Literature Introduction Essay

What Is Literature and Why Do We Study It? Literature is root that tells a invoice, dramatizes a situation, expresses emotions, analyzes and advocates ideas Helps us grow somebodyally and intellectually Provides an object base for knowledge and apprehensiveness Shapes our goals and values by clarifying our avow identities, both positively and negatively Literature makes us human. Genres Four genres of belles-lettres Prose fable Myths, parables, romances, novels, short stories Poetry Open stimulate and closed form Relies on imagery, figurative language, sound Drama. Made up of dialogue and primed(p) direction Designed to be performed Nonfiction prose News reports, feature articles, essays, editorials, textbooks, historical and biographical works Guidelines for Reading Literature First indication ascertain what is happening, where, what, who is involved, major characters Make a record of your re dos and responses Describe characterizations, events, techn iques and ideas Second reading Trace developing patterns Write expanded nones some characters, situations, actions Write divide describing your reactions and thoughts Write down questions that arise as you read (in the margins)Writing a Precis Precis = a concise summary = paraphrase retell the highlights so reader will know main sections Only crucial details they must be correct and accurate Must be an original essay, written in your own words Be real to introduce the title and rootage Avoid judgments Use present puree when retelling a story Elements of Fiction Essence of fiction = narration (the telling) Elements of fiction = verisimilitude and donnee Verisimilitude = realism Must be compelling enough that the reader nooky suspend disbelief Donnee = premise Something given by which you can reckon the realism = ground rules. Sources of elements Character, plot, structure, theme, emblemism, style, point of affect, tone, banter piece and Structure Pl ot = reflection of motivation and causation No plot = The king died and thence the queen died. Plot = The king died, and then the queen died of grief. competitiveness = coercive impulse in a connected pattern of causes and effects adversary 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, produces intimacy No tension = no interest Structure of Fiction Structure defines the layout of the work Crisis Complication Climax definition Resolution (denouement) Another structural element used sometimes = Flashback Characters in Fiction Character = verbal representation of a human universe Rounded = lifelike, full, dynamic, reader can predict future behavior because of an understanding of the personality Protagonist = the hero or heroine, main person in the story, person on the quest , etc. Antagonist = the person causing the conflict, in opposition to the protagonist, the obstacle, etc. Flat = no growth, static Stock = case of a group or class (stereotypical) Characters disclosed through Actions Descriptions, both personal and environmental Dramatic statements and thoughts Statements by other characters Statements by the author speaking as storyteller, or perceiver Characters need to have verisimilitude, be probable or plausible Point 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 Speakers intellectual and emotional position First person = I, we Second person = You (uncommon) Third person = He, she, they (most common) Point of view whitethorn be Dramatic/objective = strictly reporting Omniscient = wise Limited omniscient = some insight Setting Setting = a works natural, manufactured, political, ethnical and temporal environment, including everything that characters know and own (place, time, objects) major(ip) purpose = to establish realism or verisimilitude, and to organize a story Setting helps create atmosphere or mood Setting whitethorn reinforce characters and theme, in order to establish expectations that are the opposite of what occurs = irony. liveliness and Style Tone = methods by which writers and speakers reveal attitudes or feelings Style = ship canal in which writers assemble words to tell the story, to develop an argument, dramatize the play, publish the poem Choice of words in the service of content subjective aspect of style is diction Formal = standard or dandyish words Neutral = everyday standard vocabulary Informal = colloquial, subscript language, slang Tone and Style (contd) Language may be particular proposition = images General = broad classes Concrete = qualities of immediate perception Abstract = broader, less(prenominal) palpable qualities D enotation = 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 of a situation deliberately exaggeration (overstatement) = words far in excess of the situation Symbolism and legend Symbolism and allegory are modes that expand meaning Symbol creates a direct, meaningful equation between A specific object, scene, character, or action brains, values, persons or ways of life Symbols may be Cultural (universal) = know by most literate people (e. g. , white dove, color black) contextual (authorial) = private, created by the author Symbolism and Allegory (contd) Allegory is a symbol = complete and self-sufficient narrative (e. g. , Young Goodman Brown) Fable = stories about animals that possess human traits (e. g. , Aesops Fables) Parable = allegory with moral or religious bent (e.g. , Biblical stories) Myth = story that embodies and codifies religious, philosophical and cultural values of the civilization in which it is composed (e. g. , George Washington chopping down the florid tree) Allusion = the use of other culturally well=known works from the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, famous art, etc. Idea or Theme Idea = results of general and abstract thinking Literature embodies values along with ideas In literature, ideas relate to meaning, interpretation, explanation and significance Ideas are vital to an understanding and cargo deck of literature. Ideas are not as obvious as character or setting. It is important to consider the meaning of what youve read and then develop an explanatory and comprehensive assertion. Theme can be found in either 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.