Prose

Dystopian literature

Describes a new type of society or world where people have lost their individuality.

Character Type

Describes the manner in which a character, a person or animal taking part in the action of a literary work, is portrayed in a story.

5 Basic Elements of a Novel

Plot, characters, conflict, setting and theme

Gothic Novels

Popular in the late 1700s and early 1800s, use the supernatural and elements of horror

Spatial Order

Organizing material for physical description from one place to another, such as from right to left, top to bottom, inside to outside, here to there, or near to far

Memoirs

The writing of the events and personal experiences of an individual's life. General Ulysses S. Grant wrote his memoirs of his years in the military

Anticlimax

May be used by an author to change the intent or direction of a story. It is also referred to as bathos. It is the movement from an important or serious idea or situation to one that is trivial or humorous

Literature

A body of written works of a language or a culture. It can be divided into the categories of classical, contemporary, didactic and dystopian

Short Story

A brief work of fiction that is similar to a novel but has a simpler plot, setting and character development. THe length of a short story can range from as few as five hundred words to a novella (20,000 words). Details of short stories are revealed with a minimum description at crucial moments. Edgar Allan Poe was probably the first noted author to describe the elements of a short story. Poe proposed the single effect theory of a short story in which the author tries to evoke a single emotion from the reader. SOme of the most famous short stories incldue "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado" by Poe, "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow" by Washington Irving, and "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. The short story dates back to around 3000 to 4000 BC and stems from the tradition of storytelling. The short story of today was primarily formed and molded by the works of such great American writers as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe. A shorty story is a brief work of fiction. In most short stories, one main character faces a conflict. Because space is limited, the author must make every word count. Short stories are not short on details but do no include long, unnecessary narratives.

Dynamic Character

A character that is changed by events or interactions with other characters, in contrast to a static character

Static Character

A character that stays essentially the same throughout the action of a story

Flat character

A character who exhibits only one or two qualities or traits and is less important to the story

Round character

A character who is complicated and exhibits numerous qualities or traits, and as a result, seems like a real person

Autobiography

A form of nonfiction in which the author writes about his or her own life. They are written by people who have had extraordinary experiences and sometimes even by people who are related to or acquainted with famous people. Benjamin Franklin's autobiography became one of the most famous autobiographies in American literature

Biography

A form of nonfiction prose written by an author about another person. The ancietn Greeks were the first to write biographies. Plutarch (46-120 AD) wrote Parallel Lives of Illustrious Greeks and Romans, which was a series of biographies that compared Greek and Roman leaders

Fiction

A form of prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events. Novels and short stories are the most popular forms of fiction. Fictional writing can include fables, fantasies, parables, tall tales, narrative poems, and dramas

Novel

A long story of fictional prose that involves many characters and a complex plot. Unlike a short story, a novel can have many subplots and many changes in time, setting, and the focus of the story. A novel can also be defined as a fictional narrative of over 50,000 words. Novel lengths can vary. Juvenile fiction is usually 3,000 to 25,000 words. Young adult novels generally range from 15,000 to 80,000 words. Types of novels include realistic novels, science-fiction novels, historical novels, romantic novels, regional novels, and novels of manners. Novels can be categorized into realistic, science fiction, mystery, historical, romantic, regional, picaresque, epistolary, Gothic, and sentimental, as well as novels of manners and novels of local color.

Climax

A moment of intensity which the conflict builds to. Also known as a turning point.

Character

A person, animal, thing or natural force in a story or poem. The main character, or protagonist, is the most important character in the story. A minor character takes part in the story's events but is not the main focus of attention. One of the characters in Herman Melville's Moby dick was the great white whale. The Mississippi River was a character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Picaresque Novel

A satirical literary work that describes the adventures of a hero that is sometimes dishonest or mischievous.

Historical Fiction

A story of a well-defined period of history such as the American Civil War. Historical fiction must include facts that are accurate, and the people in the story must be realistically portrayed. The setting for the story should be appropriate to the time period, and the author must correctly describe the social conditions of the people and public events. The elements of a historical fiction novel are present in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The historical period is the time of the French Revolution. The social conditions of the common people of France and England are accurately described in the story. The struggle of the common people against the noble class is one of the main themes of the novel. Another example of historical fiction is the Red Badge of Courage, set against the backdrop of the American Civil War.

