What is literature?

Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken material. Derived from the
Latin literature meaning "writing formed with letters," literature most commonly refers to
works of the creative imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and
in some instances, song.

What is the importance of literature?

Literature is important for many reasons, including its ability to provide pleasure to readers, to
help build experience, to help readers empathize with others and to develop thinking skills:
While literature's educational importance is often downplayed in favour of business and
technical education, the study of books offers many positive benefits to readers. Reading
literature is a pleasurable, entertaining activity that offers readers the potential to escape from
the troubles of daily life.
Above all else, literature survives because of its capacity to entertain readers. Literature also
has the power to provoke thought in readers, making it a leisure activity that is also
intellectually productive. Literature also has the power to impart a wide variety of experiences
to readers. A story can expose readers to different places, time periods, viewpoints and
cultures. Readers can gain experiences through literature they would never have access to in
ordinary life. Literature's ability to capture the imagination and depict the lives of others also
increases readers' ability to empathize with others. A study published in the journal Science
found that readers of literary fiction demonstrated an increased ability to infer other people's
thoughts and emotions. Finally, literature helps develop critical-thinking skills.
Readings and discussions of literature force readers to make reasoned judgments about
character motivations, cause and effect, critical analysis of plot and more.

The Seven Key Elements of Fiction:

1. Character
There are two meanings for the word character:
A) The person in a work of fiction.
B) The characteristics of a person.

Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist

0 One character is clearly central to a story with all major events having some connection
to this character;
0 She/he is the PROTAGONIST.
• The character in opposition to the main character is called the ANTAGONIST.
The Characteristics of a Person
In order for a story to seem real to the reader, its characters must seem real. Characterization is
the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. The author may
reveal a character in several ways:
a) his/her physical appearance
b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
c) what he/she does or does not do
d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her
Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated and life-like (resemble real
people)

Characters are...

1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities.

2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change (for better or worse) by the end
of the story.
3. Static - Stereotypes; they have one or two characteristics that never change and are often
over- emphasized.

2. THEME

What exactly is this elusive thing called theme?

The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece
of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.
In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at
all. You extract it from the characters, action and setting that make up the story. In other
words, you must figure out the theme yourself.
The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader. Although the
particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general
underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are
seeking.
Here are some ways to uncover the theme in a story:
0 Check out the title. Sometimes it tells you a lot about the theme.
0 Notice repeating patterns and symbols. Sometimes these lead you to the theme.
0 What allusions are made throughout the story?
0 What are the details and particulars in the story? What greater meaning may they have?

Remember that theme, plot and structure are inseparable, all helping to inform and reflect
back on each other. Also, be aware that a theme we determine from a story never completely
explains the story. It is simply one of the elements that make up the whole.
3. PLOT
A plot is a causal sequence of events, the "why" for the things that happen in the story. The
plot draws the reader into the characters’ lives and helps the reader understand the choices that
the characters make.
A plot's structure is the way in which the story elements are arranged. Writers vary structure
depending on the needs of the story. For example, in a mystery, the author will withhold plot
exposition until later in the story.

What Goes into a Plot?

Narrative tradition calls for developing stories with particular pieces-plot elements – in place.
1. Exposition is the information needed to understand a story.
2. Complication is the catalyst that begins the major conflict.
3. Climax is the turning point in the story that occurs when characters try to resolve the
complication.
4. Resolution is the set of events that bring the story to a close.
It's not always a straight line from the beginning to the end of story. Sometimes, there is a
shifting of time and this is the way we learn what happened and why: it keeps us interested in
the story. But, good stories always have all the plot elements in them.

4. POINT OF VIEW

Remember, someone is always between the reader and the action of the story. That someone is
telling the story from his or her own point of view. This angle of vision, the point of view
from which the people, events and details of a story are viewed, is important to consider when
reading a story.

Types of Point of View:

Objective Point of View
With the objective point of view, the writer tells what happens without stating more than can
be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about
what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.

Third Person Point of View

Here the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets
us know exactly how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside
voice.
First Person Point of View

In the first-person point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story. When
reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might
not be the objective truth. We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.

Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of View

A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient.
A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited
omniscient point of view.

5. SETTING
Writers describe the world they know. Sights, sounds, colors and textures are all vividly
painted in words as an artist paints images on canvas. A writer imagines a story to be
happening in a place that is rooted in his or her mind. The location of a story's actions, along
with the time in which it occurs, is the setting.
Setting is created by language. How many or how few details we learn is up to the author.
Many authors leave a lot of these details up to the reader's imagination.

