Lecture 1 The 21st Century Literature

Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken material. Derived from the
Latin word litteratura meaning "writing formed with letters," literature most commonly refers to
works of the creative imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and in
some instances, song.

WHAT IS LITERATURE?

Simply put, literature represents the culture and tradition of a language or a people.

It's difficult to precisely define, though many have tried, but it's clear that the accepted definition
of literature is constantly changing and evolving.

For many, the word literature suggests a higher art form; merely putting words on a page
doesn't necessarily mean creating literature. A canon is the accepted body of works for a given
author. Some works of literature are considered canonical, that is, culturally representative of a
particular genre.

WHY IS LITERATURE IMPORTANT?

Works of literature, at their best, provide a kind of blueprint of human civilization. From the
writings of ancient civilizations like Egypt, and China, to Greek philosophy and poetry, from the
epics of Homer to the plays of Shakespeare, from Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte to Maya
Angelou, works of literature give insight and context to all the world's societies. In this way,
literature is more than just a historical or cultural artifact; it can serve as an introduction to a new
world of experience.

But what we consider to be literature can vary from one generation to the next. For instance,
Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby Dick was considered a failure by contemporary reviewers.
However, it has since been recognized as a masterpiece and is frequently cited as one of the
best works of western literature for its thematic complexity and use of symbolism.

By reading Moby Dick in the present day, we can gain a fuller understanding of literary traditions
in Melville's time.

DEBATING LITERATURE

Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author writes or says,
and how he or she says it. We may interpret and debate an author's message by examining the
words she chooses in a given novel or work or observing which character or voice serves as the
connection to the reader.

In academia, this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory using
a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approaches to better understand
the context and depth of a work.
Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and analyze it, literature is important to us
because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us on a deeply personal level.

QUOTES ABOUT LITERATURE

Here are some quotes about literature from literature giants themselves. See what their
perspective on writing is!

"The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader,
but to affect him precisely as you wish." --Robert Louis Stevenson

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably
stupid." --Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey.

Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. --
Rumi

Ill call for pen and ink and write my mind. --William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

Whats the Confusion all About?

Over the years, my students have come to sessions seeking help with literary devices. They
have expressed confusion over the terms: literary devices, literary terms, literary elements and
figurative language, and they also struggle with the many definitions.

What are Literary Devices, Literary Terms, Literary Elements and Figurative Language?

Literary Devices are creative writing strategies used by an author to convey his or her
message(s). When used well, literary devices help readers to visualize, interpret and
analyze literary texts. There are two kinds: literary techniques (which includes figurative
language) and literary elements.

Literary Techniques are words or phrases in texts of literature that writers use to
achieve artistic or creative expression. Literary techniques also help readers to
visualize, understand and appreciate literature.

Literary Elements are components or pieces that make up a story or literary work.

Figurative Language is the creative use of words and phrases that offers a hidden
meaning beyond any literal interpretation.
A literary element, or narrative element,[1] or element of literature[2] is a constituent of all
works of narrative fictiona necessary feature of verbal storytelling that can be found in any
written or spoken narrative. This distinguishes them from literary techniques, or non-universal
features of literature that accompany the construction of a particular work rather than forming
the essential characteristics of all narrative. For example, plot, theme, character and tone are
literary elements, whereas figurative language, irony, or foreshadowing would be considered
literary techniques.

Literary elements aid in the discussion of and understanding of a work of literature as basic
categories of critical analysis; literary elements could be said to be produced by the readers of a
work just as much as they are produced by its author. For the most part, they are popular
concepts that are not limited to any particular branch of literary criticism, although they are most
closely associated with the formalist method of professional literary criticism. There is no official
definition or fixed list of terms of literary elements; however, they are a common feature of
literary education at the primary and secondary level, and a set of terms similar to the one below
often appears in institutional student evaluation. For instance, the New York State
Comprehensive English Regents Exam requires that students use and discuss literary elements
relating to specific works in each of the three essays.

