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Considered by many to be an art form, the only requirements of literature are that readers keep an open mind to the ideas and lessons offered by the artists, the authors. To ensure that you are best equipped for each journey, I am providing you with valuable interpretation tools that could be used for any form of literature. By understanding the basics of literature, you will have a better understanding of the artwork and the artist’s intentions, allowing you to connect with that particular piece of literature on a more personal level.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ve decided to post a nice educational summary of Jennifer Jordan-Henley’s (1988) literary basics that still applies today:
Stories/Novels:
Theme–The idea or point of a story expressed as a generalization. Several themes that reflect and define our society are evident in American literature. Dominants can be innocence/experience, life/death, appearance/reality, free will/fate, madness/sanity, love/hate, society/individual, known/unknown. Themes can also be single in nature, rather than dual. The theme of a story can be midlife crisis, imagination, or the duality of humanity (contradictions).
character–Imaginary people created by the writer. Perhaps the most important element of literature.
- protagonist–Main character at the center of the story.
- Antagonist–A character or force that opposes the protagonist.
- Secondary character–0ften provides support and enlightens the protagonist.
- static character–A character that remains the same.
- dynamic character–A character who changes in some important way.
- Characterization–The means by which writers reveal character.
- explicit judgment–Narrator gives facts and interpretive comments.
- implicit judgment–Narrator gives a description; the reader makes the judgement.
Look for: Connections, links, and clues between and about the characters. Ask yourself what is the function and meaning of each character. Make this determination based on the character’s history, what the reader is told (and not told), and what other characters say about themselves and others.
Graphic–The arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make up a story.
- Causality–An event occurs because of another event.
- presaging–A suggestion of what is going to happen.
- suspense–A feeling of concern established by the author.
- conflict–Fight between opposing forces.
- Exposition–Background information about the setting, the characters, the plot.
- Complication or Ascending Action–Intensification of the conflict.
- Crisis–Return point; moment of great tension that fixed the action.
- Resolution/Denouement–The way the story turns out.
Structure–The design or form of the completed action. It often provides clues to the character and the action. It may even philosophically reflect the author’s intentions, especially if it is unusual.
Look for: repeated elements in action, gesture, dialogue, description, as well as changes in direction, focus, time, place, etc.
Adjustment–The place or location of the action, the setting provides the historical and cultural context of the characters. It can often symbolize the emotional state of the characters.
Point of view–Again, point of view can sometimes indirectly establish the author’s intentions. Point of view relevant to who is telling the story and how it is told.
- Storyteller–The person telling the story.
- First person–Narrator participates in the action but sometimes has limited knowledge/vision.
- Goal–The narrator is nameless/unidentified (an independent observer). He does not assume the character’s perspective and is not a character in the story. The narrator reports the events and leaves the reader to supply the meaning.
- Omniscient–Omniscient narrator (multiple perspectives). The narrator takes us to the character and can evaluate a character for the reader (editorial omniscience). When a narrator allows the reader to make their own judgments based on the actions of the characters themselves, it is called neutral omniscience.
- limited omniscient–Omniscient narrator about one or two characters, but not all.
Language and style–Style is the verbal identity of a writer, often based on the author’s use of diction (word choice) and syntax (the order of words in a sentence). A writer’s use of language reveals his toneor attitude towards the subject.
Ironically–A contrast or discrepancy between one thing and another.
- verbal irony–We understand the opposite of what the speaker says.
- Irony of circumstances or situational irony.When an event is expected to occur but the opposite happens. A discrepancy between what appears to be and what is.
- dramatic irony–Discrepancy between what the characters know and what the readers know.
- ironic vision–A general tone of irony that pervades a work, suggesting how the writer sees the characters.
Poetry:
Allegory–A form of storytelling in which people, places, and events appear to have hidden meanings. Often a retelling of a previous story.
Connotation–The implied meaning of a word.
Denotation–The dictionary definition of a word.
Diction–Word choice and usage (eg, formal versus informal), as determined by considerations of audience and purpose.
figurative language–The use of words to suggest meanings beyond the literal. There are a number of figures of speech. Some of the most common are:
- Metaphor–Make a comparison between different things without the use of a verbal clue (such as “like” or “like”).
- Similary–Make a comparison between different things, using “as” or “as”.
- Hyperbola–Exaggeration
- Personification–Providing inanimate objects with human characteristics.
Images–A concrete representation of a sensory impression, a feeling or an idea that appeals to one or more of our senses. Look for a pattern of images.
- Play images—sense of touch.
- Auditory images—sense of hearing.
- Olfactory images–sense of smell.
- Visual images—sense of sight.
- Gustatory imagery—sense of taste.
Rhythm and Meter–Rhythm is the pulse or beat in a line of poetry, the regular recurrence of an accent or accent. Meter is the measure or patterned count of a line of poetry (a count of the tensions we feel in the rhythm of a poem). The unit of poetic meter in English is called “foot”, a unit of measure consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables. Ask yourself how rhythm and meter affect tone and meaning.
Sound–Do the words rhyme? Is there alliteration (consonant repetition) or assonance (vowel repetition)? How does this affect the tone?
Structure–The organization pattern of a poem. For example, a sonnet is a 14-line poem usually written in iambic pentameter. Because the sonnet is strictly restricted, it is considered a closed or fixed form. An open or free form is a poem in which the author uses a more flexible form, or perhaps one of his own invention. It is not necessarily formless.
Symbolism–When objects or actions mean more than themselves.
Syntax–Prize structure and word order.
Voice: speaker and tone–The voice that conveys the tone of the poem; his implicit attitude towards his subject.
Keep in mind that my goal is not to take your fun away or intimidate you about literature. Instead, my sole intention is to provide you with additional information to help you further scientifically dissect the literature in an effort to understand the true intentions of the artists-authors.
As an author, I wanted to do everything I could to avoid garbage and brain pollution by filling people’s minds with useful information that highlighted the real power of literature. That literature has many faces, roles and innumerable benefits applicable to readers. In fact, the impact of literature is far-reaching and exorbitant, because it can affect every aspect of the reader’s life. The long arms of literature can not only instantly ensnare readers by capturing their imaginations in an effort to connect with them on a personal level, but also change their attitudes, habits, beliefs, and lives entirely.
With this in mind, I have decided to provide the community here at Success Pen Pal with the necessary tools to take positive control of their literary lives. We hope that this publication has provided you, the reader, with the correct bifocals to correctly interpret the different elements of each literary masterpiece you encounter.
Until next time, my friend, cheers and let’s keep fighting brain pollution through education and other literary works!