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3. Reading Works of Literature
Mc Worther as the writer cited from Maran 2005: 22 defines literature as the branch of knowledge concerns with human thought and ideas and their expression in
written form. Literature focuses on the search for reasons, value and interpretation in all areas of human interest and experience. Literature, then, concentrates on analysis,
subjective evaluation and interpretation of ideas expressed through literary, philosophical or artistic works. The following explanation deals with the nature of
literature and the elements of novel.
a. The Nature of literature
The word ‘literature’ ultimately derives from the Latin littera, meaning ‘letter of the alphabet’. The word came into English via court French, in the late fourteenth
century and for the next few centuries simply meant ‘acquaintance with book’ and ‘book learning’ in general. By extension, literature from the late eighteenth century
onwards, was narrowed and elevated so as to mean certain kinds of artistic or aesthetic writing which were reckoned to be especially creative and imaginative,
fictional not factual, stories not histories and the product especially gifted or talented writers called authors. Literature then includes poetry, dramas, essay, short
stories and novels. Each is a literary form or genre, through which a writer shares his or her view of the world and of humanity Robe Pop, 2002 as the writer cited from
Maran 2005: 23.
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b. The Elements of Novel
Novel describes
numerous actions
that contribute
to a
character’s development. Based on www.coolschool.calorEN10unit6U06L01.htm, there are
some features of novel:
Theme Theme is the central idea of the story or novel. It can usually be expressed in a
short statement about human nature, life, or the universe. The theme or the overall idea is the very general one behind the author’s
entire effort and unifies the work. Themes are often large, universal ideas: life and death, human values or human existence. To establish the theme, ask yourself, “What
is the author trying to say?” and try to explain it in a single sentence. Plot
Plot is the storyline; the ordered arrangement of incidents in a story. Plot arises out of the conflict in the story, which is built to a climax. The plot is the basic
storyline-the sequence of events as they occur in the work. The plot also consists of the actions through which the work’s meaning is expressed. It often begins by setting
the scene, introducing the main characters and providing background information needed to follow the story. Often, there is a complication or problem that arises.
Suspense is built as the problem or conflict unfolds. Near the end of the story, events
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come to a climax: the points at which the outcome of the conflict will be decided. A conclusion quickly follows as the story ends.
Setting
Setting is the background in which the story takes place. The setting is the time and place and circumstances in which the action occurs. The setting provides a
framework in which the actions occur and establishes an atmosphere in which the characters interact. There are several aspects to setting:
a Place: This is the geographical location of the story. Since novels are lengthy, the story may move from one place to another.
b First, this refers to the period of history, if the story is set in the past. If the story could happen now or at some recent unspecified time, we say that it is
contemporary. If it is a science fiction story, it may be set in the future. Novels usually span take place over a much longer period of time than short stories, so
you may need to say that a novels setting in time is from 1937 to 1956. When describing the setting of a portion of a novel, you may be able to specify the
season, month, and even time of day. c ClimateWeather: This is an aspect of setting which is often forgotten, but it can
be important for a novel. If the story begins in the midst of a hurricane, it is significant to the story.
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d Lifestyle: This refers to the daily life of the characters. If a story takes place in a particular historical period, the lifestyle of the characters e.g., whether they are
poor farmers or residents of the court is part of the setting. Point of view
Point of view is the way a story is presented or from whose perspective or mind the story is told. The story may be told from the perspective of a narrator who is
not one of the characters first person point of view or by the characters themselves third person point of view.
Tone The tone of a story suggests the author’s attitude. Like the tone of voice, tone
in a story suggests feeling. Many ingredients contribute to tone, including the author’s choice of details, characters, events, and situations. The tone of the story
may be amusing, angry, or contemptuous. Characters
Characters are people in the story. Characters have particular personalities and physical attributes that distinguish them from other character Rohrberger and
Woods, 1971: 20. The process by which an author creates a character is called characterization. There area two ways an author can characterize: direct and dramatic.
The direct characterization means that the author describes the physical appearance.
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Meantime, the dramatic characterization means that the author describes how the characters behave or speaks.
Conflict Conflict, the main struggle of the plot, may be within a character, between
two characters or between one or more character and some force in the environment.
c. Conclusion
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