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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
- "In the Park" by Gwen Harwood, 788
- "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
literature - intentional, artistic use of language for a specific purpose.
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.
epiphany - a sudden moment of self-realization. Characters who experience an epiphany are round characters.
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 - 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.
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.
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.
Links
Week #4 - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
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 - Unit 1: 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 2/9 (B--test from 5:30-7:00pm; class resumes at 7pm); 2/11 (F--test from 11:15am-12:45pm; class resumes at 12:45pm)
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)
"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden (633)
"The Ruined Maid" by Thomas Hardy (639)
"A Certain Lady" by Dorothy Parker (647)
"She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways" by William Wordsworth (649)
"One Perfect Rose" by Dorothy Parker (722-3)
"In the Park" by Gwen Harwood (788)
"Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall (824)
- 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)
"Scarlet Ibis" by Margaret Atwood (553-63)
"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 - 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
Week #7/8 - Unit 2: Analyzing Theme, Tone, and Figurative Language
Author Information
Definitions
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 - Imagery may be defined as the representation through language of sense experience (seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, and touching). 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 text. But an image may also represent a sound; a smell; a taste; a tactile experience; and an internal sensation (adapted 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.
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.
foil - type of antithesis that describes the use of a minor character to mirror specific traits of a major character for emphasis.
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 (Section B) - Unit 2: Analyzing Theme, Tone, and Figurative Language
College in-service: No Class
see homework reminders below
Homework for Week 8, March 2:
1. Complete the themesorter exercise started in class. Have this prepared to turn in at the beginning of class on 3/2. You may write on the worksheet or turn in a typed copy: either is fine.
2. For each poem in Unit 2, be ready with the following:
1 example of imagery (identify specific passage and indicate which sense is appealed to)
1 example of a formal feature (in addition to your example of imagery; you may not use imagery here. See the list of definitions below for other formal features)
1 example of figurative language (identify the specfic type of figurative language and be able to explain it--for example, if it is a metaphor, what two things are being compared and why? See below for types of figurative language)
3. Read the four short stories indicated on the schedule. Be aware of tone, theme, formal features and figurative language as you read these texts.
Week #8/10 - 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. Be sure that you know which terms are types of formal features and which are types of figurative language. Also, be sure to explain examples completely; for example:
- If you identify imagery be sure to indicate a specific part of the poem and which sense is appealed to
- If you identify a metaphor or simile, be sure to indicate what is being compared to what and why that comparison is significant
- If you identify a symbol be sure to indicate what the symbol is and what it represents
- If you identify allegory or personification be sure to indicate what the abstract idea is (allegory) or what the object is (personification) and what human qualities it is given
About the test
Test #2
timed exam (2 hours 30 minutes) to be completed 3/4 (F)
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)
"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell, (671-2)
[When our two souls stand up] by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (786)
[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)
"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning (827-8)
"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)
"Janus" by Ann Beattie (248-51)
"Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce (507-13)
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.
© 2010 Susan Shelangoskie, Ph.D.