manus
curriculums
Manus Academy
6203 Carmel Road
Charlotte, NC 28226
704-542-6471
704-541-2858 (fax)
PRACTICE PACK
manuscurriculums.com
STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT:
ABOUT:
the three main divisions of literature
the elements of short stories and novels, such
as plot, character, setting, theme, point of
view, tone and mood and descriptive
language
types and characteristics of drama, nonfiction
and folktales
CONTAINS:
11 lessons
lessons
questions at the end of each lesson to check
students’ understanding
COMPANION PIECES:
Answer key
How to Teach Reading Comprehension and
Literature
How to Teach Grammar, Usage and Writing
Mechanics
How to Teach Vocabulary
How to Teach Written Expression
Characteristics
and Elements
of Fiction and
Nonfiction
Practice packs for grammar, usage and writing
mechanics;
echanics; vocabulary; literature; and written
expression
Student:
______________________
Teacher:
______________________
Date
Date started:
______________________
Date finished: ______________________
PUBLISHED BY
Rosanne Manus, M.A.
6203 Carmel Road
Charlotte, NC 28226
(704) 542-6471
(704) 541-2858 fax
manuscurriculums.com
manusacademy.com
This work is protected by copyright. Teachers who purchase a single-user’s license may reproduce this work for
their own instructional use. A school that purchases a multiple-users’ license may reproduce this work for multiple
classrooms within the same school.
 2010 by Rosanne Manus, M.A. • Publisher
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rosanne Manus, M.A.: Rosanne is the founder of Manus Academy. She and her staff work with students
from kindergarten through college who experience learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder and
other neurological and developmental difficulties. Their services include a middle and high school
accredited by the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools, after-school tutoring services for K-12
students who attend other schools, testing, consultation and parent and teacher training.
In 1979, Rosanne received her master’s degree in special education at Columbia University and has
been working in the field of special education since then. She has developed, tested and published
training programs and curriculums for almost every subject and skill from kindergarten through grade
twelve. In addition, she has developed a proprietary business operations model and staff training
program that ensure the consistent delivery of high quality services.
Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................ 5
Lesson 1: The Main Divisions of Literature..............................................................................................
Prose...................................................................................................................................................................
Poetry .................................................................................................................................................................
Drama.................................................................................................................................................................
The Western Literary Canon ..........................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
7
7
7
8
8
11
Lesson 2: The Plots of Short Stories and Novels .....................................................................................
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................
Hook...................................................................................................................................................................
Rising Action.....................................................................................................................................................
Climax ................................................................................................................................................................
Resolution..........................................................................................................................................................
Foreshadowing..................................................................................................................................................
Flashbacks..........................................................................................................................................................
How to Summarize the Plot ...........................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
13
13
13
14
15
16
16
16
17
18
Lesson 3: The Characters of Short Stories and Novels ..........................................................................
The Relationship between Plot and Character.............................................................................................
Round and Flat Characters..............................................................................................................................
Dynamic and Static Characters.......................................................................................................................
Protagonist.........................................................................................................................................................
Antagonist..........................................................................................................................................................
Other Major Characters...................................................................................................................................
Characterization................................................................................................................................................
How to Summarize the Characters................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
21
24
25
Lesson 4: The Setting of Short Stories and Novels .................................................................................
The Different Purposes of Setting.................................................................................................................
How to Summarize the Setting.......................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
27
27
28
29
Lesson 5: The Themes of Short Stories and Novels ............................................................................... 30
Theme and How It Is Revealed ..................................................................................................................... 30
The Five Super Themes................................................................................................................................... 30
3
How to Summarize Theme............................................................................................................................. 34
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................ 35
Lesson 6: The Points of View of Short Stories and Novels...................................................................
First Person .......................................................................................................................................................
Second Person...................................................................................................................................................
Third Person .....................................................................................................................................................
The Omniscient Narrator................................................................................................................................
The Characteristics of the Narrator...............................................................................................................
How to Summarize Point of View.................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
36
36
36
37
37
38
38
39
Lesson 7: The Tones and Moods of Short Stories and Novels ............................................................
Tone....................................................................................................................................................................
