Literature reflects our humanity
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Literature is
◦ A poem, novel, etc. that tells a story, dramatizes a
situation, expresses emotions, analyzes and advocates
ideas
◦ Helps us grow personally and intellectually
◦ Provides an objective base for knowledge and
understanding
◦ Shapes our goals and values by clarifying our own
identities, both positively and negatively
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First reading
◦ Determine what is happening, where, what, who is
involved, major characters
◦ Make a record of your reactions and responses
◦ Describe characterizations, events, techniques and
ideas
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Second reading
◦ Trace developing patterns
◦ Write expanded notes about characters, situations,
actions
◦ Look for author’s use of literary devices
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This is the ultimate goal of the author’s
poem/story/novel.
Essentially, you are deciding WHY he/she
wrote this story.
When you ask me why we are reading
something, you are really asking me what the
author’s purpose was!
And…
The author’s purpose was to teach us
something about what it means to be human.
What does it all mean to you?
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The literary text possesses no fixed and final
meaning or value; there is no one "correct"
meaning. Literary meaning and value are
"transactional," "dialogic," created by the
interaction of the reader and the text.
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Typical questions:
How does the interaction of text and reader
create meaning?
What does a phrase-by-phrase analysis of a
short literary text, reading experience prestructured by (built into) that text?
What does the body of criticism published
about a literary text suggest about the critics
who interpreted that text and/or about the
reading experience produced by that text?
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There are no right or wrong answers;
however, there are strong and weak answers
depending on support.
Support is the key to reader’s response
criticism.
Support is the key to critical thinking.
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How will I get through Lit and Comp if there
are no Right or Wrong answers?
◦ Listen to lecture
◦ Use textual support
◦ Abide by teacher’s definition (for example: in this
class, setting is always more than just time and
place).
Literature and Composition I
From the voices of writers
A short story is, in some
ways, like a
photograph--a
captured moment of
time that is crystalline,
though sometimes
mysterious, arresting,
though perhaps
delicate.
For myself a short story is
fiction that is more
immediate and urgent
than a novel. I think of it
cinematically--the camera
zooming in on this one
climactic moment, then
pulling back on either side
of the moment to show all
that leads up to and
comes after it.
The biggest difference, to my mind, between a
short story and a novel is that after you’ve
finished a short story, you and your life haven’t
changed.
I think a short story is usually about one thing, and
a novel about many…A short story is like a short
visit to other people, a novel like a long journey
with others.
Definitions
Usually, the short story can be read from
beginning to finish at one sitting without
interruption, and the reader is able to
experience the author’s single effect.
Character, setting, plot, theme, point of view,
conflict, and style are basic elements of all
literature, but the short story is the genre in
which these elements can be analyzed most
easily.
A short story is a fictional prose tale of no
specified length, but too short to be published
as a volume on its own (as novels are).
A short story will normally concentrate on a
single event with only one or two characters,
more economically than a novel’s sustained
exploration of social background.
The short story as we know it flourished in the
magazines of the 19th and early 20th
centuries, especially in the USA, which has a
particularly strong tradition.
The Text
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The study or examination of a literary work
or author
◦ This study can be LIMITED because it is: “Your
Individual Thoughtful Interpretation”
◦ Your interpretation is colored by:
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Reader’s life experiences, expectations, reading ability
Your reading environment includes:
Our World
Our Society
Our Family
Plot: it is the “what” of the
story; what happened or
the action.
The plot traditionally
contains five elements:
•exposition,
•rising action,
•climax,
•falling action,
•(denouement) resolution.
The Text
Setting: the Where/Geography, When/Time,
Weather, and Season
And then…
how all of that affects plot and character.
The Text
Character Development
Terms to know:
•flat, round, static, dynamic
•point-of-view
•dialogue
•character interaction
POV Terms to
know:
•1st person
•3rd person limited
•Omniscient
•Objective
The Text
The purpose of the central
conflict is to drive the action
forward.
- internal conflict
(man vs. himself)
- external conflict
(man vs. man or man vs.
environment)
The Text
mood: the feeling a text
arouses in its reader
tone: the author’s stance
toward the subject
The Text
Figurative Language —
Contributes to the author’s
tone, mood and “What does it
all mean?”
•Allusions
•Metaphors
•Similes
•Imagery
•Foreshadowing
The Text
This is the deep structure consisting of the
text’s ideas and truths which the author tries to
convey
The Text
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The insight about human life that is revealed
in a literary work.
