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    Ready For Exams - Literature

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    FUG ULC Det YOUR KEY TO LITERATURE r bs 2 a rs € Hy bs & = EI fee a ania Ti il ll Cum sa reusim la examen! Doane) 789736811234 BIBLIOTECA JUDETEANA G.T. KIRILEANU " - NEAMT TERMEN DE RESTITUIRE hog We dOb, Alina-Antoanela Stefaniu READY FOR EXAMS Your Key to Literature Alina-Antoanela Stefaniu a absolvit in 1992 Facultatea de Litere,seciiaengleza-omana, Universitat «AN. Cuza, lagi, gi este profesoara de mba engleza, gradut | la Liceul Fait, Cuza’ lag. A beneficiat de o bursa FPSD la Institute of Appied Language Studies ‘din Esinburgh. De aceeagi autoare: Ready for Exams |. For Baccalaureate and Students’ Contests (incolaborare cu Radu Lupuleasa), Polrom, lagi, 1999 ; Ghid de conversajie roman-englez {in oolaberare cu Rady Lupuleasa), Polrom, lagi, 2001; Ghid de conversajie engiez-roman {in colaberare cu Radu Lupuleasa), Polrom, lagi, 200%; Practice Makes Perfect, Polirom, lagi, 2002; Dictionar romdn-englez da expres locuun, Polrom, 2002. ‘ww, polirom.s0 (© 2000, 2008 by Edtura POLIROM Editura POLIROM lagi, B-dul Copou nr. 4, P.O. BOX 268, 6600 Bucuresti, Bedul LC. Brtianu nr. 6, et 7, ap. 8; O.P. 97; P.O. BOX 1-728, 70700 Descriores CIP a Bibiiotect! Nationale a Romane: 'STEFANIU, ALINA-ANTOANELA Ready for exams: your key to Iterature: ede 2 ha revdzut Ane-Antoanele tetany ~ Ea 2a, rv. lagl:Polrem, 2008 240 p.: 28 em (BAC) ISBN: 973-681-123-8 a2s.tt.09 Printed in ROMANIA Alina-Antoanela Stefani READY FOR EXAMS Your Key to Literature Editia a ll-a revazuta POLIROM 2003 ausorece DETERS ctaimcean NeaMT 413680 Contents Cuvéint tnainte .... t I. THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE Literary notion: Heroie Poem Beowulf... 15 Literary notions: Frame-Story Technique; Characterization ; Objective vs. Subjective Presentation ‘The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer sessecee IT Literary notions : Tragedy; Tragic Character ; Conflict Hamlet ty William Shakespeare... Literary notions : Sonnet; Shakespearean Sonnet ‘Sonnets by William Shakespeare Literary notions : Tragedy; Imagery ; Figures of Speech Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare .. 3 Literary notions : Personal Prose ; Diary Diary by Samuel Pepys Literary notions : Mock Heroie Poem vs. Heroic Poem The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope ... 4 Literary notions: Realism ; ‘The Realist Novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe nn Literary notions: Satire; Irony; Sareasm Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. a Literary notion: The Comedy of Manners The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan Literary notion: Romanticism Preface to Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth ......e.sstesteeseesese SL Literary notions: Ballad; Sound Devices; Simile; Symbol The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge ... Literary notions: Plot; Parts of the Plot ; Plot Devices ‘The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe .. Rhythm ; Rhyme 99 Literary notions: Dramatic Poe Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe Literary notions: Atmosphere; Character and Characterization 2 Macbeth by William Shakespeare .. 65 Literary notions: Narrative Poetry ; Folk Ballad and Literary Balled La Belle Dame sans Merci by John Keats... Literary notions: Point of View; Characterization Middlemarch by George Eliot... 5 Literary notions: Novel of Manners; Victorian Literature Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen .. : penne 8 Literary notions: Allegory ; Setting ‘Moby-Dick by Herman Melville 85 Literary notions : Essay ; Types of Essay Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson cat seseee 90 Literary notions: Romanee; Romantic Vision ; Allégorical and Symbolical Vision The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Literary notions : Story and Plot; Flashback ; Suspense; Frame-story Technique ing Heights by Emily Bronté 97 Literary notions: Comedy ; Romantic Comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare... 103 Literary notions: Theme; Historical Background ; Narrator ; Autobiography Great Expectations by Charles Dickens .. 10 Literary notions : Vietorian Nonsense Literature; Fantasy ; Humour ; Paradox ; Pun Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 6 Literary notion: Limerick Limericks by Edward Lear Literary notions ; Setting ; Subjective Narration; Humour ; Vernacular Language The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TWain ....csassssseessessees 24 1B Literary notions : Naturalism The Naturalist Novel; Atmospheres Omniscient Narrator ; Tragic Vision X_Tess of he d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy ........es sus 129 Literary notions : Psychological Novel; Free Reported Speech ; Theme ; Style; Multiple Point of View The Portrait ofa Lady by Henry James . Literary notions : The Aesthetic Movement; Parndox The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde .. os ce 140 Literary notions : Interior Monologue; Stream of Consciousness {Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Wool ... 142 Literary notions: The Novel of the “Jazz Age” ; Observer Narration The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald . 2146 Literary notions: Objective versus Subjective Presentation ; Parable x The Old Man and the Sea by Emest Hemingway 149 Literary notions : Drama; Problem Play ; Paradox Caesar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw .. 153 Literary notions: Allegorical Novel; Symbol \S Lord of the Flies by William Golding 197 Literary notions: Poetic Creed; Free Verse xSong of Myself by Walt Whitman 161 Literary notions : Figurative Language (Epithet; Antithesis; Metaphor Metonymy ; Oxymoron ; Personification ; Simile; Symbol) eBmily Dickinson .. a : 164 Literary notions: Imagism ; Haiku .. Ezra Pound 168 168 Literary notions : Modern Poetry ; Ambiguity ; Connotation ; Literary Allusion ‘Thomas Stearns Eliot.. 