A method used during reading to highlight important points, sequence events, or outline conflict and questions in a text.
What is marking a text.
100
A short story originating in popular culture (traditional wisdom and customs of a culture), typically passed on by word of mouth
What is a folk tale
100
The main character in a story who faces a problem
What is the protagonist.
100
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the main character could be interpreted as a woman who has been minimized by a patriarchal society and her mental decline is a result of her failure to thrive as a female.
What is feminist/ gender criticism.
100
This is a character who speaks and behaves along predictable lines. Often stock characters are this. An example would be Stokesie from "A&P"
What is flat.
200
Quick reading, often requires skimming and questioning techniques to evaluate the premise of a text.
What is Inspectional Reading
200
"The Shroud" by the Grimm brothers is an example of this kind of story, often marked by good versus evil, trolls or giants, princesses, and magical elements.
What is a fairy tale?
200
It is the literary term for the problem or central struggle, such as Sammy faces in "A&P" when he has to decide whether to accept or reject supermarket society and its traditional values.
What is conflict.
200
This theory would best be used to interpret "A Good Man is Hard to Find" based on the period it represents or the context.
What is Historical criticism?
200
In "A & P," the protagonist realizes he cares more about individuals than conforming to society. This realization classifies the modern short story as a tale of ________.
What is epiphany.
300
The best way to handle a difficult text, aside from discarding the text or getting help from outside sources.
What is "GO TO WORK" or "FIGURE IT OUT"
300
"Pilgrim's Progress" is an example of this form, where each character, place, idea stands for one specific meaning.
What is allegory.
300
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is told from this point-of-view.
What is first-person.
300
This theory would read "A & P" as an adolescent emotional projection of repressed sexuality coupled with family abandonment issues.
What is psychological criticism
300
Two of poetry's central concerns.
What are images and emotion/ experience?
400
A comparative reading often used by academics and scholars to read across genres, time periods, or ideas for analysis purposes.
What is syntopical reading.
400
This type of modern short story features a protagonist who is moving from innocence to experience.
What is initiation tale.
400
This story best presents the theme, "Freedom is rarely free," as the protagonist realizes his dream of freedom only to fall (or jump) to his death.
What is "A Wall of Fire Rising"
400
This theory could be used to read "Sonny's Blues" through the interpretation of jazz as a symbol or Sammy's life.
What is formalist criticism
400
"The Cask of Amontillado" has a gothic setting. This element of the setting best creates suspense in the story, as Montresor draws out his revenge as long as possible.
What is the long walk through the winding catacombs.
500
A thorough reading that seeks to understand a text on multiple levels.
What is analytical reading.
500
In Carver's short story "Cathedral," the socially awkward and immature protagonist experiences this when he helps his wife's blind friend draw a cathedral.
What is epiphany.
500
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is an example of this genre characterized by crumbling ancestral halls, unreliable narrators, and gloomy or dark themes.
What is gothic fiction.
500
In examining the story "A Wall of Fire Rising," this theory would best interpret the story through examining the cycle of poverty that enslaves Guy and Lili due to their social station and the oppression/ exploitation of the sugar mill.
What is Marxist/ Sociological criticism.
500
This kind of character is well-developed and changes or makes an important choice over the course of a story, such as Guy in "A Wall of Fire Rising".