TOP 3 Literature Things I guess You should especially make sure that you are familiar with the primary texts discussed in the lectures: the sonnets, “Night Rain,” Othello, and The Scarlet Letter. How to Analyze Literature 1. 2. 3. 4. Come up with a Theme (Cinderella, dreams come true) Analyze text by looking for parts: Characters, Symbolism (shoe), Setting, Mood, Plot Support thesis with quotes/elements Use f.e. Symbolism to prove theme Othello: (Tragedy, Theme: Racism, Jealousness, Manipulation) Characters: - Othello: Black, Tragic Hero, Passive, Military Leader, Secret husband of Desdemona Iago: Manipulator, Exploiting people, Bad guy, Desdemona: Lover of Othello, used by Iago to destroy Othello, ded Michael Cassio: right hand man to Othello, used by Iago Roderigo loves Desdemona, Wealthy, Foolish, manipulated by Iago 2 kill Cassio, killed by Iago Emilia: Wife of Iago Summary: - Iago is furious about being overlooked for promotion and plots to take revenge against his General; Othello, the Moor of Venice Iago manipulates Othello into believing his wife Desdemona is unfaithful, stirring Othello's jealousy Othello allows jealousy to consume him, murders Desdemona, and then kills himself. Themes: - Love, Racism, Jealousness, Manipulation Betrayal, Trust, Honor, Othello: - 1603/04 by Shakespeare, 1623 extended version Drama → Act → Scene → Entrance Closed forms: implies a linear, goal-oriented, single-stranded plot Open forms: no clear linear action, episodic, no definite ending/solution How is something said: coherence, disruptions, respect eachother, style etc. WHY: expressive (emotional), appellative (demand), Poetic (language, sound rhythm) Dialogue and Monologue Soliloquy: speech during char is alone on stage ➔ Often inner thoughts, important characterization Aside: speeches that are not heard by other characters on stage (Deadpool) ➔ Monological aside, dialogical aside, aside ad spectators (4th wall) Scarlett Letter: romance, theme: sin of humanity through history Themes: - Sin and Guilt! Personal and Public thruth A Wisdom through suffering Nature of Evil Revenge and redemption Characters: - Arthur Dimmesdale (beauty), pregnates HP (father of pearl), his guilt makes him suffer, cant man up to his mistake → beauty declines → end confesses (ded) Redemption Hester Prynne (beauty) husband not come he cheats with AD Redemption Roger Chillingworth Husband of HP, Dr., Evil, tortures AD (ded after AD) Revenge Pearl (daughter of AD, HP) living symbol of Scarlett Letter, loves nature, but bullys, end more human Symbolism: - The Scarlett Letter itself is a Symbol the A Letter A is symbol of sin, but also of innocence and honor at the end Prison Door: punishment, cruel harshness, litteral way to difficult world Rose Bush: hesters beauty and ability to survive Color Red: Sin, Love, pashion → color of novel The scaffold: guilt, public confession and punishment Sunlight: gods grace and love Phsysical appearance: Hester is beautifull, goes on less beauty, guilt made ugly Forest (Setting): Moral Wilderness, Loving embrace of Nature Sonnet: (summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDpW1sHrBaU) - 14 Lines abab cdcd efefef gg 5 Ioms (pairs of stressed and unstressed syllables, (dada dada dada dada dada) Shakespeare very good at it, sucked at start, screen-play better Didn’t invent it, but was best at it → 154 Shakespeare sonnets For Shakespeare, sonnet was private form of expression (never supposed 2B published) Might be about young man - KappaPride Sonnet in 20th Century: - 14 Lines - 3 quatrains + Couplet – strict rhyme scheme – largely iambic pentameter Theme: Fighting back against oppression Dignity in the face of being outnumbered Not idealized love, but mortality Recurring Themes: - Different Types of Romantic Love Dangers of Love and Lust Beauty of nature and people + responsibilities of being beautiful human and nature interaction exploitation, pollution of region criticism of capitalism (oil)