170 II, CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES |A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare .......:sssssseescnoes 17S Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 17 Lord of the Flies by Wiliam Golding 179 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. 180 The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James ... 12 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 188 Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy <.cc.-csecssesinssesennn: 186 ‘The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar WHIM ...s.ssesevvese senses 189 Caesar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw 190 Song of Myself by Walt Whitman... 219 III, EXAM PRACTICE READING TEXTS FOR BACCALAUREATE, Limba englez\ ~ proba ora (1-2 ore/siptimang)... Limba si literatura englezi ~ proba oralk (3-4 ore/siptiman).. Limba englez& ~ proba orald (5-7 ore/siptiméng) ... Selected Bibliography ..... Index of Authors { Tiles .. Index of Literary Terms ..... Cuvént inainte ‘Al doilea volum al Iucrlrii Ready for Exams, inttulat Your Key to Literature, se adreseazi elevilor care se pregitesc pentru examenul de bacalaureat, candidailor la faculitile cu profil filologic, precum si profesorilor de engleza care lucreazi cu elevii din cicll lceal ‘Scopul culegeri de fat este dea familiariza elevi cu tipul de subiecte propuse in anii precedent side ai ajuta sisi consolideze 5 sistematizeze cunostinfele pentru a fae fat eu sucees probe de limba englezd la examenul de bacalaureat, Prima parte a subiectului pentru proba orald const tn ctirea si comentarea unui text redactat tn limba englez. Tipul si nivelul de dificultate al textului varia in functie de numarul de ore de englezi pe care elevul le-a avut pe siptimén’ 1. text nom-lterar de diftcultate medie pentru 1-2 ore; 2, text lterar de dificultate medie pentra 3-4 ore; 3. text lterar cu grad sporit de dificultae pentru $-7 ore {In tratarea acestui subiect candidati trebuie si dovedeasca: 1. capacitatea de a citi corect si muanfat un text, folosind intonatia si pronuntia adecvate ; D. Ingelegerea conginutului textul e. 0 bunk cunoastere a limbii, imaginatie, creativitate si cunostinje teoretice de abordare a unui text literar (in eazurile 2 st 3). La probs scris, prima parte a subiectului testeaz’ capacitatea elevului de a sintetiea tun text 50 de cuvinte, desprinzand ideea de baz, si de a interpreta mesajul scris, folosind cunostinfeleteoretice acumulate in liceu. Pentru a veni tn sprijinul candidatilor, volumul Ready for Exams, Your Key 10 Literature ofera o preceniate sistematicd a nofiunilor de teorie literard utile in realizarea ‘uoui comentariu de text, precum si o gama largi de exerciti prin care se urmareste apli- carea acestor nofiuni Materialul este structurat in tre capitoe 1, The Development of Literary Competence cuprinde explicafile necesare infelegerii si consolidiritnogiunilor de teorieliterara studiate fn liceu, Operele liteare pe care se {ac aplicaii sunt incluse in manatee alternative aprobate de M.E.C. Fragmentele alese ‘nu sunt fntotdeauna cele din manuale, deoarece am preferat sf incurajim lectura gi comentariul unui text la prima vedere. 2 (CUVANT INAINTE, 1. Claro Aas se atesue in pec proeorior de enlace po sh ta acetone rogetl de atv pen ole lisrn. Ace peas Sat Gain ns pees, lereaig fll cis, corepunted cle fuged atordae atx nc nei lei, Sut suerte ere mall de cxgszare clase pera sexe svi: Teal pe grupe spe pee ere Indie, dsc foley debt, Desi de cents pent simule ret ‘clevior unt eerie de compo care propa eacare nel game arate pr deter: sear, jul, aro, poste, land semi, pom TL. Exam Practice Rating Tes for acclarece pope sre estar cara fost Inpro oalte an 202 levi care pee pet ob isk pots celeste rope, cerinl in Ge acu ema women pent fear Inderal de natn rare cel de tort vin spi coh judd ssc over opin sail cup n prec Vor Consul expe tree hei teste exci din alegre Read for can, lv pot pon canine ein tse engee igure oma bun pred pn eamencedebcaaura’ ere Autoarea |. THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE “The effective reader masters certain skills and strategies which allow him to convert the words on the page ofa literary work into literary meanings, He knows certain conventions about how a literary text should be read and understood. Literary competence includes a number of skills and sub-skills which the teacher should identify in order to plan his lessons and to offer his students clear procedures and techniques for dealing with literary texts, The literary skills which high school students need are: 1) the ability 10 recognise and decode : 4) figures of speech such as : metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, ‘epithet, apostrophe, oxymoron, metonymy ; b) narrative and poetic devices such as: plot, story, character, point of view, setting, irony, satire, paradox, assonance, alliteration, rhyme, rhythm; ©) specific text features (constructed by the writers use of specific narrative ‘and poetic devices) such as theme, style 6) literary trends such as Classicism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism ; ¢) literary forms such as: the diary, the epigram, the heroic poem, the mock heroic poem, the ode, the sonnet; 1) literary genres such as: novel, play, short-story, poem, sketch etc 2) the ability-to use literary notions in order to interpret the text 3) the ability to produce a personal response to the text. Although the metalanguage to which the above-mentioned terms belong seems to be quite difficult for our students, the literary terminology provides therm with tools for identifying, interpreting and appreciating the value of the distinctive {features in a literary text. Besides, the learners feel more secure to express ‘personal opinions about the text if they master the appropriate language. ‘Another argument in favour of learning and using literary terminology is a more pragmatic one ~ the students are expected to be familiar with it in exams, « READY FOR EXAMS Instead of reproducing ready-made commentaries (which include metalanguage that they do not understand), or producing “impressionistic” literary inter- pretations (in which personal intuitions are not supported by evidence from the text, the students who master the literary metalanguage are able to express their cown opinions in a clear, appropriate and convincing manner. Literary notion HEROIC POEM BEOWULF IL, Understanding the heroic (epic) poem A. Definition: A long narrative poem presenting characters of high position and a central figure of heroic proportions in a series of adventures which require superhuman courage and great valour B. Characteristics: 1. The hero is a figure of heroic stature, of national importance, and of great historical significance. 