Introduction to Literature
These are notes that I made long time ago when I was a lecturer. I want to throw away the note; however, I want to keep the record in digital. It's a review and a typing exercise for me.
Note yang dibuang sayang, tapi jika tidak dibuang jadi sampah kertas.
1. Escape literature is literature that is written purely for entertainment; it takes us away from the real world; it enables us temporarily to forget our troubles; it is only object pleasure.
2. Interpretive literature is literature that is written to broaden and deepen and sharpen our awareness of life; it takes us through the imagination into the real world; it enables us to understand our troubles; it is object pleasure plus understanding.
3. Plot is the sequence of incidents or events of which a story is composed
4. Chronological plot is the arrangement of events according to the order in which they occur in time.
5. Flashback: interpolated narratives or scenes (often justified as a memory, a revery or a confession by one of the characters) which represent events that happened before the time at which the work opened.
6. Well-made plot (Aristotle call it a unified plot) is a continuous sequence of beginning, middle and end. It contains an exposition/ introduction, a development/ rising action; a climax; falling action; catastrophe (outcome = applied to tragedy only = precipitating final scene); denoument (unravelling of the original conflict). Exposition/ introduction = authors present the situation and suspense where the action will take place. Development/ rising action = authors present the problems, conflict, complication.
7. Discontinuous Episodes plot is the pattern used in a narrative fiction whose episodes are seemed unconnected,which, however, are linked by thematic or other means. For example, Gulliver's travels by Jonathan Swift. Swift presents 4 separate and independent sections but they serve one purpose to re-examine political conventions, social aspiration in England.
8. Stream of consciousness is an attempt by a writer to absorb plot into character's mind. For example: the secret life of Walter Mitty.
9. Foreshadowing is the scene in which the outcome of the conflict is anticipated by such means as speeches of the characters, by brief, small-scale representation of the final relationships or by symbols which hint at the outcome.
10. A character in a literary work is not a real human being and has no life outside the work. A character is only an author's representation of a human being, in other words, a character is a mere construction of words meant to express an idea or view of experience.
11. Character is not the same as Characterization. Characterization is a method of revealing the nature/ quality of a character. The author can reveal the character by direct explanation for statements or using symbolism, association with physical setting/ character's face and physique/ what the character does, says and thinks. Direct explanation is called expository method and using other associations with characters is called dramatic method.
a. Expository method ---- by direct explanation
(telling) ---- by what other characters say/think
Method of
Characterization -----
b. Dramatic method --- symbolism
(showing) --- character's physical appearance
--- character's behaviour
--- character's mind
12. Degree of character development can be stated into 2 kinds, they are flat character/ static/ two dimensional character and round/ dynamic character.
Flat/ static character exhibits only one characteristic/ motivation or stereotype personalities. Ex. mother-in-law always scrutinizes her daughter-in-law, elder brothers/ sisters always dominates their younger brothers/ sisters. Round/ dynamic character has complex many faceted personalities.
13. Suspense is the quality in a story that makes readers eager to keep on reading. Two common devices to achieve suspense are mystery and dilemma. Mystery is an unusual set of circumstances for which the readers crave an explanation. Dilemma is a position in shich he/she must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable.
14. The ending of a story can be happy, unhappy, surprise or indeterminate. Surprise ending reveals unexpected ending or sudden new turn/ twist which the reader doesn't expect. Indeterminate ending is an ending in a story in which no definite conclusion is arrived at.
15. Plot manipulation is a technique which is used by the author who gives his story a turn unjustified by the situation or the characters involved.
16. In a story, chance is the occurrence of an event that has no apparent cause in antecedent events or in predisposition of character. In a story, coincidence is the chance concurrence of two events that have a peculiar correspondence.
17. Setting of a story means its time and place. Setting of place includes the physical environment of a story (a house, a street, a city, a landscape, a region, nature) and social class or society which the character lives/ comes from.
18. Regional writer is a writer who usually sets stories (or other work) in one geographic area. For example, William Faulkner who almost always set hsi novels and stories in his native area, Mississippi.
19. Conflict in a story can be conflict between main character and other characters, main character and nature, man and himself, man and society.
20. Protagonist is the main character, while antagonist the opponent of the main character. Hero of heroine is a character (man or woman) that has good deeds and personalities while villain is a character that has bad behaviour and traits. Antihero is a character in a story which is petty, ignominious, ineffectual or passive unlike hero.
21. Point of view is the position from which details in a literary work are perceived, described and considered. It's a method of presentation, who tells the story.
22. First person point of view can be divided into 2 kinds. Firs person major character as the narrator and first person minor character (observer) point of view. It uses "I" as the pronoun.
