FORMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A LITERARY WORK

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 535.

CHAPTER 2

The system of images is closely connected with the composition of a literary work. Usually the components of the composition comprise exposition, complications, the rising action, climax, the falling action and denouement which constitute the plot of the literary work. These are formal constituent parts of a literary work which reflect the way the characters and the events of the story develop. The composition of a literary work makes the reader compare his own point of view on the problem described and the position of the author or the characters. Through the plot of the story or some other literary work the reader has the possibility to realize whether the author treats the problem seriously or humorously, whether the solution to the problem is predictable or quite unexpected. In this respect the stories by O'Henry are a remarkable example. The majority of his stories have surprising endings which seem to contradict to the logical development of the events described.

The setting of a literary work presents the time and place of actions, events and collisions. It is usually given in the initial part of a literary work which is called exposition. It is through the setting that the reader is given the information about the historical period, the geographical location, social and cultural environment, physical objects and other things which are either important for the construction of the world of the literary work or for the creation of a certain atmosphere of the narration. The main function of the setting is to make a link with the ideas and topics of the literary work, to present the background, the pre-history of the events or the deeds of the characters. It must be pointed out that not all the literary works start with the setting. Sometimes the exposition involves the reader straight into the happenings of the story as, for example, in the famous novel by L. Tolstoy “War and Peace”. Very often these are the cases of indirect introduction into the world and atmosphere of the literary work. This can be viewed upon as an encouragement of the reader to feel the participant of the events, to create a true to life situation. It is an obvious case of everyday life that people become evidences of some event just because they have entered a building, or were going in the street, or happened to hear the conversation, or something of the kind.

The development of the events and the characters in the literary work is presented in the parts which are called complications and the rising action. It is here that the relations of the characters, their social positions, intentions and credos are described. These are the parts where all the images of the literary work are presented to the full. The importance of the complications and the rising action lies in the creation of the attitude of the reader to the characters and their wishes, intentions and deeds. These structural components are closely connected with the reader's predictions of the possible development of the events and facts of the fiction. Complications and the rising action often include the moments of suspense and surprise. Suspense is a tense feeling in the reader caused by wondering, uncertainty, anticipation and curiosity about the further development of the plot of the literary work. Suspense is created by providing the reader with the information that the characters do not possess or on the contrary by keeping back the information from the reader making him more and more puzzled. Surprise is a feeling in the reader caused by sudden or unexpected things to happen. It is through the surprise that the reader learns the difference between his and the character's treatment of the people, facts or events. Surprise is closely connected with the culmination, the highest stage in the development of the plot which is named climax. Climax is the most important, the most significant moment of the literary work; this is the event that the main character has been striving for. Climax is followed by the falling action where the tension gradually declines. This is the part of a literary work where the role of the most important event in the life of the main character is presented. The last part of a literary work is the denouement in which everything is settled and made clear. It can be done in various forms. The denouement can have the form of a resolution which shows the victory of one side or another; the form of a decision describing the firm intention or attitude about something important; the form of explanation when the puzzle is solved or explained by the events.

According to the number of the components constituting the plot of a literary work its formal structure can be closed or open. The closed structure is characterized by the presence of all the components. The absence of the denouement signals of the open structure of the literary work. The open structure presupposes that the reader himself can find the suitable solution to the problem according to his liking, his understanding of life, his perception of the just and unjust. The open structure of a literary work is not at all a rare thing. Modern American fiction (especially by Afro-American and Latin-American writers) suggests the readers several possible denouements of their works: for romantic people, for sensitive readers, for the old and the young and so on.

The system of images is connected with the composition of the literary work as they develop within the limits of the surface structure of a novel, a short story or a dramatic play. The reader perceives and understands the contents of a literary work only in the framework of mutual dependence of these two components.

The title of a story can be looked upon as a link between the form and the content. The title can formulate the theme, the philosophical or social idea; tell about the time or the place of the action. It can contain the most important detail of the narration; introduce the characters of the story. The title of a literary work can be quite concrete as, for example, the story by S. Maugham “Louise”, or of general character such as “Politics” by J.C. Oates. Although the title is the first thing that attracts the reader's attention, its real meaning and function can be deduced only after reading the whole story. Then it may acquire a meaning totally different from what has been expected.

Titles of literary works fulfil different functions and can signal the probable genre. For example, such titles as “War and Peace”, “Crime and Punishment”, “The Forsyte Saga” can hardly serve as examples of short stories. They touch upon immortal, vital and demanding deep penetration problems. On the other hand, the title may focus the reader's attention on the most relevant characters or details, for example, “Sister Carry”, “The Lumber Room”, etc. Though the title practically always orientates the reader towards the story, it may be a means of foreshadowing or acquire an ironic sounding. For example, the title of the famous play by O. Wilde “The Importance of Being Earnest”.

The surface characteristics of a literary work can be looked upon as the first stage of the linguistic analysis. They help the reader understand the main problems that are treated, the people that are involved, the historical period of the narration, the tone of the story, the attitude of the author towards the events presented and so on. The next stage of perception is based on the language means that create and produce the effect desired.