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MLA, Library, Tutorial resources
- MLA format samples
- MLA format (from the Purdue OWL)
- Official MLA Style Web
- The WIN Center
- Duns Scotus Library at Lourdes College
- Lourdes Catalog (OPAL)
- Electronic Course Reserve (Click on "course reserves" to search by course or instructor)
- OhioLINK Catalog
- OhioLINK Databases (including MLA International Bibliography)
This Week Archive
Week #1 - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Readings
- "One Perfect Rose" by Dorothy Parker, 722-3
- "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell, 671-2
- "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, 449-51
Questions
Answer these questions for each of the texts above.
1. What is the text about?
2. Who are the main characters and how would you describe them (use support details from the text)?
3. Where does the text take place?
Definitions
canon - The literary canon is a collection of works that are considered important artistic or cultural texts. Until the 1950s, the literary canon was relatively stable--and dominated by texts by white middle- and upper-middle class male writers. Today, with prodding from various theoretical perspectives, first and most famously feminism, but also broader gender theory, class theory, post colonialism, and new historicism, the canon has been expanded to include many more works by overlooked types of authors: women, indigenous peoples, etc. Some would even argue that the "canon" as such no longer exists.
genre - This term is used to describe a class of writing that shares a core set of common characteristics. Categories like poetry, drama, and fiction are common examples. However, this term is used differently by different literary scholars. For example, one scholar may consider poetry a genre and the sonnet a sub-genre of poetry, while another may consider the sonnet a genre unto itself. Whenever you see this term, be aware of the specific context so that you understand how broadly it is being applied.
fiction - Genre of literature written in prose and containing a narrative or plot structure, setting, characters, and a narrative point of view.
poetry - Form (or genre) of literature written in verse--that is, writing that is not prose--often characterized by line breaks. Poetry can have many formal features such as rhyme and meter.
drama or dramatic work - Genre of literature characterized by the interchange of direct speech by one, and more commonly, two or more characters. A drama is meant to be acted rather than merely read.
narrative - A general term for the story in a piece of literature. All of the main genres--fiction, poetry, drama--can have a narrative element.
Links
Week #2 - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Definitions
Plot: Freytag's Pyramid
plot - The events or actions in a story. Works of poetry, fiction, and drama can all have a plot, and the plot structure can take many forms.
1. exposition - Term used in Freytag's Pyramid to describe events at the beginning of a story. The exposition is the starting point of a narrative and can be thought of as the status quo, before the complications of the plot begin.
2. rising action - Term used in Freytag's Pyramid to describe the plot complications that drive the narrative toward the climax. Often, much of the narrative energy is involved in developing the rising action.
3. climax - Term for the turning point in a narrative. After the climax has occurred, the characters in the story can never return to the status quo, or the state of affairs before the narrative complications took place. Narratives can have more than one climax, depending upon the complexity of the structure.
4. falling action - Term used in Freytag's Pyramid to describe events after the climax has taken place that drive the narrative toward the resolution.
5. resolution - Term that describes the final state of affairs in a narrative; the resolution is the end to the story. Some narratives resist a resolution and remain open ended.
Character
character - Person represented in a narrative who is interpreted by the reader (or meant to be interpreted by the reader) as having moral, physical, emotional, and other human qualities. The character takes part in the plot action.
flat character - This term was first introduced by writer E.M. Forster in his book Aspects of the Novel, and it refers to a character who can be simply described and who does not undergo change throughout the narrative. Contrary to popular belief, the term "flat" is not a negative or derogatory description.
round character - This term was first introduced by writer E.M. Forster in his book Aspects of the Novel, and it refers to a character who is complex. As Forster described it: "The test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a convincing way."
protagonist - a main character in a narrative; the story may center around this character or be told from the point of view of this character. There may be more than one protagonist in a work. Usually, the protagonist is a dynamic character, a character who changes throughout the story, but this is not always true.
antagonist - a character in a narrative who opposes the aims or goals of the protagonist or creates obstacles to the accomplishment of the plot. An antagonist is sometimes a foil of the protagonist.
foil - Literary term that describes the use of a minor character to mirror specific traits of a major character for emphasis.
Setting
setting - The location where the plot of the story takes place. Setting can refer to the overall location (such as "Italy"), but also localized physical locations where plot actions take place (such as "dark, ancient, catacombs").
