{"id":76,"date":"2017-09-04T06:17:35","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T06:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/?page_id=76"},"modified":"2018-06-12T14:31:35","modified_gmt":"2018-06-12T14:31:35","slug":"familiarity-with-the-literary-canon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/familiarity-with-the-literary-canon\/","title":{"rendered":"Familiarity with the Literary Canon"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"twelve columns\" style=\"margin-top: 10%;\">\n<div class=\"advance\"><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/characteristics-of-modes-of-writing\">\u2b05 Previous Lesson<\/a><a class=\"button\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/interpretation-of-literary-text\">Workshop Index<\/a><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/identify-describe-the-poetic-conventions-of-verse\">Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 id=\"title\">Familiarity with the Literary Canon<\/h1>\n<h4>Objective<\/h4>\n<p>In the following section, plot, character, setting, and theme will be defined and discussed.<\/p>\n<h4>What is the Literary Canon?<\/h4>\n<p>The canon is a list of literary works deemed by widespread consensus to be of the highest aesthetic quality. Since the 1960s, there has been a consistent debate over the Western canon, largely due to the fact that most authors included in it are dead, white males. Opponents to the canon make the point that the canon, as it stands, does not reflect global, contemporary culture and should be updated.<\/p>\n<p>The literary canon mentioned in this section refers to the ABCTE Recommended Literature List for English\/Language Arts Candidates. Critics, scholars, and teachers have deemed the literary works in the canon classics, and they are the basis for the ABCTE English\/Language Arts Test. Included on the list is literature of all genres from 600 BCE to the present.<\/p>\n<p>Memorizing the plots and details of every literary work is not necessary, but having a working familiarity would be beneficial for the test and for teaching literature to middle school and high school students. Being familiar with a work means knowing the basic plot, characters, setting, and theme. The following sections will define plot, character, setting, and theme. Examples from short stories and novels will be discussed in relation to these literary elements.<\/p>\n<h4>Elements of Plot<\/h4>\n<p>The basis for any good story or drama is an interesting, well-developed plot. <abbr title=\"Plot - An author\u2019s arrangement of events in a fictional story or drama\"><strong>Plot<\/strong><\/abbr> is an author\u2019s arrangement of events in a story or drama. The order in which events are presented varies from author to author.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some authors may tell their story in chronological order from beginning to end. For example, Elie Weisel\u2019s Night begins when Eliezer and his family are taken to a concentration camp, and the story ends when the American army liberates the camp.<\/li>\n<li>Other stories might open with the last event of a story, and then the author will explain what led up to that point. For example, Willa Cather\u2019s novel My Antoni\u00e1 opens with Jim Burden, an attorney, speaking to an old friend about Antoni\u00e1 , and then passing along his memoirs of their childhood experiences in Nebraska.<\/li>\n<li>Another technique is to begin <abbr title=\"In medias res \u2013 \u201cBeginning in the middle\u201d; a literary technique which a narrative begins in the middle of the action; particularly associated with epic poetry like The Iliad \"><strong>in medias res<\/strong><\/abbr>, which is Latin for \u201cin the midst of things.\u201d Homer\u2019s Odyssey tells the story of the wanderings of Odysseus, although the story opens just before the hero\u2019s arrival home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The plot of a fictional work revolves around a conflict; otherwise the story would not be very interesting or suspenseful. <abbr title=\" Conflict - The struggle between two opposing forces in a fictional work.\"><strong>Conflict<\/strong><\/abbr> is the struggle between two opposing forces in a fictional work. Usually, the character involved in the conflict is the <abbr title=\"Protagonist \u2013 The main character with whom the reader sides. A protagonist is not always a \u201cgood guy\u201d\"><strong>protagonist<\/strong><\/abbr>, or the chief character of the story. Conflict may take a number of forms, as the following table indicates.<\/p>\n<table class=\"lesson_text\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\">\n<div class=\"white_lesson_header\" align=\"center\">\n<h4>Conflict<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"151\">\n<p class=\"lesson_subhead\"><strong>Conflict<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"168\">\n<p class=\"lesson_subhead\"><strong>Description<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\">\n<p class=\"lesson_subhead\"><strong>Literary Example<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"151\">Person vs. Nature<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"168\">A struggle against the forces of nature.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\">In Stephen Crane\u2019s short story \u201cThe Open Boat,\u201d four men in a rowboat fight to survive in the ocean after a shipwreck.