discovering themes
Three important narrative elements are
plot
characterization
framing
The pacing of a story
the rhythm of the story—how quickly or slowly the actions and events develop and unfold. Authors can vary pacing using a number of techniques
implicit
is understood despite not being clearly stated
to convey specific details about a character and reveals a character’s personality
characterization
to ease or reduce
allay
Theme
A story’s theme is the central message or universal truth that the author conveys through the characters and plot.
The techniques for pacing
detailed description
dialogue
scene vs. summary
explicit
something that is clearly stated
a straightforward approach in which a character is clearly and explicitly described to reveal what the character is like.
direct characterization
familiar, commonly used character types and situations in stories.
archetypes
The Central idea
is an overarching message or truth that is specific to a story.
structure to show the relationship between past and present events.
flashback
The four important literary devices used in reading and writing
symbolism
allusion
analogy
onomatopoeia
the development of a character using descriptions of his or her actions, thoughts, feelings, motivations, conflicts, and experiences
indirect characterization
explains or clarifies one item in terms of another on a nonliteral level
figurative language
A subject
of a text is its topic, or what a text is literally about.
It hints at an event or action that has not yet happened in the current storyline.
foreshadowing
literary device
are specific structural choices that authors make to add depth to their writing, to leave sections of a text ambiguous and open to readers’ interpretations, and to affect their readers in powerful ways.
the author’s attitude toward a subject he or she is writing about, as well as the author’s approach to the audience, through literary techniques such as word choice, point of view, and characterization.
tone
The four types of figurative language
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Hyperbole
determining the central ideas and theme
Both subjects and central ideas are important in determining themes. Readers can first determine which subjects are developed in depth within a text. Those topics can then point readers toward what the central ideas are.
The narrative structure
is the order in which literary elements are placed, and artistic interpretation enables the same story or idea to be interpreted in multiple ways
An inference
implicit: requires reader to read in between the lines
explicit: has evidence and other clues to arrive at deeper implied meanings and intent.
the use of written or spoken words to convey a story
narration
when an author uses words in a way that implies the opposite of their literal meaning
Irony