slides & 50 questions in analyzing lit · 2017-08-30 · analyzing the novel. who-the...

3.Prose

EverythingisconnectedWelookatproseafterpoetry

andbeforedrama,butplease

keepinmindthateventhough

thesearethreeseparate

sections,muchwhatwe

coveredinpoetrywillbe

importantinproseanddrama,

justlikemuchofwhatwewill

covernowinprosecanbe

appliedtotheothergenres.

Forexample…Whatwestudiedabout

rhetoricaltechniques inpoetrywillbeimportantin

theproseanddrama

sections,andwhatwewill

studyaboutliterary

movementsinprosewillbe

importanttounderstand

poetryanddrama.

3.1.Prose:whatisit?

Whatisprose?It’snotpoetry:thereis

noversificationor

rhymeinitsform;

however,thereare

manysimilarfactorsto

consider,suchas

diction,syntaxand

literarydevices.

Proseismost

everythingelsewe

readdaytoday:

magazinearticles,

commentaries,essays,

novels,shortstories,

memoirs,biographies,

textbooks…

Wecanseparateproseinto

fiction andnon-fiction.Ingeneralterms,fiction iswhatisinventedandnon-fictioniswhatisrecorded.Novelsandshort

storiesareexamplesoffiction;

biographiesandmostessaysare

examplesofnon-fiction.There

canbe,nevertheless,

overlappingelementsoffiction

andnon-fiction(withhistorical

fiction,forexample).

3.2.Prose:why?

Whydopeoplewriteprose?

Basically,formanyofthe

samereasonswhy

peoplewritepoetry:

• Tomovethesenses

• Toprovokeemotions

• Tofindorder

• Toshowsomething

Butpeoplewrite prosealsobecause:

• Theypreferonegenreover

another

• Itismorefamiliartothem

• Itismoreubiquitousand

thusperhapsmore

approachable

• Theybelievethatnarrative

flowsbetterinprosethanin

verse

Butpeoplewrite prosealsobecause:

• Theyhaveastorytotell(shortstoryornovel)andnotasongtosing (poetry)

• Itisseenasmoredirectand

less“beataroundthebush”

• Whattheywanttosayisbest

doneinprose(criticism,

exposition,argument,etc.).

Afterall,newspapers,journals,

websites,textbooksandthe

likeareallwritteninprose.

Sowhydopeopleread prose?• Becausetheyhaveto?(not

agoodreason– unlessyou

hatepoetry!)

• Becauseit’severywhere?–

alsonoagoodreason!

• Tobecomeinformed?Yes!

Likeyouarereadingthisto

getreadyfortheCLEPexam

• Butalsoforpleasure,

distractionandescape

3.3.1.Prose:thenovel–origins

ThenovelSolet’sstartwith

discussingthenovel.It

isalong,fictional

narrativeinprosethat

portraysdifferent

charactersinacomplex

seriesofsequential

events.

Thenovel- originsEventhoughprosedatesbackto

theGreekera(Pherecydes of

Syros),rootsofthenovelare

foundinthe14th centurywith,

forexample,Bocaccio’s

Decamerone inItaly,DonJuan

Manuel’sElconde Lucanor in

Spain,andChaucer’sThe

CanterburyTalesinEngland.

Thenovel– originsThesetextsarebasedona

seriesofshorttales,ornovelle,

strungtogetherbyanexternal

narrativeframe(therefore,a

novella islongthanashortstorybutshorterthananovel).

Thenovel– originsTheoriginofthenovelalsostems

fromtheFrenchtalesofchivalry

thatwereoriginallyinverse

(ChrétiendeTroyes)inthe12th

century.ThemajorityofArthurian

legendsdevelopedfromthisand

wereputinproseafewcenturies

later(Amadís deGaula),precursorstoCervantes’sDonQuixote,whichiscalledthefirstmodernnovelby

some,andthebestnovelofall

timesbyothers.

Thenovel– originsFromtheseearlytalesof

Arthurianromanceemerged

theromancegenre:long,

fictitiousstories(inverse)of

oftenfantasticaleventsinfar

offplaces.Fromthistheword

roman emerged,theFrench

andbase-rootwordfornovel

inmanylanguages(Albanian,

Danish,Dutch,Norwegian,

Romanian,Slovak,etc.).

Thenovel– originsDonQuixote isarealistnovel,andtheArthurian

traditionisbasedon

fantasy.Thenovelhassince

beeninconstantdebate

betweentheseopposing

poles:somenovelsare

realistwhilstothershaveto

dowithimaginaryfaraway

placesandscenarios.