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"151\">Person vs. Man<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"168\">A struggle against another person, usually the antagonist, or rival of the protagonist.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\">In Shakespeare\u2019s tragedy <i>Othello<\/i>, a jealous Iago, the antagonist, sabotages Othello\u2019s happiness with Desdemona.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"151\">Person vs. Society<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"168\">A struggle between the protagonist and society as a whole.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\">In Lorraine Hansberry\u2019s drama <i>A Raisin in the Sun<\/i>, the Youngers, an African-American family, face racial prejudice when they decide to move into a predominantly white neighborhood.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"151\">Person vs. Self<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"168\">The protagonist has an inner struggle over conflicting actions or emotions.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\">In Daniel Defoe\u2019s novel <i>Robinson Crusoe<\/i>, Crusoe struggles with the loneliness he feels on a deserted island.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Rarely is there only one conflict in a story, instead a fictional work may have major and minor conflicts that are interrelated. For example, in \u201cThe Open Boat\u201d four men battle the waves, the cold, their hunger, and their tired, worn-out bodies, but they also have inner conflicts. The captain feels responsible for the situation the men face, as noted in the following excerpt.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, in Daniel Defoe\u2019s story, the character of Robinson Crusoe deals with loneliness, which is an internal conflict, and nature, which is an external conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Crusoe fights to survive on an island, much like Crane\u2019s characters battle the forces of nature on the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>The conflict of a story is not immediately apparent because writers develop their plots in stages. The following diagram illustrates the stages of plot, although some authors opt not to follow this format.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A story begins with an <abbr title=\"Exposition \u2013 1. The first stage of plot in which the author introduces characters, creates the tone, and establishes the setting. 2. Rhetoric: the Latin exponere, which means \u201cto put forth or expound.\u201d Writing or speaking that sets forth or explains\"><strong>exposition<\/strong><\/abbr>, in which the author introduces characters, creates the tone, establishes the setting, and explains what happened before the story began.<\/li>\n<li>The conflict develops during the <abbr title=\"Rising action - The stage of plot when a conflict develops\"><strong>rising action <\/strong><\/abbr>stage, and a series of events occur related to the complication.<\/li>\n<li>The <abbr title=\"Climax - The high point of the story where the protagonist reaches a turning point\"><strong> climax <\/strong><\/abbr>is the high point of the story where the protagonist reaches a turning point.<\/li>\n<li>The events following the climax are the<abbr title=\"Falling action - The events following the climax of a fictional work\"><strong> falling action.<\/strong><\/abbr><\/li>\n<li>The <abbr title=\"Resolution - The outcome or conclusion of the story\"><strong>resolution <\/strong><\/abbr>is the outcome or conclusion of the story, also known as the d\u00e9nouement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As an example, let\u2019s analyze the plot of Albert Camus\u2019 novel <em>The Stranger<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Exposition \u2014Meursault attends his mother\u2019s funeral where he exhibits no grief or emotion.<\/li>\n<li>Rising action \u2014Meursault has an affair with Marie, helps his friend Raymond seek revenge against a woman, and later takes Raymond\u2019s gun.<\/li>\n<li>Climax \u2014Meursault senselessly shoots an Arab on an Algerian beach.<\/li>\n<li>Falling action \u2014Meursault is arrested and jailed for murder. During the trial, the prosecution focuses on Meursault\u2019s atheism and lack of remorse over his mother\u2019s death, rather than the crime itself. Meursault can provide no reason for his actions, so he is deemed a danger to society, convicted, and sentenced to death.<\/li>\n<li>Resolution \u2014Prior to his execution, Meursault no longer feels like a stranger in the world. Meursault finds peace with humanity when he realizes that life is meaningless, just as he always suspected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As noted previously, plots do not always follow this five-stage format, and modern writers may find the structure too confining.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Franz Kafka broke away from standard plot development with &#8220;The Metamorphosis&#8221;. The very first sentence of the story describes the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, waking up in the morning to discover he has turned into a large cockroach. Kafka opens with what would typically be considered the climax, and the rest of the story delves into Gregor\u2019s deteriorating life, the problems his family incurs, and his eventual death.<\/p>\n<p>Great works of fiction compel a reader to continue reading the story because of a well-developed plot that creates a feeling of suspense and anticipation. Character development, setting, and theme are elements of great literary works that will be discussed in the sections to follow.