approaches-and-methods-of-studying-literature-160217091600.pptx

approaches in literature

1. APPROACHES AND METHODS OF STUDYING LITERATURE

2. FORMALISTIC / LITERARY APPROACH Also called “PURE” or “LITERARY” approach The selection is read and viewed intrinsically, or for itself ; independent of author, age, or any other extrinsic factor. This approach is close to the “ art for art’s sake” dictum

3. The study of the selection is more is more or less based on the so – called literary elements which is more or less boil down to the literal level , the affective values , the ideational values , technical values , and total effects .

4. The literal level (subject matter) The affective values (emotional, mood, atmosphere, tone attitudes, empathy) The ideational values (themes, visions, universal truths, character) Technical Values (plot, structure, scene, language, point of view, imagery, figure, metrics, etc.) Total Effect (the interrelation of the foregoing elements)

5. MORAL AND HUMANISTIC APPROACH The nature of man is CENTRAL to literature. The reader or teacher or critic more or less “requires” that the piece present MAN AS ESSENTIALY RATIONAL, that is endowed with intellect and free will; or that the piece does not misinterpret the true nature of man

6. In these times of course the TRUE NATURE OF MAN is hotly contested, making literature all the more challenging. This approach is close to the “MORALITY” of literature, to the questions of ethical goodness and badness

7. HISTORICAL APPROACH Sees literature as both a reflection and product of the times and circumstances in which it is written. Man as a member of a particular society or nation at a particular time, is central to the approach and whenever a teacher gives historical or biographical backgrounds in introducing a selection, or arranges a literature course in chronological order, he is hewing close to this approach.

8. The historical approach is often suitable to high school classes, to survey courses, for “average” classes, and for pieces tackled or “discovered” for the first time. It operates on the premise that the history of a nation has telling effects on its literature and that a piece can be better understood and appreciated if one knows the times around its creation.

9. CULTURAL APPROACH Considers literature as one of the principal manifestation and vehicles of a nation’s or race’s culture and tradition. It includes the entire complex of what goes under “culture” ---- the technological, the artistic, the sociological, the ideological aspects, and considers the literary piece in the total culture milieu in which it was born.

10. This approach in one of the richest way to arrive at the culture of the people and one of the most pleasurable ways of appreciating the literature of the people. It goes by the dictum “culture teaching through literature”.

11. PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH Set in dizzying motion, principally, by FREUD, perhaps beyond his wildest expectations, it considers literature as the EXPRESSION OF PERSONALITY of “Inner Drives” of neurosis. It includes the psychology of the author, of the character, and even the psychology of creation. It has resulted in an almost exhausting and exhaustive “psychological analysis” of the characters of symbols and images, of recurrent themes, etc.

12. Conclusion Formalistic – based on the literary elements Moral / Humanistic – close to the morality of literature , to questions of ethical goodness and badness. Historical – sees literature as both a reflection and a product of the times and circumstances in which it is written. Cultural – an approach in knowing the culture of the people and one of the pleasurable ways of appreciating the literature of the people. Psychological – considers literature as the expression of “personality”, of “ inner drive” of neurosis.

13. QUALITIES OF GOOD LITERATURE Artistry - the quality that appeals our sense of beauty. Intellectual value - the quality that enriches our mental life by making us realize the fundamental truth about life and human nature. Suggestiveness - this is the quality associated with emotional power of literature. Spiritual value- literature elevates the spirit by bringing out moral values which make us better person.

14. Permanence - a great work of literature endures. Style - this is the peculiar way in which writer sees life, form his ideas and express them.

15. FORMS OF LITERATURE Fiction- a literary work based of imagination. Non-fiction- a literary work that is true.

16. Figurative Language A form of language used in which the writers and speakers mean something other than the literal meaning of the words.

17. Simile A simile involves a comparison between unlike things using “like” or “as”. “And she strode Silent and cold, but At once lunged and like the lion she roared.”

18. Metaphor Metaphor is a comparison between essentially unlike things without a word such as like or as. “You are the sun that keeps me warm, The light that keeps me well The reason that keeps me sane.”

19. Paradox Paradoxes are details contrasting ideas in phrases or whole sentences. “My weakness is my strength.” “The only rule is there are no rules.” “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.”

20. Oxymoron Oxymoron refers to the use of words with contradicting meanings. “Deafened by the silence, consumed by the words unsaid, tragedy befalls.”

21. Alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds on the same line or stanza. “Live, laugh, love,” “Big bored boy bags baked buns.” “He clasps the crag with crooked hands, close to the sun in lonely lands,” (The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

22. Epigram Epigram is the use of clever or witty remark. Epigrams often include a twist at the end, which adds humor or irony to the statement or turns it into satire. “Candy is dandy But liquor is quicker.”

23. Consonance Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds (anywhere in the middle or end of a line or stanza). “all that I love, all that like, I leave it all.” “like the long road ahead, I long to live all the rest of my life.”

24. Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia are words that sound like that which they describe. “Crash” “Moo” “Boom”

25. Irony Irony are words used have another intended meaning or that what is said is not what it means. “He is an employee in the land he owns.” “You are so pretty. You look like a Christmas tree.”

26. Assonance Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds (anywhere in the middle or end of a line or stanza). “ Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” — note the repetition of the short “e” and long “ i ” sounds. “Sally sells seashells beside the seashore” — see the repetition of the short “e” and long “e” sounds.

27. Synecdoche Synecdoche is when you use a part of a thing to represent the whole thing. “She bought an expensive wheel for her daughter.” “I can’t wait to get back out on the waves.”