3.3.3.Prose:thenovel–typesandmovements

Typesofnovels(partiallist):• Fantasy

• Historicalfiction

• Romance

• Thrillers

• Sciencefiction

• Satirical

Typesofnovels(partiallist):• Tragedy

• Mystery

• Picaresque

• Gothic

• Psychological

• Best-seller

Literarymovements(notcomprehensive,butas

specificallyappliedtothe

novel):

• Renaissance

• Baroque

• TheEnlightenment

• Romanticism

• Transcendentalism

Literarymovements(notcomprehensive,butas

specificallyappliedtothe

novel):

• VictorianLiterature

• Realism

• Modernism

• Existentialism

• BeatGeneration

3.3.4.Prose:thenovel–analysis

Analyzingthenovel.

Simplistically,it’s

lookingatthewho,what,where,when,howandwhy ofanovel,butlet’smake

moresenseofthat.

Analyzingthenovel.Who- thecharacters

What – theplot inthenovel

Where – space inthenovel(setting)

When – time inthenovel

(setting)

How – language andnarration

Why – thetheme(s) ofthe

novel

3.3.4.1.Prose:thenovel–analysisofcharacters

Thecharacters inthenovelareprimordialpartofthis

literarygenre.Welookfor

onesthatchange(dynamic)throughtheonesthatdon’t

(static),andwefollowtheactionsoftheprotagonist,whodevelopsinacertain

way,againsttheopposing

forcesoftheantagonist.

Weshouldn’tnecessarily

calltheprotagonistthe

“goodguy”andthe

antagonistthe“badguy”

becauseoftenthewriter

givesusadifferent

perspectiveonwhat’s

“good”and“bad”.

Whenthecharactersserveto

contrastoneanotherto

highlighttheircharacteristics,

theyserveasfoils.Some

charactersmaybecommon

conceptionsormisconceptions

onpurpose,stereotypes thattheauthorusesareplotdevices

thathe/shemaywanttowork

withorredefine.

Manytimesthesestereotypical

characters,orstockcharacters,reoccurinspecificliterary

movementsandareeasily

recognizable:thedamselin

distress,themadscientist,the

farmer’sdaughter,theabsent-

mindedprofessor,thevirgo

bellatrix (womanwarrior).

Othertimes,charactersmay

serveasallegories byrepresentingabstract

concepts.Oneofthemost

salientexamplesisAnimalFarmbyGeorgeOrwell.Theanimalsonthefarmarea

representationofthe1917

Russianrevolutiononintothe

Stalinistera.Theanimals

showthecorruptionand

avariceoftherevolution.

3.3.4.2.Prose:thenovel–analysisoftheplot

Theplotcanbebrokendownintodifferentstages

ofdevelopment:

• Exposition

• Development

• Climax

• Denouement

(resolution)

Somerefertothe plotas:• Introduction

• Complication

• Risingaction

• Climax

• Fallingaction

• Conclusion

Theremayalsobe

subplots inthemain

plot,smallerstories

withtheirown

developmentand

resolution,butthereis

justusuallyonemain

setofevents.

3.3.4.3.Prose:thenovel–analysisofsetting

Whenwetalkaboutthespace ofanovelthereareafewthingsto

consider.Thespacecanbe

physical andmetaphorical:the

foodstoreon27BartonStreet

wheretheactiontakesplace,as

opposedtothesignificanceof

thestruggling,mom-and-pop,

neighborhoodgrocerystorewith

historicalandsocialsignificance

runningagainstthechokeholdof

thegrowingsupermarketchain

conglomerates.

Thesameistruewhenwewe

talkabouttimeinthenovel.Thetimeiswhenthenovel

takesplaceinhistory,butit

alsoreferstothechronologyof

eventsinthenovel:arethey

sequential?Arethere

flashbacks?Isitfragmented?Is

itspeculative?Isitimmediate?

Inadditiontospaceandtime,

otherconsiderationsfor

settingistolookatmood and

atmosphere.Isitpositiveor

negative?Isitcontrolledor

disordered?IsitGothicor

Realist?(thismayoverlapwith

itsliterarygenre).

3.3.4.4.Prose:thenovel–analysisoflanguage

Inregardtolanguage,wehavetoconsiderallthatanauthor

putsintoher/hisexpression:

diction (wordchoice),tone,syntax (grammarandsentence

structures),useofdialogue,narrator’s voice,etc.NathanielHawthorne,forexample,inTheScarletLetterusesaformal

stylewhichisverydifferent

fromtheinformalstylesof,for

example,JohnSteinbeckor

MarkTwain.

Language:formalstyleFromp.1ofNathaniel

Hawthorne’sTheScarlet

Letter.Notetheuseof

thepassivevoice,the

formalwordchoice,the

syntax,thediction,the

distancedtone,etc.:

Language:formalstyleInaccordancewiththisruleitmaysafelybeassumedthattheforefathersofBostonhadbuiltthefirstprison–housesomewhereintheVicinityofCornhill,almostasseasonablyastheymarkedoutthefirstburial–ground,onIsaacJohnson’slot,androundabouthisgrave,whichsubsequentlybecamethenucleusofallthecongregatedsepulchres intheoldchurchyardofKing’sChapel.

