary Studies

    • Research: Post-1945 German literature, contemporary theatre

    • Contact: inge.arteel@vub.be

  • Prof. dr. Elisabeth Bekers

    • British and Postcolonial Literature

    • Research: Black British women’s literature, intersectionality

    • Contact: elisabeth.bekers@vub.be

  • Prof. dr. Janine Hauthal

    • Intermedial Studies

    • Research: Postcolonial and contemporary British literature

    • Contact: janine.hauthal@vub.be

  • Drs. Claire Swyzen

    • Theatre and Performance

    • Research: Theatre texts and intermediality

    • Contact: claire.swyzen@vub.be

  • Dr. Ruben Vanden Berghe

    • Modern Dutch literature

    • Research: Internet imagination in Dutch novels

    • Contact: ruben.vanden.berghe@vub.be

2. Course Overview

  • Course Focus: Understanding literature through various lenses such as narrative structure, genre, and reading effects.

  • Key Questions: What is literature? How do we analyze texts? What are the components of narrative?

3. Key Concepts

  • Literature Definitions:

    • Broad definition includes all written texts.

    • Distinction between literary and non-literary texts based on aesthetic conventions, intent, and audience reception.

  • Narrative Structure:

    • Story vs. Plot: chronological sequence vs. causal relationship.

    • Key elements: events (kernels vs. satellites), single vs. multiple plots, and narrative embedding.

  • Characterization:

    • Auto-characterization vs. altero-characterization.

    • Direct, indirect, block characterization methods.

4. Literary Analysis Techniques

  • Hermeneutics: Process of interpreting texts, requiring terminology for in-depth analysis.

  • Poetics: Understanding the structured aesthetic features of literature.

  • Narrative Techniques: Analysis of narration levels, focalization, and the reliability of narrators.

5. Representation of Consciousness

  • Different methods: psycho-narration, narrated monologue, and direct speech.

  • Influence of psychological realism and stream of consciousness in literature.

6. Representation of Time and Space

  • Temporal Structures: Story time vs. time of narration; chronology and non-chronological orders.

  • Spatial Representation: Descriptive techniques and their narrative functions.

7. New Directions in Narratology

  • Post-classical Narratology: Focus on context, reader interaction, and multimedia texts.

  • Inclusive theories: feminist, postcolonial, queer, intermedial approaches.

8. Recommended Readings

  • Primary Texts:

    • Handbook of Narrative Analysis by Herman and Vervaeck (2nd ed.)

    • The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by Baldick

    • Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative by Mieke Bal.