LITERARY ANALYSIS

ANA = UP/APART

LYSIS = BREAKING

SO, WE'RE BREAKING APART LITERATURE

OR, BEING ANAL ABOUT LITERATURE

SO, WHY DO WE STUDY LITERARY ANALYSIS?

BECAUSE THE SKILLS ARE TRANSFERRABLE

CONSIDER A BICYCLE

1. Your knees and thighs go up and down

2. Your ankles flex and extend, which changes the direction of your lower legs

Of course it is a little more complex than that with most bikes

BUT

that's the basic sequence

SINCE ANALYSIS SKILLS ARE TRANSFERRABLE

CONSIDER A CAR

1. Pistons go up and down

2. Connecting rods from the piston attach to a camshaft

3. The direction of motion changes from vertical to circular

4. In your transmission, the rotation goes through gears...

5. Instead of a chain, there's a driveshaft that moves the energy...

6. the direction of which is changed by the differential

6. the differential is connected to the axle, which is connected to the wheels

Of course it is a whole lot more complex than that

BUT

that's the basic sequence

LITERARY ELEMENTS

UNLIKE CARS OR BIKES, LITERATURE DOESN'T HAVE MOVING PARTS

BUT IT DOES HAVE ELEMENTS WE CAN STUDY

SETTING

PLOT

CHARACTERS

STYLE

GENRE

TONE

POINT

OF

VIEW

SYMBOLS

THEMES

SETTING

• WHERE DOES THE STORY TAKE PLACE?

• WHEN DOES THE STORY TAKE PLACE?

• WOULD SETTING THE STORY IN A DIFFERENT TIME OR PLACE CHANGE THE MESSAGE OF THE STORY A LOT?

PLOT

• WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STORY?

CHARACTERS

• WHO IS THE PROTAGONIST (MAIN CHARACTER)?

• WHO ARE THE MAIN CHARACTER'S ALLIES?

• WHO IS THE ANTAGONIST (PERSON WORKING AGAINST THE MAIN CHARACTER)?

STYLE

• HOW IS THE STORY WRITTEN?

• IS IT A MOVIE, A SHORT STORY, A NOVEL, ETC?

• WHAT KIND OF LANGUAGE IS USED? (ARCHAIC, MODERN, PROFANE, CLEAN, ACCENTS, DIALOGUE, PUNCTUATION, ETC)

GENRE

• KIND OF SELF-EXPLANATORY, ISN'T IT?

• HORROR, SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, DRAMA, COMEDY, WESTERN, SAMURAI, POETRY, MUSICAL, PLAY, ROMANCE, MYSTERY, ETC

TONE

• WHAT IS THE WRITER'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE STORY?

• IS THE STORY COMEDIC, IRONIC, OR EARNEST?

• IS IT SATIRICAL, POINTED, SLY, FORMAL, COLLOQUIAL, FRIENDLY?

• ETC

POINT

OF

VIEW

• WHO IS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE STORY?

• IS IT COMING FROM INSIDE THE MAIN CHARACTER'S EYES? (FIRST PERSON)

• IS IT BEING TOLD ABOUT YOU AS THOUGH YOU ARE DOING ALL THE ACTIONS? (SECOND PERSON) - RARE

• IS IT BEING TOLD TO YOU AND YOU ARE MERELY LISTENING/READING ALONG? (THIRD PERSON) - MOST COMMON

SYMBOLS

• ALMOST ANYTHING COULD BE A SYMBOL IF THE READER HAS A BIG ENOUGH IMAGINATION - BUT YOU NEED TO PROVE IT

• THINK COLORS, TYPES OF FLOWERS, TYPES OF ANIMALS, SHAPES OF OBJECTS, ALLUSIONS TO MYTHS AND LEGENDS.

• IE - BLACK CAT, RED ROSE, GREEN THUMB, THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ETC. 

THEMES

• WE HAVE NOW DISCUSSED FOUR OF THE W'S AND THE H (who, what, when, where, and how).

• WHY IS THIS STORY BEING WRITTEN?

• WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE WRITER?

• ALL ART, EVEN POP ART CREATED JUST TO MAKE A FEW BUCKS, HAS A THEME, MESSAGE, OR MEANING TO IT, BECAUSE ALL ARTISTS, EVEN THOSE JUST WANTING A QUICK DOLLAR, HAVE SOMETHING THEY WANT OTHERS TO SHARE.

LITERARY ELEMENTS

EXAMPLE 1

THE LION KING

SETTING

• AFRICA, SPECIFICALLY IN THE AREA NEAR KENYA.

• THERE IS NO YEAR GIVEN, BUT WE CAN ASSUME CONTEMPORARY AS ANIMALS ARE ONES WE KNOW

PLOT

IT'S HAMLET!

CHARACTERS

SIMBA = 

HAMLET

MUFASA = 

KING HAMLET

SCAR = 

CLAUDIUS

SARABI = 

GERTRUDE

NALA = 

OPHELIA

TIMON = 

GUILDENSTERN

PUMBAA = 

ROSENCRANTZ

LION

KING

???

HONORABLE

DIM-WITTED

STYLE

• IT'S AN ANIMATED MOVIE

• TOLD IN CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE

• INCLUDES BROADWAY STYLE MUSICAL NUMBERS

GENRE

• KIDS' MOVIE, RIGHT?

