Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THEME =the central idea of the text ; it raises a question about human nature or
experience.
PLOT = the sequence of conflicts that lead to a climax and resolution that makes
sense ; the plot can be :
chronological – when the events are presented in chronological order
disrupted –when the events are presented as they come to the mind of
the narrator
frame story – a story within a story …(ex. ”The Canterbury Tales”)
*The parts of the plot are :
- The exposition ( the information telling us how and why the characters became
involved in the conflict)
- The initiating action (the event that brings the opposing forces into conflict )
- The rising action (the gradual advancement of the conflict ;the problems faced
by the characters )
- The CLIMAX (The point of highest interest ,in which the protagonist takes –
consciously or not- the action that will determine the future course of events )
- The dénouement or resolution = the incidents by which the conflict caused by
the initiating action is resolved .
POINT OF VIEW = the approach from which the story is told .It determines what
information the reader receives and how it is presented .
• A first person narrative ( the story is told by one of the characters from a
‘first person’s approach’ )
• *a third person narrative ( the story is told by the author or an observer ,from
a ’third person’s perspective )
Diary narration = a1st pers. narrative recording responses to events as they occur
( Samuel Pepys )
Detached autobiography = the story is told by one of the characters tells the story
long after the events occurred , in a frame of mind greatly changed since the time
of the story ,even due to the lesson learned from the experience .(ex. Ch. Dickens
“Great Expectations”)(-1st person)
Subjective narration =(1st pers.) the story is told by one of the characters shortly
after the conclusion of the events ,still under their influence, in a subjective
manner . He is addressing us ,not the general publicor another character .(ex.
Mark Twain”Huckleberry Finn”)
Multiple point of view = the main character is explained by means of the response
of the other characters (ex. H. James “ The Portrait of A Lady”)
Tone = the attitude of the author vs. the subject/character(s).It can be sympathetic,
critical, ironical, sad , bitter, funny, sarcastic etc.
Epic = a narrative poem (usually handed down in oral tradition ) dealing with
heroes and adventures (ex.: ’The Odyssey’)
Free verse = a type of poetry , free from conventional verse forms(metre , rhyme)
but using rhythm (ex. W .Whitman’s ’Song of Myself’)
Internal rhyme= a type of rhyme that matches stressed syllables or words in the
middle and the end of a line .(ex:‘ We were the first that ever burst /Into that silent
sea .)
Metaphor = a comparison from which the real term was replaced by the
comparing one :’ A precious stone into the silver sea ‘ = England (Shakespeare)
Myth = a traditional story connected to the beliefs of a people (it has less
historical background than the legend ex. Prometheus # King Arthur)
Parable = a brief fictional work that illustrates or teaches a lesson of lie (ex: ’The
parable of the prodigal son )
Satire = social and political criticism by means of witty ridiculing a character with
the intention of self-reform; irony and sarcasm are forms of satire ( irony triggers
laughter , sarcasm is more biting and bitter – ex: J. Swift)
Soliloqui = a long monologue of a character in which he/she speak their mind
(‘Hamlet’ – ‘To be or not to be….’)