<\/p>\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<p>In Henry Fielding\u2019s novel <em>Tom Jones<\/em>, Sophia and Tom\u2019s desire to marry is initially prevented because of their differences in family background. What type of conflict is this?<\/p>\n<ol type=\"A\">\n<li>Person vs. Person<\/li>\n<li>Person vs. Nature<\/li>\n<li>Person vs. Society<\/li>\n<li>Person vs. Self<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\">The answer is C. Societal norms prevent Tom and Sophia from marrying, until later when it is discovered that Tom is a \u201cgentleman\u201d after all.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<h4>Review<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Plot is an author\u2019s arrangement of events in a story. Plot usually consists of five stages of development: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.<\/li>\n<li>Conflict , which occurs during the rising action, is the struggle between two opposing forces. The protagonist of a story faces the conflict, and if the conflict is with another character, that character is the antagonist. There are four types of conflict: person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society, and person vs. self.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Character Development<\/h4>\n<p>The unfolding of a story\u2019s plot would not occur without characters, and the difference between a great work of literature and other stories is often an author\u2019s ability to fully develop a <abbr title=\"Character \u2013 an individual portrayed in a work of literature\"><strong>character<\/strong><\/abbr>, a person in a fictional work.<\/p>\n<p><abbr title=\"Characterization \u2013 The process by which an author portrays a personality in literary work. Characterization includes how a character dresses, talks, thinks, and acts, as well as how other characters perceive each other\"><strong>Characterization <\/strong><\/abbr>is how an author reveals aspects of a character&#8217;s personality through action, dialogue, thought, or commentary by the author or another character. By paying close attention to the details an author provides about a character, a reader can better understand and enjoy a literary work.<\/p>\n<p>Characters come in all shapes and sizes, and the following table indicates some of the different types of characters often found in literature.<\/p>\n<table class=\"lesson_text\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"white_lesson_header\" colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h4>Character Type<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">\n<p class=\"lesson_subhead\"><strong>Character Type<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">\n<p class=\"lesson_subhead\"><strong>Description<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><strong> Protagonist <\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">The main character around which the central conflict revolves. Usually, the reader is intended to sympathize with the protagonist.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><strong> Antagonist <\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">The person or thing in opposition to the main character, although not all stories have an antagonist.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><strong> Round <\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">A fully developed character with both good and bad features that are exposed in the story. Round characters have the complexities of real people.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><strong> Flat <\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">An undeveloped character with only a few outstanding features.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><strong> Character Foil <\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">A character whose traits help illuminate the protagonist, like metal foil reflects light. For example, Sancho is a foil to Don Quixote in Cervantes\u2019 novel.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><strong> Dynamic <\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">A character who experiences internal changes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><strong> Static <\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"408\">A character who does not change.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Characters can fit into more than one category, and more often than not that is what occurs. For example, the character of Elka in Isaac Bashevis Singer\u2019s short story \u201cGimpel the Fool\u201d is an antagonist to Gimpel, her husband, and she is also a round character. Through the use of actions, dialogue, and commentary from other characters, Singer develops a deceitful, physical, and sharp-tongued character.<\/p>\n<p>The characters created by Charles Dickens tend to be round and dynamic, as well. For example, Ebenezer Scrooge is a round character; his many unpleasant attributes are exposed and developed through the author\u2019s descriptions, attitudes of other characters, and Scrooge\u2019s cruel actions. The following passage describes Scrooge before the ghosts visit him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind- stone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, gasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Scrooge is also a dynamic character because by the end of the story he has a change of heart due to his experiences with the ghosts, as shown by the following passage.