TSLB 1124

LITERARY STUDIES IN
ENGLISH
PPISMP TESL SEM 2 YEAR 1
SHARING FROM THE
CLASS
- What is the best book/film that you have ever read? Why do you
find it so captivating?

- Do you read a particular genre of fiction? Why that particular

genre?

-
Housekeeping
◦ Attendance, signing up to GC.
◦ Reading list
◦ Assessment :
1. Quiz (Use of Literary Devices in Poems)
2. Written assignments (Short-stories and Novella)
3. Staging a play
Course Learning Outcomes
◦ Interpret the effectiveness of literary devices in poems. (C3, PLO2, KKG1)

◦ Analyse short stories and novella.( C4, PLO2, KKG2)

◦ Stage a play (P6,A5, PLO3, PLO10, KEP2)
Reading list
Poems: Novella:
1. The Poison Tree by William Blake Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
2. I know Why the Caged Bird Sing by Maya
Angelou
3. Suicide Notes by Janice Mirikitani Play:
The people by Susan Glaspell
Short Stories :
1. Mariah by Che Husna Azhari
2. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Defining Literary Studies
◦ Literary Studies is the study of written works of the imagination, of which poetry, drama and narrative fiction
constitute today the most familiar types or genres.
◦ Most students and teachers of literature, however, see it as a more complex matter. It might be more accurate to
describe it as a set of methods for examining the richness and diversity of experience through unusual uses of
language, through a language that we recognize as different from everyday language and that thereby aspires to
produce a reflection of and on the world not available to us otherwise.
◦ As such, literary works are also primary documents for investigating national histories, world events, the individual
psyche, race, class, gender, science, economics, religion, the natural world, leisure and the other arts.
◦ (University of Kentucky, 2022).
 What is Genre?

Genre is the classification of a literary work by its form, content, and

style into categories such as poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction.
From there, literature can be further classified into subgenres.

Each genre varies in its features and functions and understanding what
major genre category a work of literature falls into will help to bring
deeper understanding to that work.
Types of Literary Genre
◦ Poetry – this genre consists of writing that follows meter and rhythm for every line written. Another
feature of the poetry genre is that writing is organized into schemes such as stanzas, meter, and/or rhyme.
Subgenres of poetry include epic poem, narrative, romantic, dramatic, and lyric.
• Paradise Lost by John Milton is an epic poem
◦ Drama – this is a type of literature that is meant to be performed in front of an audience. Subgenres of
drama include comedy, tragedy, and tragicomedy.
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a drama. Specifically, it is a tragedy.
◦ Prose – the prose genre of literature consists of complete sentences organized into paragraphs. Prose
writing is focused around telling a story consisting of characters and a plot. Prose subgenres include
fiction and non-fiction.
• Everything’s arranged by Sue Yue-Killingley is an example of prose.
Types of Literary Genre
◦ Fiction – this literary genre consists of writing that is not real. Often, fiction writers
rely on the complexity of figurative language in order to create completely untrue
events, characters, and settings which stimulate readers’ imaginations.
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a fictional novel with a narrative plot structure.
◦ Nonfiction – the nonfiction category is a genre in which writing ranges from academic
papers to creative works. Nonfiction can be used to inform and it can also be used to
tell a narrative story, like in an autobiography or memoir.
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Franke is nonfiction, given that it is nothing more
than a historical figure’s preserved diary.
What is Literary Devices ?

Literary devices are optional techniques that writers pick

and choose from to shape the style, genre, tone,
meaning, and theme of their works. 

For example, literary devices are what make Cormac

McCarthy's western novel, Blood Meridian, so different from
Matt McCarthy's medical memoir, 
The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly.
 Lists of literary elements
1. Alliteration
◦ Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds within a group of words. For example, “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”

2. Assonance
◦ Assonance is similar to consonance, except it involves repeating vowel sounds. This is usually a subtler kind of echo. For example, the words
“penitence” and “reticence” are assonant.
◦ Like consonance, assonance can help you build compelling, rhythmic language.

