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Close Reading in ENG300 (Literary Devices (Character (Protagonist (Hero…
Close Reading in ENG300
Analysis
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"Quoting your quote"
When performing analysis of any text, it is essential to make claims that are supported by the text in question. A powerful analysis is accomplished by reaching back into the quote and delineating its significance further after it has been cited, to develop the claim based off of that text.
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Form
Medium
Film
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Sequence
A collection of shots as that form a narrative, usually by following one another or sharing a location or theme
A memorable sequence in Beau Travail is the introduction of Sentain and Forrestier in separate shots following the shot of a naked man swimming
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Text
Rhyme
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Free Verse
In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock different rhyme schemes and rhythms are used throughout the poem. These devices serve to connect certain parts of the poem, while also presenting the poem as a series of different styles operating simultaneously to give the poem a disconnected feel.
Rhythym
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Regular/Irregular
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Sentence length also acts as a regulator of rhythm, with stops and pauses informing the cadence the reader uses to read the text
Structure
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Sentence Length
Sentence length can be used to organize the way that a body of text appears on a page to the reader. This is most pronounced in a Concrete Poem.
Chapter Breaks
In Billy Budd chapter breaks are used frequently to introduce and isolate various elements of the narrative concisely. Chapters operate in the novel to introduce elements that will become important to the narrative, and give each element its own short narrative.
Punctuation
Punctuation may be used creatively to endow itself with meaning. A notable example would be the dash marks used in the poem The Idea of Ancestry
Drama
Stage Directions
Directions serve to inform action on stage and add another layer of meaning that can be used to strengthen or contradict dialogue
[In reference to A Streetcar Named Desire (1.18)] "While this moment is brief and subtle, it illustrates a lot about Stella and Blanche’s relationship. They certainly hold enough love and affection for one another to hug and cry out immediately upon reuniting, but their reunion is weighted, and the audience sees that there is much more to their relationship than their dialogue indicates. This distance between them is punctuated by that moment of silence preceding their embrace." (Jamie Tonkin)
Literary Devices
Symbolism
"The motif of bodily injury, namely the cutting of or injury to wrists, suggests internal transformation of character represented through an external penetration of the body. Beyond the reference to suicide or self-destruction implicit in such an injury, the letting of blood through the wrists also suggests a purification of character or a release of spirits, signaling a change." (Jamie Hammon)
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Imagery
The poem The Fish serves as a memorable example of the images that a text can conjure in the mind of a reader, sometimes with different readers imagining different images from the same text. Imagery may also operate on the other senses besides sight
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Character
Protagonist
Hero
The protagonist of Billy Budd is the focus of the narrator. The narrator tells his story, seemingly with the motive of portraying Billy Budd in as positive a light as possible. In doing so, Billy is elevated beyond an ordinary protagonist to become a Hero.
Anti-Hero
In Wuthering Heights as the protagonist, Heathcliff is the character most central to the plot of the novel. And yet, he is not a character designed to engender sympathy of the reader. This style of protagonist is an Anti-Hero.
Antagonist
Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire serves as the character who serves to advance the plot in a way that antagonizes several characters throughout the drama. As such, he serves as the play's antagonist
Foils/Representations
Characters are often used to embody qualities that are larger than any single person. Characters may also be used to contrast against each other, or reveal opposite sides of a debate or nature in question.
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Foreshadowing
To borrow Jamie's example from A Streetcar Named Desire actions, events, or narration within a text can foretell the events to come. When Blanche is introduced, her calculating nature is revealed by a character who knows her best, and the reader can expect this quality to become important throughout the drama.
Style
Period
Victorian
English works throughout the 18th century were considered to be Victorian Literature. In this class, Bronte's Wuthering Heights fits this classication
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Postmodern
Beginning after WWII, the post-modern period is distinguished by the its experimental nature, and the desire to distance itself from traditional literary conventions. T.S. Eliot was a notable author in this period.
School
Modernism
Modernism took its shape at the beginning of the 20th century, and in addition to its symbolism and allusions, gave rise to surrealism in written works
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Realism
A Streetcar Named Desire in its depiction of working-class lives, serves as Realism. It may additionally be classified as Naturalism because of the forces that act on characters, out of their control, and the reactions they have to these forces.
Genre
Genre informs readers with expectations as what to expect, and provides familiar tropes readers can use to interpret the text. e.g. A reader who is reading a tragedy will not be looking for the same tropes informed by genre as one reading a satire.
Perspective
Narrator
Personal/Impersonal
As a drama, A Streetcar Named Desire has no narrator, and actions within the narrative are offered directly to readers/viewers as they happen. This style of narration removes storytelling from the perspective of any character and confirms the objectivity of its events.
Reliable/Unreliable
Billy Budd features a narrator who does not place himself within the action of his narrative, and yet his perspective shapes how the story is told. By offering the accounts of others, the reader becomes aware of biases that the narrator may hold that influence what story he tells.
POV
1st Person
Written from one's own perspective, using pronouns like "I" or "we"
Wuthering Heights is a novel conveyed by two different first-person narrators. Each inform the narrative from their perspective as characters, subject to in-objectivity and also place themselves in their own narratives.
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