Language:informalstyleFromchapter2ofMarkTwain’s

HuckFinn:

“Say,whoisyou?Whar isyou?Dogmycatsef Ididn’hearsumf’n.

Well,IknowwhatI’sgwyne todo:I’sgwyne tosetdownhere

andlistentellIhearsitagin.”

Notethecolloquiallanguage,the

reproductionoforalspeech,the

useofdialogue(muchmore

personal),thediction,etc.

LanguageInregardtosyntax,

punctuation,sentence

lengthandsentence

structureallinfluence

one’swritingstyle.Here

aresomeexamples.Note

thedifferencebetween

them.

Asegmentfromchapter18ofUlysses

byJamesJoyce:

andhersoulgreatestmisereverwas

actuallyafraidtolayout4dforher

methylatedspirittellingmeallher

ailmentsshehadtoomucholdchatin

heraboutpoliticsandearthquakes

andtheendoftheworldletushavea

bitoffunfirstGodhelptheworldifall

thewomenwerehersortdownon

bathing-suitsandlownecks ofcourse

nobodywantedhertowear

Here,JamesJoycehasa“streamof

consciousness”style.Inthe40plus

pagesofthislastchapter,ifIamnot

mistaken,thereareonlytwo

periodsandonecomma.Thisnovel

isconsideredoneofthebestnovels

everwritten,butitisalsooneofthe

hardesttounderstand.

Hereisanexampleoftheopposite:

theuseofshortsentences.Thisis

ErnestHemmingway’s AFarewelltoArms:

Hewasdressed,worehisblack

boots,andhishairshone.

“Splendid,”hesaidwhenhesaw

me.“Youwillcomewithmeto

seeMissBarkley.”“No.“Yes.You

willpleasecomeandmakemea

goodimpressiononher.”“All

right.WaittillIgetcleanedup.”

“Washupandcomeasyouare.”

Iwashed,brushedmyhairand

westarted.

3.3.4.5.Prose:thenovel–analysisofnarration

Inregardtonarration,thereisfirst,secondandthirdperson.

FirstpersonisI,we,my,etc.andismoresubjectivethanthird

person.Weonlyseethingsfrom

thatperson’sperspective,which

isgoodbecausewecan

understandhis/herinner

thoughts,buttherecanbelimits

toaone-personperspective,and

wedon’tknowifthatpersonis

reliableornot.

Secondpersonisrare,

butgivesasenseof

immediacytothetext.

Itisuniquebutcanbe

unnaturalandstrange

ifusedtoomuch,

alwayssaying“you”

dothisand“you”do

that.

Thirdpersonisusuallymore

objective.Thirdpersonisshe,he,

they,it,etc.,andisgenerally

moreobjectivebecausethere

aredifferentviewpoints.This

pointofviewcanbeomniscient

orpartiallyomniscient.

Sometimesthesestylesare

mixedinthesamenovel/short

story.

Narration• Anexampleoffirstperson

narration isToKillaMockingbirdbyHarperLee.

• Anexampleofsecond

personnarration isAura byCarlosFuentes.

• Anexampleofthirdperson

narration isJaneAusten’s

PrideandPrejudice.

3.3.4.6.Prose:thenovel–analysisoftheme

Anotherstepin

deconstructinganovelisto

consideritsthemes.Thesearethemajoroverarchingideas

likecomingofage,justice

versusfamilyloyalty,change

versustradition,etc.

Themotifsinanovel,detailsthatrepeatthemselves

(subject,idea,etc.),canhave

symboliceffectandaddtothe

depthofthetheme.Motifs

canbesounds,ideas,actions,

words,etc.,likeamoon,the

creakofadoor,asigh,etc.

3.4.1.Prose:shortstories–origins

Shortstories– origins

Theliterarygenreoftheshortstory

developedfromancientstorytelling

traditions(epic,romance)intoframed

stories(Bocaccio andChaucer)ofthe

15th century.Fromthere,through

popularfairyandfolktales,likethose

compiled/createdbyCharlesPerrault

(“SleepingBeauty”,“Cinderella”,“Little

RedRidingHood”),andthoseof

ArabianNightscompiledfromMiddle

EasternstoriesbyAntoineGalland,for

example,thegenregainedpopularity.