3. Consonance
◦ Consonance occurs when you repeat consonant sounds throughout a particular word or phrase. Unlike alliteration, the repeated consonant
doesn’t have to come at the beginning of the word.
◦ “Do you like blue?” and “I wish I had a cushion to squash” are examples of consonance.
◦ Consonance can help you build sentences and passages that have a nice rhythm. When a text flows smoothly, it can subconsciously propel
readers forward and keep them reading.
4. Hyperbole
◦ Hyperbole is an exaggeration that’s not meant to be taken literally. For example, if my friend surprised me by eating a lot of pizza, I
might say, “Hey man, remember that time you ate, like, fifteen pizzas in one night?”

5. Oxymoron
◦ An oxymoron is a figure of speech where seemingly contradictory terms appear together. For example, “the dumbest genius I know.”

6. Flashback
◦ A flashback is a scene set in an earlier time than the main story. They’re often used to provide important context or backstory for an
event you’re discussing.

7. Foreshadowing
◦ Foreshadowing is an advance warning about something that’s going to happen in the future.
◦ In fiction, foreshadowing can be subtle. For example, something that happens in the first chapter of a murder mystery can come into
play at the end of the book.
8. Euphemism
◦ A euphemism is a polite way of describing something indirectly.
◦ Many Authors use euphemisms to vary their language or soften the blow of a difficult concept. For example, “passed away” is a
euphemism for “died.” , a sex worker instead of prostitute.

9. Colloquialism
◦ A colloquialism is a word or phrase that’s not formal or literary. It tends to be used in ordinary or familiar conversation instead.
For example, it’s more colloquial to say, “How’s it going?” instead of “How are you doing?” , use of words like ‘dope’, or ‘cool’

10. Anthropomorphism/ Personification

◦ Anthropomorphism is when you give human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human creatures or things.
◦ If you think of your dog as having a “funny personality,” you’re anthropomorphizing him. The same goes for your “stubborn”
toaster or “cranky” computer.
11. Anaphora
◦ Anaphora is a rhetorical device where you repeat a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. This is a great way to
draw emphasis to a certain portion of text.
◦ For example, Charles Dickens uses anaphora in the opening of A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of
times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief…”

12. Dramatic Irony

◦ Irony is a literary technique where what appears to be the case differs radically from what is actually the case.
◦ Dramatic irony is a type of irony that occurs when an audience understands the context more than the character in a story.

13. Metaphor
◦ A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things in an interesting way. It often highlights the similarities
between two different ideas.
◦ Take, for example, “The classroom was a zoo.” It wasn’t literally a zoo, but this metaphor expresses the wild energy of a room
full of children.
14. Simile
◦ A simile is also a figure of speech that compares two different things in an interesting way. But unlike a metaphor, a simile uses
comparison words like “like” or “as.”
◦ “She was as bright as a lightbulb.”

15. Onomatopoeia
◦ An onomatopoeia is a word that imitates, suggests, or resembles the sound it’s describing. Common onomatopoeias include “gurgle,”
“hiss,” “boom,” “whir,” and “whizz.”

16. Metonymy
◦ Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing
or concept.
◦ For example, a businessman is sometimes known as “a suit.”
◦ Or, in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “lend me your ears,” is a metonymy for “give me your full attention.”
Source: Scribemedia.com
Literary Elements

A literary element's definition is pretty similar. Literary

elements are the things that all literature—whether it's a
news article, a book, or a poem—absolutely have to have. 

Just like a house, the elements might be arranged slightly

differently...but at the end of the day, they're usually all
present and accounted for.

Literary elements are the fundamental building blocks of

writing, and they play an important role in helping us write,
read, and understand literature.
Literary Elements
Language
Language can also be an important tool in understanding the meaning of a book. For instance, writers can
combine languages to help readers better understand the characters, setting, or even tone. 

Themes
All literary works have themes, or central messages, that authors are trying to convey. Sometimes theme is
described as the main idea of a work...but more accurately, themes are any ideas that appear repeatedly
throughout a text. That means that most works have multiple themes!

Mood
The mood of a piece of literature is defined as the emotion or feeling that readers get from reading the
words on a page. So if you've ever read something that's made you feel tense, scared, or even happy...you've
experienced mood firsthand!
Settings
◦ Setting consists of two key elements: space and time. Space refers to the where of the story; most often the geographical location
where the action of the story takes place. Time refers to the when of the story. This could be a historical period, the present, or in
the future.
◦ The setting has some other aspects for the reader or writer to consider too. For example, drilling down from the broader time and
place, elements such as the weather, cultural context, and physical surroundings, etc can be important.
◦ The setting is a crucial part of a story’s exposition and is often used to establish the mood of the story. A carefully crafted
setting can be used to skillfully hint at the story’s theme and to reveal some aspects of the various characters.

