Boot Camp A.P. Literature Part 1- Plot and Setting

Plot- what happens in a narrative Plot is more than just a series of events. Authors must arrange conflict, complications, and resolutions to create a logical cause and effect relationship. Readers must understand not just What is happening but Why it is happening. A plot must be believable yet it doesn’t have to be realistic.

Types Of Plot Structure Standard Form Other Forms-Non Linear Plot In medias res- beginning in the middle of the action Flashback Foreshadowing Subplots Parallel Plot Structure Exposition- sets up setting, characters, and conflict clue Rising Action- after inciting incident the conflict grows Climax- when the emotional tension or suspense reaches its peak. Could be the turning point Falling Action- deals with the fall out from the conflict. Potential resolutions appear. Denouement/Resolution ties things up, tells the moral, however many 20-21th century stories leave this undone so readers must ponder the possibilities

Questions to Guide Plot Analysis Is the plot in chronological order or in medias res? Does it involve flashbacks? If so to what purpose? What is the nature of the conflict? What is the high point or climax? How is the conflict resolved? If there is no resolution, why not? Is there a denouement? If not why is the story inconclusive? What patterns do you see in the plot structure?

Plot Directions for Annotations What type of plot structure does “Great Expectations” have? What effect does this structure have on the story?

Setting Explained The word “setting” might remind you of a play’s “set.” Inexperienced readers think of setting as mere background. However, settings can prompt characters to act, bring them to realizations, or even reveal their innermost nature.

What can a setting do? Affect character action and motivation Reveal the nature of the characters Mirror the plot Act as a character Provide key symbolism Set atmosphere or mood Illustrate irony Establish verisimilitude = (realistic setting leads us to suspend disbelief) Snow White

Setting is more than location. Students often think about setting like real estate…it’s all about “location, location, location. Setting is more than location. “Locale” refers to the physical location of a story: a house, a street, a city, a landscape, a region. Honore de Balzac famously would research several actual houses on a single street and describe them down to the minutest detail, including their individual smells.

Setting may also critically involve the time of the story, the day, year, or century. James Joyce’s epic masterpiece Ulysses takes on a single day, June, 16 1904 in Dublin, Ireland. The novel includes numerous historical facts culled from the daily Dublin newspaper right down to the winner of the horseraces.

This includes the beliefs and assumptions of the characters. Truly, setting includes the entire society (itself a product of place and time). This includes the beliefs and assumptions of the characters. The harsh judgment cast on Hester Prynne in The Scarlett Letter is largely a product of the time period. It is nearly impossible to understand the novel without understanding the Puritan culture in the early seventeenth century.

In summation… Setting encompasses locale, time period, and the mores of the society within a work of literature. Setting is the natural, manufactured, political, cultural, and temporal environment, including everything the characters know and own (Roberts & Jacobs 275).

Ask Yourself… Is it a public or a private setting? Is it an urban, rural or natural setting? Are there two (or more) contrasting settings? What are the cultural and historical circumstances? Vienna, Austria

A.P. Lit Thesis Statements Your thesis should mention both author and title by name. Your thesis should directly address the prompt and name the element(s) you have chosen to address. Your thesis should address the meaning of the work as a whole (i.e. state the theme)

How does the author use setting to create meaning in your literary work? Setting = Meaning Consider what about the setting helps create meaning in the literary work?

Great Expectations Practice Your thesis should mention both author and title by name. Your thesis should directly address the prompt and name the element(s) you have chosen to address. Your thesis should address the meaning of the work as a whole (i.e. state the theme) Charles Dickens, author of Great Expectations, uses the stark contrast between London and the marshes of Kent during the mid 1800s, in order to develop the novel’s theme that status and money do not equal hapiness. This is a very structured format. It is a good starting place to ensure you cover both aspects of the prompt while focusing on the author in an active voice. However it can be altered to fit your style and voice.

Create Your Own Setting Thesis Statements Your thesis should mention both author and title by name. Your thesis should directly address the prompt and name the element(s) you have chosen to address. Your thesis should address the meaning of the work as a whole (i.e. state the theme) ****We will eventually create a thesis based on one of the stories, but it is not part of your homework tonight.***