Some or all of these aspects of setting should be considered when examining a story:
a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?
b) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day. year, etc.)
c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters like?

Does the story contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms,
customs, etc. of a particular place)?
e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and
cheerful or dark and frightening?

6. CONFLICT
Conflict is the essence of fiction. It creates plot. The conflicts we encounter can usually be
identified as one of four kinds.
Human versus Human
Conflict that pits one person against another.
Human versus Nature
This involves a run-in with the forces of nature. On the one hand, it expresses the
insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of things. On the other hand, it tests
the limits of a person's strength and will to live.
Human versus Society
The values and customs by which everyone else lives are being challenged. The character may
come to an untimely end as a result of his or her own convictions. The character may, on the
other hand, bring others around to a sympathetic point of view, or it may be decided that
society was right after all.

Human versus Self

Internal conflict. Not all conflict involves other people. Sometimes people are their own worst
enemies. An internal conflict is a good test of a character's values. Does he/she give in to
temptation or rise above it? Does he/she demand the most from him/herself or settle for
something less? Does he/she even bother to struggle? The internal conflicts of a character and
how they are resolved are good clues to the character's inner strength.
Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at the same time. In every case, however,
the existence of conflict enhances the reader's understanding of a character and creates the
suspense and interest that make you want to continue reading.

7. TONE
In literature, tone is the emotional coloring or the emotional meaning of the work and provides
an extremely important contribution to the full meaning. In spoken language, it is indicated by
the inflection of the speaker's voice. The emotional meaning of a statement may vary widely
according to the tone of voice with which it is uttered; the tone may be ecstatic, incredulous,
despairing, resigned, etc.
In poetry, we cannot really understand a poem unless we have accurately sensed whether the
attitude it manifests is playful or solemn, mocking or reverent, calm or excited. In spoken
language, the speaker's voice can guide us to the tone. But, the correct determination of tone in
literature is a much more delicate matter. Elements of tone include diction, or word choice;
syntax, the grammatical arrangement of words in a text for effect; imagery, or vivid appeals to
the senses; details, facts that are included or omitted. According to Harry Shaw (Dictionary of
Literary Terms), tone can be determined by three points:

1 An author's attitude or focus point toward his/her subject. In this concern, the tone can be
realistic, sombre, depressing, romantic, adventurous, etc.
2. The devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work. In this sense, the
tone consists of alliteration, as sonance, consonance, diction, imagery, metre, theme,
symbolism, irony, etc.
3. The musical quality in language. Here, the tone depends upon the sounds of words, their
arrangement and their sequence.
Literary Genre
A genre is a type. The basic types of literature are fiction, non fiction, poetry and drama. But
within those there are sub-types:

Fiction: novel, short story

Nonfiction: essay, editorial, news story, feature story,
Poetry: verse, narrative poetry, epic poetry, free verse, and many more
Drama: classical, tragedy, comedy

Common Literary Techniques

1-Imagery: It is the use of figurative language to create visual representations of actions,

objects and ideas in our mind in such a way that they appeal to our physical senses. For
example:
•The roam was dark and gloomy. The words "dark" and "gloomy" are visual images.
•The river was roaring in the mountains. - The word "roaring" appeals to our sense of hearing.

2. Simile and Metaphor: Both compare two distinct objects and draws similarity between
them. The difference is that Simile uses "as" or "like" and Metaphor does not. For example:

•"My love is like a red red rose" (Simile)

•He is an old fox very cunning. (Metaphor)
3. Hyperbole: It is deliberate exaggeration of actions and ideas for the sake of emphasis. For
example:
•Your bag weighs a ton!
•I have got a million issues to look after!

4. Personification: It gives a thing, an idea or an animal human quality. For example:

•The flowers are dancing beside the lake.
•Have you see my new car? She is a real beauty!

5. Alliteration: It refers to the same consonant sounds in words coming together. For
example:
•Better butter always makes the batter better.
•She sells seashells at seashore.
6. Allegory: It is a literary technique in which an abstract idea is given a form of characters,
actions or events. For example:
•"Animal Farm", written by George Orwell, is an example allegory using the actions of
animals on a farm to represent the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and
the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW II. In addition, the actions of the animals on
the farm are used to expose the greed and corruption of the Revolution.

