the marks and modes of literaturecroswellclassroom.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/1/9/...of literature...
TRANSCRIPT
The Marks and Modes of LiteraturePART 1
Marks of Great Literature
concepts found in all great literature - building blocks; basic
I. theme - recurring or emerging ideas in a work; life truth the author is trying to communicate
I. Imaginative Comparison and Sound & Syntax
A. Imaginative comparison - figurative language - describing "things" in new and different ways
B. Sound - the way words sound; repetition;pleasing-sounding words; harsh, discordant words
C. Syntax - order of words, phrases, sentences, ideas
II. Organization of Sound & Syntax
A. Less obvious than figurative language
B. Syntax - revealed through repetition & parallelism
Ex: "A penny saved is a penny earned. -Ben Franklin
S & V
repetition: penny
parallelism: penny saved penny earned
C. Sound -
euphony - words that are pleasant & musical to the ear
Ex: "Calm as the sea, the waves working less and less." - Surrey
cacophony - words that sound harsh or discordant; require lips, tongue, & teeth to do more work
Ex: "Grate on their scrannel pipes of wretched straw." - "Lycidas" (Milton)
III. Biblical Illustration - Gen 2:23 - write this poem in your notes
This is now bone of my bone,
And flesh of my flesh:
She shall be called woman Because she was taken out
of man.
IV. Allusion, Symbol, Irony -
A. modes of expressing theme, figurative language, & sound & syntax
B. all 3 add layers of meaning beyond the actual written words
NOTE: the extent to which these marks & modes are used determine the poetic level of literature
NOTE: the extent to which these marks & modes are used determine the poetic level of literature
artful literature arranged in rhythmic (sometimes rhyming as well) lines is poetry
literature not rhythmic or rhyming is prose - figurative language, sound, syntax, allusion, symbol, & irony still important in prose