Basics words for analyzing an literary text

biography (Biografie)

• a book written by a person about the life of another person

character (Charakter)

• a person in a fictional text
• presented through his actions, speech and thoughts or through description
• classified
  • according to his importance as a main or minor character
  • according to his type as a round (develops) or a flat character
• characterization: the way in which an author presents the character

conflict (Konflikt)

• the struggle or opposition between different forces or characters in a fictional text

external action (externe Aktion)

• when the author describes what the characters do and what events take place

internal action (interne Aktion)

• when the author describes what’s going on in the minds of the characters
• when the reader is shown the thoughts of the characters

flashback (Rückblende)

• the narrator goes back in the past to describe a scene that is essential for the plot
• no chronological order
• also used in feature films
  foreshadowing (Vorahnung)
• hinting at later events in a fictional text
• the reader is prepared for the events and can anticipate them

interior monologue (innerer Monolog)

• a particular kind of scenic presentation
• author describes thoughts and feelings passing through a character’s mind
• often now chronological order: thoughts jump from one subject to another
• more common way: reported thought (reported speech, introduced with “think”)

narrator (Erzähler)

• person who tells the story in a narrative position
• not the same as the author of a story

The effect a story has on the reader or listener is strongly influenced by the point of view from which is told. Basically there are three different types of narrator that an author can use to tell a story, but these can be mixed within the story.

(Don’t confuse the author, the narrator and the characters when you talk about the text! In some books the narrator is the author, but in most cases the narrator can not be identified with the author!)

The three basic types of narrators are:

third person omniscient narrator
tells the story from the outside but knows about the character’s thoughts and feeling as well as the story’s background

third-person limited narrator
seems to tell the story from the outside, but knows only about the feelings and opinions of a particular character in the story (narrator is not identical with the character)

first person narrator
brings you close to the feelings and opinions of the feelings, because the narrator is identical with this character

novel (Roman)

• a long complex fictional narrative prose often divided into chapters
• complicated plot and structure, greater variety, more detailed development
  of characters and setting

open ending (offenes Ende)

• when a conflict in a fictional text is not resolved
• the reader is left wondering what might happen next

panoramic presentation (Panorama-Inszenierung)

• when the author tells a story summarizing in just a few sentences whathappens over a longer period of time

plot (Handlung)

• the structure of events in a fictional text
• has some element of suspense and tension
• develops in a number of stages: exposition, rising action, climax, turning point, falling action, denouement/open ending

point of view (Perspektive)

• the perspective from which a story is told (closely related to narrator)
  • limited point of view: the actions are approached from one angle
• unlimited point of view: the narrator can examine the action from the point of view of different characters

protagonist (Protagonist)

• principal character in a fictional text
• sometimes also called the hero
• his opponent: the antagonist

satire (Satire)

• a way of criticizing a group of people, an institution, a set of beliefs or a political system
• author deliberately makes them appear funny so that people clearly see their faults
• mostly with the help of irony

scenic presentation (szenische Präsentationen)

• an author shows an event in detail as it occurs
• using dialogue, interior monologue, depicting thoughts and emotions, describing a scene in novel or short story

short story (Kurzgeschichte)

• a fictional narrative prose, considerably shorter and less complex than a novel
• centers around one or two characters at a decisive moment in their lives
• limited in its theme, setting and plot by its length

suspense (Spannung)

• is created when the reader does not know the outcome of the conflict or action

Relationship between author, narrator, reader and characters

• effect of the story depends on the relationships between author, narrator, reader and characters
  How the reader can identify with the characters:
• point of view controls what the reader gets to know and when; creating suspense by not giving away too much information
• tense may influence the distance between reader and character; if something is supposed to be happening while you read, you usually feel closer to it than if it happened long ago
• descriptions of events, characters, settings
• dialogues, which reveal characters’ thoughts and feelings, or comments by the narrator or author (not necessarily the same person!)
• direct speech or stream-of-consciousness (is often unstructured and chaotic, so there is hardly any distance between the reader and the character)
• indirect speech to report what the characters are saying or thinking (creates more distance)

Structure

• main events and theme of a story are called the plot
• a frame story may be provided to create one or more stories within a story

Tips for a characterization

outward appearance
athletic, attractive, fat, skinny, tall, short

character traits
lonely, gregarious, popular, famous, outgoing, shy

function in constellation
nephew, boss, superior, friend, rival

social background
broken home

language
sophisticated, rude, polite