Resources
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On this page, you will find links and tools to help you contextualize the works we are reading. Resources will be added throughout the term, so check back frequently.
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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
Unit 1: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Week #1 - Introduction to Literature: Plot, Setting, Character, and Point of View
Readings
- "One Perfect Rose" by Dorothy Parker (766)
- "In the Park" by Gwen Harwood (841-2)
- "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (535-4)
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
© 2010 Susan Shelangoskie, Ph.D.