Epistolary Novel

A work written in the form of letters that was popular in the 1700s

Journal

A written account of the daily experiences, thoughts, and impressions of an individual. A journal may be a captain's log on a ship. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark kept a famous journal on their expedition and exploration of the Mississippi River and the territory of the Louisiana Purchase in the early 1800s. Journalists often record simple, everyday information that often seems inconsequential but becomes a valuable source of information at a later date. They have an informal writing style.

Novella

Also known as a novelette, it is a work of fictional prose that is longer than a short story and shorter than a novel (more than 20,000 words and less than 50,000 words). Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Henry James' Turn of the Screw are novellas.

Diary

An account of the daily personal thoughts and experiences of an invidual. A diary is usually more personal than a journal. One of the most famous diaries was The Diary of Anne Frank, an account of a Jewish girl living with her family in the Netherlands during World War II. The family was hiding from the Nazis who occupied the Netherlands during the war. Samuel Pepys' (1633-1703) famous DIary became an important source of the lifestyles of the English people and the history of the period

Persuasive Writing

An author uses information, analysis, and exemplars to try to influence the reader's point of view. The author may want to move the reader to take an action such as voting for a presidential candidate. Newspaper editorials and columns are usually persuasive writing

4 types of essays

Expository, descriptive, narrative and persuasive

Regional Novel

Focuses on the behavior, customs, culture and dialect of people living in a specific geographic area

Novel of Manners

Focuses on the details and social customs of a time period or group

Mystery

Focuses on the element of suspense as experience through the use of dialogue, actions of the characters and setting of the story. Mysteries may involve strange adventures, frightening confrontations, unexplained circumstances, threats of terror, unknown forces of evil, or tales of crime. A mystery is very carefully controlled. The author must pace the story so that clues are discretely revealed through the actions and dialogue of the characters. The readers do not know which character to trust and will not learn how the mystery is solved until every unknown detail or question has been answered and revealed.

Sentimental Novel

Focuses on traditional values of family, religion, morality and social reform and was popular in the United States during the 1800s. In 1789, William Hill Brown wrote the first American novel The Power of Sympathy, which was a sentimental novel

Logical Order

Grouping material into reasonable categories or sequence

Expository Writing

Informs, explains or provides information such as giving directions. In organizing their work, writer may compare and contrast, use cause and effect, identify main ideas, use fact and opinion, predict outcomes and conclusion, make inference, or identify problems and solutions. The author of expository writing cannot assume that the reader has any knowledge of the topic under discussion. The finormaiton in the writing example must be credible. The author can use his or her expertise or experiences to make the information believable to the reader. An example of expository writing can be as simple as the directions on how to build and fly a kite. Other examples of expository writing can be found in great works of literature

Inciting Incident

It sets the story in motion. It can be a physical action, a dialogue between characters, or even a impel sentence. An inciting incident is intended to arouse the reader's attention and serve as the hook that maintains the reader's interest throughout the story. More that one incident can be introduced in a story. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, one inciting incident that preceded the declaration of the main conflict was Sampson, the Capulet's servant, beginning the quarrel with the Montagues' servants. Another inciting incident was Tybalt's recognition of Romeo at the Capulet's feast

Science Fiction

Literature that is based on an author's vision of imaginary worlds, inventions, discoveries, or time or space travel. One of the earliest examples of science fiction in Homer's Odyssey. Other examples of science fiction include The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Twenty Thousands Leauges Under the Sea by Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds.

Didactic literature

Literature written to provide practical advice or to teach a moral or religious lesson.

