The title of the story and associations it excites in a reader's mind. The summary of events.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 387.

Literary Analysis

A literary analysis gives a detailed examination of literary works, their essence, description, structure and estimating their quality and features. Literary elements such as plot, narrator, setting, theme, main ideas, characterization, tone, symbolism figurative language are presented and practices through student-oriented tasks. It also includes various concept and cross-cultural discussions and projects. To make a thorough analysis it is important to cover a number of stages.

1. Author's brief biography (facts of his relevant creative activities, social and historical background, literary trend he belongs to, main literary works).

The story I would like to speak about is written by... He/she was a well-known for...

The title of the story under consideration is… When I read the title of the story for the first time I thought that the story would narrate about… (the story is connected with…)

3. Characteristics/style/genres: The text under analysis belongs to the psychological type as it is concerned mainly with the mental and emotional lives of the characters. It's a kind of detective, romantic, historical, ghost story. It's a combination of different types. The text is deeply philosophical and makes us think of the described problem. It's humorous, entertaining, amusing, enjoyable, lyrical, ironical, pathetic, dramatic, sarcastic, and teaching.

4. The composition of the story. Divide the text logically into complete parts and entitle them. If possible choose the key-sentence (the topic sentence) in each part that reveals its essence. The compositional pattern of a complete story (chapter, episode) may be as follows: exposition (introduction), opening, development of the plot (an account of events), climax (the culminating point), denouement [dei'nu:mαŋ] (the outcome of the story, resolution). The detailed analysis of each logically complete part is accompanied by, firstly, dwelling upon the content of the part and, secondly, comment upon the language means (expressional means and stylistic devices) employed by the author to achieve desired effect, to render his thoughts and feelings. Compositionally, the text falls into some logical parts… The story consists of the following components... The exposition/background/introduction is as follows… There are… monologues/dialogues describing a person/scene, the author's digressions/critical, lyrical speculations/observations about life, people. The climax lies in... It is followed by the denouement presented by... and it brings the story to the end. The tone is ironical/mocking. The ending is surprising/funny/sad/tragic.

5.General definition of the text under study (3^rd/1^st person narration, narration interlaced with descriptive passages and dialogues of the personages; narration broken by philosophical, psychological, lyrical digressions; an account of events interwoven with a humorous, ironical, satirical, portrayal of society, or the personage).

6. Prevailing mood (tone, slant) of the extract. It may be lyrical, dramatic, tragic, optimistic, pessimistic, melodramatic, sentimental, un/emotional, pathetic, dry and matter-of-fact, gloomy, bitter, sarcastic, cheerful.

The atmosphere of the text is … It is created by the author's choice of such words as…The plot makes the atmosphere…

7. Problem raised by the author. The theme of the story is financial difficulties/unemployment people face nowadays. The author tries to show the reader different approaches of men and women, parents and children to the idea of marriage/family relations. The story describes a difficult period in the main character's life/relations between grown-ups and children/ behaviour of people under some circumstances/existing conflicts and contradictions of the society/our temporary shortcomings/personal dilemmas/eternal problems/misfortunes/family happiness/fidelity/infidelity/crime and punishment/love and passion/jealousy and revenge/a traditional love triangle/lack of money. The story carries a deep social/psychological message/ burning problem. The main idea of the text can be formulated like this... Several important ideas are mentioned in the story. The author describes/shows/reflects/introduces/laughs at/ exposes some negative sides/traits of/creates a realistic representation of/well-plotted story which is true to life/ridicules some faults/ignorance/showing-off/love for money. The writer focuses the reader's attention on …/brings home (дает понять) to the reader that …/lets the reader realize …/makes the reader think/come to the conclusion that …/uncovers the root causes of …/looks into the heart of the matter/makes interesting observation about people/ life, possesses a thorough knowledge of human psychology, speaks against … in … favour, is on the side of …, sympathizes with …

8. Introduction of characters: We learn about the characters from what the author tells about them directly/by what they say and do through their actions/speech and behavior/by what other characters say about them. The character is presented statically/in development. The author created true- to-life characters. The author managed to catch some typical features/a generalized image of a certain type of person. I'd try to draw the conclusion about the characters from the first episodes of the story. I feel the most sympathy for the character, because...

9. Language/stylistic devices: The author proves to be a real master of stylistics. He employs a lot of expressive means and stylistic devices to emphasize/point out …/make the story vivid and bright. The author uses irony/personification/hyperbola to create the atmosphere/convey the feelings and emotion of .../give an explanation for.../express the idea that.../underline ... She uses epithet to express her opinion of the character. The story is emotionally moving/some details produce an emotional effect. The story is written in simple/complicated ornamental/ austere kind of language. I would like to comment on the effect of similes/metaphors/ repetitions. The metonymy... is used to show that it was... On the whole, the text is rich in stylistic devices, they are used to reveal the character's inner world and feelings/the author's sympathy to one character and his irony concerning the others.