<\/p>\n<p><em>He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In contrast to Scrooge, who changes dramatically from the beginning of the story to the end, Bob Cratchit, Scrooge\u2019s nephew, and Tiny Tim maintain consistent attitudes throughout the story, so they are flat and static. Since the story focuses on Scrooge, Dickens gives little space to the development of minor characters, whose purpose in the story is to highlight Scrooge\u2019s bitterness and cruelty.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of Scrooge, the actions of the ghosts instigate a change in attitude virtually overnight. However, with some characters, change results over time as a character matures and faces different experiences.<\/p>\n<p>The character of Scout, from Harper Lee\u2019s novel <em>To Kill A Mockingbird<\/em>\u00a0, is a round dynamic character that changes gradually over the years. Early in the novel it becomes apparent that Scout is a remarkable young girl because of her intelligence, confidence, and kindness.<\/p>\n<p>When the story begins, Scout is a typical five-year-old oblivious to the evils of the world. As the story unfolds, Scout witnesses the evils of racial prejudice in the world around her. Scout learns from her father that sympathy and understanding can offset some of the pain in the world. At the story\u2019s close, Scout has become a character of great depth, an eight-year-old girl full of wisdom and compassion.<\/p>\n<p>Paying close attention to the details an author provides about characters in a fictional work allows the reader better insight into the character\u2019s motivations and actions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twelve columns\" style=\"margin-top: 10%;\">\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<p>Which of the following characters is the protagonist in George Orwell\u2019s novel <em>1984<\/em>?<\/p>\n<ol type=\"A\">\n<li>Julia<\/li>\n<li>O\u2019Brien<\/li>\n<li>Winston Smith<\/li>\n<li>Big Brother<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\">The answer is C. Winston rebels against the totalitarian control of the government and Big Brother, the antagonist.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<h4>Setting<\/h4>\n<p>Another important element in a piece of literature is the <abbr title=\"Setting - The time and place in which a fictional work occurs\"><strong>setting<\/strong><\/abbr>, or the time and place that the fictional work occurs. The setting of a story can cause characters to act in particular ways, and it can push the plot in a certain direction. Setting is more than a physical surrounding; it also includes the ideas, customs, and beliefs of a certain period of time.<\/p>\n<p>Setting is made up of the following elements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Geographical location \u2014What makes up the scenery? What is the topography of the area? What is the physical location of furniture, windows, and doors?<\/li>\n<li>Daily life \u2014How do the characters conduct their lives on a day-to-day basis? Are they poor, rich, average? What are the occupations of the characters? Where do they work?<\/li>\n<li>Time \u2014What is the historical period? What is the season of the year?<\/li>\n<li>General environment \u2014What makes up the characters\u2019 religious, social, and moral environment? What is the mental and emotional environment of the story?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Setting plays a crucial role in Nathaniel Hawthorne\u2019s novel <em>The Scarlet Letter<\/em>\u00a0by establishing a dark and unforgiving atmosphere. The events of the story occur in a Puritan community of Boston in the early seventeenth century, where adultery and an illegitimate child bring scorn and consternation. After being escorted out of the prison to be publicly condemned, Hester briefly remembers the life she had in England. The following quote from the novel is when she realizes again where she is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Lastly, in lieu of these shifting scenes, came back the rude market-place of the Puritan settlement, with all the townspeople assembled and leveling their stern regards at Hester Prynne, _ yes, at herself, _ who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The Scarlet Letter<\/em>\u00a0would not be relevant in any other setting because the religious environment and the historical period drive the plot of the novel and influence the actions of the characters.<\/p>\n<p>This type of <abbr title=\" Integral setting - Setting that is essential to the plot of a story\"><strong>integral setting<\/strong><\/abbr>, which is essential to the plot of a story, occurs in the adventure stories of Jack London, as well. <em>Call of the Wild<\/em>\u00a0takes place during the 1890s when gold is discovered in the Klondike region of Canada. Buck is stolen from a comfortable home in California because strong dogs are in demand for pulling sleds in the Canadian wilderness. The story follows Buck\u2019s progression from a domestic dog into a more wild one, and without the wilderness as the setting, the plot would have nowhere to go.<\/p>\n<p>The following colored headings indicate literary works with integral settings.