Themes are rarely stated directly in literature.
Most often, a reader has to infer the theme of
a work after considerable thought.
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Theme is different from subject.
A story’s subject might be stated as “growing
up,” “love,” “heroism,” or “fear.”
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The theme is the statement the writer wants
to make about that subject:
“For most young people, growing up is a
process that involves the pain of achieving
self-knowledge.”
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Theme must be stated in at least one
sentence.
Most themes are complex enough to require
several sentences, or even an essay.
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Theme must be stated in at least one
sentence.
Most themes are complex enough to require
several sentences, or even an essay.
The Text
Literature and Composition IH
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Character development in life is a continual
evolutionary and vital process in which we are
all participants--some more actively, directly,
and dynamically than others.
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Because we bring to the reading of stories our
own sense of character development, we have
a ready pool of experience with which to
explore the character development in the
short story.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
We come to know the characters in the text
through the indirect method of:
Physical description
The character’s thoughts, feelings, and words
The comments and reactions of others
The actions of the character and…
the direct method of the author’s stated opinion
about the character
A person in a text is
called a character, not
the person.
 The person around
whom the conflict
revolves is called the
main character, also
known as the
protagonist.
 The most prominent of
the characters who
oppose the protagonist
is the antagonist.

 Word
Origens
Pro--for, in
front of
Anti--against
Agonistes-actor
Agonia-contest
A
protagonist can be virtuous or a villain.
 An
antagonist can be virtuous or a villain,
depending upon the protagonist, and is
typically the opposite.
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A foil is a character whose qualities or actions
serve to emphasize those of the protagonist
by providing a strong contrast with them.
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A static character is one who does not change
much in the course of the story.
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A dynamic character changes in some
important way as a result of the story’s
events.
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Flat characters have few personality traits.
They can be summed up by a single phrase:
the loyal sidekick, the buffoon, the nosy
neighbor.
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Round characters have more dimensions to
their personalities--they are more complex,
just as real people are.
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A motive is the reason
behind an individual’s
actions.
It’s not what happens,
it’s WHY it’s all
happened.
THEME
◦ Second chances allow us
to right the wrongs of
the past.
◦ Who is our PROTAGONIST?
◦ Is she a ROUND or a FLAT character?
◦ How does she illustrate the complexities found in
real people?
 She is confused, she acts before thinking
◦ How old is Lizabeth? Why is her age significant in
the story?
 14-going-on-15
◦ How old is Lizabeth as she narrates her story?
 How does this affect the point-of-view, tone and mood
of the story?
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Who is the ANTAGONIST?
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Who is Miss Lottie?
◦ Setting, Lizbeth herself
◦ She is a big frame woman; she has
smooth, reddish-brown skin. She
has Indian-like features. She is very
unemotional in her facial expression.
She didn’t like intruders and she
never left her yard nor did she have
any visitors.
◦ Is this direct or indirect
characterization?
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Describe Miss Lottie’s son, John Burke.
◦ “ageless…in a mindless stupor…but he would
become enraged.”
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Is he ROUND or FLAT?
How is he important to the story?
◦ He adds to the setting of decay and limits Miss
Lottie’s freedom to break away and find a better
life.
◦ John Burke is NOT character. He functions to add
the setting and thus develops Miss Lottie’s
character.
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Setting--or the time and place of the action
in a short story--has a definite impact on
the character development and plot.
The setting is often found in the exposition
of the plot and readily establish time and
place.
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What is the setting of the story?
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a poor section of rural Maryland
What is the social setting/time period of the story?
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the United States in the midst of the Depression
More?
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Dust everywhere, dirt roads, shanty/ramshackle homes
colored dull gray
Describe the weather/season.

Late summer
Consider the hour
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it’s just after 4 A.M.
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What are some characteristics of time just before dawn?
 Four o’clock in the morning is a time when few people
are awake and it is still mostly dark. It is a time when a
person who is awake can easily feel “alone in the world.”
The early hour tends to isolate Lizabeth and make the
reader wonder what she plans to do.
How does all of this affect our character(s)?
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“smoldering emotions of that summer swelled.”
◦ Describe Miss Lottie’s house?
 the most wretched, and her “queer headed” son on the
porch adds to the impression of lowliness
◦ What does this tell us about her character?
 house is a reflection of her social standing, which is
probably lower than Lizabeth’s
◦ How does all of this affect plot?
 The setting acts as an intrinsic part of the characters
motivations for behaving in the manner in which they
do.
