Literature is any collection of written work,
events that may have a peculiar
Contemporary literature refers to works of prose,
poetry, and drama published since 1945.
Fiction is subjective and evocative.
It is "made up," and indirect in its
communication. A work of fiction may
evoke:
Commercial Fiction
 Intended solely to entertain
 Legal thrillers, romance novels
 Escapist
 Formulaic
Literary Fiction
 Written with serious artistic intentions
by someone who hopes to enable
readers to broaden understanding
Elements of Fiction
 Conflict
 Suspense
 Mystery: an unusual set of
circumstances
 Dilemma: a position in which he or
she must choose between two
courses of action, both undesirable
 Ending
 Surprise Ending: a sudden,
unexpected turn or twist
 Happy Ending: more common in
commercial fiction.
 Unhappy Ending: more common in
literary fiction because it more
closely mirrors real life and forces
readers to contemplate the
complexities of life.
 Indeterminate Ending: no definitive
conclusion is reached
Artistic Unity
 There must be nothing in the story
that is irrelevant.
 Plot Manipulation
 Deus ex machina:
Latin for “god from a
machine”—the protagonist
is rescued at the last
moment from some
impossible situation by a
god descending from
heaven.
 Chance
the occurrence of an event
that has no apparent cause
in previous events or in
predisposition of character.
 Coincidence
othe chance occurrence of two
correspondence.
 Characterization
 Direct Presentation: readers are
told straight out
 Indirect Presentation: the author
shows us the characters through
their actions
 Character Traits (1)
 Flat Characters: usually have only
one or two predominant traits
 Round Characters: complex and
many sided
 Stock Characters: type of flat
character; stereotyped figures who
have recurred so often in fiction that
we recognize them at once:
 Character Traits (2)
 Static Character: does not change
during the story.
 Dynamic Character: (developing)
undergoes distinct change of
character, personality, or outlook.
 Theme (1)
 Point of View (1)
 Omniscient
 the story is told in first
person by a narrator
 Third Person Limited
 from the viewpoint of one
character in the story. No
knowledge of what other
characters are thinking or
feeling.
 First Person
 the author disappears into
one of the characters, who
tells the story in the first
person.
 Objective Point of View
 (dramatic POV) the narrator
disappears into a kind of
roving sound camera.
 Symbol
 something that means more
than what it suggests
 Name Symbolism –Adam,
Phoenix
 Object Symbolism – flag,
wedding ring, red, quilts
 Action Symbolism –
journey
  Setting Symbolism – 
landscape, railway station
 Symbol
1. Allegory: a story that has a second
meaning
2. Fantasy: nonrealistic
3. Humor: appears in the many
serious works, usually conveyed
through irony.
4. Irony: a technique used to convey a
truth about human experience by
exposing some incongruity of a
character’s behavior or a society’s
traditions.
 Kinds of Irony:
1. Verbal Irony: simplest kind,
sarcasm, word play
2. Dramatic Irony: the contrast
between what a character
says or thinks and what the
reader knows to be true.
3. Situational Irony: the
discrepancy is between
appearance and reality,
expectation and fulfillment,
or what is and what would
seem appropriate
 TYPES OF Stories
 Fiction Stories
- Fiction stories are based on made-up or
imaginary events. There are dozens upon
dozens of types of fiction stories and
genres,
 Non-fiction Stories
- Non-fiction stories can cover any kind of
real-life event or experience.
ELEMENTS OF POETRY
 Stanza - Structure, Sound, Imagery,
Figurative Language Elements of Fiction,
Poetic Forms.
 Sounds - Rhythm, Meter, End
Rhyme, Internal Rhyme, Rhyme
Scheme, Assonance, Consonance,
Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Repetition,
Refrain, Word Play.
 Elements of Poetry: Stanza
 Poetic Line – the words that form a single
line of poetry.
 Stanza – a section of a poem named for
the number of lines it contains.
 Enjambment – when there is no written or
natural pause at the end of a poetic line, so
that the word-flow carries over to the next
line
Placement – the way words and poetic
lines are placed on the page of a poem.
 Verse – a line in traditional poetry that is
written in meter.
 Capitalization and Punctuation – In
poetry, rules of capitalization and
punctuation are not always followed;
instead, they are at the service of
the poet’s artistic vision.
Elements of Poetry: Sounds
1. Rhythm – the basic beat in a line of a
poem.
2. Meter – a pattern of stressed and
unstressed (accented and unaccented)
syllables (known as a foot) in a line of
poetry.
3. End Rhyme – same or similar sounds at
the end of words that finish different lines.
4. Internal Rhyme – same or similar sounds
at the end of words within a line.
5. Rhyme Scheme – a pattern of rhyme in a
poem.
Assonance – the repetition of vowel
sounds within words in a line.
7. Consonance – the repetition of consonant
sounds within words in a line.
8. Alliteration – the repetition of consonant
sounds at the beginning of words.
9. Onomatopoeia – words that sound like
their meaning.
10. Repetition – sounds, words, or phrases
that are repeated to add emphasis or
create rhythm. Parallelism is a form of
repetition.
11. Refrain – a line or stanza repeated over
and over in a poem or song.
Word Play – to play with the sounds and
meanings of real or invented words.
Imagery, in a literary or poetic sense, is the author's
use of description and vivid language, deepening the
reader's understanding of the work, by appealing to the
senses.
There are different types of imagery.
Imagery Details
1. Precise Language – the use of specific words to
describe a
person, place, thing, or action.
2. Sensory Details – the use of descriptive details that or the similar sounds of words.
appeal to one or more of the five senses.
Examples: “Tomorrow you shall find me a grave
man,”

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE said the duke on his deathbed. The cookbook Lunch on
the
1. Simile – a comparison of two unlike things, using
the words like or as. Run by Sam Witch is awesome.

Example: “I read the shoreline like an open volume.”

2. Metaphor - a comparison of two unlike things, not FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

using the words like or as.

Example: “Ribbons of sea foam / wrap the emerald

island.” 9. Allusion- a reference to a familiar person, place, or
event.
3. Personification – to describe human traits to non-
human or non-living things.

Example: “The unfurled sailboat glides on / urged by
wind and will and brilliant bliss.”
4. Symbolism – a person, place, thing, or action that
stands for something else.
Example: The following two lines from the poem “My
Muse” contain an allusion to Pandora’s Box: hunched
over from carrying that old familiar Box

Example: In “From Mother to Son” by Langston

Hughes, a set of stairs symbolizes life
10. Idiom - a cultural expression that cannot be taken
5. Hyperbole – the use of exaggeration to express literally.
strong emotion or create a comical effect.
Examples: She is the apple of his eye. He drives me up
Example: “I’m so hungry I could eat a hippo.” the
wall.
12. Verbal Irony or Sarcasm – when you mean the
opposite of what you say.

Example: “My darling brother is the sweetest boy on

Earth,” she muttered sarcastically.

7. Situational Irony – when the outcome of a situation

is the

opposite of what is expected.

Example: After many years of trying, Mr. Smith won

the

lottery -- and immediately died of a heart attack.

8. Pun – a humorous phrase that plays with the double

meaning