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Desert Island Setting<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Island of Dr. Moreau, H.G. Wells<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Lord of the Flies, William Golding<\/li>\n<li>Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe<\/li>\n<li>The Swiss Family Robinson, John David Wyss<\/li>\n<li>Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">War Setting<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank<\/span><\/li>\n<li>The Iliad, Homer<\/li>\n<li>In Our Time, Ernest Hemingway<\/li>\n<li>Night, Elie Weisel<\/li>\n<li>Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Futuristic\/ Fantasy Setting<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Brave New World, Aldous Huxley<\/li>\n<li>Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis<\/li>\n<li>Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury<\/li>\n<li>The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein<\/li>\n<li>1984, George Orwell<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The literary works listed above have settings that are integral to plot and character development, but in some literature, setting is almost irrelevant. A <abbr title=\" Backdrop setting - Setting that is not very important to plot development and merely provides a background for the story\"><strong>backdrop setting <\/strong><\/abbr>provides a place and time for a story to develop, but the setting itself is of little importance to plot development.<\/p>\n<p>For example, in Guy de Maupassant\u2019s short story \u201cThe Necklace,\u201d a young woman loses a friend\u2019s necklace and spends many years of her life paying for her mistake. The setting is irrelevant because the jewelry could have been lost in any city at any time.<\/p>\n<p>Another example of backdrop setting is in Flannery O\u2019Connor\u2019s short story \u201cA Good Man Is Hard to Find.\u201d In the story, a family traveling to Florida has an accident on a deserted road and is unfortunately discovered by an escaped convict. The only requirement for setting in this story is a deserted location, which could be a desert or a dark alley just as well as a dirt road.<\/p>\n<p>In some literary genres, such as science fiction and gothic stories, setting plays an important role in directing plot and characters. Paying close attention to setting details leads to an improved appreciation and understanding of a literary work.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twelve columns\" style=\"margin-top: 10%;\">\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<p>Which story is set in Nigeria during the 1890s?<\/p>\n<ol type=\"A\">\n<li><em>Their Eyes Were Watching God<\/em> by Zora Neale Hurston<\/li>\n<li><em>Things Fall Apart<\/em> by Chinua Achebe<\/li>\n<li><em>Siddhartha<\/em> by Hermann Hesse<\/li>\n<li><em>Brideshead Revisited<\/em> by Evelyn Waugh<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\">The answer is B. Their Eyes Were Watching God is set in rural Florida during the 1920s. Siddhartha takes place in India around 625 BCE Brideshead Revisited is set in Great Britain before and during World War II.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<p>Which of the following authors frequently used Mississippi as the setting for his stories?<\/p>\n<ol type=\"A\">\n<li>E. M. Forster<\/li>\n<li>Sinclair Lewis<\/li>\n<li>William Faulkner<\/li>\n<li>John Steinbeck<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\">The answer is C. Most of Faulkner\u2019s novels are set in the fictitious Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>It is important to understand that the theme of a literary work is subjective. Every reader connects with literature differently because everyone has distinct perspectives. Therefore, more than one theme can be derived from a single literary work, as shown with Melville\u2019s short story.<\/p>\n<p>In literature, a major theme may be apparent to most readers, while a deeper theme awaits readers willing to analyze a story. If a theme is too obvious, then it might be perceived as childish or too simplistic. However, if a theme is too obscure, readers may find the work confusing or lacking significant meaning. Modern art, for example, is often accused of having meaning that is too ambiguous.<\/p>\n<p>For example, C. S. Lewis\u2019s children\u2019s novel <em>The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe<\/em> appears at first glance to be a fantasy story about the adventures of four children who visit the magical land of Narnia. From that level, an obvious theme might be that forgiving others is an important part of life. Aslan, the lion, forgives Edmund for aligning with the White Witch and endangering the inhabitants of Narnia.<\/p>\n<p>However, a closer examination reveals that the theme of the story is humanity\u2019s redemption. Aslan, a Christ figure in the story, sacrifices his own life in order to save Edmund\u2019s, which is a common theme found in literature, as well as popular movies.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding and appreciating literature involves analyzing plot, setting, characters, and theme; readers willing to go beyond the obvious and delve into the more abstract qualities of a literary work will be greatly rewarded.<\/p>\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<p>What is the theme of F. Scott Fitzgerald\u2019s novel <em>The Great Gatsby<\/em>?<\/p>\n<ol type=\"A\">\n<li>Personal indulgence leads to ruin<\/li>\n<li>The decline of the American dream<\/li>\n<li>A heavy price must be paid for greatness<\/li>\n<li>Environment shapes personality<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\">The answer is B. The concept of the American dream is that hard work and high moral standards will lead to prosperity and happiness. However, Jay Gatsby seeks prosperity through illegal activities, Tom Buchanan is unfaithful to Daisy, and Daisy is careless and artificial.