Unit 1: Reading Critically Across Genres (Notes)

Question 1

What is the basis of a reader’s interpretation of a poem?

Answer 1

A reader’s interpretation of a poem is based on textual details, but it is also informed by the reader’s own combination of knowledge and life experiences.

Question 2

What is a text’s literary merit? How is it determined?

Answer 2

A text’s literary merit is a widely held judgement of its artistic value. No governing body or authority determines a text’s literary merit; rather it is a collection of informal judgements made through the consensus of the literary community–scholars, teachers, and readers.

Question 3

True or False: Because it is subjective, literary merit can be controversial.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

What is a “canon?” What is “the canon,” in terms of literature?

Answer 4

A canon is a sanctioned or accepted group or body of related works. In the context of literature, the canon is the collection of texts generally judged to have high literary merit.

Question 5

What is the criteria for judging a text’s literary merit and considering it for inclusion in the canon?

Answer 5

1. complex, original form
2. impressive usage of language
3. significant thematic considerations (judgements may vary over time)
4. enduring appeal

Question 6

Sometimes, a work that is not highly valued at the time of its publication may be greatly valued later for the way it represents the spirit of its time or signifies changing mores. How is Herman Melville an example of this?

Answer 6

Today, Herman Melville, author of “Moby Dick,” is widely considered one of the greatest writers of the 19th century, but when he died in 1891, his wok had been largely forgotten by his contemporaries.

Question 7

What is “genre?” What are the three primary designations of literary genre?

Answer 7

Genre refers to a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content. The three primary designations of literary genre are poetry, drama, and prose.

Question 8

What is “poetry?”

Answer 8

Poetry is writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.

Question 9

What are the three concepts in a literary analysis of poetry?

Answer 9

1. style: a distinctive manner of expression (as in writing or speech)
2. tone: the use of language and style in a text to reflect an attitude toward the subject or the audience
3. voice: an author’s unique style as expressed in a work or across works

Question 10

Word choice, sentence structure, and the use of images are elements of which poetic device (style, tone, or voice)? What do they influence?

Answer 10

Style; they also influence tone and voice

Question 11

What is “diction?” How do poets treat it?

Answer 11

Poets carefully consider diction, the choice of words, especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

Question 12

What are the two primary ways words convey meaning?

Answer 12

1. denotation: a direct, specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea
2. connotation: the suggested meaning of a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes

Question 13

What is the difference between the topic of a literary work and its theme?

Answer 13

A literary work’s topic is the subject of a discourse, or of a section of a discourse, and it might come to mind when you ask, “What is the text about?” In contrast, a theme is a deeper underlying message of an artistic representation.

Question 14

True or False: Complex literary texts generally have multiple themes

Answer 14

True

Question 15

What is “context?” What may it include?

Answer 15

Context is the set of interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs. The context of a literary text may include the historical conditions in which it is produced, the background and education of the writer, and the cultural context, including other artistic movements and literary works.

Question 16

True or False: Often, readers can understand more about a written work by examining both the personal backgrounds of the authors and the social, historical, and cultural ideas of the author’s time. (Context)

Answer 16

True

Question 17

What is a “short story?”

Answer 17

A short story is an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel, usually dealing with a few characters, aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot.

Question 18

What are the elements of a short story?

Answer 18

1. fictional
2. written in prose
3. incorporating a limited number of characters
4. emphasizing mood
5. creating unity of effect

Question 19

What distinguishes prose from poetry?

Answer 19

Prose is distinguished from poetry by its greater irregularity and variety of rhythm and its closer correspondence to the patterns of everyday speech.

Question 20

In literature, what does “unity of effect” refer to?

Answer 20

Unity of effect refers to the impression the work has on the reader.

Question 21

How is a “unity of effect” crafted in a literary text?

Answer 21

To craft “unity of effect,” every word in a literary text should help to create the single effect the author intended, and this should be transmitted clearly and precisely through the text.

Question 22

What is “plot?”

Answer 22

Plot is the plan or main story in a narrative.