Point of View
point of view - the technique of narration that represents how the reader will be shown the story. There are several types of narrative points of view:
first person narrator - the speaker is a character in the story and uses pronouns like "I" and "me." The reader experiences the story from this character's point of view, and all information is filtered through this character's experience and interpretation.
third person omniscient narrator - the speaker is not a part of the action of the story but knows everything about the story. An omniscient narrator can provide the reader with actions from many locations and different times as well as the thoughts and feelings of any of the characters. Sometimes a narrator of this sort is intrusive meaning that they use various techniques to influence the reader's interpretation of events and characters, such as interrupting the narrative to provide an opinion on the action or withholding information from the reader.
third person limited narrator - this narrator is not part of the story, but tells the story from a limited perspective--often from the view point of a specific character or limited number of characters. This type of narrator can also be intrusive.
intrusive narrator- a narrator who actively comments on the events in the story with the purpose of shaping the interpretation of the reader. Any type of third person narrator may be intrusive.
Links
Week #3 (Section B) - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Labor Day - No Class
*Remember, you may wish to read ahead in A Doll House while you have the extra time this week.
Week #3/4 - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Definitions
poetry - Form (or genre) of literature written in verse--that is, writing that is not prose--often characterized by line breaks. Poetry can have many formal features such as rhyme and meter.
line - a single line of verse in a poem. Lines are composed of metrical feet.
stanza - a unit of meaning in a poem made up of multiple lines. Stanzas are usually marked by white space before and after. A stanza in a poem is analogous to a paragraph in fiction.
speaker - The voice of a poem or narrative, when separate from a specific character. The speaker is the author's representation of a guiding presence to lead the reader through a work or present a specific point of view towards the topic.
narrator - The voice in work of fiction who guides the reader's perspective.
antithesis - two opposing ideas or figures. Antithesis can be used as a descriptive technique or as a means of organizing and emphasizing ideas by using contrast.
turn - moment in a poem where the meaning changes significantly. There may be more than one turn in a poem. In some forms of poetry (e.g. the sonnet) there are specific places where the turn occurs that are also signaled by changes in other features such as meter or rhyme scheme.
Links
Week #4/5 - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Definitions
drama or dramatic work - Genre of literature characterized by the interchange of direct speech by one, and more commonly, two or more characters. A drama is meant to be acted rather than merely read.
formal features
act - largest unit of meaning in a drama or dramatic work, usually made up of one or more scenes. There are several typical types of organizations involving acts: the one act play is akin to a short story; all the development and action takes place in the short space of a single act. Three act plays and five act plays are typical for longer works. Though it is conventional to divide plays this way, it is not mandatory to have an act structure.
scene - the smallest unit of meaning in a dramatic work, typically bounded by the entrance of characters at the beginning and their exit at the end. Usually, one or more scenes make up an act.
cast of characters - List at the beginning of a drama that names the characters and gives a brief description of their relationships to each other or their function in the work.
dialogue - the direct speech of different characters in a dramatic work.
stage directions - text in the written form of a drama that indicates to the director, actors, and reader additional information about various aspects of the scene. Stage directions may provide instructions about setting (physical location, time of day, etc) as well as provide instructions for actors about how specific lines should be said. Stage directions are usually indicated with square brackets and italic text.
conventions
aside - technique used in drama where one character of a group on stage will address the audience directly. The other stage characters remain unaware of the audience. This technique can be used to generate sympathy or between the audience and a character.
soliloquy - A technique used in drama where a single character on stage speaks about his or her inner thoughts or feelings. The character is not aware of the audience while giving the speech, but is meant to be speaking to him or herself. The most famous soliloquy in English drama is Hamlet's "To be, or not to be..." speech in Act III Scene 1 of Shakespeare's play.
Discussion Groups
Group 1: Discuss Torvald and Nora
- as individual characters (identify types and describe characteristics)
- their relationship to each other
Group 2: Discuss Krogstad and Mrs. Linde
- as individual characters (identify types and describe characteristics)
- their relationship to each other
- their (individual) relationships to Nora
Group 3: Discuss the minor characters, Dr. Rank, Anne-Marie, Nora's Father, the Children
- what are the back stories for Dr. Rank and Anne-Marie, and how are these relevant?
- how is Nora's past relationship with and similarities to her father relevant in the present?
- how does Nora's relationship with her children change throughout the play and why?
Group 4: Discuss the setting
- what is it and why is the setting important?
- what is the role of secrecy in this play, and how does it relate to the setting (or what the setting signifies)?
All groups should be prepared with some specific examples from the play to support their ideas.
Links
When Ibsen's play was produced in Germany, the original ending was deemed too scandalous for audiences. In many Northern German theatres, an altered version of the play, where Nora did not leave her family, was produced (as stated on ibsen.net: "The first German performance of the play, in Kiel on February 6th 1880, was in this alternative version"). What may be most surprising is that Ibsen wrote the alternate ending himself. Use the links below to read the alternate ending and a letter that Ibsen wrote about his decision to create this ending to please the theatres, and ostensibly, the audiences in Germany.
