Literature 101

Literature 101: Tone

September 21, 2011

Literature 101 is a ten-part course based on 10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know. We took a little hiatus and are picking up where we left off. WEEK 7: TONE The tone of a work refers to the author’s implicit attitude about a subject as conveyed by style and word choice. DISCUSSION The tone [...]

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Literature 101: Characterization

September 8, 2010

Literature 101 is a ten-part course based on 10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know. WEEK 6: CHARACTERIZATION A character is a person who populates a literary work, and an author uses characterization to show the character to the reader. The main character, hero or heroine, is called the protagonist. The character (or characters) who [...]

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Literature 101: Point of View & Narrator

September 1, 2010

Literature 101 is a ten-part course based on 10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know. WEEKS 4 & 5: POINT OF VIEW & NARRATOR Point of view is, essentially, how the story is told. The narrator is who tells the story. However, the two concepts are completely intertwined. There are three main point of view [...]

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Literature 101: Setting

August 25, 2010

Literature 101 is a ten-part course based on 10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know. WEEK 3: SETTING Setting is, essentially, the context in which a story occurs, including the time, the place, and the social environment. DISCUSSION Setting, it appears, is a pretty simple concept. So why is it one of the key literary [...]

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Literature 101: Plot

August 11, 2010

Literature 101 is a ten-part course based on 10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know. WEEK 2: PLOT Plot is, at its most basic level, what happens in a story. More specifically, it is the causal sequence of events in a story. RELATED TERMS Aristotle described plot as “that which has a beginning, a middle, [...]

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Literature 101: Genre

August 4, 2010

Literature 101 is a ten-part course based on 10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know. WEEK 1: GENRE Genre typically refers to a category of works of literature that share common form, technique, style, or content. The major genres in literature are poetry, prose, and drama. Each of these categories can be further subdivided into [...]

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10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know

July 28, 2010

One of the things I miss most about college is discussing literature in a very academic and structured way. And, sometimes, when I’m reading on my own, I miss things – symbols or themes or the technique that goes into the writing.  Reviewing these ten literary concepts has helped me give structure to the way [...]

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