2. The action consists of heroic deeds. 3. Supernatural forces ~ gods, angels, dragons, demons - interest themselves in the action, and fantastic happenings are included in the story. 4. The characters are either completely good ot completely evil. They are not complex. 5. The heroic poem has a moral purpose, the good always defeating the evil. 6. A style of sustained elevations and grand simplicity is used. . Representative epic poems ~_ The liad and The Odyssey ~ the Old English Beowulf ~ the East Indian Mahabharata = the Spanish El Cid = the Finnish Kalevala = the French La Chanson de Roland = the German Nibelungentied = Virgil's Aeneid ~ Dante's Divine Comedy = Milton’s Paradise Lost 6 READY FOR EXAMS Assignments 4) Explore the characteristics of a heroic poem by answering the following questions about Beowulf: 1. Who was Beowulf? Why did he become the central figure of a heroic poem? 2. What heroic deeds are presented in the poem? 3. Find examples of ~ characters representing the good ; ~ characters representing the evil (physical evil; moral evil; meta- physical evil). Which of them are victorious in the end? 4. What is the moral of this poem? 5. Give examples of supernatural forces and fantastic happenings included in the poet. ’) Heroie poems share some characteristics with folktales. Find these common ome and draw a parallel between Beowulf and a Romanian/English tale. Literary notions FRAME-STORY TECHNIQUE; CHARACTERIZATION ; OBJECTIVE VS. SUBJECTIVE PRESENTATION ‘THE CANTERBURY TALES by Geoffrey Chaucer I. Understanding the frame-story technique A. Definition: A story within a narrative seting or frame, a story within a story is called frame-story. B. Representative literary works in which the “frame-story” technique is used “The frame-story technique is a convention frequently used in classical and modem writing. The best known examples are found in the Arabian Nights, the Decameron and the Canterbury Tales. In the Romanian literature M. Sadoveanu used the frame-story technique in Hanu Ancuel ©. The structure of The Canterbury Tales In Canterbury Tales the frame, or the narrative setting, is represented by the General Prologue, in which the author introduces a group of people making a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury. The reader finds ‘ut from the Prologue bow the characters meet at Tabbard Inn, and how they proceed on their journey, The General Prologue contains a series of portraits ofthe pilgrims: the Knight, the Squire, the Yeoman, the Nun, the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar, the Merchant, the Oxford Clerk, the Franklin, the Dyer, the Carpenter, the Cook, the Doctor, the Woman of Bath, The Parson, ‘The Plowman, the Miller, the Pardoner. ‘The stories which the various pilgrims tell along the way are frame-stories, being included in the general framework Assignments 1. Find which of the following excerpts belongs to = the General Prologue 413680 = The Pardoner's Prologue = The Pardoner's Tale ® READY FOR EXAMS 8) “But listen, gentlemen; to bring things down To a conclusion, would you like a tale? Now as I've drunk a draught of comn-ripe ale, By God it stands to reason I can strike ©n some good story that you all will like. For though I am a wholly vicious man Don’t think I can’t tell moral tales. I can! b) “My lords”, he said, “now listen for your good (..) Each one of you shall help to make things slip By telling two stories on the outward trip ‘To Canterbury, that’s what I intend, ‘And, on the homeward way to jourey’s end Another two, tales from the days of old; ‘And then the man whose story is best told, ‘That is to say who gives the fullest measure ; Of good moratty and general pleasure, | He shall be given a supper, paid by all, i Here in this tavern, in this very hall, i When we come back again from Canterbury.” | ©) Atonce the three young rioters began ‘To run, and reached the tree, and there they found A pile of golden florins on the ground. (..) “Brothers”, he said, “you listen to what I say, It’s clear that Fortune has bestowed this treasure To let us live in jollity and pleasure, (.).) And so as a solution I propose hil We draw for lots and see the way it goes, ‘The one who draws the longest, lucky rian, Shall run to town as quickly as he can i To fetch us bread and wine ~ but keep things dark ~ ‘While two remain in hiding here to mark Our heap of treasure. If there's no delay, ‘When night comes down we'll carry it away, All three of us, wherever we have planned”, _-Exactly-in the way they'd planned his death (7 They fell-oitfiim and slew him, two to one. ‘THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE ‘Then said the first of them when this was done, “Now for a drink. Sit down and let’s be merry, For later on there'll be the corpse to bury”. ‘And, as it happened, reaching for a sup, He took a bottle full of poison up ‘And drank; and his companion, nothing loth, Drank from it also, and they perished both. (...) Thus these two murderers received their due, So did the treacherous young poisoner too. (G. Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, The Penguin Classics, 1973) 2. Which of the previous excerpts is part of: a) the largest narrative setting (frame) ») a framed-story 3. What is the moral of The Pardoner's Tale’? 44, Which are the two qualities of a good story mentioned by the innkeeper in The General Prologue? 3, Write a story about greedinesé. Then imagine a larger narrative setting to frame it. Use the frame-story technique 0 include your first story in the second (the frame). TI. Understanding characterization In fiction (drama, novel, short-story, narrative poem) the author reveals the characters of imaginary persons. The character is a network of character trait. ‘There are two basic methods of presenting characters 1. Direct definition: The trait is direcly named by the narrator by means of an adjective (¢-g.+ She was a kind woman) or of an abstract noun (e.g.: Her kindness knew no bounds). Such naming of a character's qualities by the authoritative narrator is accepted by the reader as a character definition 2. Indirect presentation : A presentation is indirect when, rather than mentioning a trait, the author displays and exemplifies it indifferent ways. Some of these ‘ways’ are: 4) action ~ a trait may be implied by the character's actions ') speech ~ the style of a character's speech may indicate his origin, social class, profession, individual characteristics e.g. : subtlety frankness, simplicity) ©) external appearance ~ a character's physiognomy, clothes, movements may bbe suggestive of is traits 5 © environment ~ a character's physical surrounding (room, house, street, town etc.) and his human environment (family, friends, social class) are used in order to connote some character traits. wll » READY FOR EXAMS Assignments 1. Read the portrait of the Knight in The General Prologue and find this char- acter's main traits. ‘There was a KNIGHT, a most distinguished man, Who from the day on which he first began To ride abroad had followed chivalry, ‘Truth, honour, generousness and courtesy. He had done nobly in his sovereign’s war ‘And ridden into battle, no man more, As well in Christian as in heathen places, ‘And ever honoured for his noble graces. ‘When we took Alexandria he was there. He often sat at table in the chair Of honour, above all nations, when in Prussia, In Lithuania he had ridden, and Russia, No Christian man so often, of his rank. In Anatolia he had been as well ‘And fought when Ayas and Attalia fell, For all along the Mediterranean coast He had embarked with many a noble host. In fifteen mortal battles he had been ‘And jousted for our faith at Tramissene ‘Thrice in the lists, and always killed his man, ‘And though so much distinguished, he was wise ‘And in his bearing modest as a maid, He never yet a boorish thing had said In all his life to any, come what might: He was a true, a perfect gentle-Knight, ‘Speaking of his equipment, ho possessed Fine horses, but he was not gaily dressed, He wore a fustian tunic stained and dark With smudges where his armour had left mark. (G. Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, ‘The Penguin Classics, 1973) 2. Find examples of direct presentation in the portrait of the KNIGHT, Which traits are directly named by the narrator’? "THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE. a 3, Analyse the different ways of indirect presentation used in this excerpt, pointing to the qualities displayed and exemplified in these ways. 4. ‘Think of an unusually interesting or memorable character (a real person or ant imaginary one). Write an article for a magazine in which you show his/her special character traits, using the direct and the indirect presentation. Include references to his/her actions, speech, external appearance, environment in order to illustrate your statements about what he or she is like, IIL. Understanding objective vs subjective presentation ‘The literary convention known as “REALISM” considers OBJECTIVITY as a quality in a literary work of impersonaliry, of freedom from the expression of personal sentiments, attitudes or emotions by the author. ‘The objective presentation is connected with the MIMETIC THEORY OF ART, ‘according to which the artist should centre his attention on the thing imitated, trying to obtain a perfect correspondence between the representation and the subject. The realist writer usvally has a powerful interest in the audience to whom his work is addressed, feeling it to be his obligation to offer a truthful ‘treatment of material. ‘The objective presentation is opposed to the subjective presentation, which is characterized by an intensely personal manner of expressing the author's attitude towards the subject represented in his work. Assignments 1. To whom does the writer address in the following excerpt from the General Prologue? Bur first I beg of you, in courtesy, Not to condemn me as unmannerly If I speak plainly and with no concealings ‘And give account of all their words and dealings, Using their very phrases as they tell. For certainly, as you all know as well, He who repeats a tale after a man Is bound to say, as nearly as be can, Each single word, if he remembers it. However rudely spoken of unfit, Or else the tale he tells will be untrue ‘The things invented and the phrases new He may not flinch although it were his brother, If he says one word he must say the other. 