character

A person or animal who takes part in the action of a story, play, or other literary work

static character

one who does not change much in the coarse of a work

dynamic character

changes as a result of the story's events

protagonist

the main character in a work of literature

antagonist

the character in a work of literature that opposes the protagonist

indirect characterization

revealing the personality of a character by words of a character, description of the character's

thoughts and feelings

direct characterization
when the writer directly tells the reader a description of a character's looks and clothing, or that
the character is amusing brave, or lonesome, or specifically the build or height or age of a
character

motivation

any force that drives or moves the character to behave in a particular way

conflict

a struggle or clash between opposing characters or forces

internal conflict

takes place within a character's mind

external conflict

character struggles against some outside force

character vs character

one character is in conflict with another character; external

character vs nature

character in conflict with a natural force; external

character vs self

character has to make a decision; internal

foreshadowing

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

symbol

Person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well.

metaphor

an imaginative comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another
thing

simile

a comparison between two unlike things using a word such as like, as, then, or resembles

theme

the truth about life revealed in a work of literature

personification

a figure of speech in which a nonhuman or nonliving thing or quality is talked about as if it were
human or alive

flashback

an interruption in the action of a plot to tell what happened at an earlier time

onomatopoeia

the use of words whose sounds echo their sense (boom pow zap)

allusion

a reference to a statement, person, place, or an event from literature, history, religion,

mythology, politics, sports, or science

dialect

a way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people

alliteration

the repetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds in words that are close together

suspense

the uncertainty or anxiety you feel about what will happen next in a story

imagery

language that appeals to the senses

plot

the series of related events that make up a story

setting

the time and place in which the events of a work of literature take place

climax

the most emotional or suspenseful moment in the story

resolution

when the characters problems are solved and the story ends

point of veiw
the vantage point at which a story is told

LITERARY DEVICES

What are Literary Devices?

From the very first time humans began sharing stories, literary devices have played a key role in
our history. Along with the creation of storytelling came the development of narrative elements
like plot, character, and tone. As storytelling evolved over the millennia, so too did the range and
complexity of techniques available to authors. Many of the elements that authors use are so
fundamental that they are not necessarily conscious choices, such as theme or tone (though
these two examples, of course, could be consciously constructed by the author). Other
techniques, however, are more intentional, such as foreshadowing and red herrings.

We will explore the difference between literary elements and literary techniques, and look at
examples and definitions of several popular literary terms. Well also look at how these literary
devices function in two popular works, Shakespeares Hamlet and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald.

Literary Elements vs. Literary Techniques

Literary elements are the universal constituents of literature and thus can be found in any
written or oral story. Plot and character, for example, are necessary to story and are present in
stories from every culture and time period.

Literary techniques, however, are not universal or necessary in the sense that not all works
contain instances of them. Simile and irony are examples of literary techniques. While many
poems contain similes, not all do. Simile, therefore, is a literary technique instead of a literary
element.

Examples of literary devices

There are many hundreds of terms that refer to a unique aspect of literature. Below, weve
chosen three popular literary devices to examine in depth.

Metaphor
Common in all forms of literature, metaphor is a way of comparing things by stating that one
thing is the same or very similar to another seemingly unrelated object. Metaphor is a type of
analogy, and is often mistaken with simile. The difference between metaphor and simile is that a
simile includes like or as in the comparison (for example: O my luves like a red, red rose),
whereas metaphor is an assertion of the comparison without modifiers or conjunctions. One of
the most famous examples of metaphor is from Shakespeares play As You Like It:

All the worlds a stage,

And all the men and women merely players.

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.

Here, the character Jaques states that the world is a stage, which we know not to be literally
true. However, by extending the metaphor, Jaques compares the lifetime of a human to acts in
a play, with birth and death being merely entrances and exits, respectively. Psychologically,
the use of metaphor often expands the way the reader or viewer understands the world around
him or her, as it does in this example.

