Literature

• Character


  Persons or other being in a narrative work of art
• Characters


  • May be fictional or based on real life
  • Antagonist and Protagonist
• Types of Characters

  • Individual round, many sided and complex personalities
  • Developing dynamic, many sided personalities that change for better or worse by the end of the story
  • Static Stereotypes; they have one or two characteristics that never change and are often over-emphasized
• Theme


  Central topic of a text
• Categories of Theme

  • Thematic concept - what readers think the work is about
  • Thematic statement - what the work says about the subject
• Plot


  Sequence of events inside a story which affect other events through the principle of cause and effect
• Plot is a casual sequence of events, the "why" for the things that happen in the story
• Five Elements of Plot

  • Exposition

  • Rising Action

  • Climax

  • Falling Action

  • Resolution
• Point of View


  Describes the position of the narrator, the character of the story teller in relation to the story being told.
• Objective Point of View


  The writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.
• Third Person Point of View 


  The narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside voice.
• First Person Point of View 


  The narrator does participate in the action of the story. When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.
• Omniscient 


  A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing or omniscient.
• Limited Omniscient Point of View 


  A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor l, has a Limited Omniscient Point of View.
• Place


  Geographical location, where is the action of the story taking place?
• Time


  When is the story taking place? ( Historical period, time of day, year)
• Weather Condition 


  Is it rainy, sunny, stormy etc.
• Social Condition 


  What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)
• Mood or Atmosphere 


  What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Bright or Dark?
• Conflict 


  Is the essence of fiction. It creates plot. It is inherent in compatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or force; creates tension and and interest in a story.
• Human Vs Human


  Conflict that pits one person against another.
• Human Vs Nature 


  This involves a run in with the forces of nature.
• Human Vs Society 


  The values and customs by which everyone elses lives are being challenged.
• Human Vs Self


  Internal conflict. Not all conflict involves other people.
• Tone


  Expresses the writer's attitude toward or feeling about the subject matter and audience.
• Style


  Choice of words, sentences, and paragraph structure used to convey the meaning effectively.
• Narration 


  Use of written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience.
• Pace/Pacing


  Speed at which a story is told.
• Dialogue 


  Verbal exchange between two or more.
• Action 


  Mode that writers use to show what is happening at any given moment in the story.
• Language 


  Ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication particularly the human ability to do so.