in Literary Analysis and Criticism 5 Areas of Study in Literary Analysis and Criticism

PLOT SETTING & ATMOSPH-ERE CHARACTERI-ZATION STYLE THEME

PLOT What happens in the story The sequence of events How the events lead from one to the other The connection between the events throughout the novel The significance of specific events and the role they play in the novel Related devices: suspense, foreshadowing, pace, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement / resolution

SETTING & ATMOSPHERE The where and when of the story or scene The place as well as the time period as well as the cultural environment of the place Through the writer’s description of a scene (or stage directions in a play) The atmosphere is the general mood created in a scene We look at how the writer creates this mood and how the atmosphere evokes certain feelings in us the reader or audience

CHARACTERIZATION How a character is portrayed Through the writer’s depiction of their actions, words, or even what they do not do or say How other characters perceive them and react towards them We look at the role of the character in the story, and what they might represent or symbolize And how the characters are related to one another, the dynamics of their relationships

STYLE This is how the writer uses literary techniques effectively to convey ideas or affect any of the other areas of study Many of these techniques involve the writer’s skilful use of language, Related techniques include word choice, sound devices like alliteration and onomatopoeia, metaphor and imagery, dramatic irony…

THEME A central idea that is emphasized in the story, usually related to some aspect of the human condition or involving some philosophical insight Examples of themes include Savagery versus Civilisation, Public and Private personas, the power of manipulation and deceit, the folly of ambition/greed/jealousy, importance of family/brotherhood… There could be more than one theme in the text

1st paragraph of Chapter 6 There was no light left save that of the stars. When they had understood what made this ghostly noise and Percival was quiet again, Ralph and Simon picked him up unhandily and carried him to a shelter. Piggy hung about near for all his brave words, and the three bigger boys went together to the next shelter. They lay restlessly and noisily among the dry leaves, watching the patch of stars that was the opening toward the lagoon. Sometimes a littlun cried out from the other shelters and once a bigun spoke in the dark. Then they too fell asleep.

PLOT – how is the first para. of Chpt 6 connected to Chpt 5? Chapter 5 ends with Percival in a very pitiful condition: A thin wail out of the darkness chilled them and set them grabbing for each other. Then the wail rose, remote and unearthly, and turned into an inarticulate gibbering. Percival Wemys Madison, of the Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, lying in the long grass, was living through circumstances in which the incantation of his address was powerless to help him.

PLOT – how is the first para. of Chpt 6 connected to Chpt 5? Chapter 6 continues directly from the end of Chapter 5 By ‘resolving’ Percival’s situation only at the beginning of chpt 6 instead of at the end of chpt 5, Golding could be making the connection between the two chapters even stronger The similar titles also strengthen the connection between the chpts: Beast from Water and Beast from Air. If the beast can be from the water and from the air, it seems as if it could be anywhere and everywhere. Golding could be showing us how the boys’ fear magnifies the presence of the beast.

SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE – What kind of mood and atmosphere does Golding create in this first paragraph? ‘no light left’ – darkness ‘restlessly and noisily’ – sense of discomfort silence, broken occasionally by someone crying out in the dark – creates a sense of suffering and unpleasant conditions all this creates tension, and the mood is tense and dismal

CHARACTERIZATION - what does this scene tell us about the characters? Ralph and Simon picked Percival up ‘unhandily’ - true to character, Ralph the responsible one, and Simon the compassionate one, are the only ones to help Percival - the word ‘unhandily’ suggests their actions were clumsy and awkward. As much as they want to help, is Golding pointing out their inadequacy in terms of not just helping Percival but the boys as a whole? “for all his brave words” – Golding points out here Piggy’s cowardice and tendency for self-preservation. Does Piggy display these qualities throughout the novel though? Do we see another, braver side to him later?

STYLE – How does Golding use various literary techniques to convey important ideas to us? Word choice: unhandily -> clumsy and awkward Interesting choice of word, because it describes Ralph and Simon’s actions in trying to help Percival. Their intentions seem positive, yet the word suggests a negative connotation ‘Patch of stars’ – the imagery suggests very little light - also hints at the larger world outside the island, beyond our world ‘Then they too fell asleep.’ – the paragraph ends abruptly, building suspense as we anticipate what will happen as the boys are asleep. ‘ghostly noise’ – what is the effect of this description?

THEME – How does Golding convey ideas about fear and how it affects us in this paragraph?

THEME – How does Golding convey ideas about fear and how it affects us in this paragraph? Golding shows us in this paragraph the effect of fear on the littluns, in particular Percival. His condition is very pitiful as he is wailing and needs to be carried to the shelters by Ralph and Simon. We feel sympathy for his pathetic state. The other boys are affected too by all this talk of the beast, and there is fear and tension in the air, highlighted by how they ‘lay restlessly’ and amplified by the darkness and silence of night, with only a ‘patch of stars’ providing scant light.