28. Here are four tips to keep in mind for using figurative language in your own writing: Use figurative language sparingly With figurative language, a little goes a long way. Think of it like cooking with salt: Using a little bit can enhance the taste and add wonderful new flavors, but overdoing it can ruin your meal. Figurative language can be distracting, so it’s best to limit its usage. If you’re using metaphors, hyperbole, or other literary devices in every sentence, you’re going to exhaust your reader. Save them for only the key moments in your story.

29. Figurative language pairs well with humor Aside from  creating more engaging writing  and helping to explain complex ideas, figurative language is also great for a laugh. Comedians and comedic writers often use it for punchlines and humorous analogies. 

30. Be careful when using figurative language as dialogue Often in creative writing, it’s tempting to write figurative language as part of a character’s dialogue. While figurative language is quite common in everyday speech (i.e., “I could just die from embarrassment,” or “I’m starving!”), flowery phrases tend to stick out in conversations, and not always in a good way. 

31. Never sacrifice clarity Sometimes figurative language can simplify a complicated idea, but other times it can complicate a simple idea. If you want to add some figurative spice to a sentence, make sure that you don’t convolute the meaning.  Remember that figurative language can be distracting, so sometimes it makes it harder for the reader to understand what you’re trying to say. Never sacrifice clarity for something that sounds nice—save figurative language for the times when you can have both.

32. Elements of Fiction Theme Character Setting Plot Point of view

33. Theme As described at the beginning of this chapter, we read stories to see ourselves revealed in them, to find meaning in them through a character’s trials and tribulations.  While theme often describes broad concepts like love or honor or vengeance or solidarity, most stories also carry with them a message, a more specific statement about the theme or themes. Without meaning, stories are forgettable. Meaning gives stories true life.

34. Character Character is perhaps the most important element of fiction, as things must happen to someone or something in order for a story to progress. Not only is this crucial for story development, but as human beings, we read stories and enjoy stories because we can see ourselves in them, often through the characters. Protagonist - The protagonist is your main character, your lead, the character the story revolves around. Think Harry Potter or Anne of Green Gables or Pee Wee Herman or the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Antagonist - The antagonist is your ‘villain,’ the character who often creates the most strife and struggle for the protagonist. 

35. Round vs. Flat Character Round versus Flat are terms used to describe character development. Round characters are fully developed, ‘human’ characters, full of complexity and nuance. They have the capacity for the full range of human emotion, and they are capable of both right and wrong. Think Ted Lasso or Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones. Flat characters are typically one-dimensional. They are stereotypes, essentially. Think Voldemort from Harry Potter, or Mr. Belding from Saved by the Bell.

36. Static vs. Dynamic Character Static versus Dynamic are also terms used to describe character development. Static characters are characters who do not experience any sort of change throughout the story. Dynamic characters do experience change, often profound change, and this can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. While there is space for both static and dynamic characters in stories (based on what the characters represent within the story), readers connect better with dynamic characters.

37. Setting As important as characters are, characters are both influenced by and hold influence over the places they inhabit and visit. In addition, the sequence of events (discussed in the next element below) are inextricably linked to “place.”

38. Plot Plot (what I often refer to as narrative design) can be defined as the sequence of events in which the story plays out, but on a fundamental level, it encompasses much more than that, and in order to fully embrace the power of plot from the perspective of “craft”, we must explore those elements. The traditional western plot structure follows what is called the inverted checkmark.

39. Plot

40. Exposition: Exposition is all the stuff included at the beginning of a story to provide context. Characters might be introduced. The setting might be described.  Some sort of tension might appear. There isn’t a lot of action in the exposition, but it sets everything up so that action can begin. Rising Action: The rising action is everything that happens leading up to the climax, including the conflict. This is when all of the tension builds, conflict rages, and we reach a breaking point in the story. Conflict: The conflict is often defined as the main struggle that the protagonist experiences. This could be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or a combination of these.

41. Climax: The climax of the story is the turning point. This is when the conflict and tension reach their crescendo and typically the most important scene or event takes place. Typically, the story begins to conclude after the climax. Falling Action: The falling action is everything that occurs following the climax. It takes us out of the story and winds everything down. Resolution: The resolution is the conclusion of a story, typically focusing on some change that the protagonist has experienced.

42. Point of view Point of view is perhaps the unsung hero of literary devices. This element is inherent in any form of storytelling, and while it doesn’t shout out to us and demand our attention as an aspect of craft because of how natural it is, it impacts everything in terms of how we experience a story. 

43. First Person: First person point of view takes the form of the first person pronoun “I,” “me,” “we.” This point of view is very compelling as it brings us intimately close to the narrator, and while there is often a question of the narrator’s reliability, first person is very engaging through its use of tone and voice. Second Person: Second person point of view takes the form of the second person pronoun “you.” This is the least commonly used point of view, though it has its use in “choose your own adventure” style stories. This point of view puts the reader directly into the story, but it can often feel inauthentic and contrived.

44. Third Person: Third person point of view takes the form of the third person pronouns, “he,” “she,” “they.” This point of view is one of the most common, particularly in nonfiction, but it can be broken down further according to psychic distance from the characters (listed in order from most psychic distance to least).

45. Objective:  Objective 3rd person POV is fully removed from the thoughts and feelings of the characters. With 3rd person objective, we only hear words and see actions. This the traditional point of view for stage plays. Limited (Omniscient):  Limited omniscient 3rd person POV delves into the thoughts and feelings of one character, often the protagonist. With this point of view, we get into the psyche of the character. Omniscient:  Omniscient 3rd person POV delves into the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters. There is no psychic distance between the reader and the characters, and this point of view can be used to set up dramatic irony, where the characters don’t understand one another, while the reader has insight into what motivates and frustrates each character.