...things, people, or places. The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language. Allegory—A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth. These characters, etc. may be symbolic of the ideas referred to. Alliteration—The repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Allusion—An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text) with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, Biblical, or mythological. Ambiguity—An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way. Also, the manner of expression of such an event or situation may be ambiguous. Artful language may be ambiguous. Unintentional ambiguity is usually vagueness. Anachronism—Assignment of something to a time when it was not in existence, e.g., the watch Merlyn wore in The Once and Future King. Analogy—An analogy is a comparison to a directly parallel case. When a writer uses an analogy, he or she argues that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case. Anecdote—A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Anecdotes are often inserted into fictional or nonfictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor. Angst—A term used in existential...
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...Some definitions of literary devices, techniques and style from searching via http://www.ferretsoft.com/ LITERARY DEVICES http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/lit.htm Literary devices refers to any specific aspect of literature, or a particular work, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices. Literary elements refers to aspects or characteristics of a whole text. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; we derive what they are from reading the text. Most literary elements can be derived from any and all texts; for example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point-of-view, etc. In order to be discussed legitimately, literary elements must be specifically identified for that text. Literary techniques refers to any specific, deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to convey meaning. An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present in every text. Literary terms refers to the words themselves with which we identify and describe literary elements and techniques. They are not found in literature and they are not “used” by authors. Allegory:...
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...wall of literary structure. * If we miss one detail of the story,it would be incomplete comprehension for the readers. * The most important reason why we study literature is not about “what” but “How”.(Literature statement should be beyond peripheral) * Theme * Main idea of literary work is usually a structural decision,comparable to an architectural decisions. * consistency of the chosen theme/ex:”Native”/Filipino * Literary Terms 1. Symbol 2. Simile 3.Metaphor 4.Images 5.Diction 6.Denotation/Connotation * Literary Genres * are determined by literary technique, tone content & by critics’ definitions of the genres * a category , type or class Literature 1. Allegory : A narrative w/c litetal meaning corresponds clearly &...
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...Theme and Narrative Elements in “Hills like White Elephants” Shawntelle D Holloway Ashford University Theme and Narrative Elements in “Hills like White Elephants” In the fictional writing, theme refers to a broad message the writer wishes to deliver buried deep within his story. A theme therefore cannot be picked directly from the storyline but only after identifying the underlying idea. Looking beyond the general plot will be the only way one can arrive at any stories intended theme. In the story hills white like elephants, the writer has used irony and satirical techniques of writing to create theme in his work. The saddening story of a young misfortunate couple has been used to portray the theme of hopeless love in a vague world that has no concept or morality. The setting of the story is vague and without any kind of personal emotion. The young couple seems to be caught in the crossroads faced by the challenge of abortion or keeping their unborn baby. While Jig seems ready and willing to have the baby, she is pushed by her ruthless boyfriend to abort. He seems more concerned about ideals of travelling, fun and merrymaking even when making a decision involving his unborn baby. Jig is pushed by her love for him to make a decision that will affect her and murder their unborn baby. He is a hypocrite and not kind to women willing to keep his own baby. By exploiting their love, he gets Jig to consent to an abortion even if she knows it is harmful. The use of irony and symbolism...
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...A Glossary of Literary Devices Allegory A symbolic narrative in which the surface details imply a secondary meaning. Allegory often takes the form of a story in which the characters represent moral qualities. The most famous example in English is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, in which the name of the central character, Pilgrim, epitomizes the book's allegorical nature. Kay Boyle's story "Astronomer's Wife" and Christina Rossetti's poem "Up-Hill" both contain allegorical elements. Alliteration The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. Example: "Fetched fresh, as I suppose, off some sweet wood." Hopkins, "In the Valley of the Elwy." Antagonist A character or force against which another character struggles. Creon is Antigone's antagonist in Sophocles' play Antigone; Teiresias is the antagonist of Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Assonance The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose, as in "I rose and told him of my woe." Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" contains assonantal "I's" in the following lines: "How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, / Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself." Character An imaginary person that inhabits a literary work. Literary characters may be major or minor, static (unchanging) or dynamic (capable of change). In Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona is a major character, but one who is static, like the minor character Bianca. Othello...
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...Students are asked to write literary analysis essays because this type of assignment encourages you to think about how and why a poem, short story, novel, or play was written. To successfully analyze literature, you’ll need to remember that authors make specific choices for particular reasons. Your essay should point out the author’s choices and attempt to explain their significance. Another way to look at a literary analysis is to consider a piece of literature from your own perspective. Rather than thinking about the author’s intentions, you can develop an argument based on any single term (or combination of terms) listed below. You’ll just need to use the original text to defend and explain your argument to the reader. Allegory - narrative form in which the characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait (i.e. greed, vanity, or bravery) and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning to life. Although allegory was originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to parallel story and theme. William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily- the decline of the Old South Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- man’s struggle to contain his inner primal instincts District 9- South African Apartheid X Men- the evils of prejudice Harry Potter- the dangers of seeking “racial purity” Character - representation of a person, place, or thing performing traditionally human activities or functions in a work of fiction Protagonist...
