World
Literature 271
Rough Timeline of Periods and Events
Romanticism
[Early 1800’s] Realism
[Mid-to-late 1800’s and on] Literary Periods Naturalism
[Late 1800’s and on]
FICTION TERMS AND
DEFINITIONS PLOT The Classical Plot Line
end
of the story
beginning of the story
PLOT--continued
Ø Protagonist—the
central character Ø Antagonists—characters,
forces, etc., that oppose the protagonist Ø Conflict—where
opposing forces meet—a clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills. Ø Suspense—the
quality in a story that makes us want to read on. Ø Mystery—an
unusual set of circumstances for which readers crave an explanation. Ø Dilemma—two
choices—neither favorable. Ø Plot
Manipulation (deus ex machina)—a plot turn unjustified
by the situation or characters. CHARACTER
Ø Direct
Presentation—we are told straight out what the characters are
like. Ø Indirect
Presentation—we are shown what the characters are like by watching
them in action and then making inferences. Ø Flat
Character—a
character about which we know little—one-dimensional. Ø Round
Character—a
character about which we know a great deal—multi-faceted, more fully
developed. Ø Stock
Character—a
character who is of a recognizable type and whose actions are predicable. Ø Static
Character—a
character that does not change significantly through the action of the story. Ø Developing
(Dynamic) Character—a character that changes
significantly through the action of the story. THEME
Ø
Theme—the
central insight or unifying generalization about life presented in a
story. Not all stories have
themes. In addition, a theme is stated
as a generalization about experience rather than specific to the story in
which it is found. NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW
Ø First
Person Narration—a character is the narrator. Ø Limited
Omniscient Narration—the narrator is outside of the story—one
character’s thoughts are revealed. Ø Omniscient
Narration—the
narrator is outside of the story—at least two characters’ thoughts are
revealed. Ø Objective Narration—the narrator is outside
of the story—no character’s thoughts are revealed. Often called “camera eye” or
“fly-on-the-wall.” SYMBOL Ø A symbol—something
that means more than what it is. It is
something that represents itself plus something of a different kind. It is an object, a person, a situation, an
action, or some other item that has a literal meaning in the story but
suggests or represents other meanings as well. IRONY
Ø Verbal
Irony—when
the opposite of what is said is meant.
(Not to be confused with satire). Ø Dramatic
Irony—a
contrast between what the character says and what
the reader knows to be true. Ø Situational
Irony—when
the opposite of what is expected to happen happens. EASY STEPS TO READING AND UNDERSTANDING A POEM Reading, understanding, and enjoying poetry is possible for all of us.
It only requires that we follow a process. Follow these steps
for each poem you study. FIRST: SCAN
the poem for difficult words and look these up in a dictionary. Remember, every word
in a poem is significant. SECOND: READ
the poem two or three times ALOUD.
THIRD: ASK
yourself who is the speaker and what is the occasion. Do not assume the speaker of the poem is
the poet. Often this is not the case. FOURTH: PARAPHRASE the poem
line-by-line or stanza-by-stanza until you get a meaning that makes
sense. Remember, a paraphrase is a
translation into common language. FIFTH: READ the poem ALOUD
a time or two more for new understanding and enjoyment.
|
SONNETS MADE EASY
A
sonnet is a poem whose structure and content meet specific
standards. Its success relies on
exactness and perfection of expression.
It is an art form that truly challenges a poet’s artistry and skill. Structure: In
general, a sonnet is a fourteen-line poem where each line is written in a
particular musical rhythm called iambic pentameter. In addition, these fourteen lines have to
conform to a specific rhyme scheme. Don’t
be confused or put off by the term iambic pentameter. An iamb is simply a two-syllable unit of
sound where the first syllable is unaccented and the second is accented. Words like today, forget,
and garage are iambs. If
you say these words aloud, you will notice that you accent the second
syllable more strongly than the first. Pentameter means measure
(meter) of five (penta). So iambic pentameter simply means five
iambs to each line. Check this line
out: “Today I will forget to weep for
you” Can you identify the five iambs? On
to rhyme scheme: Rhyme scheme simply
means the pattern made by the ending sounds of each line. Consider
this: Please
listen to my voice above them all, So you, my
friend, be spared the pain and grief Of
failing, falling hard against that wall Which makes a time of happiness so
brief. We
mark the rhyme scheme of a poem by using the alphabet. The first line’s ending sound is given the
letter “A.” Any similar ending sounds
in that poem also are given the letter “A.”
The next new end-of-the-line sound is given the letter “B,” the next
“C,” and so on. The
four lines above have the rhyme scheme A,B,A,B. See? Since
there are two major types of sonnets—the Petrarchan
(or Italian) and Shakespearean (or English or Elizabethan)—there
are two major rhyme schemes. Though
rhyme scheme variations exist (particularly in the last six lines (the
sestet), the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet rhyme scheme usually is
B B A An OCTAVE—the first eight
lines-- A states a proposition or B raises a question. B A
D E A SESTET—the last six lines C applies the proposition or D solves the problem. E A
Shakespearean (or English or Elizabethan) sonnet is different:
B First QUATRAIN A Image or example #1 B
D Second QUATRAIN C Image or example #2 D
F Third QUATRAIN E Image or example #3 F
G Commentary on the preceding ideas Now
the hard part—a sonnet must have meaning, too. A Petrachan
sonnet presents a situation or premise in the first eight lines (the octave)
and provides some sort of resolution or statement about the situation in the
final six lines (the sestet). The
Shakespearean sonnet, in contrast, presents three four-line (a quatrain)
examples or premises, with the couplet at the end providing some sort of
closure. Examples? For a Petrarchan sonnet, how about this
masterpiece: Fourteen
lines of iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of abbaabbacdecde
and a structured message breaking at the end of the eighth line. My
college life has left me without sleep. I
study every night locked in my room. The
walls at times feel almost like a tomb; The
loneliness doth cause my soul to weep. Great
tears of sadness flow from eyes that keep Returning
to the text where answers loom, Enshrouded
in a chapter like a womb, My
eyes throughout the words do futilely creep. I
must a Big Mac eat or I will die Of
hunger gnawing at my fragile mind That
cannot read another word of this. I
also want a piece of apple pie That
Ronald has so patiently refined. I
must these eat or I will be a mess. First
note the rhyme scheme—it is one kind of Petrachan
sonnet rhyme scheme (abbaabbacdecde). Next note how the thought changes direction
after the eighth line. The first eight
lines (the octave) develop the situation; the final six lines (the sestet)
provide resolution. Now
on to a Shakespearean sonnet. Let’s
start with the same idea: Fourteen
lines of iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg
and a structured message consisting of three four-line premises and a
two-line (a couplet) resolution. My
college life has left me without sleep. I
study every night locked in my room. The
loneliness doth cause my soul to weep, The
walls at times feel almost like a tomb. My
social life has vanished in the haze That
drifts about me when I think of love, And
hours doeth creep by in a blurry daze With
hope of romance stolen from above. My
health is really starting to erode. I
cannot walk and talk ‘cause I must pant And
wheeze because my bod cannot the load Endure;
and as to run, well I just can’t. So
from the doctor I must seek some help. I
bet he will suggest I eat some kelp. A
classic? Time will tell, but while we
wait, note the structure of the thought.
The first, second, and third four-line groups (quatrains) provide
examples of the situation. The final
two lines, the couplet, provide closure. |
|
|
