This document provides an overview of various literary genres and elements of literary analysis. It discusses the main genres of fiction (narrative, short story, novel, novella), poetry, drama, and nonfiction. It also outlines important literary elements for analysis including plot stages (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), conflict, character, point of view, setting, theme, and symbolism.

1. The Genres & LiteraryAnalysis
English I & II

2. Fiction
Narrative: telling of a story
Short story: often focuses on a single event or incident and
usually can be read in one sitting
Novel: an extended work of fiction.
- longer than short story, more complex plot, more
characters
Novella: longer than short story, shorter than novel.
- short time span, limited number of characters

3. Poetry
Form: arrangement on the page
Composed of lines and stanzas (groups of lines)
Rhythm and rhyme: way a poem sounds
Imagery: language that recreates sensory experiences; helps
reader see, hear, and feel what a poem describes

4. Drama
Plot is carried by dialogue and action (what the actors say
and do)
Acts: groups of scenes
Stage directions: writer’s instructions for the actors,
director, and other people working on the play
- often printed in italics

5. Nonfiction and Informational Texts
 Literary nonfiction: biographies, speeches,
essays, etc.
 Informational texts: news articles, train
schedules
- provide factual information
 Types of nonfiction:
- autobiography/biography: true story about a
person’s life
- essay: short work that focuses on a single
subject

6. Nonfiction and Informational Texts
- speech: oral presentation of ideas, beliefs, or proposals of
the speaker
- news/feature articles: newspapers, magazines
- feature articles focus on human-interest topics
- functional documents: serves a practical purpose
- consumer documents, instruction manuals,
workplace documents, memos, resumes

7. Media
Media literate: knowing the basics and thinking critically
about all messages
Feature films: motion pictures that use narrative elements to
tell a story
News media: accounts of current events
- TV, internet, radio, newspapers, and magazines
TV shows: dramas, sitcoms, and reality shows
Advertising: sponsor’s paid use of media to promote
products, services, or ideas
Web sites: collections of pages on the internet or WWW

8. Literary Analysis- Plot Stages and Conflict
Plot: series of events in a narrative
Conflict: struggle between opposing forces
- internal conflict: struggle within a character’s mind
- centers on a choice or decision the character must make
- external conflict: clash between a character and an outside
force (e.g., another character, society, or force of nature)
- introduced at the beginning of a narrative

9. Plot Stages
1st
- Exposition: introduces setting and characters, introduces
the conflict
2nd
– Rising Action: presents complications that intensify
conflict, builds suspense
3rd
– Climax: turning point and the moment of greatest
suspense, makes the outcome of the conflict clear
4th
– Falling Action: eases the suspense, reveals the outcome
of the story’s climax, shows how the main character resolves
conflict
5th
– Resolution: reveals the final outcome, ties up loose ends

10. Sequence and Time
Chronological order: events follow a linear structure
- a writer may manipulate time for a variety of reasons
Flashback: account of a conversation, episode, or event that
happened before the beginning of the story
Foreshadowing: writer’s use of hints or clues in early scenes
to suggest events that will occur later
These help you more closely follow a story and better
understand characters and events
Suspense: Makes a reader want to know what will happen
next.
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11. Character and Point of View (POV)
POV: The perspective from which a story is told.
Narrator: The voice that tells you the story.
First-Person POV:
The narrator:
Is a main or minor character in the story
Refers to him/herself as I or me
Presents his/her own thoughts and feelings
Does not have direct access to the thoughts and feelings of other
characters

12. Character and Point of View (POV)
Third-Person POV:
The narrator
Is not a character in the story
May not be an identifiable person but merely a voice that tells the
story
Is called OMNISCENT if he/she knows the thoughts and feelings of all
the characters
Is call LIMITED if he/she focuses on the thoughts and feelings of one
character

13. Character Traits and Motivation
Character Traits: qualities shown by characters
Physical appearance
Speech, thoughts, and actions
Other characters
Reactions to the character
Relationships with the character
Impression of the character’s reputation
Motivation: reasons behind a character’s actions
Helps us understand the character better

14. Setting, Mood, and Imagery
Setting: the time and place of a story
Can influence characters
Can create conflict
Can serve as a symbol
Represent an idea, or a character’s hopes, future, or predicament
Mood: feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for
readers
- e.g., ominous, uplifting, dark, brooding, joyful
Setting helps establish mood

15. Setting, Mood, and Imagery
Imagery: words or phrases that recreate sensory experiences
for readers
Sensory details: words or phrases that appeal the senses of
sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch
Helps you “be” in the scene as a bystander watching the action

16. Theme and Symbol
Theme: the meaning behind a story
It’s the underlying message or big idea that the writer wants
you to remember.
Universal themes: themes that are common across virtually
all time periods and cultures.
Learning from mistakes and triumphs of past generations
Family, War, Love, Growing up, Death, Birth
The theme is NOT the subject or plot of the story.
Clues to theme: title, plot and conflict, important
statements, characters, setting, and symbols

17. Theme and Symbol
Symbol: a person, place, object, or activity that stands for
something beyond itself.
Examples:
A fork in the road ( an important decision)
The color red (a character’s anger)
A torrential rainstorm (an emotional upheaval)