1. LITERATURE STUDIES
Grade Nine ELA

2. LITERARY FORMS Short Story -short piece of writing (<40 pages)
-has only one central plot line
-limited number of characters
-one main theme
-generally covers a limited time frame (<24 hours)
-usually only one central conflict; although there may be other sub conflicts
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3. -a longer piece of fiction -will have: -multiple characters
NOVEL:
-a longer piece of fiction
-will have:
-multiple characters
-multiple settings
-multiple plot lines (one central plus several sub-plots)
-multiple themes
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4. -evokes an emotional response. -may use metre and rhyme
POETRY:
-is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices
-evokes an emotional response.
-may use metre and rhyme
-hard to define as it has many forms
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5. -a piece of work intended for performance
DRAMA:
-a piece of work intended for performance
-contains the elements of other literature but
all knowledge/information is presented through dialogue
-many will contain stage directions for the actors (or readers) of a drama
-can vary in length from single monologues to full length plays
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6. LITERARY GENRES
-A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter Examples: science fiction, romance, horror, historical, western, action, etc.
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7. LITERARY ELEMENTS
SETTING: the time and location in which a story takes place. For some stories the setting is very important. There are several aspects of a story’s setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story:
Place: geographical location: where is the story taking place?
Time: when is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc.)
Weather conditions: is it rainy, sunny, story, etc. ?
Social conditions: what is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?
Mood or atmosphere: what feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?
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8. PLOT: -the sequence of events in a story
-five essential parts of plot:
Introduction (exposition): the beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed
Rising action: the events of the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed
Climax: the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next: will the conflict be resolved or not?
Falling action: the events and complications begin to resolve
Denouement: the final outcome or untangling of events in the story (Not all stories will have this. Some end at the climax.)
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9. Consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon: 1
Consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon: 1. the main character receives new information 2. accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it) 3. acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not he/she gains his/her objective) **this is often seen as the point of the highest tension in a story—it’s the point of no return)
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10. III. Conflict: -the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another -any form of opposition that faces the main character -there are two types of conflict: external-a struggle with a force outside one’s self internal-a struggle within one’s self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
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11. There are four kinds of conflict: 1. Physical: Man v. Man
Man v. Nature
Man v. Supernatural
Man v. Technology
Classical:
Man v. Circumstances (fate or the circumstances of life facing him/her)
Social:
Man v. Society (the leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people)
Psychological:
Man v. Himself (the leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his or her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.)
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12. -there are two meanings: a. The person in a work of fiction
Character:
-there are two meanings:
a. The person in a work of fiction
-protagonist: the central/leading character
-antagonist: he/she/it acts against the main character
b. The characteristics of a person may be revealed in several ways:
-his/her physical appearance
-what he/she says, thinks, feels, and dreams
-what he/she does or does not do
-what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her
Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people)
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13. Characters are:
Individual: round, many sided and complex personalities
Developing: dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story
Static: stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized; may also be described as “flat”
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14. Point of View: the angle from which the story is told
Innocent eye: told through the eyes of a child
Stream of consciousness: the author makes it seem as though the reader were inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions
First person: the protagonist (or a character who interacts closely with the protagonist) tells the story. It uses “I”, “me”, “my”.
Omniscient: told from an outside perspective. The author moves from character to character, event to event. There are two types:
Omniscient Limited: told in the third person (he, she, they, etc) but the author focuses on one character, the reader knows only what that person knows.
Omniscient Objective: third person; the author follows characters around like a video camera recording all events but offering no analysis, interpretation, etc. The reader must interpret the events him or herself.
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15. -the controlling idea or its central insight
Theme:
-the controlling idea or its central insight
-the underlying meaning or main idea the author is trying to convey
-may be the author’s thoughts on a topic or a view of human nature
-the title of a short story is often a clue
-use of figurative language helps emphasize theme (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, symbol, allusion, etc.)
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