Plot
The plot of a work is defined as the sequence of events that occurs from the first line to the last. In other words,
the plot is what happens in a story.
 Elements in a plot
• Beginning/Exposition: This is the very beginning of a story. During the exposition, authors usually introduce the major
characters and settings to the reader.
• Conflict: Just like in real life, the conflict of a story is the problem that the main characters have to tackle. There are two types of
conflict that you'll see in a plot. The major conflict is the overarching problem that characters face. Minor conflicts, on the other
hands, are the smaller obstacles characters have to overcome to resolve the major conflict.
• Rising Action: Rising action is literally everything that happens in a story that leads up to the climax of the plot. Usually this
involves facing and conquering minor conflicts, which is what keeps the plot moving forward. More importantly, writers use rising
action to build tension that comes to a head during the plot's climax.
• Climax: The climax of the plot is the part of the story where the characters finally have to face and solve the major conflict. This is
the "peak" of the plot where all the tension of the rising action finally comes to a head. You can usually identify the climax by
figuring out which part of the story is the moment where the hero will either succeed or totally fail.
• Falling Action: Falling action is everything that happens after the book's climax but before the resolution. This is where writers
tie up any loose ends and start bringing the book's action to a close.
• Resolution/Denouement: This is the conclusion of a story. But just because it's called a "resolution" doesn't mean every single
issue is resolved happily—or even satisfactorily. For example, the resolution in Romeo and Juliet involves (spoiler alert!) the death
of both main characters. This might not be the kind of ending you want, but it is an ending, which is why it's called the resolution!
Point of View

Point of view is the position of the narrator in relationship to the plot of a piece of literature. In other words, point
of view is the perspective from which the story is told. Literature can be written from one of four points of view.
• First person: This is told by one of the characters of the story from their perspective. You can easily identify first-
person points of view by looking for first-person pronouns, like "I," "you," and "my."
• Second person: second-person point of view happens when the audience is made a character in the story. In this
instance, the narrator uses second person pronouns, like "you" and "your." If you ever get confused, just
remember that "Choose Your Own Adventure" books use second person.
• Third person limited: this is when the narrator is removed from the story and tells it from an outside
perspective. To do this, the narrator uses pronouns like "he," "she," and "they" to refer to the characters in the
story. In a third person limited point of view, this narrator focuses on the story as it surrounds one character. It's
almost like there's a camera crew following the protagonist that reports on everything that happens to them.
• Third person omniscient: in this point of view, the narrator still uses third-person pronouns...but instead of
being limited to one character, the narrator can tell readers what's happening with all characters at all times. It's
almost like the narrator is God: they can see all, hear all, and explain all!
Conflict
◦ Because conflict is a part of plot—and as we've already established, all literature has some sort of plot—that means
conflict is a literary element, too. A conflict is the central struggle that motivates the characters and leads to a work's
climax. Generally, conflict occurs between the protagonist, or hero, and the antagonist, or villain...but it can also exist
between secondary characters, man and nature, social structures, or even between the hero and his own mind.
◦ More importantly, conflict gives a story purpose and motivates a story's plot. Put another way, conflict causes the
protagonist to act. Sometimes these conflicts are large in scale, like a war...but they can also be small, like conflict in a
relationship between the hero and their parents.
◦ One of the most important things to understand about conflict is it can be both explicit and implicit. Explicit conflict
is explained within the text; it's an obvious moment where something goes wrong and characters have to fix it.