23. Omniscient point of view, the story is told by a narrator using the third person whose knowledge and prerogatives are unlimited. The narrator apparently has god-like powers of seeing and knowing all the chooses to tell everything to the reader.
24. Limited omniscient point of view, the author tells the story in the third person, but he tells it from the view point of one character in the story.
25. Objective point of view, the narrator disappears into a kind of moving camera. It can't comment, interpret or enter character's mind, it only reveals the characters externally. Objective point of view = dramatic point of view.
26. Theme is the controlling idea or central insight of a story / work.
27. Drama is one genre of literature which is written primarily to be performed. It presents its actions; 1. through actors; 2.on a stage; 3. before an audience.
28. Soliloquy, a character is presented as speaking to himself (=dramatic monologue)
29. Closet drama is a drama which is read more often than they are acted. Closet means a small, private room
30. According to Aristotle, a tragedy is the imitation in dramatic form of an action that is serious and complete with incidents arousing pity and fear where with it effects a catharsis of such emotions. The plot involves a change in the protagonist's fortune, in which he falls from happiness to misery. His misfortune is not by vice and depravity bu by some error of judgment.
31. Catharsis = purgation/ purification, according to modern criticism, it is an element within the play, it signifies the purgation of the guilt attached to the hero's tragic act, through the demonstration that the hero performed this act without knowledge of its nature. According to Aristotle, catharsis is the effect of drama to the audience. Many tragic representation of suffering and defeat leave an audience feeling not depressed, but relieved, or even exalted.
32. Melodrama, like tragedy, attempts to arouse feelings of fear and pity. The conflict is oversimplified, between good and evil. The characters have flat personalities. Melodrama is typically escapist rather than interpretive.
33. Farce is aimed at arousing explosive laughter. The conflicts are violent and usually at the physical level. It is a type of comedy designed to provoke the audience to simple, hearty laughter.
34. Comedy is a work in which the material are selected and managed primarily in order to interest, involve and amuse us.
35. In the drama, on verbal language, is also important in order to analyse the drama. There are stage directions, gestures, tones (intonation) of speeches, costumes, decorations on stage, scenes. Do they symbolize something or tell a certain theme?
36. Prologue is an opening statement in a play which describes the setting or explains the background of the characters or events.
37. Epilogue is a final statement usually at the end of a play which invites reader's/ audience's appreciation or calls attention to the meaning of the literary work.
38. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people.
Note yang dibuang sayang, tapi jika tidak dibuang jadi sampah kertas.
1. Escape literature is literature that is written purely for entertainment; it takes us away from the real world; it enables us temporarily to forget our troubles; it is only object pleasure.
2. Interpretive literature is literature that is written to broaden and deepen and sharpen our awareness of life; it takes us through the imagination into the real world; it enables us to understand our troubles; it is object pleasure plus understanding.
3. Plot is the sequence of incidents or events of which a story is composed
4. Chronological plot is the arrangement of events according to the order in which they occur in time.
5. Flashback: interpolated narratives or scenes (often justified as a memory, a revery or a confession by one of the characters) which represent events that happened before the time at which the work opened.
6. Well-made plot (Aristotle call it a unified plot) is a continuous sequence of beginning, middle and end. It contains an exposition/ introduction, a development/ rising action; a climax; falling action; catastrophe (outcome = applied to tragedy only = precipitating final scene); denoument (unravelling of the original conflict). Exposition/ introduction = authors present the situation and suspense where the action will take place. Development/ rising action = authors present the problems, conflict, complication.
7. Discontinuous Episodes plot is the pattern used in a narrative fiction whose episodes are seemed unconnected,which, however, are linked by thematic or other means. For example, Gulliver's travels by Jonathan Swift. Swift presents 4 separate and independent sections but they serve one purpose to re-examine political conventions, social aspiration in England.
8. Stream of consciousness is an attempt by a writer to absorb plot into character's mind. For example: the secret life of Walter Mitty.
9. Foreshadowing is the scene in which the outcome of the conflict is anticipated by such means as speeches of the characters, by brief, small-scale representation of the final relationships or by symbols which hint at the outcome.
10. A character in a literary work is not a real human being and has no life outside the work. A character is only an author's representation of a human being, in other words, a character is a mere construction of words meant to express an idea or view of experience.
11. Character is not the same as Characterization. Characterization is a method of revealing the nature/ quality of a character. The author can reveal the character by direct explanation for statements or using symbolism, association with physical setting/ character's face and physique/ what the character does, says and thinks. Direct explanation is called expository method and using other associations with characters is called dramatic method.
a. Expository method ---- by direct explanation
(telling) ---- by what other characters say/think
Method of
Characterization -----
b. Dramatic method --- symbolism
(showing) --- character's physical appearance
--- character's behaviour
--- character's mind
12. Degree of character development can be stated into 2 kinds, they are flat character/ static/ two dimensional character and round/ dynamic character.
