Introduction to Literature Terms

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Introduction to basic literature terms

Goals

By the end of the lesson you will understand the following terms:

Setting, genre, plot, narrator, point of view, conflict, imagery, characterisation

You will then be able to use them to help you talk about the book you are reading.  

Setting

• Location
  
• Time

What is the setting of the text? 

What is the setting of "Stranger Things" or "The Lion King"?

What is the setting of this text?

He walked into a room with a long line of desks. Each desk had a typewriter and someone sat behind it fantacially typing away. Each person hoping that their story would be the one to make it to the front page tomorrow. 

Genre - describes the style of a story. Match the series/ film to the correct genre

Science fiction

Romance

Mystery

Distopian

Horror

Heartstoppers/ A fault in our Stars/ Kissing booth

100/ Divergent / Hunger Games

The Exocist / The offering 

Knives out / Sherlock Homles

Avatar / Star Wars / Blade runner

What other genres have you heard of?

Some of the most common ones

• Thiller - plot twists, red herrings.
• Coming of Age - main charachter moves from childhood to adulthood during the story.
• Fantasy - imagined world and characters.
• Historical - set in a real or imagined past.
• Comedy - based on humour

A story can have more than one genre.

1. True
2. False

Plot - The Lion King

What is a plot? (Discuss 

in pairs)

Explain what the terms mean and then ask the students to think about Goldilocks and the Three Bears and apply freytag's pyramid.

Exposition - we are introduced to Goldie and the bears.

Inciting moment - Goldie goes into the bears' house. 

Rising action - tries the food, chairs, beds etc

Climax - lots of mini climaxes as the bears find that their food, chairs, beds etc have been used. Building up to the climax of finding her in baby bear's bed and then what happens (depends on the version - she runs away/they eat her)

Falling action - Goldie goes back home, the bears get on with life. 

Resolution - might or might not be present - life returns to normal in the forrest. Goldie promises to not break into houses.

Narrator

The person telling us the story. 

It can be a character in the story, but it doesn't have to be.

First person:

One person is telling us the story

• Only their thoughts
• Only their feelings
•  Their observations and ideas about people in the story.

Third person:

Limited or Omniscient

Limited - we know all the thoughts of 2 or 3 people

Omniscient - we know what  everyone is thinking or feeling, as if we are watching a film or we are God

Points of view in Literature

Conflict

Internal or External

What do you think the difference is?

The following characters: Internal or External, or both?

El - Eleven from Stranger Things

Dustin

Simba

Elsa - Anna - Kristoff

Imagery

Writers use this to descibe a scene/ place so that a reader can picture it or the writer trys to stimulate our memories or senses to take us there.

Example: She opened the window and smelt the freshly cut grass. She closed her eyes and listened to the hum and buzz of the insects in the air. 

Characterisation

The manner in which a writer builds and creates a character. 

Protagonist = Main character

Antagonist = Character working against the main character 

Hero = is noble, brave & does the right thing

Anti hero = lacks heroic qualities / doesn't always do the right thing / can be weak

Villian = has no moral code

Please note: A protagonist can be a hero or an anti hero

 

Anti-hero

Hero

Villian

Jack Sparrow

Forrest Gump

Katniss Everdeen

Anakin Skywalker

Haymitch

Abernathy

Froddo

Elsa and Anna

Cruella de Vil

Darth Vader

What was the most interesting thing that you learnt today?

Let's start Speed dating ...

• You have 3 minutes to talk about the book, characters etc. some of the story line without giving away the ending.
• (Think of the new terms you have just learnt and how you can use them)

• Person listening: ask questions during or after the other person's pitch over the book. Maybe there is something that wasn't clear or something you want to know.

• Feedback: listener gives feedback to the speaker. (Use of English, description of the story) 
• Swap roles