Elements of Literature

1. Elements of Literature

2. Character The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people) appearing in a literary work.

3. Character Protagonist: main character who experiences conflict: Cinderella, Luke Skywalker, Frodo, Hamlet Antagonist: character who opposes protagonist: wicked stepmothers, Darth Vader, Morder, Claudius

4. Character Dynamic characters:experience change or development, often because of conflict(s) Round characters: convincing – true to life; feature several different and sometimes contradictory personality traits. Static characters: do not change throughout the story. Flat characters: stereotyped, shallow, and sometimes symbolic; show only one or two personality traits.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.” “HearThere Be Tygers” by Stephen King

11. In much of the best literature and the greatest stories … Character Drives Plot!

12. Plot . . . . . . describes the structure of a story. It shows the arrangement of events and actions within a story. Plot must have causality and conflict.

13. Plot Components Climax: turning point, most intense moment - either mentally or in the action Rising Action: series of conflicts & crises leading to the climax Falling Action: all of the action following the climax Resolution: conclusion, the tying together of all the threads Exposition: beginning of the story, the situation before the action starts

14. 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…”

15. Plot: Conflict Conflict: dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict no plot.

16. 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.

17. Conflict

18. Types of Conflict Human vs. Nature Human vs. Human Human vs. Society Human vs. Self

19. Setting • 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.) The setting is the place (location) where the story takes place and the time it occurs.

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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.

24. Vanitas

25. 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!

26. 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.

27. 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?

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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.

32. Irony A contrast or discrepancy between one thing and another.

33. 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.

34. 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?

35. Satire The art of ridiculing a person, place, or thing for the purposes of entertainment, awareness, and / or reform.

36. 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.

37. 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.