Mood ..................................................................................................................................................................
How to Summarize Tone and Mood.............................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
40
40
40
40
41
Lesson 8: The Descriptive Language of Short Stories and Novels ....................................................
Imagery...............................................................................................................................................................
Connotative Words ..........................................................................................................................................
Figurative Language .........................................................................................................................................
Irony ...................................................................................................................................................................
How to Summarize Descriptive Language ...................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
42
42
43
43
46
47
48
Lesson 9: The Types and Characteristics of Drama...............................................................................
Types of Drama ................................................................................................................................................
Characteristics Unique to Drama ...................................................................................................................
How to Summarize a Drama ..........................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
50
50
52
53
55
Lesson 10: The Types and Characteristics of Nonfiction .....................................................................
Biography...........................................................................................................................................................
Autobiography ..................................................................................................................................................
Essay...................................................................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
57
57
57
57
59
Lesson 11: The Types and Characteristics of Folktales .........................................................................
Myths..................................................................................................................................................................
Legends ..............................................................................................................................................................
Tall Tales............................................................................................................................................................
Fairy Tales..........................................................................................................................................................
Parables ..............................................................................................................................................................
Fables..................................................................................................................................................................
How to Summarize a Folktale ........................................................................................................................
Check Your Understanding ............................................................................................................................
60
60
61
61
61
62
62
62
63
4
Introduction
Literature encompasses all the stories, novels, plays, poems and essays we read in class. Rather than
read for factual information, such as what we would read in a science or history text, we read
literature for the experience. Literature lets us into other people’s lives and gives us a way to share
their struggles and triumphs. It allows us to “know” people and situations outside of our ordinary
existence, which deepens our understanding of human nature.
For instance, we can’t directly experience the life of the poor, orphaned Oliver Twist in London,
England in the 1800’s; however, we can imaginatively share his life by reading Charles Dickens’
novel, Oliver Twist. As we read, we experience Oliver’s hardships and adventures. We walk in his
shoes for a moment in time.
To fully experience the novels, dramas and other literary texts you will read in high school, you need
to have some understanding of their characteristics and elements. Your science and history texts
have guides to help you move forward in the text and understand the information in it. They have
unit, chapter and section titles, objectives of what you will learn, graphs and pictures with captions.
Short stories, novels and dramas and certain selections of nonfiction do not contain these indicators
of what you will read. They all contain, however, elements within them that help you move forward
in the story.
For instance, when you read a novel, you can expect that the author will likely begin it by
introducing you to the main characters and the setting. Next, he or she will introduce the main
character’s conflict then develop this conflict. At some point toward the end of the story, the
conflict will come to its highest point, the climax, and the main character’s situation will change
permanently. Follow the climax, the problem is resolved and all secrets and misunderstandings come
to light.
As you read about the main characters in the stories, you can expect the author to reveal certain
characteristics about them that your teacher will later raise in class for discussion or during
assignments.
For instance, most main characters, or protagonists, are unique in some way. They have particular
physical, emotional, intellectual and/or spiritual needs or desires. They also face a problem. As you
read the story, your teacher will want you to examine how the author develops the main characters.
He or she will also want you to understand what is unique about the main characters, the problems
they face, how they feel or respond to their problems, what motivates them to respond as they do
and how they change as a result of their challenges.
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
5
To fully experience a story, you also need to know the purpose of the setting, or the time and place
in which the action of the story occurs. Sometimes the setting is not very important to the story. In
many cases, it is. For instance, it might contribute to the main characters’ problems, help to create a
mood or help the reader understand what life was like during a certain period in history.
Themes are also essential elements of stories. Themes are the author’s message about life and the
human condition. Some themes include the challenges of growing up, friendship, revenge, betrayal,
winning at any price, overcoming adversity or accepting one’s destiny. We often remember a story’s
themes long after we’ve forgotten the characters or plot.
Other important story elements include point of view, tone and mood and how the author uses
descriptive language to draw you into the story and help you feel as if you are a part of it.
In this practice pack, you will learn about the characteristics and elements of two main kinds of
literature: prose and drama. (Poetry, the other main division of literature is covered in a separate
practice pack.) Learn these characteristics and elements well. This knowledge will help you
understand the stories you read at a deeper level.