10. Attitude towards events described: In my opinion/As far as I'm concerned/As I see it/It seems to me that ... That's true/Good point/I agree/Exactly! That's precisely the point. I agree and I'd like to add that... Let me tell you why I think so. This point is well-taken/that argument is stronger. That may be true; however, it doesn't change the facts. Well, you have a point there/ the given current approach is best. I can see your point/in spite of the fact that …Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think …I understand your concern, nevertheless. I think this raises an important issue. As far as I understand the second point. I mean that …/In other words, we need to discuss this in more depth. Excuse me, but .../If I may interrupt for just a moment/May I interject something here/Just a minute/Let me finish my point, please. I think I've covered everything on that point. Can I move on to the next topic? I'm ready to tackle the next issue. If we're going to stay on track, I think we better move on to the next item. We've exhausted the topic of the discussion, shall we move on? As I was saying/Back to our main topic/To continue with our main point/To get back to the topic at hand/ So, the basic points are .../I'd like to summarize for the plot/what we've discussed so far/To sum up/In summary/Let me conclude by saying that…/In conclusion/To make a long story short/From my point of view. I am greatly impressed by/I feel sympathy for/I regret/I'd like to add that/give some feedback.

The theme of a novel is often defined as the central philosophical or moral idea of a novel (what the novel is really about). The reader responds to the theme by interpreting the characters, events fact and opinions, all the element of the novel working together. Identifying the theme is often a subjective and personal process. Readers hardly ever disagree about the plot of a novel but they sometimes disagree about the theme. The themeis a part of the personal response of the reader to the novel. When thinking about the theme of a book, it is worth asking a question: “Why did the novelist give the book this title?” The theme of a book is definitely connected with the author's interest in certain aspects of life. He usually shows his interest by writing in detail or by devoting a great deal of space, introducing and repeating some key word, expressions or whole sentences. Some themes crop up in very many novels. There are, for instance, numerous novels that deal with love, social conflicts or family relations. The decoded symbols in the novels take the reader to the heart of the author's concern, focus the meaning of the novel as its climax. One of the cleverest guides to the themes of a novel is what the characters say. Particular speeches focus the main concerns of the plot. Events can also express the themes of books making them more dramatic.

The plotof a novel is what happens in it. It is important to answer four questions: who, where, what and when. Two literary terms summery and plot are frequently used interchangeably. The difference is not crucial: a summery is just a set of events, whereas a plot is a set of events which the reader can see as related to each other. A plot is something that is made by the author arranging the events in a particular order. Each plot has a design of its own.

Structurerefers to the way a novel is organized, the way various elements are combined together to make a complete novel. Novels from previous centuries tended to follow the chronological order of events, but modern writers often structure their novels in a non-chronological way. Previous events outside the time scale of the novel are included as flashbacks. Developments later in the story can be suggested through anticipation.Structurally the text can fall into some logical parts: exposition, complication, climax and resolution. The story might have a circular presentational sequencing, as the closing event returns the reader to the introduction. The plot has to have to start somewhere, which arises from out of some wishes and aspirations. This starting point we call the situationof the novel. Disjunctionis usually how thrillers or detective stories open. There is a smooth pattern of life, and then something disturbs it (it could be something extraordinary) and this something springs the events (makes the conflict) that will puzzle and intrigue the reader. The author involves various types of internal/external conflicts in the story: a man against another man/the conflict between values: honesty and truth on the one hand, and pretence, sham, ambition, prosperity on the other hand. As the conflicts develop in the story (complication) and become tenser, the story comes to its climax (the highest point, the moment of decision). Trajectoryis plot movement. There are cases when a novel has two contrasting and even contradictory trajectories. This can make a novel very exciting, because the reader wonders how the author is going to reconcile two movements. Proleptic eventsare events the real meaning of which is only fully seen in later events. Reversal climax and discovery in novels are crucial to the plot. They are pivotal moments, turning points. Different kinds of stories have them in different places. Inevitably, the reversal in a short story is likely to come to the end (as well as in thrillers and detective stories). Wind-up, resolution and denouement-each of those words expresses what happens as a novel closes. Denouement means ‘unknotting' of a plot. When you think about how а novelist plots a novel, you can ask yourself a number of questions if there is an important disjunction that gives rise to the plot, in what direction the trajectories of the plot go, there are any important diversions from the expected trajectory, there are the crucial moments around which the plot pivots.

The way authors relate events to readers using various types of narration (first-person narration and third- person narration) and present events from different 'angles'.