2 READY FOR EXAMS 2. What ideas about the use of language in literature does Chaucer express in this part of the General Rrologue? How can you connect these ideas with the mimetic theory of art? 3. Which literary trend emphasizes the objective presentation, the truthful treat- ‘ment of material in the work of art? Literary notions TRAGEDY ; TRAGIC CHARACTER; CONFLICT HAMLET by William Shakespeare I. Understanding tragedy A. Aristotle's definition of classical tragedy ‘Tragedy is a dramatic form, which was first defined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Poetics. ‘According to his definition, tragedy is “an imitation of an ACTION that is, SERIOUS, COMPLETE and of a certain magnitude.” ‘+ The MAIN CHARACTER is a rioble person, of high rank, involved in a conflict of great significance that ends in disaster. His ruin is caused by a TRAGIC FLAW ot weakness. The PURPOSE of a tragedy is to arouse the emotions of PITY and FEAR in the audience. By the time the tragedy ends the audience has been cleansed of these emotions because they have exhausted them. This process is called CATHARSIS. Aristotle's definition in the Poetics is an inductive description of the Greek tragedies. The Elizabethan Tragedy ‘The tragedy of the Elizabethan Age was not the classical tragedy of Aristotle's definition. The greatest influence upon Renaissance playwrights was exerted by the plays of Seneca, a Latin philosopher. ‘The distinctive traits of the Elizabethan tragedy (also known as “Blood and Thunder” tragedy) are 1. THE PLOT of such a play is the murder by a person in power of a close relative of the main character. Sensational happenings (murders, horrors, exhibitions of dead bodies) and supernatural elements (ghosts) are placed ‘upon the stage. The play has a complicated intrigue and most of the characters die in the end. The author uses “the play within the play” as a ‘mirror to the main plot. ™ [READY FOR EXAMS 2. The THEME of REVENGE and retribution through murder is borrowed from Seneca. The main character seeks revenge against the murderer, being directed by the ghost of the assassinated man, 3. The TRAGIC CHARACTER hesitates about whether or not o take revenge, ‘hich is seen as a duty by the family of the avenger, as a sin by the church and as a crime by the state 4, The BOMBASTIC RHETORIC, the reflective and aphoristic STYLE, the philosophic SOLILOQUIES prove the Elizabethan playwrights’ effort to elevate tragedy into the realm of austere philosophy. ‘The most important English Senecan tragedies were produced by Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd (The Spanish Tragedy) and William Shakespeare (Titus Andronicus and Hamlet). Assignments 1. Is Hamlet a typical “Blood and Thunder” tragedy? Which characteristics of the revenge tragedy are to be found in Shakespeare's play and which traits are excluded from it? 2. Present the plot of the play, pointing to those elements which are typical ofthe Elizabethan tragedy. 3. Explain the theme of Shakespeare's tragedy. 4, What feeling or mixture of feelings does Hamlet inspire you at the end of the play? IL. Understanding conflict Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces in a plot. The conflict may be: 1. external, presenting the protagonist's struggle against : a) the forces of nature; ») another person, usually the antagonist; ©) & group of people, or society as a force; 2. internal, involving the protagonist's struggling to decide between two opposing values, ideas within himselffherself. Anoiher kind of conflict is the protagonist's struggle against Fate wr destiiy We seldom find a simple, single conflict in a plot, but rather « complex one, ‘combining the elements of the above-mentioned types. ‘The action in fiction or drama depends upon the conflict, which provides the tension as the action builds to the climax. ‘The term CONFLICT not only implies the struggle of a protagonist against someone OF something, it also implies the existence of some motivation for the conflict or some goal to be achieved by it. “THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE. 2s Assignments 1. What types of conflict are combined in Hamlet? 2, Who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist in Shakespeare's tragedy ? Find the motivation of the conflict between them. Present the stages of the external conflict. 3, a) Which are the conflicting passions and values within the tragic character? ') Analyse Hamlet's hesitatons starting from the internal conflict between the opposing values and ideas, IIL. Understanding the tragic character ‘A tragedy results in a catastrophe for the main character. The tragic hero is @ noble person, a king, a hero, a ruler (in the ancient Greek tragedies, as well as in the Elizabethan tragedies), who is finally doomed, either by fate or by a certain ‘law/weakness in his character. In the “Blood and Thunder” tragedies of the Elizabethan Age, the tragic hero is faced with the problem of whether or not to seek revenge against a murderer ‘who Killed his relative (father, son). The tragic character hesitates to respond to ‘murder by another murder, he is fond of philosophizing and justifying his actions. The philosophic soliloquies are frequently used by the playwright in order to reveal and examine the character's thoughts and feelings. ‘A typical example is Hamlet’s soliloquy “To be, or not to be”. Assignments 1, Read the following excerpt from the soliloquy “To be, or not to be” and explain which are the alternatives Hanet has to choose from: Hamlet : To be, oF not to be that is the question Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer “The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, ‘And by opposing end them”... 2, Hamlet feels guilty for not taking immediate revenge. What preserves him from punishing his father's murderer, Claudius, from the moment he knows the truth? Read these lines before answering the question ‘Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, ‘And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought; ‘And enterprises of great pitch and moment, ‘With this regard, their current turn. awry, ‘And lose the name of action. 3. What ,weakness” does the character mention in these ines? [READY FOR EXAMS. 