As you read the information in each lesson, you may wish to highlight the key information. Once
you’ve accomplished this step, review the highlighted material so you remember what you’ve
learned. At the end of each lesson, answer the questions on the “Check Your Understanding” page.
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
6
Lesson 3
The Characters of Short Stories and Novels
The Relationship between Plot and Character
Authors use plots to reveal character. Let’s imagine we’re reading a book with a plotline that begins
with the approach of a tidal wave, or tsunami. Forecasters predict that this tsunami will be the most
powerful and destructive one they have seen in years. If the main character freezes in fear and does
nothing to help himself or his family, then the author is writing one kind of story. If the main
character behaves boldly to rescue himself and others, then the author, using the same plotline,
writes a different story.
Plot, therefore, is the series of events that challenge the characters. Plot shows us how the characters
handle their problems. The characters, on the other hand, need the plot to move forward and
develop into who they truly are. Even the most awe-inspiring heroes and heroines cannot develop
unless the author gives them something to do and to overcome.
Round and Flat Characters
Characters are typically classified as round or flat. Round characters are fully developed. They are
often the key players in the story around whom the conflict develops. We readers get to know them
well.
Flat characters are less developed. We may see only one side of their personalities. They’re usually
minor characters used to contrast with the main character, or they’re used to advance the plot. Some
minor characters may be “stereotypes.” They are created, not to represent real people, but rather a
certain type of individual.
Stereotypical characters are those whom you may recall as the kindly uncle, the flirtatious waitress or
the coward. Flat characters, including the stereotypes, are often characters against whom the main
characters can distinguish themselves.
Dynamic and Static Characters
Characters can also be dynamic or static. A dynamic character changes or grows during the story’s
events. We sense that the story being told is the story the dynamic character might recount on his or
her deathbed as being one of the most profound moments of his or her life. A static character
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
7
doesn’t change. He or she doesn’t usually carry the story, so he or she is less affected by the story’s
events. This person may be a minor character or a stereotypical one.
The two most important round and dynamic characters in a story are the protagonist and antagonist.
Protagonist
The protagonist is the main character in the story to whom we feel the closest. This is the character
who faces a conflict, struggles to handle it and grows or changes as a result of it. The protagonist
often looks, feels or thinks differently from others in a way that makes him or her special.
Example 1 – Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
He is highly intelligent and obsessed with creating life. These two traits make him stand out
from the other characters. Moreover, he is the catalyst, or the starting point, for the story.
Remove him and the entire novel disintegrates. The same cannot be said of many other
characters in this story.
Example 2 – Scout is the protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird. She is opinionated, headstrong
and smart. She learns to read long before her classmates and has to hide her ability from her
teacher.
We watch her grow up as she faces one conflict after another: conflicts with other kids at
school; with her brother, Jem; with her first grade teacher; with Calpurnia; with Aunt
Alexandra; with the verdict of the Tom Robinson trial; and with her ambiguous feelings
about Boo Radley, her mysterious neighbor. We observe how Scout struggles to understand
these people and how she grows as a result of this struggle.
Antagonist
The antagonist is that person against whom the protagonist struggles. He or she is the source of the
conflict. As we read the story, we learn how the antagonist complicates life for the main character.
The antagonist is not necessarily evil (as he or she is often portrayed in comic books); however, he
or she does, deliberately or incidentally, stand between the protagonist and his or her ultimate goal.
The antagonist frustrates the protagonist in a way that leaves the protagonist permanently altered. In
some stories, the antagonist is one person and in others, the antagonist is a group of people or an
entire society.
Example – One antagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird is Bob Ewell, the man who falsely accuses
Tom Robinson of raping his daughter and later tries to harm Scout and Jem. The other
antagonists are the people of Maycomb. It is their prejudice and unwillingness to change
things that are wrong with their town that affect the outcome of the story.
Other Major Characters
You’ll often read stories that have other main characters in addition to the protagonist. These
characters may also face conflicts and grow or change as a result of them.
