Analysing a prosaic literary work

Question 1

Author

Answer 1

not that important - depends

Question 2

Title and subtitle

Answer 2

-should be intriguing, create expectations, rise curiosity, give information about the plot
“good title is that one, that intrigues reader to buy the book

Question 3

Genre

Answer 3

caregorization

Question 4

Setting

Answer 4

-time frame, physical location (when and where)

Question 5

Narrator

Answer 5

-who’s telling the story
1st person
-telling the story from their own perspective (I, we)
3rd person
-all characters are referred to as he, she, they
3rd person omnicient
-all-knowiging
-god-like perspective
3rd person limited
-narrator has connections only to one character
3rd person camera-eye
-*“fly on the wall”-
-the narrator doesn’t give the reader anyone’s thoughts or feelings, only actions

Question 6

Characters

Answer 6

-creatures that appear in the story

Question 7

Character types

Answer 7

-protagonist (white character)
-antagonist (black character)
-sidekick -> 2nd in importance
-tertiary characters -> 3rd in importance, minor, not that important, populate story
-round characters -> dynamic, evolve
-static characters -> do not evolve, just a little

Question 8

Plot

Answer 8

Gustav Freitag
-german novelist and dramatist
-invented a “plot diagram” for analyzing any structure of a story consisting of 5 elements:
1. Beginning, introduction
2. rising action
3. Climax, turning point
4. falling action
5. Resolution

Question 9

Language

Answer 9

-formal
-informal

Question 10

Legacy

Answer 10

-what kind of impact it had on the reader
-what kind of message it gave