Introduction to Literature Terms HNE

• 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? 

He walked into a room with a long line of desks. Each desk had a typewriter and someone sat behind it fanatically typing away, each person hoping that their story would be the one to make it to the front page the next day. Cigarettes were smoldering in ashtrays as they hammered out stories under the glow of dim desk lamps. 

Examples genres 

Science fiction: 1984

Romance: It Ends with Us

Mystery: Sherlock Holmes

Horror: Dracula 

Dystopian: The Hunger Games

Dystopian

Depicts a dark, often oppressive future society where things have gone wrong, typically involving totalitarian regimes or environmental collapse.

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

Science fiction

Romance

Mystery

Dystopian

Horror

Heartstoppers/ A fault in our Stars/ Kissing booth

The 100/ Divergent / Hunger Games

The Exocist / The offering 

Knives out / Sherlock Homles

Avatar / Star Wars / Blade runner

Genres 

Romance: Heartstoppers, The Fault in Our Stars

Dystopian: The Hunger Games 

Mystery: Sherlock Holmes, Knives Out 

Horror: The Exorcist, The Offering 

Science Fiction: Avatar, Star Wars

What other genres
have you heard of?

Examples other genres 

Fantasy: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings

Young Adult: The Fault in Our Stars 

Historical Fiction: All the Light We Cannot See, The Book Thief

Comedy: The Rosie Project, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

A story can have more than one genre.

1. True
2. False

Plot

Exposition: setting, characters

Rising action: problem develops

Climax: turning point in the story

Falling action: story winds down, conflict begins to resolve 

Resolution (denouement): conflict fully resolved, loose ends tied up

Narrator

The person telling us the story. 

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

First person: I 

One person is telling us the story: 

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

Third person: he/she

Limited or Omniscient

Limited - we know all the thoughts of 1, 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

Simba from The Lion King

Elsa - Anna - Kristoff  from Frozen 

Simba

Internal Conflict: Simba’s primary internal conflict is his guilt over his father Mufasa's death. 

External Conflict: Simba faces external conflicts with his Uncle Scar, who takes over the Pride Lands and poses a direct threat to Simba's family and kingdom. 

Summary of conflicts

Internal Conflicts: Eleventh, Simba, Elsa, and Anna all face internal struggles related to identity, self-doubt, or fear of their powers.

External Conflicts: These characters also face threats from villains or supernatural forces, which create external challenges.

Imagery

Writers use this to descibe a scene/ place so that a reader can picture it or the writer tries 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 or heroine

Villian

Jack Sparrow

Forrest Gump

Katniss Everdeen

Anakin Skywalker

Haymitch

Abernathy

Froddo

Elsa and Anna

Cruella de Vil

Darth Vader

Recap characterisation

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

What was the most interesting thing that you learnt today?

Time to think 

Take a moment to think about the literary elements in your book:

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

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