Writing about literature offers several benefits. Weighing
and recording your thought on the different elements sharpen your critical
thinking ability. Literary papers also pay artistic dividends, as careful
reading and subsequent writing deepen your appreciation of the writer’s
craft. Focusing, gathering information, organizing, writing, revising, and
editing—the old familiar trail leads to success here too.
8.1 The
Elements of Literature
Most writing assignments on
literature will probably feature one or more of the following elements: plot,
point of view, character, setting, symbols, irony, and theme.
Depending on the work, some of
these will be more important than others.
8.1.1 Plot
Plot is the series of events that
moves a narrative along. The opening introduces important characters and sets
the stage for what happens.
Action gradually builds to a
climax, where events take a decisive turn. The ending can do a number of
things—clear up unanswered questions, hint at the future, state a theme,
or reestablish some sort of relationship between two foes.
Foreshadowing
The writer hints
at later developments, thus creating interest and building suspense.
Flashback
The writer
interrupts the flow of events to relate one or more happenings that occurred
before the point at which the story opened, then resumes the narrative at or
near the point of interruption. Flashbacks supply essential information and
either create or resolve suspense.
Writing about Plot
Don’t merely repeat what happens in the
story. Instead, help your reader understand what’s special about the plot
and how it functions. Does it build suspense, mirror a character’s
confusion, shape a conflict, show how different lives
can intersect, or help reveal a theme?
Ask yourself why the writer chose that sequence
and asses the reason for any use of foreshadowing of flashback. Does it build,
create, or resolve suspense?
If there’s something unique about the
plot—perhaps a surprise event that works
well—describe it and tell how it functions in the story.
Present a thesis and then support it with examples
taken from the text.
8.1.2 Point
of View
The point of view is the vantage
point from which the writer of a literary work views its events.
In first-person narration,
someone in the work tells what happens and is identified by works like I, me,
mine, and my. A third-person narrator stays completely out of the story
and is never mentioned in any way.
With limited omniscience,
one enters the heads o several characters, while still others display full
omniscience and know everything in the literary work, including all
thoughts and feelings of all characters.
Writing about Point of View
Ask yourself what point of view is used and why,
whether it is suitable, and if the narrator is reliable.
8.1.3 Character
The characters in a literary work
function in various ways. Some tell how they are,
others are inferred by the way they act. Some characters remain static; others
mature, gain insight, or deteriorate in some telling way.
Writing about Character
Show any changes and interactions of the most
important and lesser characters and how they got to that point.
8.1.4 Setting
Setting locates characters in a
time, place, and culture so they can think, feel, and act against this
background. Writers can generate feelings and moods by describing settings. Settings
can also help reveal a character’s personality.
Settings sometimes function as symbols, reinforcing the
workings of the other elements. At times, setting provides a clue to some
observation about life. Shifts in setting often trigger shifts in a character’s
emotional or psychological state.
Writing about Setting
Write about its key features, what it
accomplishes, and in what ways it supports or interferes.
8.1.5 Symbols
To strengthen and deepen their
messages, writers use symbols: names, persons, objects, places, colors, or
actions that have significance beyond their surface meaning.
A private symbol has special
significance within a literary work but not outside of it. Conventional symbols
are deeply rooted in our culture, and almost everyone knows what they
represent.
Writing about Symbols
Write about the symbols used and where they
appear, whether they are private or conventional, their meaning, and what
textual evidence would support your interpretation.
8.1.6 Irony
Irony features some discrepancy,
some difference between appearance and reality, expectation and outcome. At
times the ending of a work doesn’t square with what the reader expects.
The emotional impact of an ironic ending depends upon the circumstances of plot
and character.
Writing about Irony
Write about where it occurs, what it accomplishes,
what it represents, and how your assumption can be supported using text
references.
In probing for irony, check for statements that
say one thing and mean something else, situations in which one character knows
something that another doesn’t, and contrast between the ways characters
should and do behave. Review the plot to see whether the outcome matches the
expectations.
To prove that irony is intended, examine the
context in which the works are spoken or the events occur. Also, tell the
reader what the irony accomplishes.
8.1.7 Theme
The theme of a literary work is its controlling idea, some
observation or insight about life or the conditions and terms of living. Many
literary works suggest several themes: sometimes one primary motif and several
related ones, sometimes a number of unrelated motifs. Theme is a central to a
work of literature; frequently all of the other elements help develop and
support it.
On occasion, the writer or a
character states the theme directly. Ordinarily, though, the theme remains
unstated and must be deduced by examining the other elements of the literary
work.
Writing about Theme
Ask yourself what the theme is, what elements
support it, and what elements create it.
Check the comments of the characters and the
narrator to see whether they state the themes directly. If they don’t,
assess the interaction of characters, events, settings, symbols, and other
elements to determine them.
A paper on theme is basically an argument, first
presenting our interpretation and then supporting it with textual evidence.
8.2
Writing a Paper on Literature
8.2.1 The
Writing Procedure
A. Understand the assignment
B. Decide on a suitable topic
Reread the work carefully and then reflect on it
C. Gather information
List all pertinent information that might help
develop a character analysis
D. Organize your information
Write an outline
E. Develop a thesis statement
F. Write a first draft
Use your notes and follow your previously written
outline
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