4, How does Hamlet's tragic flaw lead to his tragic end? . Is the source of tragedy inside the character (ie. : his own ideas, feelings, attitudes) or outside the character (i.e. his fate which can not be changed)? Analyse one scene in the play where Hamlet's pref specu ns where Hamlet’s preference for refined specu lation prevents him from actually taking revenge. Literary notions SONNET; SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET SONNETS by William Shakespeare 1. Understanding the sonnet A. Definition: A sonnet is a fourteen-ine lyric poem written in iambic pentameter (i.e. ten syllables, with each unaccented syllable followed by an accented one), with a particular shyme scheme. ‘An example of iambic pentameter is the following line «silt FcSmpare tite to & sumniér’s day 2" (Shakespeare, Sonnet XVIII B. Classification. The two forms of sonnets ‘The two characteristic Sonnet types are: 1) The Malian (Petrarchan) and 2) The English (Shakespearean). 1) The Iralian form is divided into an octave (eight tines rhyming abba abba) and a sester (six lines rhyming ede cde, ede edc, or cde dee). 2) The English (Shakespearean) sonnet contains three quatrains (vhyming tabab cdcd efef) and a couplet (rhyming gg). Usually each quarrain (ic. & {our-line group) explores a different aspect of the poem’s central idea. The couplet sums up the poem or comments on What was said in the quatrains. ‘These last two lines (the couplet) are indented (i.e. they start further in from the margin than the other lines). C. Representative sonneteers “The sonnet as a literary form appeared in Italy, probably in the thirteenth century. Petrarch, in the fourteenth century, raised the sonnet to its greatest Italian perfection. “This literary form was introduced into England by Thomas Wyatt, who translated the Petrarchan sonnets into English. Gradually, the Italian sonnet pattern was modified and this modified type was called The English (Shakespearean) sonnet. ‘The most famous sonneteets in English literature are: Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, D.G. Rossetti Py READY FOR EXAMS "THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE. » D. Shakespeare's sonnet sequence Cit oamenii privese si cét respi Certain poets, following the example of Petrarch, have written series of sonnets ‘rkiesti si tu in clntu-nchis in lia” linked one to the other, and dealing with some unified subject. Such series are 2, Read Sonnet XCI, find its central idea and discuss how each of the three called sonnet sequences. Some of the best-known sonnet sequences in English ‘quatrains explores a different aspect of this idea, contributing tothe general literature are those by Shakespeare (154 in the group), Sidney’s Astrophel and ‘development of the theme. Explain the concluding statement in the final couplet. Stella, Spenser's Amoretti, Rossett’s House of Life ‘The 154 Shakespearean sonnets, published in 1609, are unified by such themes as: love, the flight of time, the immortality of art. Assignments 1. Analyse the formal characteristics of the following sonnet (rtyme scheme, ‘metre, number of lines, the types of line groups) : Xxva “Shall T compare thee to a summer's day? ‘Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, ‘And summer's lease hath all too short a date ‘Sometime t0o hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed, And every fair from fair sometime declines, By change of nature's changing course untrimmed ; But the eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade ‘When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. So long as men can breath or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” ‘The Romanian translation by Gheorghe Tomozei “Cu-o zi a verii poate si te semui? ‘Tu esti mai plin de farmec gi mai bland ! Un vant doboara creanga si blestemu-i cH frunza verii moare prea cursnd. Ades ¢ ochiul cerutui fierhinte si aur il precede-ntunecat Precum frumosul din frumos descinde sub cerul simplei firi, netulburat Dar vara ta eterna mu paleste si mai si pierzi ce astizi stapanesti XC “Some glory in their birth, some in their skill Some in their wealth, some in their body's force; Some in their garments, though new-fangled ill Some in their hawks and hounds, some in their horse, ‘And every humour has its adjunct pleasure, ‘Wherein it finds a joy above the rest; But these particulars are not my measure: [All these I better in one general best. ‘Thy love is better than high birth to me, Richer than wealth, prouder than garments’ cost, Of more delight than hawks and horses be ‘And having thee, of all men’s pride I boast ~ ‘Wretched in this alone, that thou mayst take Al this away, and me most wretched make.” ‘The Romanian translation by Gheorghe Tomozei “La unii fala, cum se nasc, adastl, alfii o au in viaga ori parale, tunii-n bulendre (nowa moda proasti!) ali in soimi, Ia alti intr-un cal e... iin lume fiecare-si are toana fn care-o bucurie-n plus giseste dar nu-s de mine, nu-mi cobor spranceana ccd soarta mea cu toate se-ntilneste. ‘Mai mult jubese fiptura-ti decdt cinul, ‘mulfimea de averi, podoabe, haine, oi cat $i soimt si desftiare ; plimul avandu-l, am si ale fumii taine... ‘Atit doar c& de-mi iei tot, atunci fn neagr& stricie ma arunci!" (W. Shakespeare, Sonnets ~ Sonete, Ed. Pandora, 1998) in umbra mori n-ai s& plimbi caleste 43. What stylistic device does the poet use in the first quatrain and what stylistic céind intr-un vers etern fi-e dat si crest. effect does he obtain’? 12, 13. READY FOR EXAMS Find an example of syntactic repetition and explain its stylistic value in the context. ‘Read Sonnet 16 and indicate the rhyme scheme by writ Isa of ata on tte ste ah Let me not tothe marriage of true minds ‘Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. ©, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, ‘That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, ... ‘Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken .. