Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing

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Literature An Introduction to Reading and
Writing

• Chapter 1

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What is Literature, and Why Do We Study It?

• compositions that tell stories, dramatize
  situations, express emotions, and analyze or
  advocate ideas
• Most began as oral tradition.
• We gain much from it.

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What is Literature, and Why Do We Study It?

• Literature helps us grow, both personally and
  intellectually. It opens doors for us. It
  stretches our understanding, and enlarges our
  power of sympathy. It helps us see beauty in the
  world around us.

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What is Literature, and Why Do We Study It?

• It links us with the cultural, philosophical, and
  religious world of which we are a part.It
  enables us to see worthiness in the aims of all
  people.

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What is Literature, and Why Do We Study It?

• It makes us human.

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Types of Literature The Genres

• Prose fiction
• Poetry
• Drama
• Non-fiction prose

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Fiction

• Short stories
• Novels
• The essence of fiction is narration, the
  relating or recounting of a sequence of events or
  actions.

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Poetry

• If prose is expansive, poetry tends toward
  brevity.Poetrys power lies not only in its
  words and thoughts, but also in its music, using
  rhyme and variety of rhythms to intensify its
  emotional impact.

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Drama

• Drama is literature designed for stage or
  film.The essence of drama is the development of
  character and situation through speech and
  action.
• Early drama was poetry.

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Types of Literature The Genres

• Prose fiction
• myths
• parables
• romances
• novels
• short stories

• Poetry
• sonnet and villanelle
• ballad and epic
• blank verse
• couplets
• elegies
• epigrams
• hymns
• limericks
• songs or lyrics

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Types of Literature The Genres

• Non-fiction prose
• news reports
• feature articles
• essays
• editorials
• textbooks
• diaries
• journals

• historical and biographical works

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Guidelines for Reading

• Observations for basic understanding
• Explain words, situations, and concepts.
• Determine what is happening in the work
  setting, characters, point of view

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Guidelines for Reading

• Notes on first impressions
• Make a record of your reactions and responses.
• Describe interesting characterizations, events,
  techniques, and ideas.

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Guidelines for Reading

• Development of ideas and enlargement of
  responses
• Trace developing patterns.conflicts.
• Write expanded notes about characters,
  situations, and actions.
• Always write down questions that come up during
  your reading.

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Raise and Answer Your Own Questions

• What is happening as the work unfolds? How does
  an action at the works beginning bring about the
  works later actions and speeches?
• Who are the main characters? What seems unusual
  or different about what they do in the work?

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Raise and Answer Your Own Questions

• What conclusions can you draw about the works
  actions, scenes, and situations? Explain these
  conclusions.
• What are the characters and speakers like? What
  do they do and say about themselves, their goals,
  the people around them, their families, their
  friends,, their work, and the general
  circumstances of their lives?

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Raise and Answer Your Own Questions

• What kinds of words do the characters use
  formal or informal words, slang or profanity?

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Writing Essays on Literary Topics

• Writing does not come easily for anyone.
• A major purpose of your being in collegeis to
  develop your capacity to think and to express
  thoughts clearly and fully.

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The Writing Process

• Planning
• brainstorming, clustering, freewriting, outlining
• Drafting
• Revising and editing
• Use the process carefully. Use your colored
  pencils.

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The Goal of Writing To Show a Process of Thought

• Do not rehash the plot.
• Your goal should always be to explain the work
  you are analyzing.

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I disagree.

• I totally disagree with Robertss assertion about
  assuming the reader knows the work. Instead,
  include the plot summary in the opening paragraph
  that includes the whole story, not just a teaser.

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The Need to Present an Argument When Writing
Essays about Literature

• proveor demonstratea point or idea about it.
• use the material from the story to prove your
  assertion (specifics)

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Approaches

• Determine the Works Historical Period and
  Background
• Describe the Economic and Social Conditions
  Depicted in the Work
• Explain the Works Major Ideas
• Learn about and Describe the Works Artistic
  Qualities

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Verb tense

• When writing about literature, you should use
  the present tense of verbs.
• Mathilde and her husband work and economize not
  worked and economized for ten years to pay off
  the 18,000-franc debt they undertake not
  undertook to
• pay for the lost necklace.

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Introduction

• Title
• Author
• Plot summary
• transition
• Thesis topic and assertion

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Authors Name

• In the first sentence, use the authors whole
  name.
• Eudora Weltys A Worn Path is the story of an
  old African-American woman by the name of Phoenix
  Jackson, who walks the long miles into town to
  get much-needed medicine for her sick grandchild
  that swallowed lye years ago.

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Authors Name

• In later paragraphs, use the authors last name
  only.
• Weltys Phoenix Jackson is a model for love,
  dedication, bravery, and determination.

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Body

• The specifics with references to the text.
• Incorporate quotes smoothly into your text.
• Phoenixs eyes are blue with age (139),
  meaning that she can hardly see due to cataracts.

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Conclusion

• Restate what you have proven.
• Broaden out.
• If there were more people in the world with the
  drive and determination of Phoenix, the world
  would be a better place. Young people need role
  models like her.

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Guidelines

• Never just retell the story or summarize the
  work. Bring in story materials only when you can
  use them as support for your central idea or
  argument.
• Throughout your essay, keep reminding the reader
  of your central idea.

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Guidelines

• Within each paragraph, make sure that you stress
  your topic idea.
• Develop your subject. Make it bigger than it
  was when you began.
• Always make your statements exact, comprehensive,
  and forceful.

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Guidelines

• Remember, never just retell the story or
  summarize the work.
• Not just plot!