LION HITLER (SCAR) MURDERS HIS BROTHER, ATTEMPTS TO MURDER HIS NEPHEW, HIRES FASCIST BROWNCOATS TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT, RAVAGES THE COUNTRY, AND DOES SO WHILE PREACHING HIS SUPREMACY FROM ATOP A DAIS

Skip ahead in this video to 4:24

TONE

COMEDIC

EARNEST

POINT

OF

VIEW

• SIMBA IS THE FOCAL POINT, BUT WE AREN'T IN HIS HEAD LOOKING THROUGH HIS EYES

SO

• THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW, AND WE DON'T JUST STAY WITH SIMBA ALONE, SO IT'S THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT (WE KNOW WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING AND SAYING EVEN WHEN SIMBA IS NOT ON SCREEN)

SYMBOLS

• WELL, WE ALREADY DISCUSSED NAMES OF CHARACTERS AND WHAT THEY MEAN

• ALSO, HAKUNA MATATA

• ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD

• "LAUGHING" HYENAS

• RAFIKI'S "MAKEUP" (CLOWNLIKE)

• MUFASA'S GHOST/REFLECTION/CLOUD

• PRIDELANDS => DESERT => OASIS

• WHAT ELSE CAN YOU THINK OF?

THEMES

• DEATH OF A PARENT AND HOW IT AFFECTS KIDS

• COMING OF AGE

• IMPORTANCE OF STRONG FEMALE FIGURES IN A PERSON'S LIFE

WHAT'S DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE LION KING AND HAMLET

HINT, WHO DIES IN HAMLET?

OPHELIA - DROWNS

• HAMLET HAS NO REASON LEFT TO LIVE

• HIS MOTHER IS PROBABLY TO BLAME FOR HIS FATHER'S MURDER, TOO

EXAMPLE 1

THE LION KING

EXAMPLE 2

FINDING NEMO

SETTING

• THE SOUTH PACIFIC, SPECIFICALLY THE AREA BETWEEN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF AND SYDNEY AUSTRALIA

• THERE IS NO YEAR GIVEN, BUT WE CAN ASSUME CONTEMPORARY AS THERE ARE MODERN DENTISTS, SCUBA DIVERS, CARS, FISHING BOATS, CUTE (MURDEROUS) GIRLS WITH BRACES, AND FISH TANKS

PLOT

I'M HANGING ONTO THIS ONE UNTIL THE END

CHARACTERS

NEMO

(OH NO, NOT YET)

MARLIN

DORY

BRUCE

ANCHOR

CHUM

CRUSH AND SQUIRT

GIL

BLOAT

BUBBLES

DEB/FLO

PEACH

DARLA

AND...

P. SHERMAN

42 WALLABY WAY

SYDNEY

FISHERMAN. EH? EH?

LITTLE DARLING?

CHEERY AND COLOR

TIDES - SPLIT PERSONALITY

LOVES BUBBLES

HE INFLATES

SCAR ON HIS GILL

THEY'RE SWEET ENERGY, LIKE SODA

SPORT FISH, FUN

STYLE

• IT'S A DIGITALLY ANIMATED MOVIE

• TOLD IN CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE

• SITCOM HUMOR

GENRE

• KIDS' MOVIE, RIGHT?

NEMO ISN'T EVEN THE MAIN CHARACTER. MARLIN'S FAMILY IS VIOLENTLY MURDERED, LEAVING HIS ONLY REMAINING SON PERMANENTLY CRIPPLED. MARLIN SUFFERS FROM PTSD AND THEN HIS SON IS KIDNAPPED. 

TONE

COMEDIC

EARNEST

POINT

OF

VIEW

• MARLIN IS THE MAJOR FOCAL POINT, BUT WE AREN'T IN HIS HEAD LOOKING THROUGH HIS EYES. SAME WITH WHEN NEMO IS THE FOCAL POINT

SO

• THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW, BUT WE STAY WITH EITHER MARLIN OR NEMO, SO IT'S THIRD PERSON LIMITED (WE ONLY REALLY SEE WHAT MARLIN OR NEMO SEE - WITH A FEW RARE EXCEPTIONS)

SYMBOLS

• WELL, WE ALREADY DISCUSSED NAMES OF CHARACTERS AND WHAT THEY MEAN (EXCEPT ONE - THE BIG ONE = NEMO)

• ALSO, RIDING IN BELLY OF WHALE

• MEETING DEJECTED FISH

• MEETING CRUSH/GOD OF CURRENTS

• DARLA'S GNASHING TEETH

• DENTIST DRAIN/WHIRLPOOL

• TANK GANG AND FILTER

• WHAT ELSE CAN YOU THINK OF?

THEMES

• DEATH OF A PARENT AND HOW IT AFFECTS KIDS

• COMING OF AGE

WHOSE STORY IS THIS?

SO...NEMO

LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND

CAPTAIN NEMO

ODYSSEUS

ODYSSEUS SAYS NOBODY BLINDS POLYPHEMUS.

IN GREEK, NOBODY IS OUTIS.

IN LATIN, IT IS TRANSLATED AS ... 

NOBODY

NEMO.

FINDING NEMO

FINDING NEMO

IS REALLY

FINDING NOBODY

BECAUSE THE STORY IS ABOUT MARLIN AND HIS ODYSSEY.

EXAMPLE 2

FINDING NEMO