- Doll's House alternate ending
- Ibsen's letter to the Danish newspaper Nationaltidende, dated February 17th 1880
Movie Discussion Questions
1. How do the non-verbal expressions and movements contribute to the meaning and interpretation of the text? One way to think about this is to note lines and events that seemed different to you in the movie compared to your reading.
2. How does the staging of physical space in the Helmer's apartment, and the use of that space by the characters, contribute to the meaning of the work?
Week #5/6 - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Test 1 this week
What Should I Study?
- Unit Definitions from Weeks 1-4. You should be able to define and apply the terms from Unit 1. All definitions are listed in the "This Week Archive" in the Resources section of the course website.
- Be able to identify and analyze Plot, Setting, Character, Point of View for all Short Stories, Poems, and the Drama read in Unit 1.
About the test
timed exam (1 hour 30 minutes) to be completed on 9/23 (D)
The first test is CLOSED book and notes and will include the following:
- Part I: Short answer/fill in the blank exercises for definitions from Unit 1: Plot, Summary, Character, and Point of View (review the This Week Archive)
- Part II: Short analysis questions based on the poems covered in Unit 1:
"Mid-Term Break" by Seamus Heaney (604)
"On Her Loving Two Equally " by Aphra Behn (612-3)
"Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich (628)
"The Ruined Maid" by Thomas Hardy (639)
"A Certain Lady" by Dorothy Parker (647)
"She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways" by William Wordsworth (649)
"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell, (671-2)
"One Perfect Rose" by Dorothy Parker, (722-3)
"Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall (824)
"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning (827-8)
- Part III: Short essay question based on the short stories and drama covered in Unit 1:
"A Pair of Tickets" Amy Tan (204-17)
"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne (232-41)
"Janus" by Ann Beattie (248-51)
"Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, (449-51)
"Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (513-24)
A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen (1508-56)
This is a timed exam not to exceed 1 hour and 30 minutes. Misspelling and minor grammar errors will not count against you, but you may lose points in essays for severe errors that detract from the sense of your answer.
Week #6/7 - Unit 2: Analyzing Theme, Tone, and Figurative Language
In-Class Exercise #2
Links
- Introduction to poetry and key terms (by Paul P. Ruben, California State University at Stanislaus)
- Author Information
Definitions
Examples
General
theme - a main idea in a literary work. Works may have more than one theme, and the theme can range from general (e.g. "love") to more specific (e.g. "unrequited love that causes pain").
tone - the emotional register of a work or that a work takes towards its theme.
Formal Features (applies to all genres)
imagery - "Poetry communicates experience and experience comes to us largely through the senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, and touching). Imagery may be defined as the representation through language of sense experience. The word image perhaps most often suggests a mental picture, something seen in the mind's eye - and visual imagery is the most frequently occurring kind of imagery in poetry. But an image may also represent a sound; a smell; a taste; a tactile experience; and an internal sensation" (from Paul P. Ruben, Elements of Poetry). Note that imagery can be present in all genres.
ambiguity - a word or phrase that can be interpreted in more than one way (that makes sense) in the given context. Ambiguity may be intentional or unintentional.
repetition - The use of repeated words, phrases, or sounds to draw attention to certain elements of a text. There are many types of repetition, and it is one of the most powerful ways to get the attention of a reader and direct emphasis.
rhyme - matching speech sounds at the end of words (in English). For example, follow and hollow. Rhyme is a very noticeable type of repetition that is commonly used in poetry.
Formal Features - Poetry
stanza - a unit of meaning in a poem made up of multiple lines. Stanzas are usually marked by white space before and after. A stanza in a poem is analogous to a paragraph in fiction.
line - a single line of verse in a poem. Lines are composed of metrical feet.
enjambment - in poetry, the abrupt break of a grammatical structure by a line break.
rhythm - The beat or stresses in written or spoken language. In poetry, the rhythm is often intentionally structured in a certain meter.
meter - Organized pattern of rhythmic stresses in approximately equivalent units. A specific meter is one of the characteristics of poetry. The most common meter in English is iambic pentameter.
foot - "the metrical unit by which a line of poetry is measured; it usually consists of one stressed or accented ( ' ) and one or two unstressed or unaccented syllables ( - )" (from Paul P. Ruben, Elements of Poetry).
iamb - a foot of poetry that is composed of one unstressed and one stressed syllable ( - ' ). It is one of the most common poetic feet used in English.
pentameter - a line of poetry with five feet. Iambic pentameter--a line of poetry with 5 iambs, is a common type of line in Renaissance sonnets.
sonnet - A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines. In English, the lines are in iambic pentameter, meaning that each line is 5 metrical feet long (or about 10 syllables), and each foot is an iamb, or a pattern of one unstressed and one stressed syllable. The Sonnet also has several conventional rhyme schemes, including two described as the "Italian" (or "Petrarchan") and "English" sonnet. Click here for more information.