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks «. Within his bending sickle’s compass come, Love alters not with his breef hours and weeks, .. But ears it out even to the edge of doom ... «If this be error, and upon me proved, never writ, nor no man ever loved. .. Mark the rhythm on the first line of the sonnet. ‘What is the premise stated in the sonnet? ‘Which of the following describes best the theme of this sonnet: 8) True love is transient ») All love changes. ©) True love never dies 4) Love guides its lovers. How would you describe the tone sm? Melanckolic? Optimistic? Hw would you of the poem? Melanckolic? Optimist |. Which are the two “enemies” threatening true love? Which is the more dangerous? Why? |. Complete the following sentences with the poet's definitions in the sonnet: “True love is... ‘True love is .. ‘Can you finish this statement? Love is ‘Compare your ideas to those of the other students in your group. Read again Sonnet 91 and Sonnet 116, looking for phrases and ideas about the ppower of love and what love can do. Write an essay on the power of lov, using quotations and ideas from the two sonnets. : Literary notions TRAGEDY ; IMAGERY ; FIGURES OF SPEECH ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare 1. Understanding tragedy ‘A. The theme of tragedy ‘Thieme is the central or dominating idea in afiterary work. In drama, prose and poetry this abstract concept is made concrete through is representation in person, Trction and image. The theme ofa tragedy is the meaning ofthe central action and the main character's recognition ofthat meaning and its consequences. B. The source of tragedy ‘The conflict between opposing forces in the plot may be: 1) external or 2) internal (see Hamlet. Understanding conflict). Therefore, the source of ragedy may be 1) outside the tragic characters (if the conflict is an external one, for txample when it presents the protagonist's struggle against another person ~ an ‘antagonist ~ or against fate/destiny) or 2) inside the tragic characters (if the ‘onfict is an internal one, involving the struggle between opposite values, ideas, feelings within the character). Assignments 1. Present the central action of Romeo and Juliet, emphasizing the conflict berween the two feuding families and its consequences. 2, What is the theme of the tragedy (i.e. the meaning of the central action)? Comment on the oppositions deriving from the central theme: romance and revenge, love and hate, youth and age +3, What type of conflict is presented in Romeo and Juliet ~ an external of an internal one? Which are the opposing forces in the plot? 4 Analyse the sources of tragedy in Romeo and Juliet, pointing to the role of ‘unfortunate coincidences in destroying the protagonists. TL Understanding imagery Imagery is the use of vivid descriptions or figures of speech to create a mental image. READY FOR EXAMS Images may be 4) literal and sensory, appealing to the senses (visual, auditory, olfactory, tac- tile) and involving no change or extension inthe obvious meaning of words. ») nonliteral, figurative, including such figures of speech as : similes, metaphors, personifications, symbols, apostrophe, hyperbole, metonymy, oxymoron. * SIMILE isa figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two subjects by using the words like or as. By drawing together different, unlike things, effective similes make vivid and meaningful comparisons that clarify and enrich what the writer has to say. The portrait of Juliet in Act I, Scene 5 includes two vivid similes: “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night ‘As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear” ; “So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows ‘As yonder lady over her fellow shows”. ‘+ METAPHOR is an implied comparison between things which are imagi- natively identified with one another (one thing is described as if it were the other). In a metaphor, a comparison is only suggested or implied, without "THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE s Who is already sick and pale with grief, ‘That thou her maid art far more fair than she Romeo: Lady, by yonder blessed Moon T vow, ‘That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops Juliet: © swear not by the Moon th'inconstant Moon, ‘That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. APOSTROPHE is a figure of speech in which a writer speaks directly to an idea, to a quality, to an object, orto a person who is not present. It is used in poetry and in speeches to add emotional intensity. In the following lines Juliet addresses the night, giving deep emotional expression to her love for Romeo: ‘Come gentle night, come loving black - brow'd night, Give me my Romeo, and when he shall die, ‘Take him and cut him out in little stars, ‘And he will make the face of heaven so fine, That all the world will be in love with night, Assignments 1. Comment on the theme of identity, as itis illustrated in the following lines from the balcony scene : Juliet: "Tis but thy name that is my enemy ‘Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. ‘What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot Nor arm nor face nor any other part Belonging to a man. , be some other name. ‘What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet (...). (Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 2) 2. a) Analyse the sensory images in the description of Juliet. To which of the following senses: the sense of sight, the sense of hearing, the sense of touch using such words as: like, as, than (these words can be found in a simile). For example, “death is along sleep” or “the sleeping dead” are ‘metaphors, but “death is like a long sleep” is a simile. ' ‘A metaphor may be brief: “O she does teach the torches to burn bright", or extended, developed at length, as in this passage from Romeo and Juliet Act Il, Scene 1 ‘Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business do intreat her eyes i ‘To twinkle in their spheres tll they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head, ‘The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, ‘As daylight doth a lamp, her eye in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright, does Shakespeare's imagery appeal? ‘That birds would sing, and think it were no night. +) Discuss the symbolism of light and darkness in this description : i + PERSONIFICATION is a type of figurative language in