Narrative Elements and Interpreting Literature

Approaching the textAnalyzing the text

Why Study Literature? “The unexamined life is

not worth living.” - Socrates

What does the quotation above mean to you? Do you agree or disagree with it?

List your top three favourite stories or novels - give at least one reason for why each of these stand out as a top choice.

Who Cares? Literature focuses on the

search for reasons, values, and interpretations in all areas of human interest and experience.

Because literature presents us with more than one possible meaning, interpreting literature requires care and attention.

A wise men once said that art makes life worth living...

Where do we start? What do you

need to know before you can start playing any sport?

Literature / Narratives are the same - you need to know the language and rules first

Elements of Narratives

Plot Characters Setting Theme Technical Elements

Analyzing FictionPlotPlot is the careful arrangement by an author of incidents in a narrative to achieve a desired effect. Plot is more than simply the series of happenings in a literary work. It is the result of the writer’s deliberate selection of interrelated actions (what happens) and choice of arrangement (the order of happening) in presenting and resolving a conflict.

PlotIntroduction / Exposition: The start of the story, the situation before the action starts - contains all the background information the reader needs to know to understand the story (introduces setting, characters, etc)

Inciting Incident / Conflict: A problem or conflict that propels the rising action - every narrative / story needs a problem or there is no story.

Rising Action: The series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax

Climax / Turning Point: The most intense moment – either mentally or in action – the reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

Falling Action: The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and the resolution)

Resolution: The conclusion, the untangling of events in the story

Plot - Point of View

The angle or perspective from which the story is told.Who is telling the story?For instance, is it a player on the home team or someone watching the game?How do we know what is happening?For instance, does a character tell us?

Plot - Point of View

Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, using the first person pronoun “I”.“The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I give utterance to a threat.”

“The Cask of Amontillado”

by Edgar Allan Poe

Plot - Point of View

Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, using the first person pronoun “I”.“The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I give utterance to a threat.”

“The Cask of Amontillado”

by Edgar Allan Poe

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Plot - First Person Point of View

Innocent Eye: The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being different from that of an adult). Stream of Consciousness: The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.

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Plot - Second Person ViewThe main character in the story is

referred to using the second person pronoun “you”. “Rubbing your aching head, you take in the scene around you. Nearby you see a narrow dirt road, and beyond it a fast-running brook. The road disappears into dense woods on either side of the field.You hear the sound of hooves, and a strange clanking noise. Someone is coming! You duck behind a tree as two men on horseback ride toward you. They are wearing shining metal armor. One of them carries a white banner with a golden lion on it. They must be knights! You watch as they rein in their horses and dismount just a few yards away.”Choose Your Own Adventure : The Forbidden Castle by Edward Packard

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Plot - Third Person Point of View

The story is told using a narrator who is located outside of the action of the story and uses third person pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “his”, “her”, “they” etc.

Third Person Point of View can be broken up into

two different types:• Omniscient• Limited Omniscient

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Omniscient Point of View The narrator has the power to show the reader

what is happening though a number of characters’ eyes.

“Myop carried a short knobby stick. She struck out at random at chickens she liked, and worked out the beat of a song on the fence around the pigpen. She felt light and good in the warm sun. She was ten, and nothing existed for her but her son, the stick she clutched in her dark brown hand, and the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of accompaniment.”

“The Flowers” by Alice Walker

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Limited Omniscient View Third person, told from the viewpoint of a

character in the story. “They all laughed, and while they were

laughing, the quiet boy moved his bare foot on the sidewalk and merely touched, brushed against a number of red ants that were scurrying about on the sidewalk. Secretly his eyes shining, while his parents chatted with the old man, he saw the ants hesitate, quiver, and lie still on the cement. He sensed they were cold now.”

“Fever Dream” by Ray Bradbury

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Point of View• Ask these questions to help you understand the

point of view of a story:• What type of narration is used?• Why is this type used?• Is there evidence to support if the narrator is

reliable?• Is there evidence that suggests the narrator is

unreliable?• How would the story be different if told from a

different point of view? (i.e. different character, different narration, etc)

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Plot - The order of how a story is told It is important to ask why an author chooses

to tell a story in a particular way - what impact does this “way of telling” have on the story?