Figurative Language (applies to all genres)
figurative language - representational language that creates a comparison or relationship between two things (for example, between an abstract concept and a concrete image that represents it) in order to make a concept more familiar or accessible to the reader. Specific types of figurative language include symbol, metaphor, and simile.
symbol - an object, image, or character that stands for something more than itself. Sometimes a symbol is described through the use of a comparison like a simile or a metaphor; in other cases, it is left to the reader to interpret the symbolic value of the image
metaphor - a type of comparison where the vehicle of comparison is substituted for the tenor (the original object)--that is, two things are put in to relation to one another through an assertion that one is the other.
simile - A comparison that uses like or as to establish the relationship between two things.
allegory - Representing an abstract concept as a character or object with human qualities.
personification - Representing an animal or inanimate object with human characteristics.
Week #7/8 - Unit 2: Analyzing Theme, Tone, and Figurative Language
Links
Week #8/9 - Unit 2: Analyzing Theme, Tone, and Figurative Language
Test 2 this week
What Should I Study?
- Unit Definitions from Weeks 6-7. You should be able to define and apply the terms from Unit 2. All definitions are listed in the "This Week Archive" in the Resources section of the course website.
- Be able to identify and analyze formal features and figurative language in the poems and short stories for Unit 2.
About the test
timed exam (2 hours 30 minutes) to be completed 10/19 (B); 10/14 (D)
Parts I and II of this test are CLOSED book and notes. Part III is OPEN book, CLOSED notes. The second test will include the following:
- Part I: Short answer/fill in the blank exercises for definitions from Unit II: Theme, Tone, and Figurative Language (review the This Week Archive)
- Part II: Short analysis questions of figurative language/formal features in the poems covered in Unit 2:
"The Tally Stick" by Jarold Ramsey (596)
"love poem" by Linda Pastan (597)
"To the Ladies" by Mary, Lady Chudleigh (613)
"London" by William Blake (625)
"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden (633)
[When our two souls stand up] by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (786)
"In the Park" by Gwen Harwood (788)
[My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun] by William Shakespeare (788)
"Harlem" by Langston Hughes (820)
"Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen (823)
"What's That Smell in the Kitchen" by Marge Piercy (830)
[Because I could not stop for death] by Emily Dickinson (980)
- Part III: Short essay question based on the fiction works covered in Unit 2. This portion of the exam will be open book:
"Roman Fever" by Edith Wharton (110-19)
"Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe (123-28)
"Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce (507-13)
"Scarlet Ibis" by Margaret Atwood (553-63)
This is a timed exam not to exceed the class period. Misspelling and minor grammar errors will not count against you, but you may lose points in essays for severe errors that detract from the sense of your answer.
Week #9/10 - Unit 3: Literature in Critical Contexts
Definitions
literary criticism-application of one or more literary theories or tools of literary theory to specific texts.
literary theory-philosophy of understanding texts. Often, literary theories are connected to other disciplines, such as psychology, economics, or linguistics; also, theories may be connected to broader social movements, such as feminism. Theories, therefore, can often stand on their own.
Discussion Questions - Streetcar Named Desire
1. Discuss the effect of the setting on the plot and characters of the play. Analyze specific examples that demonstrate the importance of the setting and discuss how it is related to the theme of violence in the play.
2. Analyze the strategies Blanche and Stanley use to exert power in the text. Consider in particular their adversarial relationship with each other and include discussion of what they are fighting for and how successful each is.
3. Discuss how social class operates in this play. Consider both the initial contrast between Blanche and her sister as well as the meaning of the loss of the DuBois ancestral home. Consider literal and symbolic representations of class in the play and be prepared to give specific examples.
4. Discuss how secrecy is related to identity in the play, focusing in particular on the character of Blanche. How does Blanche use language and manipulate her surroundings to maintain secrecy? What are the consequences when her secrets are revealed? Be sure to attend to both literal and symbolic representations and be prepared to give specific examples.
Week #10/11 - Unit 3: Literature in Critical Contexts
Discussion Questions - A Raisin in the Sun
1. Money, specifically the insurance money the Youngers will receive, has significant symbolic value throughout the play. Discuss a. what this money means to the different characters in the play at the beginning; b. why this money and what it represents becomes involved in conflicts between the characters; c. how the symbolic value of the money changes by the end of the play. Then, consider how the money that is offered by the Clybourne Park Improvement Association functions in the play: what does it represent and does its value/meaning alter in the course of the final act of the play? If so, discuss how; if not, why not?