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The term plot refers to the chain of events
which make up the story. Each link in this
chain helps to build suspense and to solve a
problem.
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The main character is presented with a
conflict--a situation or a problem which he or
she will be called upon to resolve.
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Sometimes the problem lies within the main
character and is said to be internal.
Other times, outside forces act upon the main
character, which is said to be an external
conflict.
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There is a constant, ongoing struggle in
which the main character attempts to resolve
his or her problem; hence, he or she seeks a
solution.
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Identify the conflict Lizabeth struggles with
following the attack on Miss Lottie.
◦ She is torn between feeling sorry for attacking Miss Lottie
and feeling that she somehow had a right to attack her.
◦ Do you agree with this?
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What feelings are at the root of her conflict?
◦ Deep down, Lizabeth knows she behaved childishly and
she is angry at herself for doing so.
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Summarize the conversation that Lizabeth
overhears.
◦ She overhears her father crying and her perception of her
father changes drastically.
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How does the sound of her father’s crying affect
her?
◦ It makes her feel confused, helpless, and angry.
Internal Conflict/Person vs. Self
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What of setting and conflict?
External Conflict/Person vs. Environment
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Throughout this struggle a growing
excitement or suspense is felt as the climax
approaches.
Plot Development
Climax
Exposition
Rising Action
Climax:
Falling Action
Resolution/
Denouement
•
At what point does the Exposition end and the Rising Action
begin?
•
The climax occurs when Lizabeth returns to Miss Lottie’s garden
and destroys it. Here is where Lizabeth loses control and strike
out as a result of the conflicts she has been struggling with.
•
•
Do you agree?
How does Lizabeth change in the moment she comes face to
face with Miss Lottie? What does she recognize in Miss Lottie’s
face?
– Lizabeth realizes that as hard as her life is, Miss Lottie’s life
is much more difficult and without hope – she is able to
feel compassion for Miss Lottie.
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The author often uses
certain techniques to
creatively unfold the
plot:
Flashback: a move
back in time to an
earlier incident.
Foreshadowing: a hint
of events which will
occur later in the
story.
Does Collier use
flashback
and/or
foreshadowing
in Marigolds?
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The vantage point from which the writer tells
a story.
In broad terms, there are four main points of
view.
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First-person point of view.
One of the characters in the story tells the
story.
The narrator uses first person pronouns such
as I and we.
Readers can know only what the narrator
knows.
Examples: Speak, Catcher in the Rye, The
Adventures of Huck Finn, The House on
Mango Street
 Third-person
limited point of view.
 An unknown narrator (usually thought of as the
author) tells the story.
 The narrator zooms in to focus on the thoughts
and feelings of only one character.
 In the case of third-person limited point of view,
the narrator can tell us many things about the
character, things that the character himself (or
herself) might be unaware of.
 Examples: Harry Potter--with very few
exceptions (such as the opening chapters of
Philosopher's Stone and Deathly Hallows and the
first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince)
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The omniscient point of view.
An “all-knowing” narrator tells the story.
This narrator often tells us everything about
many characters:
Their motives, weaknesses, hopes,
childhoods, and sometimes, their futures.
Examples: Lord of the Rings
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The objective point of view.
An impersonal and objective narrator.
No opinionated comment on any characters
or events.
Like the point of view of a movie camera.
Readers can know only what the camera
might see.
The narrator does not reveal the unspoken
thoughts of the character.
Examples: Detective books, some of the
short stories we will read
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Go back to your Onion notes.
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The distinctive way in which a writer uses
language.
Styles can be plain, ornate, metaphorical,
spare, descriptive, and so on.
Style is determined by such factors as
sentence length and complexity, syntax,
use of figurative language and imagery, and
diction.
Tropes and Rhetorical Figures
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The special language of science uses words and expressions that
communicate one thing at a time without the danger of
confusion or of multiple interpretations. Polytetrafluoroethylene
probably means the same thing every sentence in which it
appears. It is hard to imagine a circumstance where it could be
used ironically and it is unlikely to find its way into a simile or
metaphor.
The language of literature and common life, however, is filled
with words and expressions used figuratively, words that mean
in a particular context something more than any dictionary
definition would lead us to expect. The figures of speech that
create these extra meanings are traditionally divided into TROPES
(figures that change the meaning of a word) and RHETORICAL
FIGURES (those that change the tone or emphasis of a statement
without changing the meaning of individual words).
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METAPHOR—A figure of speech that makes a
comparison between two unlike things
without the use of such specific words of
comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.