7. Irony: It is use of the words in such a way in which the intended meaninga is completely
opposite to their literal meaning. For example:
•The bread is soft as a stone.
•So nice of you to break my new PSP!

Function of Literary Devices

In general, the literary devices are a collection of universal artistic structures that are so typical
of all works of literature frequently employed by the writers to give meanings and a logical
framework to their works through language. When such works are read by readers, they
ultimately recognize and appreciate them. Because of their universality, they also allow the
readers to compare a work of one writer to that of the other to determine its worth. They not
only beautify the piece of literature but also give deeper meanings to it, testing the very
understanding of the readers along with providing them enjoyment of reading. Besides, they
help motivating readers' imagination to visualize the characters and scenes more clearly.

Ozymandias, Percy bussy shelly

The getieral reaning

The greatness and power of man do not remain for ever they decay and vanish by the passage
of time. In this poem the great king of ancient Egypt who was tyrant and dictator died and
even his statue is broken into pieces.

The deiailed meaning

The poet expresses the story of a king who is called Ozymandias. This king is supposed to be
Ramses the second. This poem is narrated by a traveler who comes form an ancient land , he
tells the poet that he has seen parts of a statue of a king cast in the desert, this statue is
described as trunk less legs . that is without the upper part of the body ,broken face and
wrinkled lips which have no ability to order any thing. The poet indicates that the sculptor
mocked the kings passions when he feels them by making such a stone to immortalize him.
The words on the pedestal of this statue show how this king is proud of himself and his
achievements and how he glorified himself and be littled the reader. But his vanity and power
are destroyed by the power of time and nothing left of him but pieces of stone.
The main theme
Through out this poem the poet expresses a highly philosophical idea that the power of man
and his pride can be destroyed by the power of time. The time considered as warrior who can
defeat even strongest and most powerful kings and can even make fun of them.

8-What is it About?
wood; the galleon with precious stones. The ship described in the last stanza is quite different.
It belongs to modern times and is small ('a coaster') and dirty. It is on a short journey across
the English Channel in bad weather with its cheap and useful cargo of coal, metal, and
firewood.
The poet does not simply set out to describe cargoes but to make us consider how the present
differs from the past. In the past, the goods that were highly prized were beautiful, rare, and
comparatively useless; in the present, the goods are ugly, common and useful. From the way
the poet describes these three different ships, we can see that he implies that modern times are
less beautiful than former times.

EXERCISES ON FINDING THE MEANING

Answer the questions on each of the poems that follow. When doing so, bear in mind the
example you have just read.

[3] Ozymandias
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert
Near them, on the sand,
Half-sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: 10
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Vocabulary
trunkless legs (1.2): the legs are still standing, but the upper part of the body (the trunk) has
been cut off.
4-What is it About?
The answers you heard may have helped you to understand how a single poem may have
different meanings for
different people. Some of the answers given may have been quite wrong. But you must have
noticed that none of the ‘right' answers were exactly the same.
This does not mean, of course, that all poems can be interpreted in a wide variety of ways.
Quite often a poem may have a meaning which is simple and obvious: it may just tell a story
or describe a scene. A piece of writing need not always have a deep.' meaning simply because
it happens to be a poem:

To understand a poem, you must read it carefully and should observe three important rules and
is:
1. Do not read lazily so that you misread the poem altogether.
2. Always look for a simple explanation and do not be afraid to express.it.
3. As far as you can, avoid putting your own ideas and feelings into the poem: Examine
closely what the poet-has actually written.

Let us see how these rules apply to the following poem:

[1] Break, Break; Break
Break, break; break,
On thy cold grey stones: O Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
O well for the fisherman's boy, 5
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill; 10
But for the touch of a vanish'd hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!

5-What is it About?
Break, break, break,
At the foot of thy crags, O Scal
But the tender grace of a day that is dead 15
Will never come back to me.
ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
Vocabulary
I would (1. 3): I wish.
O well (l. 5): i.e., it is well.
Stately (1. 9): dignified.
haven (1. 10): harbour.
crags (l. 14): steep rocks.