Characters
◦ A story’s characters are the doers of the actions. Characters most often take human form but, on occasion, a story can employ animals,
fantastical creatures, and even inanimate objects as characters. 
◦ Some characters are dynamic and change over the course of a story, while others are static and do not grow or change as a result of the
action of the story.
◦ There are many different types of characters to be found in works of literature and each serves a different function
◦ Protagonist : The protagonist is the story’s main character. The story’s plot centers around this character and they are usually
sympathetic and likable for the reader, that is, they are most often the ‘hero’ of the story.
◦ Antagonist : The antagonist is the bad guy or girl of the piece. Most of the action of the plot is borne of the conflict between
the protagonist and the antagonist. 
◦ Flat Character : Flat characters are one-dimensional characters that are purely functional in the story. They are more a sketch
than a detailed portrait and they help move the action along by serving a simple purpose. We aren’t afforded much of an
insight into the interior lives of such characters.
◦ Rounded Character : Unlike flat characters, rounded characters are more complex and drawn in more detail by the writer. As
well as being described in comprehensive physical detail, we will gain an insight into the character’s interior life, their hopes,
fears, dreams, and desires, etc.

◦ Dynamic vs Static characters

Source: https://literacyideas.com/elements-of-literature/
https://blog.prepscholar.com/literary-elements-list-examples
Preparing yourself to study
literature
1. Content, context and genre in literature
Content
◦ Analyzing the content of a literary text is fundamental. What is the text about, what does it want to tell us? If it describes a
series of events or circumstances, surely these can be located in a specific time and place, either real or imaginary. Pay close
attention to the changes of scenery, if the characters travel, if it is the narrator who does it.
◦ In addition, it is important to distinguish between the order in which the different events occur and the order in which they are
narrated. The narrator’s voice can be that of a character or someone who is not involved in the events being told.
Historical and literary context
◦ Can you place the text in a particular socio-cultural context? It is very useful to take into account the date in which the book
was written and published. Does this coincide with the time in which the story is situated? The author has nothing to do with
the narrative voice (in general terms) and a 21st century author can write about the 16th century or the future.
Genre
◦ The three broadest literary genres in which we can categorize any work are: poetry, prose and theater. In addition, within each
genre there are subgenres that tell us much about the characteristics of each work.
2. Theme, images and tone in literary work
Theme
◦ What themes do we find threads throughout the text, and how can we relate them to the historical and literary context we mentioned
earlier? A work can deal with everything from love, family relationships and peace to revenge, hate and greed. Once you discover
the theme of the text, you will have half the work done.

Images and tone

◦ War, nature, birds, the industrial city… All the images that appear in a text, give form to its meaning. Metaphors have a why and you
will have to discover what it is. Have you ever wondered why Lorca always used the number three or the color green? Nothing is
coincidence!

◦ The tone and atmosphere that is created in a work is also important. Is the tone comical, melancholic, sinister, realistic? You will
have to analyze the literary techniques that make the text have this effect, such as repetition or the use of rhetorical figures. How
would the author have wanted us to feel when reading the text?
3. Structure of the literary text
◦ Depending on the genre to which the text belongs, its structure will be very different. Prose is
divided into chapters and parts, poetry into stanzas and theater into acts and scenes. In addition
to these structural divisions, each work has a structure of its plot (beginning, middle and end)
and its timeline can be chronological or jump in time.
4. Perspective and literary intention
Perspective
◦ The perspective of the text is given by the narrator’s voice. Do you know who the narrator is? What is his
or her age, cultural context or gender? It is very important to determine if it is an objective or subjective
perspective, and if the facts being told affect him or not. Is the narrator’s voice different from the author’s?
Does he tell us the story in first or third person? All these data are useful for your literary analysis.

Intention
◦ In addition, the author or narrator may have a clear purpose for which he or she is writing a work or not.
Who is the target audience and what is it for? The text can be descriptive, persuasive, philosophical,
political, satirical, etc.
5. Style and language in literature
Style
◦ Not only what is told, the history, is important, the how is also fundamental at the time of studying
literature. The form, which is given by the style, has to do with the register and the language. The work
can have a formal or informal style, serious or humorous, realistic or fantastic, analytical or emotional,
and it can also combine several.

Language
◦ The style or diction is given by the choice of words used in a literary work. Language can be colloquial
or formal, abstract or concrete, literal or figurative, contemporary or archaic. The way a character speaks
can give us many clues about his personality, his motives, his purpose.
6. Criticism and acceptance of the text
◦ Literary criticism is important when studying a text. Was Jane Austen successful in the 18th
century or did she become famous later? Why? Taking into account the context and reception of a
work can help us a lot to discover the intention of the author, if he had political motives, if he was
critical or complacent, etc.

Source: https://www.ilrmagazine.net/key-tips-for-studying-literature/