2. Discuss how the physical space of the Youngers apartment affects the characters themselves and the relationships among the characters. Think specifically of how the physical space and its limitations a. creates conflict among the family and the community; b. creates conflict between the family members themselves; c. acts as a motivation for some of the characters (what does it motivate them to desire and why?); d. acts as a symbol of class status (think particularly of the contrast between the apartment and what Walter, Mama, and Ruth experience while they work in the "white" world).
3. The characterization of race is a key theme in this play. How are race issues represented by the characters themselves; in other words, when the characters discuss race, what issues do they discuss? In what ways do they describe blacks and whites? Then, consider how the characters themselves depict or undermine racial stereotypes through their actions. How do other elements of the play contribute to issues of race--for example, how does race influence Mama's dream of owning a home? How does the work that the various characters perform demonstrate issues of race? How are issues of race connected to issues of class (rich, poor)? What messages emerge about racial conflict in the United States through the discourse of this play?
4. The construction of gender is another important theme in this play. The character of Beneatha is most clearly aligned with this theme. Discuss how Beneatha's love interests exemplify different ideas about women by men. Do the different points of view of George and Asagai have any commonalities? What does each man represent to Beneatha? How does Beneatha view herself in contrast to the views of these men? What about Walter's view of Beneatha--is it similar or different to the views of the other men and how? Who has the power in each of these relationships, and how is that power exerted? What messages emerge about gender conflict in the United States through the discourse of this play.
Be sure to print out and read the critical articles that will be read for next week's class. Articles are located in the Sakai course website "Resources" section. Click here to login (use your Lourdes email ID and password).
Critical Readings (available on eReserve)
"The Derailment of A Streetcar Named Desire" By: Dowling, Ellen; Literature Film Quarterly, 1981; 9 (4): 233-40.
Lipari, Lisbeth. "Fearful of the written word: white fear, black writing, and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun screenplay." Quarterly Journal of Speech, Feb2004, Vol. 90 Issue 1, p81-102.
Week #11/12 - Unit 3: Literature in Critical Contexts
Be sure to print out and read the critical articles that will be read for next week's class. Articles are located in the Sakai course website "Resources" section. Click here to login (use your Lourdes email ID and password).
Critical Readings (available on eReserve)
"The Derailment of A Streetcar Named Desire" By: Dowling, Ellen; Literature Film Quarterly, 1981; 9 (4): 233-40.
Lipari, Lisbeth. "Fearful of the written word: white fear, black writing, and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun screenplay." Quarterly Journal of Speech, Feb2004, Vol. 90 Issue 1, p81-102.
Definitions
inductive - a method of argumentation or reasoning where specific details and facts are presented first in order to lead to a general argument or thesis.
deductive - a method of argumentation or reasoning where a general argument or thesis is provided at the outset and then specific facts and details are used to support this thesis.
review of criticism - section of a critical article that reviews other criticism that is relevant to the current discussion. In some disciplines, this is also called a "review of literature."
close reading - A method of textual analysis that comes from the theoretical school of New Criticism. A close reading attends to the details of the text such as figurative language. This type of analysis is the basic building block of literary criticism and can be used to launch contextual readings of texts that consider other aspects of the work's production.
primary source - In literary criticism, the original literary text being studied is a primary source. This differs from other disciplines where a primary source may include original research studies, ethnographic observations, etc.
secondary source - In literary criticism, any other materials, such as critical articles, historical resources, relevant theoretical texts, that are used in conjunction with a primary source (or sources) to construct an argument.
Discussion Questions
1. "The Derailment of A Streetcar Named Desire" by Ellen Dowling
a. What is the thesis (main argument) of the article?
b. What are the key subpoints or lines of argument that the author uses to support the thesis? Be sure to provide examples of evidence used to support these points.
2. "Fearful of the written word: white fear, black writing, and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun screenplay" by Lisbeth Lipari
a. What is the thesis (main argument) of the article?
b. What are the key subpoints or lines of argument that the author uses to support the thesis? Be sure to provide examples of evidence used to support these points.
Week #12/13 - Unit 3: Literature in Critical Contexts
This week:
- Critical Contexts Essay Due: click here for more information
- In-class exercise #3: topic workshop for final essay
- Sign up for individual appointments in Week 13/14
- Course Evaluation
MLA format samples and help
© 2009 Susan Shelangoskie, Ph.D.