Shortstories– origins

Itwasn’tuntilthe19th centurywhen

theshortstorywasarecognizedand

commonliterarygenre.Washington

Irvingstartedthecenturywith“Rip

VanWinkle”and“TheLegendof

SleepyHollow”.Inthemiddleofthe

19th century,EdgarAllenPoemade

thegenrepopularwith,forexample,

“TheCaskofAmontillado”and“The

PitandthePendulum”.

Shortstories– originsExamplesofotherearly,

internationalauthorsare

Maupassant,Turgenev,Chekovand

ArthurConanDoyle.These19th

centuryshortstoriesareprimarily

realist,especiallybecausethey

coincidedwiththeliterary

movementofRealism,buttoday,

thegenreissodiverse,it’shardput

allshortstoriesintoonecategory.

Thereare,however,some

characteristicswhichmostshort

storiesshare.

3.4.2.Prose:shortstories–characteristics

Shortstories– characteristicsLikethenovel,westillneedto

consider:characters,plot,setting

(timeandspace),narration,

language,andthemes.Thereisnot

enoughtimetodevelopthesetoa

greatextentinashortstorylike

thereisinanovel,soweread

fragmentsofcharacteror

condensed, intensifiedevents.The

storymightevenstartinmediasres,rightinthemiddleofthe

action.

Shortstories– characteristicsOneofthemostimportant

characteristicsforashortstoryis

thenarration.Allthecharacteristicsdiscussedinthe

novelonnarrationarealso

importantintheshortstory,but

withitsuniqueintensityoffocus

andbrevityofdevelopment,the

shortstory’spointofview,beit

objectiveorsubjective,firstperson

orthird.affectsthereaders’overall

understandingoftheother

elementsinplay(theme,plot,etc.)

Shortstories– characteristicsSomeofthesemayberepetitionfrom

previoussections,butreviewalways

helps.Ashortstory:

• Prosefictionthatcanbereadin

onesitting

• Theplotismuchlesscomplexthan

anovel,butcontainsmanyofthe

sameelements

• Thereislittlecharacter

development,sometimeslittle

action

• Isoftenrealistandgivesusa

snapshotoflife

Shortstories– characteristics• Thesetting takesintime,spaceand

mood

• Theplot isnormallysetupas

exposition,development,climax,

anddenouement

• Theconflict canbeinternalor

external

• Thecharacters areprotagonists

andantagonists,static

(stereotyped)ordeveloping.

Shortstories– characteristicsThepointofviewcanbeomniscient,

ashavingaccesstothethoughtsand

understandingofcharacters.

• Omniscientlimited:Inthirdperson,

butweknowonlywhataparticular

characterknows

• Omniscientobjective:Inthird

person,goingfrompersonto

person,recordingwhatisseenand

heard,butnotenteringinthe

thoughtsofanyone.

Shortstories– characteristicsThepointofviewcanalsobe• Firstperson:thestoryistoldfrom

theperspectiveoftheprotagonistor

fromanothercharacter.Itisinfirst

personandweknowonlywhatthat

personknowsandthinks.

• Streamofconsciousness: likeweare

intheheadofthecharacterwithno

syntacticalrestraints(likewesaw

withUlysses).

• Innocenteye:thestoryistoldfrom

theperspectiveofachild,likein

Montana1948byLarryWatson.

3.5.Prose:essays

EssaysLet’stakealookat

differenttypesof

essays.Afterall,you

mighthavetowrite

oneattheendofthis

exam.

TypesofessaysSpeculativeessay – itlooks

atideasratherthan

explainsthem.Itmaynot

haveanexplicitthesislike

theothertypesofessays

do.Itmeditatesonideas–

itismeditative.An

interchangeofnarration

andresponsemayoccur.

TypesofessaysExpositoryessay– an

explanationorclarification

ofanideaortheme.

Studentsmaybemost

familiarwiththistypeof

essay.Theremaybean

elementofnarrationtoit,

butdefinitelyanelementof

argumentation.

TypesofessaysPersuasiveessay–

wherethewriter

triestoconvincethe

readerofher/his

pointofview.

TypesofessaysAnalyticalessay–

whereaworkofart,

aplay,abook,etc.is

analyzed.

TypesofessaysArgumentativeessay–

wherethewriterargues

thather/hisopinionor

theoryaboutanissueis

correct,abovetheopinionsofothersonthesameissue(itissimilar,butdifferent

formthepersuasiveessay

inthisway).

Characteristicsofessays• Unlikenovelsand

shortstories,essays

arenon-fiction,thus

theform isdifferent.

Thewriteris

presentinganidea

(non-fiction) andnot

tellingastory(fiction)

Characteristicsofessays• Thevoice isnotthatofa

narrator,buttheauthorherselfwhospeakstothereader.

• Thestructure issuchthatifchanged,theessaywouldloseitsmeaning.Theflowoflogicandpresentationofideasfollowasequencebestfittoitstype.