Question 23

What is the basic plot structure of a narrative?

Answer 23

1. Exposition
2. Inciting incident: the initial event presenting the conflict of a narrative
3. Rising action
4. Climax
5. Falling action
6. Denouement: the final outcome, or resolution, of the main dramatic complication in a literary work

Question 24

What are “tales of ratiocination?”

Answer 24

They are tales of logical reasoning, such as detective stories.

Question 25

What is “direct characterization?” What does it involve?

Answer 25

Direct characterization is the artistic representation of human character or motives as explicitly expressed in narration of a text. Direct characterization includes explicit statements in the text and its narration.

Question 26

What is “indirect characterization?” What does it involve?

Answer 26

Indirect characterization is the artistic representation of human character or motives as expressed through the character’s words or actions or by the responses of other characters.

Question 27

How do indirect and direct characterization relate in terms of inferences? How are they analyzed differently?

Answer 27

Both direct and indirect characterization require an active response on the part of the reader in the form of inferences. In indirect characterization, these inferences revolve around character and traits, whereas in direct characterization they revolve around the accuracy of the narrator’s perspective and whether the characterization is reliable.

Question 28

Remember: Often, the setting, characters, and plot work together to convey the theme of a short story. In some cases, figurative language, symbolism, and other features also contribute to theme.

Answer 28

Often, the setting, characters, and plot work together to convey the theme of a short story. In some cases, figurative language, symbolism, and other features also contribute to theme.

Question 29

What is the criteria for categorizing character type in literature?

Answer 29

In literature, categorization of character types generally falls along two lines. The first is based on the degree to which a character is developed (flat or round). The second is the degree to which a character changes over the course of the narrative (static or dynamic).

Question 30

What are the four character types in literature?

Answer 30

1. Flat character: a character with a single defining characteristic
2. Round character: a complex and well-developed character
3. Static character: a character who does not change significantly in the course of a narrative
4. Dynamic character: a character who changes significantly in the course of a narrative

Question 30

What is “characterization?”

Answer 30

Characterization is the presentation of the attitudes and behavior of imaginary persons in order to make them credible to the author’s audience.

Question 31

True or false: Characterization is one criteria to assess literary merit.

Answer 31

True

Question 32

True or False: A dynamic character has various reactions to events; a static character’s feelings are unwavering.

Answer 32

True

Question 33

What is “irony?”

Answer 33

Irony is the use of words to express something other than–and especially the opposite of–the literal meaning.

Question 34

What is “verbal irony?”

Answer 34

Verbal irony is the incongruity between the literal meaning of what is said and the intended meaning, often taking the form of sarcasm or understatement.

Question 35

What is “situational irony?”

Answer 35

Situational irony is the incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected results.

Question 36

What is “dramatic irony?”

Answer 36

Dramatic irony is the incongruity between a situation developed in a drama [or other narrative] and the accompanying words or actions that are understood by the audience but not by the characters.

Question 37

What are conventions in literature?

Answer 37

Conventions are the established techniques, practices, or devices specific to a genre.

Question 38

Who is a play intended to be read by? How do plays compensate for specific types of readers? Who may these readers be?

Answer 38

While the text of a play is written for any reader, it has some aspects that are in place for specific readers: actors, directors, and others involved with the production. In order to assist these particular readers, the playwright includes features of dramatic texts. These special features are part of the conventions of drama.

Question 39

How do dramatic texts differ from other literary genres? What is their function?

Answer 39

Unlike most other literary genres, dramatic texts have a specific use: they facilitate a creative performance. A play is, in itself, an artistic work and a form of literature. In addition, it serves as a tool for actors, directors, costume designers, set designers, and others involved with a production as they plan a performance. Because of this function, drama has a specific set of conventions.

Question 40

What are the conventions of drama?

