Boot Camp
A.P. Literature
Part 1- Plot and Setting
Plot- what happens in a
narrative
 Plot
is more than
just a series of
events. Authors
must arrange
conflict,
complications, and
resolutions to
create a logical
cause and effect
relationship.
 Readers
must
understand not just
What is happening
but Why it is
happening.
 A plot must be
believable yet it
doesn’t have to be
realistic.
Types Of Plot Structure
Standard Form





Exposition- sets up setting,
characters, and conflict clue
Rising Action- after inciting
incident the conflict grows
Climax- when the emotional
tension or suspense reaches its
peak. Could be the turning point
Falling Action- deals with the fall
out from the conflict. Potential
resolutions appear.
Denouement/Resolution ties
things up, tells the moral,
however many 20-21th century
stories leave this undone so
readers must ponder the
possibilities
Other Forms-Non Linear Plot
 In
medias resbeginning in the
middle of the
action
 Flashback
 Foreshadowing
 Subplots
 Parallel Plot
Structure
Questions to Guide Plot Analysis
 Is
the plot in chronological order or in medias
res?
 Does it involve flashbacks? If so to what
purpose?
 What is the nature of the conflict?
 What is the high point or climax?
 How is the conflict resolved? If there is no
resolution, why not?
 Is there a denouement? If not why is the story
inconclusive?
 What patterns do you see in the plot structure?
Plot Directions for Annotations
 What
type of plot structure does “A
Rose for Emily” have?
 What effect does this structure have
on the story?
 You can answer this on the story
itself or loose leaf. Have it with you
tomorrow.
 The
word “setting” might remind you of a
play’s “set.” Inexperienced readers think
of setting as mere background.
 However, settings can prompt characters
to act, bring them to realizations, or even
reveal their innermost nature.
What can a setting do?

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




Affect character action and motivation
Reveal the nature of the characters
Mirror the plot
Act as a character
Provide key symbolism
Set atmosphere or mood
Illustrate irony
Snow White
Establish verisimilitude=
(realistic setting leads us to suspend disbelief)

 Students
often think
about setting like real
estate…it’s all about
“location, location,
location.
 Setting is more than
location.
 “Locale” refers to the
physical location of a
story: a house, a street,
a city, a landscape, a
region.
Honore de Balzac famously would
research several actual houses on a
single street and describe them
down to the minutest detail,
including their individual smells.
 Setting
may also critically involve the time
of the story, the day, year, or century.
James Joyce’s epic masterpiece
Ulysses takes on a single day, June,
16 1904 in Dublin, Ireland. The
novel includes numerous historical
facts culled from the daily Dublin
newspaper right down to the
winner of the horseraces.
 Truly,
setting includes the entire society
(itself a product of place and time).
 This includes the beliefs and assumptions
of the characters.
The harsh judgment cast on
Hester Prynne in The Scarlett
Letter is largely a product of
the time period. It is nearly
impossible to understand the
novel without understanding
the Puritan culture in the
early seventeenth century.
In summation…


Setting encompasses
locale, time period, and
the mores of the society
within a work of
literature.
Setting is the natural,
manufactured, political,
cultural, and temporal
environment, including
everything the
characters know and
own (Roberts & Jacobs
275).
Ask Yourself…
 Is
it a public or a private setting?
 Is it an urban, rural or natural setting?
 Are there two (or more) contrasting settings?
 What
are the cultural and historical circumstances?
Vienna, Austria
Setting Practice
from “A Rose for Emily”
 Find
To be completed on the
story as part of annotation
an example that examines time.
Label & Write what you can infer in the
margins.
 Find an example of place. Label & Write
what you can infer in the margins.
 Find an example of culture that helps
define a character. Explain in the margin.
 Find an example of any of the aspects of
setting that you feel connects to the
larger meaning of the story. Label &
Explain in the margins.
A.P. Lit Thesis Statements
 Your
thesis should mention both
author and title by name.
 Your thesis should directly address
the prompt and name the
element(s) you have chosen to
address.
 Your thesis should address the
meaning of the work as a whole
(i.e. state the theme)
How does the author use setting to
create meaning in your literary work?
Setting = Meaning
Consider
what about
the setting helps
create meaning in the
literary work?
All The Pretty Horses Practice



Your thesis should
mention both author
and title by name.
Your thesis should
directly address the
prompt and name the
element(s) you have
chosen to address.
Your thesis should
address the meaning
of the work as a whole
(i.e. state the theme)

Cormac McCarthy, author of All the
Pretty Horses, uses
the stark
contrast between Mexico
and the United States during
the 1950’s in order to develop
the novel’s theme that part of
growing up is understanding
that the world can ruthlessly
destroy one’s dream.
This is a very structured format. It is a good starting place to
ensure you cover both aspects of the prompt while
focusing on the author in an active voice. However it can
be altered to fit your style and voice.
Create Your Own Setting Thesis
Statements



Your thesis should
mention both author
and title by name.
Your thesis should
directly address the
prompt and name the
element(s) you have
chosen to address.
Your thesis should
address the meaning
of the work as a whole
(i.e. state the theme)
****We will eventually create a thesis based on one of the
stories, but it is not part of your homework tonight.***