1.
2.
Directly Stated
Metaphor
Implied Metaphor
3.
Extended Metaphor
3.
1.
2.
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4.
Dead Metaphor
5.
Mixed Metaphor
4.
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5.
“Fame is a bee”
“I like to see it lap the Miles”
Does not state explicitly the two terms of
comparison. The example is an implied
metaphor in which the verb lap implies a
comparison between “it” (which is a train)
and some animal that “laps” up water.
Fame is a bee / It has a song— / It has
a sting— / Ah, too, it has a wing
A metaphor that is extended or developed
over a number of lines or with several
examples
“The head of the house”
Used so often the comparison is no longer
vivid.
A metaphor that fails to make a logical
comparison because its mixed terms are
visually or imaginatively incompatible. If
you say “The President is a lame duck
who is running out of gas,” you’ve lost
control of your metaphor and have
produced a statement that is ridiculous
(ducks do not run out of gas).
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1.
2.
We can distinguish between two types of
symbols:
Public
Personal
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The dove, for example, is a public symbol of
peace—that is, it is widely accepted the world
over as such a symbol.
Uncle Sam is a public symbol that stands for the
United States.
A picture of a skull and crossbones is a public
symbol of of
◦ __death or warning or pirates____
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Two snakes coiled around a staff is a widely
accepted symbol of
◦ __medicine____
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Waving a white flag is a public symbol of
◦ __surrender____
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Most symbols used in literature are personal symbols;
even though a symbol may be widely used, a writer
will usually adapt it in some imaginative, personal
way so that it can suggest not just one, but a myriad
of meanings.
One of the most commonly used symbols in
literature, for example, is the journey, which can
stand for a search for truth, for redemption from evil,
or for discovery of the self and freedom. The journey
of Huck Finn and Jim down the Mississippi River has
been interpreted to symbolize all of these concepts,
and more.
The marigolds in “Marigolds” symbolize __beauty and
possibly guilt____
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What happens to a dream deferred? Does it
dry up like a raisin in the sun?
The simile compares __postponed
dreams____to __A Raisin in the Sun____
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The cruel wind tore off the roof of the house.
What is the object or animal being
personified?
◦ __wind____
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What is the human trait given to the object?
◦ __cruelty____
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What effect does this give to the object?
Meaning, how does this example of
personification help readers to
visualize/interpret the thing being described?
◦ __nastiness and harsh wind___
allusion—an implied or indirect
reference especially in literature and
film; references are often made to
Greek gods or goddesses, Shakespeare,
the bible, specific historical events or
figures, and widely known aspects of
popular culture
Literary Terms Review

Literary Analysis:
◦ the study or examination of a literary work or
author.
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Literary Devices:
◦ figures of speech or tools a writer uses to add
layers of meaning to the text

simile—a figure of speech that makes a
comparison between two unlike things, using
a word such as like, as, than, or resembles
metaphor—a figure of speech that makes a
comparison between two unlike things
without the use of specific words of
comparison
personification—a figure of speech in which an
object or animal is given human feelings,
thoughts, or attitudes
foreshadowing—a literary device
in which an author drops subtle
hints about plot developments to
come later in the story
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The simile compares the chaotic emotions of
adolescence to smoke and the realness of a
potted geranium.
The comparison suggests that the first object
in the comparison is both hard to grasp and
solid as an everyday object
and it develops…
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The metaphor compares
◦ The emotions of teen years: joy, rage, wild
happiness, and shame to
◦ A piece of multicolored yarn
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The comparison suggests that the first
object/person in the comparison is
◦ The emotions are so woven together that no matter
how much one might try to separate them she can’t
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and it develops…
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The metaphor compares
◦ Poverty to
◦ A cage
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The comparison suggests that the first
object/person in the comparison is
◦ Poverty is something that we can not escape
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and it develops…
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The simile compares
◦ The ill-defined days to
◦ a water-color painting left out in the rain
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The comparison suggests that the first
object/person in the comparison is
◦ the days blended together so much that she could
not tell one from another
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and it develops…
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The personification compares
◦ Dying crops due to the heat of the to
◦ Parched sun

The comparison suggests that the first
object/person in the comparison is
◦ The sun was intense
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and it develops…
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The simile compares
◦ The sick-sweet smell of bay flowers to
◦ A mournful song

The comparison suggests that the first
object/person in the comparison is
◦ The scent of the flowers was heavy and sad
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and it develops…