Chronological - events are told in order Flashbacks -events are told through

glimpses into the past Disjointed - events jump around

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ProtagonistMain character

AntagonistCharacter or force that

opposes the main character

FoilCharacter that provides a

contrast to the protagonist

RoundThree-dimensional personality

FlatOnly one or two striking qualities—

all bad or all good

DynamicGrows and progress to a higher

level of understanding

StaticRemain unchanged throughout the

story

Characterization

Analyzing Fiction Characters

List traits of main characters. Note whether characters change by the end of the story.

Describe each event that influences a character's change. Explain, for each event, what happens to the character and how he or she changes.

Describe a scene in which a character has an epiphany. Explain what happens and what the character comes to see.

Mark the places where the author or other characters make revealing statements about a character.

SettingTime period

Geographical location

Historical and cultural context

Social Political Spiritual

Instrumental in establishing mood

May symbolizes the emotional state of characters

Impact on characters’ motivations and options

Technical Elements

ToneThe reflection in a work of the author’s attitude

Toward his or her subject, characters, and readers.

– humorous -- condescending– grim -- apologetic– nostalgic -- playful– tender -- serious– brusque -- ironic

Technical Elements -Irony: results from the reader’s sense of some discrepancy.

Verbal ironyA simple kind of irony—saying one thing but meaning the opposite. “A marvelous time” means a boring time. Not to be confused with sarcasm. Sarcasm has a cutting edge and may at times be ironic, but it may also be straight malice.

Dramatic ironySaying or doing something while unaware of its ironic contrast with the whole truth. A character says, “This is the happiest day of my life,” and the audience knows what the character doesn’t—his family has just died in a plane crash.

Situational irony Events turn to the opposite of what is expected. It rains

on the Weather Bureau’s annual picnic. Evil or horror occurs on a bright sunny day.

Technical Elements -Symbolism A symbol represents an idea, quality,

or concept larger than itself.

• A journey can symbolize life

• Water may represent cleanliness and renewal

• A lion can bea symbol of courage.

• A red rosecan represent love.

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Technical Elements :Foreshadowing

This is a writers’ technique in which the author provides clues or hints as to what is going to happen later in the story. It helps create suspense and can help develop themes like fate / destiny.

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Technical Elements: Literary Devices

Tools used to help convey tone, theme, character, etc - always ask why these evices are usedSimileMetaphor

ImageryPersonificationOxymoronAllusion

Theme Theme is the central idea of the

work--whether fiction, poetry, or drama.

For many readers, theme is an attractive element because it gives works meaning; it makes them relevant.

The theme deals with the four general areas of human experience:

the nature of humanitythe nature of societythe nature of humankind's relationship to the worldthe nature of our ethical responsibilities

Theme answers questions such as these: Are human beings innately "sinful" or "good"? Does fate control us or do we control it?

Analyzing Fiction Theme vs. SubjectTheme is not the same as the subject or topic of a work.

The subject is what the work is about. You can state the subject in a word or phrase.

In contrast, theme is what the work says about the subject. The statement of a work's theme requires a complete sentence and sometimes several sentences. Furthermore, a work's theme must apply to people outside the work.

An example would be the following: Rapid change in environment causes many people to feel their identity threatened.

Remember that a work can have many subjects and thus more than one theme. This concept is especially true of complex works.

Analyzing Fiction Theme: multiple perspectives

Themes are interpretive in nature; although an author may introduce a thematic element into a work, the response of the reader also contributes.

Any given work will have multiple meanings. For example, Margaret Atwood's "Happy Endings" is a treatise about

how one should savor the development of one's life and move beyond its structure to focus on its meaning,

or a treatise on how to write, or both

--all depending upon one's reading of the work.

Analyzing Fiction Theme

Explain how title, subtitle, epigraph, and names of characters may be related to theme.

Describe author's apparent attitude toward human behavior.

Describe author's apparent attitude toward society.

List the moral issues raised by the work. Name the character who is the moral

center of the work. List his or her traits. Mark statements by the author or

characters that seem to state themes.

Annotating the text

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Literary Analysis

Read slowly and carefully.

Plan on reading the work several times.

Ask questions to establish the literal meaning first; then work on interpretation.

Annotate as you read.

Identify themes and patterns.

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The Stolen Party

Actively read “The Stolen Party” - annotate, make notes and question

Literary Analysis - What is the theme of “The Stolen Party”?

Answer in a well-developed paragraph using the point, proof, explanation format (2 points with supporting proof - choose points like character changes, conflict, symbolism, etc)

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