Notes:| Literary Elements

Thinking about English Class

Importance of Storytelling

. When we listen to other’s stories, we see ourselves in them – we identify with them;
we empathize with them.
. We can visit distant lands and meet people in cultures we might not otherwise
encounter.
. Telling stories makes us human, and reading stories seems to put us in touch with
humanity.

Analyzing Literature

Analysis involves three thought processes:

1. Observation – what you notice about the subject
2. Identifying Patterns – aspects of your subjects that are repeated
3. Drawing a Conclusion – judgment you make about your subject

Theme in Literature

Theme refers to ‘a conclusion about the meaning of a work as a whole.’ A theme

may be clearly stated in a text, but more often, it is implied. Remember, just because
readers may differ in their interpretation of a piece of literature, does not mean that any
interpretation is valid. The most important part of analyzing literature is that you build
your interpretation using evidence from a careful observation of the text.

Determining Themes:

After careful observations and looking for patterns, you are now ready to make those
conclusions. The following are things you look for to help you turn your observations
into conclusions:

1. Curiosities – things you find puzzling, intriguing, or ambiguous

2. Repetitions – repeated images, words, phrases, settings, structures, rhymes, etc.

3. Opposites – contrasts like light/dark, good/evil, or characters or settings that seem to

be in opposition

4. Links – Connections or references in the text to something else outside the text, often
called allusions

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 Notes:| Literary Elements

Literary Elements:

A. Characterization is the process of closely examining the characters of the work who
are often the focus of the action in a text. Characterization is the author’s way of bringing
characters to life. The following are essential components authors tend to include for
characterization: physical descriptions, actions, gestures, movements, dialogue, what
other characters or think about a character, or how they behave toward him or her,
character motivations, and character internal thoughts

B. Plot and Conflict. Plot refers to how the author chooses to structure a story; conflict
refers to the struggle between a protagonist (the main character) and the antagonist ( the
one who opposes the main character).

C. Setting gives a piece of literature context. It establishes the location, the time period,
and the cultural background. It creates an emotional atmosphere that provokes an
emotional response in the audience.

D. Point of View refers to the standpoint, or perspective, from which a story is told. In
first-person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story, referred to as “I.” In a
story told in third-person point of view, the narrator is someone who stands outside the
story and describes the characters and action.

E. Symbol is a literary element that has both literal and metaphorical uses in the work.
It may be an object, a person, a situation, or events or actions.

References:

Shea, Renee H., et al. Advanced Language and Literature. New York: BFW Publishers,
2016, pp. 25-38.

Glencoe Literature Texas Treasures Course 5. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

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