Answer 40

1. dramatis personae: the characters or actors in a drama
2. stage directions: a description (as of a character or setting) or direction (as to indicate stage business) provided in the text of a play
3. dialogue: the conversational element of literary or dramatic composition
4. staging: the act of putting on a play, which generally includes sets, costumes, lighting, and sound effects
5. at rise: an introductory description of the setting that precedes the opening lines of dialogue and explains what the audience should see as the curtain rises.

Question 41

What is “setting?”

Answer 41

The time and place of the action of a literary, dramatic, or cinematic work.

Question 42

How is conflict treated in a one-act play?

Answer 42

In a one-act play, the conflict is usually introduced right away and the action moves quickly.

Question 43

True or False: Characters that are not in the dramatis personae do not appear on stage.

Answer 43

True

Question 44

How does drama rely on the dramatic convention of dialogue?

Answer 44

Drama relies on dialogue for much of the development of plot and character.

Question 45

True or False: Many one-act plays occur on a single set

Answer 45

True

Question 46

True or False: Meaning is also conveyed in dramatic texts through stage directions

Answer 46

True

Question 47

What role do stage directions play in drama?

Answer 47

Stage directions guide the volume, tone, expression, and gestures of lines, at points, as well as the movement and position of actors on the stage.

Question 48

Which type of irony is often the source of humor or twist endings to short stories?

Answer 48

Situational irony

Question 49

How do the forms of narration in plays and short stories differ? (Specifically omniscient narration)

Answer 49

Playwrights do not generally have the benefit of omniscient narration like novelists and short story writers to develop characters.

Question 50

True or False: Plot is an important way to convey information about characters.

Answer 50

True

Question 51

What is one example of a characterization tool playwrights have that novelists and short story writers lack?

Answer 51

Stage Directions

Question 52

What is the primary characterization tool employed by playwrights?

Answer 52

Dialogue

Question 53

What does it mean if a character gives a “theme statement?” What is another way theme is suggested?

Answer 53

In some narrative texts and plays, one of the characters may give a theme statement. This means a character is the “voice’ of the writer or the text, providing insight and clues to the theme of the work. Alternatively, the events of the plot can suggest a theme.

Question 54

Remember: Identifying topics can be a starting point for assessing theme. Begin by asking, “What is this story about?” Next, take those topics and ask, “What does the story say about that subject?” Finally, ask, “How does the text demonstrate that?” This final step helps a reader identify textual details that support a statement of theme.

Answer 54

Identifying topics can be a starting point for assessing theme. Begin by asking, “What is this story about?” Next, take those topics and ask, “What does the story say about that subject?” Finally, ask, “How does the text demonstrate that?” This final step helps a reader identify textual details that support a statement of theme.

Question 55

How are fictional stories that are longer than short stories typically divided?

Answer 55

Fictional narratives that are longer than short stories are typically divided into two categories:
1. novel: the longest and most complex narrative form
2. novella: a work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel

Question 56

How is a work classified as a novel or a novella, based on word count?

Answer 56

While there are varied opinions about the exact word count that represents a work in each category, 20,000 to 40,000 words is a typical length for a novella; anything longer would thus be considered a novel.

Question 57

How do the short story, novella, and novel differ in terms of characterization and plot?

Answer 57

In considering the differences in these fictional genres, readers often point to differences in the complexity of character and of plot. The novella generally allots a single subplot–or two at most–while the novel can develop several subplots alongside the primary plot of the narrative. The advantage of the short story is unity and focus on a single effect.

Question 58

How does a short story compare to a novel in terms of characterization?

Answer 58

As the longest fictional form, a novel can include a greater number of characters and more complex characters than the short story. Complex and effective charcaterization is often one of the measures of literry merit in the novel.

Question 59

True or False: Often, word choice is an important tool in conveying tone. In addition, style and the use of familiar conventions can develop tone in a novel.

Answer 59

True

Question 60

What are novels typically divided into? What effect does this have?

Answer 60

Novels are often divided into chapters or sections. While these divisions serve various purposes, they generally create a sense of an ending, even if the reader experiences the ending of a chapter as a pause instead of a complete stop. With a chapter break, the text invites the reader to take stock of the developments presented in the chapter.