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...Narrative A narrative is a sequence of events that a narrator tells in story form. A narrator is a storyteller of any kind, whether the authorial voice in a novel or a friend telling you about last night’s party. Point of View The point of view is the perspective that a narrative takes toward the events it describes. First-person narration: A narrative in which the narrator tells the story from his/her own point of view and refers to him/herself as “I.” The narrator may be an active participant in the story or just an observer. When the point of view represented is specifically the author’s, and not a fictional narrator’s, the story is autobiographical and may be nonfictional (see Common Literary Forms and Genres below). Third-person narration: The narrator remains outside the story and describes the characters in the story using proper names and the third-person pronouns “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.” • Omniscient narration: The narrator knows all of the actions, feelings, and motivations of all of the characters. For example, the narrator of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina seems to know everything about all the characters and events in the story. • Limited omniscient narration: The narrator knows the actions, feelings, and motivations of only one or a handful of characters. For example, the narrator of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has full knowledge of only Alice. • Free indirect discourse: The narrator conveys a character’s inner thoughts...
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...Experiment in Modernist Fiction Modernism is a current which defines everything that is new in matters of art, literature or music. The main focus of our interest is modernist literature which is a subdivision of modernism and begins during the early stages of the 20th century, being seen in opposition to the traditional values promoted until the first World War. Many branches develop during this period (psychology, philosophy, political institutions etc.) and the realism of the earlier times is now rejected and replaced by the idea that everything is relative. Things take a new shift and the absolute truths vanish, leaving room for multiple interpretations and personalized opinions which are presented now, in writing. But how can one define something that has no clear conclusion? An element of this sort cannot have a finality, therefore, it is understood according to one’s personal background and experience. Modernist literature will always raise serious issues concerning the purpose and form of literature, questioning its former aspects. What are the reasons for writing a novel and what should a novel consist of? For example, the notion of “novel” becomes ambiguous in the mind of Virginia Woolf, who declared after writing “Mrs. Dalloway” that “I’m glad to be quit this time of writing a novel, and hope never to be accused of it again.” Next to Virginia Woolf which is believed to be one of the greatest modern authors, the faithful readers come across names like James Joyce...
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...refers to the part of the novel, when Kino discovers an enormous pearl or “the Pearl of the World”. The register of the text is fictional narrative, and type of narration is heterodiegetic, because the narrator situated outside the level of action. The text is with omniscient point of view, or zero focalization – the narrator knows more than characters. The authorial narrative allows the narrator to have an insight into the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and to see the story from outsider`s position: And he wondered whether he had baptized Kino`s baby, or married him for that matter. And the doctor’s eyes rolled up a little fat hammocks and he thought of Paris. He remembered the room he had lived in there … In addition, it is a third-person narrative extract, because all character of the story referred as “they” “it” “he”: their mother knew it; his eyes; he wondered; they waited etc. Finally, it is overt narrator; he makes his opinion known and gives extra information and explanations: The news came to the doctor where he sat with a woman whose illness was age, thought neither she nor the doctor would admit it (this is also an example of irony). The narrator uses evaluative phrases and emotive expressions, e.g. And a town has a whole emotion; panting little boys; curious dark residue, etc. To create the tone or melody of the narrative, the narrator use conjunction “and” number of sentences in the extract begins with this conjunction: And a town has a whole emotion...
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...instincts’. This mean that you should always put your trust in somebody that deserves it and that wouldn’t break your trust. In this story the princess’ lover had trusted her enough to make the decision for him on which door he should go to. This shows he had trusted her even in the face of death because he believed in her enough to decide what was right for him. Though in the end it was a mystery on which door held what fate, the story shows their love and trust in each other. Diction Throughout this story, it is shown to be more of a narrative story. This story is told from a third person point of view and it barely has quotation marks. This is shown in the story, “Now, the point of the story is: Did the tiger come out of the door, or did the lady?”(Stockton 4). As stated, you notice that their is a narrator in this story and that the narrator blends right into the storyline. In the story another part found from diction is vivid images. This narrative story describes a variety of things throughout the plot. For example, when describing the princess’ profile, “... a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own” (2). Yes, the diction upholds the theme and subject of this story. As the storyline goes on, the narration helps the reader understand the plot and it’s characters. It is shown in the story when it displays the raw conflicted feelings the princess had. Based on this diction, the readers were able to look more deeply...
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...ambiguity surrounds it * Aims to seize the paradox of the union of opposites * Differs from pure fantasy primarily because it is set in a normal, modern world with authentic descriptions of humans and society * First introduced by Franz Roh, a German art critic, who considered magical realism an art category. Magic Realism in Literature and Art * A kind of modern fiction in which fabulous and fantastical events are included in a narrative that otherwise maintains the 'reliable' tone of objective realistic report, designating a tendency of the modern novel to reach beyond the confines of realism and draw upon the energies of fable, folk tale, and myth while maintaining a strong contemporary social relevance * When a character in the story continues to be alive beyond the normal length of life and this is subtly depicted by the character being present throughout many generations * Elements of the marvellous, mythical, or dreamlike are injected into an otherwise realistic story without breaking the narrative flow * Magic-realist texts generally feature the fantastic in a way that does not distinguish between realistic and non-realistic events in the story and does not result in a break...
