Study Guide for Literature
Title of Work:
_______________________________________ [short
gets “ears,” long gets line which =s italics]
Author:
_____________________________________________
Genre:
______________________________________________ [Consider:
novel, play, short story, comedy, tragedy, memoir, fable, myth, poem, epic, bildungsroman]
Setting: (Time, place) ______________________________________________________________________
How does the setting impact the theme? The
mood? Is it symbolic? Other remarks?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Characters. [Consider:
protagonist, antagonist, foil, archetype, static vs. dynamic, hero, anti-hero,
modern hero, symbolism]
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Character |
Characterized As… |
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Brief
Summary. In a few sentences, describe the key/pivotal points of
the work.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Theme(s).
What is the author’s message? Explain how
you know. [Consider: moral, universal
truth, motif, setting, conflict, archetype]
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Conflict(s). What are the obstacles? How do they help develop the
theme(s)? Remember: “___ wants ___ but ____.” [Consider: paradox, exposition, rising action, climax, denouement,
resolution, man vs.
man/nature/God/self/machine/society]
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Point of View/Narration. How does it impact the theme(s)? [Consider: diction, reliability, dialect, sarcasm, 1st or 3rd person, omniscient or partial omniscient] ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Literary
Techniques
Analyze how the following are used to develop the
theme(s). Some may be present, others not. Use your literary terms glossary to
define terms you don’t know.
imagery, foreshadowing,
symbolism, irony, flashback, parallelism, simile, metaphor, personification,
oxymoron, hyperbole, alliteration, juxtaposition, apostrophe, allegory,
allusion, monologue, soliloquy, satire, parody, assonance, anachronism,
catharsis, hero, anti-hero, modern hero, hubris, antithesis, epiphany,
suspense, understatement, repetition, metonymy, euphemism, mood, tone, stream
of consciousness, cross cutting, chorus
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Literary Technique |
How the technique
is used to illustrate theme |
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