which absiract Romeo: 0, she does teach the torches to burn bright! or inanimate objects are given human qualities, being described as if It seems she hangs upon the check of night i they were alive and animate ‘As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear ~ Jn Act Il, Scene 2, when Romeo and Juliet exchange vous of love, the Beauty to0 rich for use, for earth too dear! oct personifies the moon, the sun, the night, So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows Romeo: tis, fair Sun, and Kill the envious Moon, ‘As yonder lady over her fellows shows Py READY FOR EXAMS ‘The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, ‘And touching hers, make blessed my rude hand Did my heart love till now? Forswear i, sight. For [ne'er saw true beauty till tonight (Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Seene 5) 3. a) Compare the use of sensory imagery in the portrait of Juliet and in this description of Cleopatra The barge she set in, like a burnished throne ‘Burned on the water the poop was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed tha ‘The winds were love-sick with them the oars were silver, Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made ‘The water which they beat to follow faster, ‘As amorous of ther strokes. For her own person, Ie beggared all description: she did lie In her pavilion, cloth of gold, of tissue, COver-picturng that Venus where we see “The fancy outwork of nature. On each side her Stood prety dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids, With divers-coloured fans whose wind did seem ‘To alow the delicate cheeks which they did cool, And what they undid did. (Antony and Cleopatra) 1) What types of images does the author use in this passage : auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile? Find examples of such sensory images and explain theit siylistic value. «) Which ofthe two descriptions is richer in images and adornments? ) Which expresses feclings more direcly’? ©) Which do you prefer? Why’? i 4. Analyse the use of figurative. nonliteral images in the following lines Romeo [Coming forward] | ‘What light through yonder window breaks? i Itis the east, and Juliet is the sun! : Arise, fair Sun, and kill the envious Moon, ' Who is already sick and pale with grief ; ‘That thou her maid art far more fair than she. 3 Be not her maid, since she is envious i Her vestal livery is but sick and green, a And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off. It is my lady! O it is my love! THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE 3s , that she knew she were! She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that? Her eye discourses. I will answer it 1am too bold; "Tis not to me she speaks. ‘Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven Having some business, do entreat her eyes ‘To twinkle in their spheres till they return, ‘What if her eyes were there, they in her head? ‘The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars As daylight doth a lamp ; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright ‘That birds would sing and think it were not night. (Romeo and Juliet, Act Il, Scene 2) 5. Think of an aspect of nature that has special appeal for you. Describe it vividly using figurative language (personification, similes, metaphors) and sensory images (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile). Literary notions PERSONAL PROSE; DIARY DIARY by Samuel Pepys IL. Understanding personal prose. The diary Personal or autobiographical prose includes such forms as: diaries, journals, letters, autobiographies, memoirs. A DIARY (JOURNAL) isa day-by-day chronicle of events, a personal and more or less intimate record of current events and thoughts kept by an individual, Although not openly intended for publication, many of the diaries imply the authors" assumption that their personal experience is of interest to the others. ‘Therefore, a diary may be considered both public and private. Most diaries, ‘when published, appeared posthumously. ‘The features which distinguish the diary from the novel are : = the diary is openty subjective (the diarist presents his personal opinions, impressions and feelings when commenting upon current events) ~ the diarist refers to actual people and evens, while the prose writer creates fictional characters and events. ‘The most famous diary in English is that of Samuel Pepys, which details events between January 1, 1660 and May 29, 1669. Other important English diaries are those of John Evelyn, Jonathan Swift, John Wesley, Fanny Burney. Assignments 1. Read the following excerpt from Samhwel Pepys’ Diary and find out what calamity in London's history the diarist refers to. 2. Underline the objective, impersonal details. Then write a 50-words objective report of the event, including the sime references, the places ant the persons mentioned in the text. 3. Extract the passages including the diarist’s personal opinions, feelings and ‘impressions. Find three examples of subjective information in the text below. ‘THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY COMPETENCE. ” ‘September 2nd (Lord’s day). Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get ‘things ready against our feast to-day, Jane called us up about three in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City. So I rose, and slipped on my night-gown, and went to her window ; and thought it to be on the back-side of Marke-lane atthe farthest ; but, being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off; and so went to bed again, and to sleep, About seven rose again to dress myself, and there looked out at the window, and saw the fire not so much as it was, and further off. So to my closet to set things to rights, after yesterday's cleaning. By and by Jane comes and tells me that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down to-night by the fire we saw, and that it is now burning

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