FICTION It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it. ~Oscar Wilde

LITERATURE FICTION POETRY DRAMA

Escape vs. Imaginative/Interpretive Is only for entertainment/diversion May have some substance, but lacks the depth of imaginative fiction Takes us away from reality Often contains suspense, love interests, action, etc. May leave reader with superficial attitudes toward life May distort reader’s views of reality and may promote false concepts and expectations of real life Begins with the writer’s need to convey a personal vision Takes the reader to a deeper level of understanding about self, society, and the human condition Does more than just communicate the writer’s ideas; it uses words that are memorable Uses vivid imagery and stretches language to its limits Urges the reader to see beyond the factual details of events Illuminates some aspect of human life or human behavior Provides a portrait of human conditions from particular regions, time periods, and eras. Suggests more than one possible interpretation

Elements of Literature Theme Plot Point of view Setting Style, Tone & Language Symbol Characters

Theme Can be broad or narrow, central or peripheral Common themes include: a. “coming of age”—maturation b. loss of innocence c. family ties d. self-awareness Is conveyed through: a. selection and arrangement of details b. emphasis of certain events or images c. actions and reactions of characters

Plot The element you will notice first and remember the longest It’s the pattern of actions, events, and situations, used expressively by the writer to create suspense, sadness, humor, excitement, etc. Can be simple or complex Emphasizes the relationships between the characters, events, and situations. Contains the conflict Diagram:

Setting This is the time and the place in the story, the details of which are important to our understanding of the entire meaning of the story. Look at these contexts when reading: Historical context Geographical context Physical context

Setting Historical context: This lets the reader know what the social, political, economic, and cultural environment was surrounding the story Geographical context: Knowing the location may help explain the behavior of the characters. The size of the location and the “lay of the land” can provide the reader with clues about the story’s theme or can act as foreshadowing. Physical context: Observe elements like the weather, the time of day, and whether or not the story’s setting is indoors or outdoors. The outdoors may suggest expansive freedom; the indoors may suggest isolation or limitations. Outdoor settings may free a character from the social norms of behavior for a time. Ex.– A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Storms may foreshadow imminent danger or other threats. Weather may test the character’s actions when they have to struggle against the environment.

Style Style is the way a writer selects and arranges words, sentences, and paragraphs. Style encompasses word choice, sentence length and structure, and the presence or prominence of imagery and figures of speech. Hemingway and Faulkner are good examples of contrasting styles.

Tone Tone is the attitude of the author toward the subject and can be revealed through the narrator’s attitude and actions. The tone of the story can be playful, humorous, ironic, satirical, serious, somber, bitter, condescending, formal or informal, critical or supportive, just to list a few.

Language The language that the characters use gives us an idea of their location and social class. Formal language uses elaborate, complex sentences and may include figurative language. Informal language is consistent with everyday speech. It can sometimes provide clues to the character’s motivation—Ex.: The slang used by The Misfit in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”

Symbol Symbol can be a person, object, action, place, or event that, in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning. Some symbols are relatively obvious, like the character of Manley Pointer in O’Connor’s “Good Country People.”

Character(s) A character is a fictional representation of a person. Usually, but not always, it’s a psychologically realistic depiction. Characters are “developed” in two ways: 1. We can be told about them by the narrator who gives us info about what the characters are doing or thinking, what they look like, how they’re dressed, what values they hold, etc. Sometimes the narrator will make a judgment about a character’s behavior or provide an analysis of it. 2. The character’s personality traits and/or motivation(s) may be revealed through actions, dialogue, or thoughts.

Character(s)—Round or Flat In his 1927 work, Aspects of the Novel, author E.M. Forster coined the terms “round” and “flat” to describe character development in a literary work. A “round” character is well-developed in the story and is closely involved in and is responsive to the action in the story. This is a character that the reader can clearly identify as a main character. A “flat” character is one that is barely developed or is stereotypical. It’s harder for the reader to get involved with this character or to care what happens to him/her in the course of the story. An example might be the stereotypical “drunk” in a Wild West story.

Character(s)—Dynamic or Static Characters can be classified as either “dynamic” or “static.” A dynamic character grows and changes in a significant way throughout the course of the story as he/she reacts to events and other characters. The dynamic character may grow and change in relation to self-awareness, to maturity, to the human condition, or to a number of factors. Dynamic characters sometimes experience epiphanies. A static character, on the other hand, may face the exact same challenges as the dynamic character, but will remain unchanged by events or other characters. If the static character is selfish and arrogant at the beginning of the story, he/she will be the same way at the end of the story.

Point of View Who’s telling the story? Do we have a narrator? Questions to ask yourself about the narrator: Is he/she reliable or unreliable? If the narrator is crazy, jealous, self-serving, mistaken, confused, etc., then the reader may questions the reliability of the story he/she is telling. Is the narrator a participating character, or is the narrator telling the story from an omniscient point of view? Is the narrator naïve? The reader can see that the narrator’s background limits his/her ability to understand a situation. Can we see into the mind(s) of the character(s)?