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...VICTORIAN NOVEL – COMEDY OF MANNERS The novel was written during the middle of the Romantic period in western literature, but it is itself rather uncharacteristic of other fictional works of the period. Unlike the great Romantic novels and poems of the period, which usually praised youthful passions, Austen's work minimizes them EMMA PLOT Emma is a love story in which young men and women who live in the same area meet at dances, in each others’ homes or while walking in the village. Emma is a young, pretty 21 year old who lives alone with her father, Mr. Woodhouse, near the village of Highbury. She becomes friends with 17 year old Harriet who has been abandoned by her parents. Emma decides to find a suitable husband for Harriet, but stops her marrying Robert Martin, a local farmer because she thinks he is not good enough for her. She believes that Mr. Elton, the local vicar would be a much better match. Her attempt to make a match between Harriet and Mr. Elton fails miserably but she tries to pair Harriet off with Frank Churchill. However Frank announces a surprise engagement with to Jane Fairfax while Harriet herself believes that Mr. Knightley, a close friend of Emma’s is in love with her. As it turns out, Mr. Knightley is really in love with Emma and asks her to marry him. She accepts and decides to stop interfering in other people’s life. So, when she hears that Hrriet has accepted Robert Martin’s second proposal of marriage she wishes the couple all the best...
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...The short story The short story -- Alice Munro an exception, (perhaps) -- is an illustration of one facet of human nature. Often a character undergoes some event and experiences something which offers him change. This is why it's said that short stories usually "say something", often a narrow or small something, but sometimes delivered with such precision that the effect is exquisite, even a life-moment for the reader, something akin to a religious experience or seeing a never-to-be-repeated scene in nature. For a minute, let me remind you that, for me, the perfect short story is written with a poet's feel for language, with a poet's precision, and that the shape and sounds and rhythms of the words are more commonly part of the work's effect than is usually seen in the novel. In a poem, the bare words are virtually never the complete meaning. They interact, their sounds do things, and how they are placed on the page matters. The poem tries to create a nugget of truth, an insight into being human and the form is so tight, so sparse that we can argue over exact meanings long into the smoke-laden night. Elements and Characteristics of Short Stories Short stories tend to be less complex than novels. Usually, a short story will focus on only one incident, has a single plot, a single setting, a limited number of characters, and covers a short period of time. In longer forms of fiction, stories tend to contain certain core elements of dramatic structure: exposition (the introduction...
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...mohsinhamid.com home about novels essays stories interviews connect The Reluctant Fundamentalist Published in 2007 in these languages. Became an international bestseller with over a million copies in print. Was adapted for the cinema. Awards Won the Ambassador Book Award, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, Asian American Literary Award, Premio Speciale Dal Testo Allo Schermo, and South Bank Show Award for Literature. Was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, James Tait Black Memorial Prize, Commonwealth Writers Prize, Arts Council England Decibel Award, Australia-Asia Literary Award, and Index on Censorship T R Fyvel Award. Was named a Book of the Decade by the Guardian and a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times. Reviews 'An artist of fantastic cunning... demonstrates what certain trumped-up laureates of post-modernity seem incapable of grasping: that it is possible to simultaneously address the byzantine monstrosity of contemporary existence and care about the destiny of one's characters... [a] resounding success... not unworthy of Nabokov.' -- The Village Voice (full review) 'Taut and accomplished... Changez's story, which seems to gush from him like blood from a wound, traces the self's shifting sense of itself against the rumblings of a rudely shaken world... Dostoyevskian.' -- San Francisco Chronicle (full review) 'Changez's voice is extraordinary. Cultivated, restrained, yet also barbed and...
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...Discuss how far Pride and Prejudice challenges the generic conventions of the realist novel Realist novel through divide in class. Generic convetions are romance, comedy (of manners) and drama. Austen details marriage throughout and this will reflect the society at the time of writing. The pragmatism is the need to be married. The novel employs narrative technique of free indirect speech. Narrative – 3rd person, effect on genre. Romance is represented through characters being kept apart. Misconceptions, miscommunication and quick judgements are key facts. Mr Darcy the alpha male who takes charge of the situation. The heroin must be saved, clear convention however she is not the typical as she is not in phycial danger but instead her families place in society is (impotant theme during time). The relationships between characters, especially the main of Elizabeth and Darcy. ‘In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you’ – Elizabeth. (Detail of relationship, tone and language). Argument - being microcosm of society and money. There is a lot of sexual tension and potential love affair – only a device. Elizabeth as a character is not completely romantic. She’s witty and changes her heart. Question of the novel being a moral tale and there is the consideration of ramifications of reckless behavior. Is it a true consequence of folly? Comedy is evident. Austen pokes fun at society...
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