1. If this poem were read carelessly, it might be taken to be simply about the sea.
2. But the lines

And I would that my tongue could utter

The thoughts that arise in me.
show us that the poet is pensive. The lines

But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,

And the sound of a voice that is still!

tell us why he is sad. In other words, the poet is unhappy because he has lost someone he
loves, whereas the sea, the people near it (the fisherman's boy and the sailor lad) and the
'stately ships' are unaware and untroubled. This is the simple explanation of the poem.
3. If we try to put our own ideas into the poem, we might be led to assume that the poet is sad
because someone he, loves has been drowned. As this idea is not expressed or implied it
cannot be true.

FINDING THE MEANING

After a careful reading of a poem, we should be in a position to give its general meaning, its
detailed meaning, and to say something about the intentions of the writer.

Break Break Break, Alfred, lord temyson

The general meaning
The poet stands on the sea shore to express his sadness after the death of his friend. The
setting of this poem is the sea shore. we have many words which are related to the setting like
: sea , fisherman , sailor lad, ship, and the boat.
The detailed meaning
The speaker in this poem is the poet himself. he opens the poem by addressing the sea and it's
waves which break on the cold and gray stones. The poet feels that his grief and sorrow are
more than to be expressed In stanza two the poet sees and hears the voices of many happy
people around him. He hears the voices of the sailor lad who is singing in his bout and the
fisherman's boy who is playing with his sister. He wishes to be able to accept the death of his
friend. In stanza three, the poet envies the ships which continue their journey and return home
safely.
In stanza four the poet wishes that he could touch the vanished hand of his friend and says that
the beautiful days which go will never comeback again.

The main themes

1-no one can live forever every one will die one day.
2-life goes on even when you suffer or some one dear lo you dies.

9-What is it About?

shattered visage (1. 4) : face, broken to pieces.

pedestal (1. 9): base of statue,
ye (1. 11): you.
colossal (1. 13): very big.
boundless (1. 13): unending.

QUESTIONS

1. Where was the statue seen and who saw it?

2. What words tell us that the statue was broken to pieces?
3. '. . . its sculptor well those passions read. What pasáions?
4. Briefly describe the character of Ozymandias.
5. Write the general and detailed meaning jof the poem and what you consider to be the poet's
intention.
 [4] The Ancient Mariner
curse on the ship. These lines occur shortly after the sailor kills the bird as the ship enters the
Pacific Ocean.

The fair breeze blew, the. white foam flew,

The furrow followed tree;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
Down dropt the breeze, the. sails dropt down, 5
'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!
All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at moon, 10
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.
Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship. 15
Upon a painted ocean.

10-What is it About?
Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere
Nor any drop to drink.
S. T. COLERIDGE

Vocabulary
furrow (1. 2): deep line made in the earth by a plough. Here, of course, the word refers to the
water behind the
moving ship.
'Twas (1. 6): i.e., it was.
QUESTIONS
1. Quote the lines that tell us that no other ship had ever sailed in this sea.
2. Which line tells us that the wind suddenly stopped blowing?
3. Explain these lines as fully as you can:
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.
4. Write the general and detailed meaning of the poem and what you consider to be the poet's
intention.

The ancient mariner, s.t, Coleridge

The general meaning
In this poem the poet shows us the danger and the mystery of the ocean, he also shows us the
sins and suffering which happen as a result of killing on innocent bird (albatross).

The detailed meaning

The poet opens the poem by describing a nice and pleasant weather. In stanza one the poet
says that the breeze was blowing softly and the ship was sailing into the sea or ocean quickly.
The ship made furrow lines behind it and it was the first ship which entered that silent sea or
ocean (the pacific ocean).
In stanza two the poet states that the breeze stopped suddenly, the sail were dropped down and
the sailors started to speak to break the silence ofthe sea. There is a contrast between this
stanza and stanza one because everything is moving in the stanza one but every thing stops in
stanza three every thing was changed to be sad, the sun became bloody no bigger than the
moon, the sky became copper or reddish brown and the weather became hot.
In stanza four the poet says that the sailors felt as if they were in a painted ship up on a painted
ocean. At the beginning of this stanza (day after day) is used to explain that the sailors spend a
long period of time without any movement.
In stanza five the sailors didn't find any drop of water to drink because the water of the ocean
is said. The whole poem except the first stanza can be considered as picture of a painted ship
which doesn't have any hope to move in the middle of the ocean.

The main themes

1- The poct wants to show as that each sin must be punished and there is no sin
which will be left without punishment.
2- Punishment doesn't come suddenly bit it comes step by step.