An Introduction to Reading and Writing Essay

Rounded = lifelike, full, dynamic, reader can predict future behavior because of an understanding of the personality Protagonist = the hero or heroine, chief(prenominal) person in the story, person on the quest, etc. Antagonist = the person causing the conflict, in opposition to the protagonist, the obstacle, etc. Flat = no growth, static nisus = representative of a group or class (stereotypical) Characters disclosed through Actions Descriptions, both personal and environmental Dramatic statements and thoughts Statements by other characters Statements by the germ speaking as storyteller, or observer Characters need to have verisimilitude, be probable or plausible Point of View Refers to speaker, narrator, persona or vocalise created by the author to tell the story Point of view depends on two factors Physical situation of the narrator as an observer Speakers intellectual and emotional position First person = I, we Second person = You (uncommon) Third person = He , she, they (most common) Point of view may be Dramatic/ prey = strictly reporting Omniscient = all-knowing Limited omniscient = some insightSetting Setting = a works natural, manufactured, political, cultural and blase environment, including everything that characters know and own (place, time, objects) Major purpose = to establish realism or verisimilitude, and to organize a story Setting helps create atmosphere or modality Setting may reinforce characters and theme, in order to establish expectations that atomic number 18 the opposite of what occurs = irony Tone and Style Tone = methods by which writers and speakers reveal attitudes or feelings Style = ways in which writers assemble words to tell the story, to develop an argument, dramatize the play, compose the poem Choice of words in the service of subject matter Essential aspect of style is diction Formal = standard or elegant words Neutral = everyday standard vocabulary Informal = colloquial, lacking(p) lan guage, slang Tone and Style (contd) Language may be Specific = images General = broad classes Concrete = qualities of immediate perception Abstract = broader, less touchable qualities Denotation = word meanings Connotation = word suggestions Verbal irony = contradictory statements One thing said, opposite is meant Irony = satire, parody, sarcasm, double entendre Understatement = does not fully identify the importance of a situation deliberately Hyperbole (overstatement) = words far in excess of the situation Symbolism and fiction Symbolism and allegory atomic number 18 modes that expand meaning Symbol creates a direct, meaningful equation between A specific object, scene, character, or action Ideas, values, persons or ways of life Symbols may be Cultural (universal) = known by most literate people (e. g. , white dove, color black) Contextual (authorial) = private, created by the author Symbolism and Allegory (contd) Allegory is a symbol = complete and self-suff icient narrative (e. g. , Young Goodman Brown) Fable = stories about animals that possess human traits (e. g. , Aesops Fables) Parable = allegory with good or religious bent (e. g. , Biblical stories) Myth = story that embodies and codifies religious, philosophical and cultural values of the civilization in which it is composed (e. g. , George Washington chopping down the blood-red tree) Allusion = the use of other culturally well=known works from the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, famous art, etc. Idea or bag Idea = results of popular and abstract thinking Literature embodies values along with ideas In literature, ideas relate to meaning, interpretation, explanation and significance Ideas are vital to an understanding and appreciation of literature Ideas are not as obvious as character or setting. It is important to consider the meaning of what youve read and then develop an explanatory and comprehensive assertion. Theme can be found in any of these Direct state ments by the authorial voice Direct statements by a first-person speaker Dramatic statements by characters Figurative language, characters who stand for ideas The work itself.