Alliteration

Most common in poetry, though also present in some lines of prose and theater, alliteration is
the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of adjacent words. This was a very popular
literary device in Old English storytelling, as the presence of alliteration made the oral stories
easier to remember and retell through the generations. The Mother Goose rhyme Peter Piper
picked a peck of pickled peppers is an example of alliteration due to the repetition of the letter
p. Alliteration is a special case of consonance, which is the repetition of consonant sounds
anywhere in the word (the ck sound from the previous Mother Goose rhyme is an example of
consonance, as it comes in the middle of the words rather than at the beginning, though the
repetition of p sound can also be described as consonance).

Point-of-view

Point-of-view is a term for the narrative mode, and is a primary characteristic of prose. It is the
way in which the author narrates the story. There are many options, the most common of which
are first person singular and third person limited; authors also sometimes choose to mix
different points of view in the same novel. Here is a list of the types of point-of-view:
First person singular: This point-of-view uses an I character to narrate the story. The narrator
is not necessarily the protagonist, though this is often the case as this point-of-view is the most
intimate and allows for the most direct access to a characters thoughts.

First person plural: A relatively uncommon choice for point-of-view, the first person plural uses
the pronoun we as the narrator. In this case, there must be some uniting factor between the
group of people narrating the story. One example of this is the 1993 novel The Virgin Suicides
by Jeffrey Eugenides in which a group of unnamed young men from a small town observe and
comment on a family with five sisters. For example:

Whenever we saw Mrs. Lisbon we looked in vain for some sign of the beauty that must have
once been hers.

Second person: Even less common is the novel narrated with you. This is a very difficult point
of view to sustain, as the reader must identify with the you, or it must be clear that the you
character is, in fact, a way for the narrator to reflect back on his or her own actions. The most
successful examples are the Choose Your Own Adventure series, in which the reader is
encouraged to imagine himself or herself as the protagonist. For example:

You are a deep sea explorer searching for the famed lost city of Atlantis. This is your most
challenging and dangerous mission. Fear and excitement are now your companions.

Third person limited: This point-of-view uses he or she to refer to the narrator of the story. It
is less intimate than the first person point of view, yet being limited to only one persons
thoughts it can still provide psychological access to that character. However, it also allows for
the author to add descriptive and narrative details that the character doesnt necessarily notice.

Third person omniscient: Here the author uses the pronouns he and she, but can access the
thoughts of any character in the story. This point of view creates the most distance between the
reader and any one character of the story.

Literary Devices in Hamlet

Shakespeares classic play Hamlet is full of literary devices. Below is an excerpt from the most
famous soliloquy from the play (and, indeed, perhaps the most famous soliloquy ever written).

To be, or not to be, that is the question

Whether tis Nobler in the mind to suffer

The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,

Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,

And by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep

No more; and by a sleep, to say we end

The Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks

That Flesh is heir to? Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,

To sleep, perchance to Dream; Aye, theres the rub,

For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause.

In just this short excerpt, we are able to find many literary devices at work. There are many
instances of repetition, especially of the word sleep, which functions as a metaphor for death.
There are other metaphors in this excerpt, such as the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
and the sea of troubles. Fortune does not literally shoot arrows, and there is no literal sea of
troubles, yet the reader or viewer is able to connect the two concepts mentally. In this excerpt,
Hamlet is contemplating death, both murder and suicide, and thus the mood is quite somber.
The soliloquy provides access to Hamlets motivation for whether or not to avenge his fathers
death.

Literary Devices in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is famous for its use of a third person limited narrator who is not the
protagonist. This is a relatively uncommon method in which to narrate a novel. Nick Carraway
tells the story, and yet the plot revolves around the actions of his friend Jay Gatsby.

There is much juxtaposition in the novel between West Egg and East Egg, and the comparable
fortunes of the men who arrive at Jay Gatsbys famous parties. Fitzgerald also uses irony
throughout the novel, including readers knowledge of Jay and Daisys affair of which Daisys
husband Tom is unaware (dramatic irony) and Daisys decision to stay with Tom at the end of
the novel, contrary to readers expectations (situational irony)