Flat/ static character exhibits only one characteristic/ motivation or stereotype personalities. Ex. mother-in-law always scrutinizes her daughter-in-law, elder brothers/ sisters always dominates their younger brothers/ sisters. Round/ dynamic character has complex many faceted personalities.
13. Suspense is the quality in a story that makes readers eager to keep on reading. Two common devices to achieve suspense are mystery and dilemma. Mystery is an unusual set of circumstances for which the readers crave an explanation. Dilemma is a position in shich he/she must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable.
14. The ending of a story can be happy, unhappy, surprise or indeterminate. Surprise ending reveals unexpected ending or sudden new turn/ twist which the reader doesn't expect. Indeterminate ending is an ending in a story in which no definite conclusion is arrived at.
15. Plot manipulation is a technique which is used by the author who gives his story a turn unjustified by the situation or the characters involved.
16. In a story, chance is the occurrence of an event that has no apparent cause in antecedent events or in predisposition of character. In a story, coincidence is the chance concurrence of two events that have a peculiar correspondence.
17. Setting of a story means its time and place. Setting of place includes the physical environment of a story (a house, a street, a city, a landscape, a region, nature) and social class or society which the character lives/ comes from.
18. Regional writer is a writer who usually sets stories (or other work) in one geographic area. For example, William Faulkner who almost always set hsi novels and stories in his native area, Mississippi.
19. Conflict in a story can be conflict between main character and other characters, main character and nature, man and himself, man and society.
20. Protagonist is the main character, while antagonist the opponent of the main character. Hero of heroine is a character (man or woman) that has good deeds and personalities while villain is a character that has bad behaviour and traits. Antihero is a character in a story which is petty, ignominious, ineffectual or passive unlike hero.
21. Point of view is the position from which details in a literary work are perceived, described and considered. It's a method of presentation, who tells the story.
22. First person point of view can be divided into 2 kinds. Firs person major character as the narrator and first person minor character (observer) point of view. It uses "I" as the pronoun.
23. Omniscient point of view, the story is told by a narrator using the third person whose knowledge and prerogatives are unlimited. The narrator apparently has god-like powers of seeing and knowing all the chooses to tell everything to the reader.
24. Limited omniscient point of view, the author tells the story in the third person, but he tells it from the view point of one character in the story.
25. Objective point of view, the narrator disappears into a kind of moving camera. It can't comment, interpret or enter character's mind, it only reveals the characters externally. Objective point of view = dramatic point of view.
26. Theme is the controlling idea or central insight of a story / work.
27. Drama is one genre of literature which is written primarily to be performed. It presents its actions; 1. through actors; 2.on a stage; 3. before an audience.
28. Soliloquy, a character is presented as speaking to himself (=dramatic monologue)
29. Closet drama is a drama which is read more often than they are acted. Closet means a small, private room
30. According to Aristotle, a tragedy is the imitation in dramatic form of an action that is serious and complete with incidents arousing pity and fear where with it effects a catharsis of such emotions. The plot involves a change in the protagonist's fortune, in which he falls from happiness to misery. His misfortune is not by vice and depravity bu by some error of judgment.
31. Catharsis = purgation/ purification, according to modern criticism, it is an element within the play, it signifies the purgation of the guilt attached to the hero's tragic act, through the demonstration that the hero performed this act without knowledge of its nature. According to Aristotle, catharsis is the effect of drama to the audience. Many tragic representation of suffering and defeat leave an audience feeling not depressed, but relieved, or even exalted.
32. Melodrama, like tragedy, attempts to arouse feelings of fear and pity. The conflict is oversimplified, between good and evil. The characters have flat personalities. Melodrama is typically escapist rather than interpretive.
33. Farce is aimed at arousing explosive laughter. The conflicts are violent and usually at the physical level. It is a type of comedy designed to provoke the audience to simple, hearty laughter.
34. Comedy is a work in which the material are selected and managed primarily in order to interest, involve and amuse us.
35. In the drama, on verbal language, is also important in order to analyse the drama. There are stage directions, gestures, tones (intonation) of speeches, costumes, decorations on stage, scenes. Do they symbolize something or tell a certain theme?
36. Prologue is an opening statement in a play which describes the setting or explains the background of the characters or events.
37. Epilogue is a final statement usually at the end of a play which invites reader's/ audience's appreciation or calls attention to the meaning of the literary work.
38. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people.
Comments