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
8
Example – In To Kill a Mockingbird, another main character is Jem. He grows up as he loses his
innocent and trusting outlook when he realizes the townspeople, many of whom he assumed
were fair and good, do not treat Tom Robinson justly. The other main character is Atticus, a
man who faces the town’s discrimination, ignorance and opposition as he defends a black man.
Characterization
Characterization is a method writers use to communicate to their readers who their characters truly
are. They can accomplish this in one or more ways. The two most common ways are direct and
indirection characterization. Other methods include verisimilitude, humor, deceptive emotion,
stream of consciousness or interior dialogue, unreliable narrator and particularity, or idiosyncrasy.
Direct Characterization
When writers use direct characterization, they have the story’s narrator tell you directly about the
character’s nature, as well as his or her traits, habits and motivations. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the
author uses mostly direct characterization. We learn about the main characters and witness the
story’s events and conflicts through the narrator, Scout, as she tells us about her childhood
experiences.
This excerpt from The Devil and Tom Walker,” by Washington Irving is another example of
direct characterization. Notice how the author tells you about the characters directly.
Example – About the year 1727, just at the time that earthquakes were prevalent in New
England, and shook many tall sinners down upon their knees, there lived near this place a
meager, miserly fellow, of the name of Tom Walker. He had a wife as miserly as himself: they
were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other. Whatever the woman could lay
hands on, she hid away; a hen could not cackle but she was on the alert to secure the new-laid
egg. Her husband was continually prying about to detect her secret hoards, and many and fierce
were the conflicts that took place about what ought to have been common property . . .
Indirect Characterization
In addition to, or in lieu of, direct characterization, writers may use indirect characterization, in
which you learn about the characters by how they speak or act, or by the way others respond to
them. Here is an excerpt from the short story, “The Ninny,” by Anton Chekov. Without telling
you that the employer is rather abrupt and domineering and the governess is timid, he still
effectively reveals these traits through their dialogue.
Example
Just a few days ago I invited Yulia Vassilyevna, the governess of my children, to
come to my study. I wanted to settle my account with her.
“Sit down, Yulia Vassilyevna,” I said to her. “Let’s get our accounts settled. I’m
sure you need some money, but you keep standing on ceremony and never ask for it.
Let me see. We agreed to give you thirty rubles a month, didn’t we?”
“Forty.”
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
9
“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now, let me
see. You have been with us for two months?”
“Two months and five days.”
“Two months exactly. I made a note of it. So you have sixty rubles coming to
you. Subtract nine Sundays. You know you don’t tutor Kolya on Sundays, you just
go out for a walk. And then the three holidays . . .”
Yulia Vassilyevna blushed and picked at the trimmings of her dress, but said not
a word.
“Three holidays. So we take off twelve rubles. Kolya was sick for four days—
those days you didn’t look after him. You looked after Vanya, only Vanya. Then
there were the three days you had a toothache, when my wife gave you permission to
stay away from the children after dinner. Twelve and seven makes nineteen. Subtract
. . . That leaves . . . hm . . . forty-one rubles. Correct?”
Yulia Vassilyevna’s left eye reddened and filled with tears. Her chin trembled.
She began to cough nervously, blew her nose, and said nothing.
Verisimilitude
To encourage readers to respond to their characters as real people, writers try to create
characters who talk, act, dress and speak like real people. This is called verisimilitude. For
instance, a Western outlaw might talk like a cowboy or gunslinger, carry two guns in his
holster and chew tobacco. This gives him credibility. We readers accept him as real.
Humor
The “fourth wall” is a term used to describe the barrier between readers and characters.
Writers want to break down the wall. For instance, playwrights want to make the audience
forget it is sitting in seats watching a play and novelists want to make their readers forget
they are holding a book. To reduce the size of this wall, some writers use humor, a tool for
characterization. Humor makes characters more human because people are naturally funny.
Humor can also diffuse a tense moment or make a sad moment more poignant, or tender.
Deceptive Emotion
People often have two sides to them: the side they show to the public and the side they keep
secret. Writers sometimes go to great lengths to show how an individual’s two sides struggle
for dominance. A striking example of this is a character with two personalities: the kindly
Dr. Jekyll and the horrible Mr. Hyde.