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<h4>Theme<\/h4>\n<p>The final element of fiction to be addressed in this section is theme. The<abbr title=\"Theme \u2013 A dominant idea or motif in a literary work.\"><strong> theme <\/strong><\/abbr>of a literary work is the central idea or universal truth about society, human nature, or life. Writers rarely make a direct statement about theme; instead they rely on an <abbr title=\"Implied theme - A theme that is not directly stated but must be inferred\"><strong>implied theme <\/strong><\/abbr>to relay their message. The reader, through the actions, dialogue, and descriptions provided in the literary work, must infer implied themes.<\/p>\n<p>The theme of a literary work differs from the subject. The subject of a fictional work is the topic about which the author has chosen to write, such as nature. The theme expresses the author\u2019s opinion about that topic, such as \u201cman should respect the power of nature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An author\u2019s theme can be inferred by asking the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What does the main character learn throughout the story?<\/li>\n<li>What feelings does the main character express?<\/li>\n<li>What thoughts repeatedly go through the minds of the characters?<\/li>\n<li>What does the dialogue between characters suggest about the theme?<\/li>\n<li>What actions and events occur in the stories that suggest the theme?<\/li>\n<li>What does the title suggest about the theme?<\/li>\n<li>Does the author make any remarks about life or human nature, either directly or through a character?<\/li>\n<li>Are there any symbols that may suggest a central theme?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>More than one theme exists in most great literary works, such as Herman Melville\u2019s short story \u201cBartleby the Scrivener.\u201d The narrator, a lawyer, hires Bartleby to copy and proofread legal documents. Eventually, Bartleby refuses to do the chores related to his job by responding, \u201cI would prefer not to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawyer\u2019s curiosity about his strange scrivener leads him to ask Bartleby about his life and background, to which Bartleby responds, \u201cI would prefer not to.\u201d After refusing to work or to leave the building, Bartleby is imprisoned and later dies of starvation. The only information the lawyer discovers about Bartleby is that he once opened and sorted the letters of dead people in the Dead Letters Office.<\/p>\n<p>Consider the questions listed above in order to ascertain the theme of Melville\u2019s story. At first pass, the reader may feel sorry for Bartleby, just as the lawyer felt sorry for him. Thus, a possible theme might be that society should treat people with compassion.<\/p>\n<p>However, Bartleby\u2019s repeated statement, \u201cI would prefer not to,\u201d suggests that Bartleby for the first time, and perhaps too late in his life, decides to take control of his situation. Possibly, Bartleby realizes that if he had taken control of his life instead of isolating himself in unfulfilling jobs, his life might have been more rewarding. Bartleby\u2019s repeated response of \u201cI would prefer not to\u201d is his final, desperate attempt at control. Thus, another possible theme for this story might be \u201cdon\u2019t wait until it is too late to control your life and your destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawyer\u2019s final statement about the scrivener seems to support the theme that it is a tragedy when lives, like dead letters, lead nowhere.<\/p>\n<p>A positive spin on the theme from the story might be that all lives can be meaningful if people connect with others just as the lawyer attempted to connect with Bartleby.<\/p>\n<h4>Review<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Setting is the time and place where a fictional work occurs.<\/li>\n<li>Integral setting is essential to the plot of a story.<\/li>\n<li>Backdrop setting is not very important to plot development and merely provides a background for the story.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"advance\"><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/characteristics-of-modes-of-writing\">\u2b05 Previous Lesson<\/a><a class=\"button\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/interpretation-of-literary-text\">Workshop Index<\/a><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/identify-describe-the-poetic-conventions-of-verse\">Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"backtotop\" href=\"#title\">Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2b05 Previous LessonWorkshop IndexNext Lesson \u27a1 Familiarity with the Literary Canon Objective In the following section, plot, character, setting, and theme will be defined and discussed. What is the Literary Canon? The canon is a list of literary works deemed by widespread consensus to be of the highest aesthetic quality. Since the 1960s, there has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-76","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/76","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/76\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":605,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/76\/revisions\/605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}