The story is told by an ‘I', who may be the main/a minor character or an observer of events in the novel. The first-person narration makes readers feel very close to the narrator because we have access his or her mind and feelings. Seeing into the heart and mind of the narrator allows the author to explore mental growth and change. We can also put ourselves in someone else's place (empathy) in the first-person narration or get to know the world from a different viewpoint. When we follow the narrator through his or her life, we learn better than any other characters.

In the novels written in the third-person two main points of view are normally used: the omniscient point of view and the limited point of view. The omniscient point of view means that the narrator knows everything about events, characters, their thoughts, and motives. But that does not necessarily mean that the narrator reveals everything to the reader. Sometimes, he makes his characters speak instead. There may be either an intrusive narrator, who explicitly tells the reader things, commenting on the characters, or an objective narrator, whosimply shows things, without commenting or explaining (like a camera).

The limited point of viewmeans that, although the narrator tells the story in the third person, he confines himself to the impressions and feelings of one character in the novel: he presents only one point of view of events. The effect of this can de similar to that created by a first narrator.

Authors often experiment with multiple points of view produced by different. This reflects twentieth century trends: the complexity of reality; the decline of belief in absolute truth; fascination with psychological analysis; the importance of individual experience. Whenever a novel is narrated, the author's attitude is taken up toward the characters and events. The author's attitude might be revealed directly (using epithets and metaphors) or indirectly (irony). Ironyoccurs when a reader sees that the author is showing that there is a gap between what is thought to be true and what actually is true. Irony is created by different kinds of gaps (the real meaning or implication; intention and outcome; appearance and reality). Irony is always against someone; irony is often a kind of alliance between the author and the reader; irony is not always immediately apparent to the reader. Flash backis a special device when the narrator interrupts the present time and returns to the past. Inferenceis a special device which enables the writer to be subtle or indirect, leaving the reader to infer or deduce the writer's meaning.

Flat charactersare two-dimensional and do not change during the course of a novel. They are often described briefly with one or two vivid details. Round charactershave complex personalities, are characterized in more subtle ways, and develop during the course of a novel. They reveal themselves gradually, they can surprise us, but just like people we don't expect them to behave totally erratically without any motivation.

There are two ways of characterization in which novelists present characters. These are telling and showing. In tellingthe narrator directly informs the reader about a character; whereas in showing the reader is left to gather what the character is like from what he or she sees. A novelist usually both tells and shows. Direct telling is often employed when a character first appears. Showing is a subtle mode of narration. Readers are trusted by the author to see things. Telling means the author's direct expression of attitude whereas showing connected with indirectway expression the attitude. Authors make characters distinctive by giving them description: appearance and dress, background, ways of speaking, actions, behaviour, thoughts, ambitions, attitudes, conflicts, relationships. Authors make characters distinctive by giving them: recognisable and memorable ways of speaking (speech portrayal); by describing their appearance and dress; by giving them significant names; by showing the way they behave and do different things; by revealing characters' thoughts and ideas.

Some authors give a character special linguistic features to be recognizable among the others. As for the appearance, some enjoy painting verbal pictures of their characters, some are less concerned about their characters' faces. Physical appearance rarely described on its own. When the author writes about the appearance of a character, he or she is usually telling or showing the reader something about the inner world of the character's personality. Closely related to the question of appearance is that of dress. Clothes have several functions in novels: an expression of personality; an indication of a social status; creating the atmosphere of a book; an essential element in the development of the plot.

The way in which a character is shown as acting or reacting is one of the chief ways in which authors establish personality. Even an action that is normally thought of as slight can be made significant. What a character thinks may reveal more than what is said. An important development in narrative is the flow of thoughts in a person's mind (the stream of consciousness). Events are conveyed to the reader through the memories, associations, feelings, etc. Some critics use the term interior monologue interchangeably with.

The scenes take place at different times, in various places, locations which are usually called settings. There may some geographical, ethnographical, political or social allusions to make the text more credible. The setting is used to cover: places in which characters appear; social context of characters, such as their families, friends and class; particular locations of events; atmosphere, mood and feel that all above elements create. But settings are not just enjoyable in themselves (an immense landscape). They often have a striking significance for all the elements of the novel. Setting can: reflect the mood of characters in that they can become mental landscapes; reveal the situation of a character and, by working symbolically, they can express personality; reveal something about the author's view; be so powerful and vivid that they take on a life of there own and thus create a distinctive world.

Very often authors make the landscape and the season appropriate to the mood of their characters (mental landscape). Some authors express their viewpoint by creating landscapes, townscapes, interiors of the houses and the weather and this atmosphere reveals how he views the world. If the world is a corrupt, seedy and oppressive place, hence the novels might be full of rotting houses, dirty towns, lifeless landscapes and grimy interiors.