Literary ElementsJacobson ENG 10

Plot

Inciting

The sequential events that make up a story

Exposition - introduces important background info (setting, events occurring before the main plot, characters' back stories, etc.)

Incident incident - an event thatjolts your hero out of his everyday routine; it is the event which sparks the fuse of your plot

Rising Action - the series of events that begin immediately after the exposition and builds up to the climax.

Climax - The climax is the turning point; a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot.

Falling Action – The conflict unravels with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist

Resolution/Denouement – Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis or release of tension and anxiety, for the reader; the final scene(s).

Setting

Setting – Place and Time

Where and When the story takes place May be more than one place/time

Used to create Mood.

Point of View POV – Who/What is telling the story?

Questions to ask: Is the narrator a character in the story?

If Yes… If No…

- How Reliable? - How omniscient?(Bias, Psychology, Vanity, Child)

Observer – Narrator sees actions and hears speech (Fly on the wall)

Limited Omniscient – sees and hears, but also knows thoughts and feelings of one character

Omniscient – knows the thoughts and feelings of more than one character

• 3rd Person• 1st Person

Character Types Dynamic

One who changes over time, usually as a result of resolving a central conflict

Static One who does not change over time; No transformation or

evolution

Round Anyone who has a complex personality; often portrayed as a

conflicted person

Flat Has only one kind of personality trait; always the same

Stock Characters vs. Protagonist vs. Antagonist

Characterization Characterization – How the author describes

their characters

4 methods of Characterization:1. Direct Explanation

2. Physical Description

3. Dialogue

4. Thoughts, actions, and feelings

Direct Characterization

Indirect Characterization

Conflict Man vs. Man – “Good Guy vs. Bad Guy”

Man vs. Nature – Struggles with a force of nature; trying to survive

Man vs. Society – fight against social traditions or rules; Society can become a character of its own; often used as commentary on real society

Man vs. Self – Struggle takes place in his/her own mind; choosing between right and wrong; overcoming emotions

Other types of Conflict my include: Man vs. Fate, Man vs. Supernatural , & Man vs.

Technology

Symbolism

Symbol – An object/person representing a deeper idea or concept

A symbol can have shifting meanings, so it depends on the context in which it is used

Examples: Dove = peace Black = Evil/Death Chain = union or imprisonment Spring = new life, birthLight vs. Dark Bridge = ChangeWater = Spiritual birth/baptismForest = evil, lost, fear, unruly

Style Style

The manner in which an author chooses to write to his or her audience.

One easy way to understand literary style is to think about fashion styles. Clothes can be formal and dressy, informal and casual, preppy, athletic, and so forth. Literary style is like the clothes that a text puts on.

Original ---"No sich uh thing!" Tea Cake retorted. (Zora Neale Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1978, p. 205.)

Informal ---"Nothing like that ever happened," Tea Cake replied.

Formal ---"With great fortune, that happenstance did not become a reality," Tea Cake stated.

Journalistic/Everyday---"It did not happen," Tea Cake said.

Archaic---"Verily, it was a circumstance, to be noted, that appeared not to so much have been a reality as to have evolved as a thing that had not yet come to be," Tea Cake impelled.

Diction and Tone Diction is word choice. When writing, authors use vocabulary

suited for the purpose of his/her piece and the audience they are writing for.

Formal Diction Casual Diction Slang (very informal) are not angry

aren't mad ain't ticked 

Also be aware of connotations with different word choice

Positive Negative

-pruning the bushes -slashing at the bushes

-the politician's stance -the politician's spin

Tone Tone is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an

audience.

objective or subjective, logical or emotional, intimate or distant, serious or humorous.

The Catcher in the Rye Example.

“All morons hate it when you call them a moron.”

“If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she’s late? Nobody.”

“Catholics are always trying to find out if you’re Catholic.”

-----Holden’s tone is bitterly sarcastic as he criticizes the nature of things in real life.

Mood Mood is evokes certain feelings or vibes in

readers through words and descriptions.

Atmosphere of a literary piece; it creates an emotional situation that surrounds the readers.

Mood can be developed through setting, theme, tone, and diction.

It evokes various emotional responses in readers, ensuring their emotional attachment to the literary piece they read.

Figurative Language

Metaphor – A comparison made between two objects

Simile – A comparison using “like” or “as”

Analogy – A more extensive/elaborate comparison

Ex: “Structure of an atom is like a solar system. Nucleus is the sun and electrons are the planets revolving around their sun.”

Simile and Metaphors help create the over arching analogy.

Theme

Theme – A main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

Not just a subject, but a statement about it. A thought or idea about a certain topic. A theme statement should be a complete

sentence Ex: Love and Death vs. It is better to have loved

and lost than never to have loved at all