-MASTERING-

ADVANCED ENGLISH
LANGUAGE

The Language of
Literature
-Narrative Prose-
 ITS NATURE
Novelist’s Work Representation of PAST, PRESENT
and FUTURE
Characters Realistic - caricatures

Background Familiar - unfamiliar

ITS
FUNCTION
Poetic Manipulation of language & style

Expressive Human emotions and states of mind

Referential Educate & Inform

 ITS FEATURES
 Manner Modern Novels 1st Person Narrative - Informal
Irony
Older Novels Formal

 Point of View 1st Person Narrative: Narrator’s experience

3rd Person Narrative: OMNISCIENT Unintrusive

Intrusive
Interior Monologue Stream of Consciousness
 Lexis Choices show author’s intentions
 Nouns – abstract and concrete
 Modifiers – help to identify setting, characters and atmosphere
 Verbs – stative and dynamic
 Speech

 He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. “And

just what pleasure have I found since I came into this world?”
He asked. (Direct Speech)

 He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. He asked

himself what pleasure he had found since he came into the
world. (Indirect Speech)

 He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. And just
what pleasure had he found, since he came into the world? (Free
Indirect Speech)
 Grammar Simple Past Tense: Fiction
Present Tense: dramatic effect

Mood: Declarative  Most common

Interrogatives and Imperatives  Change the
focus

Sentence Structure: Simple Sentences  Emphatic

or striking

 Style Sentence Organization: marked themes, passive voice and

end.

Literary Devices: metaphors - symbolism

Rhetorical Devices: Antithesis, listing, patterning and
repetition.
 TYPES OF AUTHORIAL
INTENTION

 To Characterise Physical Description

 To Set the Scene Physical Details

Literal Details

 To Evoke a Powerful Arousing emotions

Atmosphere Dramatic, poignant or euphoric to
describe characters as they are.

 To Experiment with Non-standard L’ Intensify effect

Language Dialogue in novels

Variations Character’s authenticity

in L’ Specify place and time