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Literature An Introduction to Reading and Writing - Lecturer Notes - United State Literature - Roberts and Jacobs, Study notes of American literature

University of Virginia (UVA)American literature

Determine what is happening, where, what, who is involved, major characters

Typology: Study notes

2010/2011

Uploaded on 12/23/2011

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Literature: An
Literature: An
Introduction to
Introduction to
Reading and Writing
Reading and Writing
by Roberts and Jacobs
by Roberts and Jacobs
English Composition III
English Composition III
Mary F. Clifford, Instructor
Mary F. Clifford, Instructor
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Download Literature An Introduction to Reading and Writing - Lecturer Notes - United State Literature - Roberts and Jacobs and more Study notes American literature in PDF only on Docsity!

Literature: AnLiterature: An

Introduction toIntroduction to

Reading and WritingReading and Writing

by Roberts and Jacobsby Roberts and JacobsEnglish Composition III

English Composition III

Mary F. Clifford, InstructorMary F. Clifford, Instructor

What Is Literature and Why Do WeWhat Is Literature and Why Do We

Study It?Study It?

  • Literature is
    • Composition that tells a story, dramatizes a situation,

expresses emotions, analyzes and advocates ideas

  • Helps us grow personally and intellectually– Provides an objective base for knowledge and

understanding

  • Shapes our goals and values by clarifying our own

identities, both positively and negatively

  • Literature makes us human.

Guidelines for Reading LiteratureGuidelines for Reading Literature

  • First reading
    • Determine what is happening, where, what, who is

involved, major characters

  • Make a record of your reactions and responses– Describe characterizations, events, techniques and ideas
    • Second reading
      • Trace developing patterns– Write expanded notes about characters, situations,

actions

  • Write paragraph describing your reactions and thoughts– Write down questions that arise as you read (in the

margins)

Writing a PrecisWriting a

Precis

  • Precis

a concise summary

paraphrase

  • Retell the highlights so reader will know main sections– Only essential details – they must be correct and

accurate

  • Must be an original essay, written in your own words– Be sure to introduce the title and author– Avoid judgments– Use present tense when retelling a story

Plot and StructurePlot and Structure

  • Plot = reflection of motivation and causation
    • No plot = The king died and then the queen died.– Plot = The king died, and then the queen died of grief.
      • Conflict = controlling impulse in a connected

pattern of causes and effects– Opposition of two or more people (e.g., hatred, envy,

anger, argument, avoidance, gossip, lies, fighting, etc.)

  • Dilemma = Conflict within or for one person
    • Conflict is a major element of plot because it arouses

curiosity, causes doubt, creates tension, producesinterest

  • No tension = no interest

Structure of FictionStructure of Fiction

  • Structure defines the layout of the

work

Crisis

Complication

Exposition

Climax Resolution(denouement)

Another structural element used sometimes = Flashback

Point of ViewPoint of View

  • Refers to speaker, narrator, persona or voice

created by the author to tell the story

  • Point of view depends on two factors:
    • Physical situation of the narrator as an observer– Speaker’s intellectual and emotional position
      • First person = I, we• Second person = You (uncommon)• Third person = He, she, they (most common)• Point of view may be:
        • Dramatic/objective = strictly reporting– Omniscient = all-knowing– Limited omniscient = some insight

SettingSetting

  • Setting = a work’s natural, manufactured,

political, cultural and temporal environment,including everything that characters know andown (place, time, objects)

  • Major purpose = to establish realism or

verisimilitude, and to organize a story

  • Setting helps create atmosphere or mood• Setting may reinforce characters and theme, in

order to establish expectations that are theopposite of what occurs = irony

Tone and Style (cont’Tone and Style (cont

’d)d)

•^

Language may be:–

Specific = images

General = broad classes

Concrete = qualities of immediate perception

Abstract = broader, less palpable qualities

•^

Denotation = word meanings

-^

Connotation = word suggestions

-^

Verbal irony = contradictory statements–

One thing said, opposite is meant

Irony = satire, parody, sarcasm, double entendre

•^

Understatement = does not fully describe the importance ofa situation – deliberately

-^

Hyperbole (overstatement) = words far in excess of thesituation

Symbolism and AllegorySymbolism and Allegory

  • Symbolism and allegory are modes that expand

meaning

  • Symbol creates a direct, meaningful equation

between:– A specific object, scene, character, or action– Ideas, values, persons or ways of life

  • Symbols may be:

Cultural (universal)

= known by most literate people

(e.g., white dove, color black)

Contextual (authorial)

= private, created by the

author

Idea or ThemeIdea or Theme

•^

Idea = results of general and abstract thinking–

In literature, ideas relate to meaning, interpretation,explanation and significance

•^

Literature embodies values along with ideas–

Ideas are vital to an understanding and appreciation ofliterature

•^

Ideas are not as obvious as character or setting.

It is

important to consider the meaning of what you’ve read andthen develop an explanatory and comprehensive assertion.

-^

Theme can be found in any of these:–

Direct statements by the authorial voice

Direct statements by a first-person speaker

Dramatic statements by characters

Figurative language, characters who stand for ideas

The work itself