Intro to Literary Studies

Narrator

the voice of the person telling the story.

diction

the writer's choice of words

canon

those works considered by scholars, critics, and teachers to be the most important to read and study. Collectively constitute the "masterpieces" of literature.

absurdist literature

type of literature where characters are often alienated from themselves and their environment in an irrational world.

allegory

used instead of symbol when a character, object, or incident indicates a single, fixed meaning.

Limited Omniscient Narrator

narration much more confined than the omniscient narrator. Sometimes the narrator can see into more than one character. The author very often restricts the narrator to a single perspective of either a major or minor character.

Neutral Omniscient

narration that allows the characters' actions and thoughts to speak for themselves.

Editorial Omniscient

narration that evaluates the characters for the reader.

exposition

narrative device that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.

naive narrator

narrator of youthful innocence. lacks the sophistication to interpret accurately what they see. Unreliable because the reader must go beyond their understanding of events to understand the situations described.

Unreliable narrator

narrator who reveals an interpretation of events that is somehow different from the author's own interpretation of those events.

formula fiction

often characterized as "escape literature", ____ _____ follows a pattern of conventional reader expectations. ALSO, offers happy endings, entertains wide audiences, sells tremendously well.

character

person presented in a dramatic or narrative work

characterization

process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader.

point of view

refers to who tells us the story and how it is told.

Two major methods of presenting characters

showing and telling

literary symbol

symbol that can include traditional, conventional, or public meanings. (may also be established internally by the total context of the work in which it appears)

conventional symbols

symbols that are widely recognized by a society or culture.

suspense

the anxious anticipation of a reader or an audience as to the outcome of a story, especially concerning the character(s) with whom sympathetic attachments are formed. Helps secure the interest of the audience throughout the work.

plot

the author's arrangement of incidents in a story to shape the action and give the story a particular focus. WHAT happens, HOW, and WHY.

tone

the author's implicit attitude toward the people, places, and events of the story.

theme

the central idea or meaning of the story

style

the distinctive manner in which a write arranges words to achieve particular effects.

antagonist

the force that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story. An opponent of the protagonist.

foreshadowing

the introduction early in the story of verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to come later.

protagonist

the main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader's interest and empathy.

climax

the moment of greatest emotional tension in a narrative, usually marking a turning point in the plot at which the rising action reverses to become the falling action.

setting

the physical and social context in which the action of a story occurs. major elements include time, place, social environment that frames the character.

conflict

the struggle within the plot between opposing forces.

First-person narrator

uses "I". Presents the point of view of only one character's consciousness.

analysis

usually examines only a single element and relates it to the entire work.

sarcasm

verbal irony that is calculated to hurt someone by false praise.

Exposition explains...

what has gone on before, the relationship between characters, the development of a theme, and the introduction of conflict.

consistent

when the behavior revealed is compatible with the character's temperament

rising action

a complication that creates some sort of conflict for the protagonist. (i.e., intensifies the situation)

irony

a device that reveals a reality different from what appears to be true

telling

a method of presenting characters which allows the author to intervene to describe and sometimes evaluate the character for the reader.

showing

a method of presenting characters which allows the author to present a character talking and acting, and lets the reader infer what kind of person the character is.

flashback

a narrated scene that marks a break in the narrative in order to inform... about events that took place before the opening scene of a work.

symbol

a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning.

plausible action

action by the character in a story that seems reasonable, given the motivations presented.

motivated action

action by the characters occurs when the reader is offered reasons for how characters behave, what they say, and the decisions they make.

Omniscient narrator

all-knowing narrator who is not a character in the story and can move from place to place and pass back and forth through time, slipping into and out of characters.

stock character

character stereotypes rather than individuals. ex: "dumb blonde" Note: Sometimes simply weak characterization.

static character

character that does not change throughout the work. The reader's knowledge of the character does not grow.

flat character

character that embodies several qualities, ideas, or traits that can be described in a brief summary.

dynamic character

character that undergoes some kind of change because of the action in the plot.

round characters

characters that are more complex and often display internal conflict found in most real people.

Objective Point of View

dramatizing particularly tense moments in a detached impersonal manner. The narrator shows us feelings instead of telling us what they are.

situational irony

incongruity between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

verbal irony

a person saying one thing but meaning the opposite.

in medias res

Latin term - beginning a story in the middle of the action.

resolution

The conclusion of a plot's conflicts and complications, also known as the falling action, follows the climax in the plot.

explication, analysis, comparison, and contrast

Types of papers more frequently assigned in literature classes.

a foil

a character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of that character.