Order

Refers to the organizations of sequence that is used to order a reading passage or story. There are several types of order including spatial order, chronological order, order of importance, and logical order

Contemporary Literature

Refers to works that are written in the present time

Essay

Short, nonfiction writing that focuses on a particular subject. Essays may be formal or informal. An informal essay may tell about a person's experiences or thoughts. They may be humorous, casual, and may even reveal personal information about the writer. A formal essay will take a more serous tone and deal with an academic subject matter and have a logical, structured form

Narrative Writing

Tells a story, discusses events, or relates how people feel about the author. The narrator of the story can be the author or a character in the story. A narrative can be told in chronological order or flashback and may incldue characters, setting, conflict, and a resolution. SPatial order is established for the time and place of the story. Narratives may be told from the first person point of view, in which one of the characters of a story tells the story, or the third person point of view, in which someone outside the story is the narrator

Plot

The groundwork that determines how the events of the story unfold. One events in a plot often builds on another related event. As more events occur, the story builds in intensity. A plot might be compared to the path a person takes in hinting over a steep hill. The path begins on a fairly level place, gradually rises, encounters difficult obstacles, reaches a peak, and then begins to gradually decline and once again finds a fairly level plane

Characterization

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities. Sometimes an author will directly state a character's traits. However, sometimes the author will describe how a character looks, acts, and speaks, and how other characters react to him or her. The author will let the reader draw conclusions about the character

Central Conflict

The most important element of the plot. Many people think that a conflict must be something like an argument, a disagreement, or even a war. However, a conflict can also be an approaching deadline, differing goals of the characters in a story, or a struggle within a character that causes anxiety or tension. The conflict refers to the interaction of the characters in a story. The conflict can be described as a struggle between opposing forces. Examples of story conflicts are man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, man vs. society, and man vs. fate or destiny

Chronological Order

The organization arranges events in the order in which they occur such as first to last, early to late, morning to night

Order of Importance

The organization of a reading passage with the least important point or illustration listed first and the most important last or vice versa. This type of order could also include most convincing facts first and least convincing facts last, or vice versa

Setting

The time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs. In some stories, the setting serves only as a backdrop for action, a place where the characters move and speak. However, in others, the setting is a crucial element. The description of the setting also helps establish the mood of a story. In Pride and Prejudice, the country homes are secondary to the actions of the characters. Description of the setting helps establish the mood of a story. For example, in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado", the setting contributes to the growing horror of the story. In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, the horrors of the stockyard are a major element in the development of the plot

Point of View

The vantage point or position from which a story is told. An author may put himself/herself figuratively into the body and mind of some character taking part in the story's action. A story is told in first person when on of the characters tells the story. A story is told in third person when someone outside the story tells it. Most stories are written from the third person point of view.

Resolution

The writer explains how the characters were changed by the conflict

Novel of Local Color

Uses details common in a certain region or section of the country

Descriptive Writing

Uses sensory information to create clear images in the reader's mind. Many authors use spatial and logical order in descriptive writing. Descriptive writing can also be used in persuasive and narrative writing

Classical Literature

Was written from approximately 1200 BC to the mid-400s AD and includes the literature of ancient Greece and ancient Rome.

Exposition

What the writer usually begins with to develop a plot. Where the story is set and the characters in the story are identified. Once these basics are established, an inciting incident occurs that sets the story in motion.

Limited Point of View

When the knowledge of the narrator only extends to the internal thoughts of one character.

Omniscient Point of View

When the narrator has knowledge of the internal thoughts and actions of nay or all of the characters. Also known as all-knowing point of view.

Nonfiction prose

Writing that describes real objects, settings, events and the actual experiences of individuals. Works of nonfiction include autobiographies, biographies, histories, journals or diaries that are based on facts or eyewitness accounts. Nonfiction can also include essays, newspaper articles, magazine articles, travel guides, brochures, and scientific or technical articles.

Belles-lettres

Writing that is not meant to be informative or educational and covers a variety of genres including poetry and prose

Prose

Written or spoken language that is expressed in an ordinary form. Prose does not include verses, meter, or rhyme such as is found in poetry. Prose includes the literary style of an author including the distinctive use of grammar, vocabulary or word choice, figurative language, and sentence structure and length. There are many types of prose including fiction, nonfiction, short stories, novels, essays, biographies, and autobiographies