Stream of Consciousness or Interior Monologue
Sometimes writers reveal their characters through stream of consciousness, or interior
monologue. Following this method of characterization, the reader often overhears the
speaker’s thoughts and feelings, which may be fragmented, as thoughts and feelings often
are. The writing is also often characterized by leaps in syntax (phrasing) and punctuation.
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
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Sometimes we readers hear these thoughts within one or two sentences (often written in
italics) and sometimes within long passages, in which we temporarily step out of the story’s
forward motion and into the character’s mind.
Stream of consciousness and interior monologue are effective ways to reveal a character to
the audience or reader. The listener or reader, however, must be wary. Interior monologue
reveals one person’s limited perspective of an experience and doesn’t necessarily reflect what
is true.
One example of stream of consciousness is found in Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest. The narrator, Chief Bromden, is in the mental ward of a hospital that places
great restrictions on its patients. Chief Bromden is often fearful, even paranoid, of the staff
and its treatment practices. We readers follow his interior monologue as he receives electroshock therapy. Although his thoughts are disjointed and hard to follow, we can easily
experience his fears and place ourselves in the room with him because we are temporarily
inside his mind.
Unreliable Narrator
The unreliable narrator is almost always told from the first person point of view, in which
the narrator uses words like I, me, my and mine. The unreliable narrator may be a young child
telling the story, who is too young to realize the whole truth.
Or, the narrator may be a liar and one who shows him or herself in the best light. This
person might be insane or so innocent that he or she cannot accurately speak about the
motives of others. Regardless of who this unreliable narrator is, the writer gradually lets
readers know that he or she cannot be fully trusted.
A well-known unreliable narrator is Lemuel Gulliver, the main character in Jonathan Swift’s
novel, Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver, whose name implies “gullible,” accurately reports on every
person he meets and every place he visits on his travels. We can rely on his accuracy for
reporting details but we cannot trust his conclusions of what he experiences. He takes
everything at face value and does not recognize the true motives behind people’s actions.
Particularity, or Idiosyncrasy
These interchangeable phrases depict a method of characterization in which the author
“brands” a certain character with a unique trait or habit. When the author presents this trait
or habit in the story, we associate it with that individual.
For example, in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, one of the main characters, Sebastian
Flyte, leaves for college still very much attached to his childhood teddy bear, Aloysius.
Sebastian takes Aloysius everywhere and talks to him in public. Symbolically, Aloysius is not
a teddy bear at all, but a sign that Sebastian isn’t ready to give up his childhood and become
a man. Whenever readers think of Sebastian, they think of the teddy bear. The teddy bear (or
the clinging to his childhood) is Sebastian’s idiosyncrasy.
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
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How to Summarize the Characters
As you read your short story or novel, take notes on this information:
1. Protagonist: What is the protagonist’s name, approximate age, physical appearance and family
situation? What outstanding traits set this person apart from the other characters? How does the
protagonist feel about him or herself and how do other characters react to him or her? How
does this person feel about the problem he or she faces? What choices does he or she make to
handle the conflict? What motivates this person to change?
2. Antagonist: Describe this person. How does the antagonist cause problems for the protagonist?
What motivates him or her to cause this conflict?
3. Other major characters: Describe other major characters and the roles they play in the story. Also
determine if they are round or flat and dynamic or static and in what ways.
4. Minor characters: Describe these characters and their roles. Do they each symbolize something?
Are they stereotypical? Do they advance the plot? Do they contribute to the plot?
© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
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Check Your Understanding
1. How are plot and character related?
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2. Describe the different kinds of information a reader should note about the protagonist.
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3. What is a round character? What is a flat character? What purpose does a flat character
sometimes serve?
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4. What is a dynamic character? What is a static character? What role does a static character
sometimes play?
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5. Describe each of these methods authors use for characterization.
Direct characterization:
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© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
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Indirect characterization:
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Verisimilitude:
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Humor:
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Deceptive emotion:
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Stream of consciousness:
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Unreliable narrator:
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Particularity, or Idiosyncracy:
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© 2010; Rosanne Manus, M.A.; Manus Academy, Charlotte, NC
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