MHS Composition Guide

Literary Analysis guide
Manuscript Form
General Rules
Title Page
Outline Page
Body of Paper

Writing a Good Composition
Guidelines
Writing Conference
Grading Standards
Correcting Compositions

Literary Analysis Guide
Plot
Characters
Setting
Tone
Style
Point of View
Narrative Technique
Structure
Theme

Approaches to Literary Criticism
Biographical
Historical
Geographical
Political  
Philosophical &
Religious
Sociological/
Anthropological
Psychological


Plot

Plot and subject are not the same.  The subject is what the story is about.

Content is how the author arranges the events in the story; in other words, how he/she deals with the subject.

A reader should not judge the work of literature on the basis of the subject, but on the basis of style and ideas.

The story deals with the events that occur in temporal sequence in the novel.  Most novels have some departure from the strict temporal sequence.

What is plot?

The author creates a plot by arranging events in a story in order to achieve a certain effect.

A pattern of cause-effect relationships may be created.

 Plot imposes form on experience, which is formless.

Plot is important in expressing the meaning of a work.

Structure of a plot:

  • Beginning:  How the novel starts.

Exposition:  the writer imparts information that is necessary to understand the story.

 Introduces an element of instability; there is an openness in the story that is capable of being developed

  • Middle

Elements of instability group themselves into what we recognize as a pattern of conflict, or complication.

Complication turns into climax when it reaches its level of highest intensity.

  • Denouement, or outcome:  how the novel ends

Laws of Plot:

  • Plausibility:  the story should be convincing on its own terms, but not necessarily realistic.

  • Element of surprise should be present.

  • Suspense:  we should not know how the story turns out.

  • Foreshadowing: hints at the direction the story will take.

  •  Logical:  events should be believable in their relationships to one another.

 

Unity is found when the novel has a beginning, a middle, and an end and includes plausibility, surprise, and suspense.

Subplots may be present and should have a connection with the main plot.