Introduction to Literature
Introduction to Literature
Lumen Learning & Ivy Tech Community College
Cover Photo: By Sandra Kelly, 2015; Virginia Beach, Virginia
Introduction to Literature by Lumen Learning & Ivy Tech Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
, CONTENTS
Genre Introduction
Introduction.......................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... 1
• Defining Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 1
• Introduction to American Literature.................................................................................................................... 3
• Introduction to Fiction ........................................................................................................................................ 3
• The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction................................................................................................. 3
• Introduction to Creative Nonfiction..................................................................................................................... 4
• Introduction to Plays and Film ........................................................................................................................... 4
• Reading a Play .................................................................................................................................................. 4
• Reading Poetry .................................................................................................................................................. 5
• Poetry Lesson Presentation............................................................................................................................... 5
• Poetry Literary Terms: A Guide ......................................................................................................................... 6
• Free Verse ....................................................................................................................................................... 13
• Billy Collins: A Poet Speaks Out...................................................................................................................... 14
• Approaching Poetry (Includes Free Verse)...................................................................................................... 14
• Approaching Poetry ......................................................................................................................................... 33
Literary Conventions ................................................................................................................. 51
• Literary Terms.................................................................................................................................................. 51
• Elements of Literature...................................................................................................................................... 54
• The Rough Guide to Literary Style, a Historical Overview............................................................................... 54
• Theme.............................................................................................................................................................. 58
• Conflict............................................................................................................................................................. 58
• Symbols in Literature ....................................................................................................................................... 59
• Symbolism ....................................................................................................................................................... 59
• Characters and Characterization ..................................................................................................................... 60
• Metaphor.......................................................................................................................................................... 62
• Point of View.................................................................................................................................................... 62
• Perspective and Point of View ......................................................................................................................... 62
Writing About Literature
Literature.............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................. 64
• How to Read Like a Writer............................................................................................................................... 64
• Modes of Exposition ........................................................................................................................................ 72
• Reading to Write Effectively............................................................................................................................. 73
• How to Write With Style ................................................................................................................................... 73
• Creating an Effective Style .............................................................................................................................. 76
• Structure in Literary Essays............................................................................................................................. 82
• Distinguish Between Primary and Secondary Sources ................................................................................... 83
• Using Databases: Periodical Indexes and Abstracts ....................................................................................... 84
• Writing an Introduction to a Literary Analysis Essay........................................................................................ 85
• Creating MLA Works Cited Entries .................................................................................................................. 85
• MLA In-Text Citations ...................................................................................................................................... 86
• Annotated Bibliographies: An Illustrated Guide ............................................................................................... 90
Literary Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 91
• The Nature of Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 91
• How to Analyze a Novel................................................................................................................................... 95
• How to Analyze a Short Story.......................................................................................................................... 97
• How to Analyze Poetry .................................................................................................................................... 99
• How to Analyze a Film ..................................................................................................................................... 99
• Finding Literary Criticism ............................................................................................................................... 102
• Reader-Response Criticism........................................................................................................................... 104
• Reader-Response Criticism........................................................................................................................... 108
• Introduction to Critical Theory........................................................................................................................ 108
, • New Criticism................................................................................................................................................. 111
• Multicultural Societies Explained ................................................................................................................... 112
Poetry Readings and Responses
Responses............................................................................................
............................................................................................ 113
• Maya Angelou, "On the Pulse of Morning," 1993 .......................................................................................... 113
• Billy Collins, "The Lanyard," 2007.................................................................................................................. 116
• Emily Dickinson, Poems Series One, 1890 ................................................................................................... 116
• Emily Dickinson, "Wild nights - Wild nights!" 1861 ........................................................................................ 154
• Robert Frost, "Acquainted with the Night," 1923 ........................................................................................... 155
• Robert Frost, "The Lockless Door," 1920 ...................................................................................................... 155
• Langston Hughes, "Let America Be America Again," 1935 ........................................................................... 156
• Edgar Allen Poe, The Complete Poetical Works, 1845 ................................................................................. 158
• Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven," 1845............................................................................................................. 299
• Ezra Pound, Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, 1920 ................................................................................................. 299
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Selected Works, 1855................................................................................... 319
• Theodore Roethke, "My Papa's Waltz," 1961................................................................................................ 421
• Reader-response to "My Papa's Waltz"......................................................................................................... 422
• Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market," 1862...................................................................................................... 422
• William Shakespeare, Sonnets, 1609............................................................................................................ 422
• Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Ode to the West Wind," 1891 .................................................................................. 469
• Phillis Wheatley, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1773 ................................................... 469
• Walt Whitman, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," 1865 ..................................................................... 506
• William Carlos Williams, "The Red Wheelbarrow," 1962............................................................................... 506
• Additional Poems........................................................................................................................................... 507
Drama Readings and Responses ........................................................................................... 508
• Anton Chekhov, "The Bear," 1888................................................................................................................. 508
• Anton Chekhov, "The Cherry Orchard," 1904................................................................................................ 514
• Anton Chekhov, "The Three Sisters," 1900 ................................................................................................... 546
• Susan Glaspell, "Inheritors," 1921 ................................................................................................................. 585
• Susan Glaspell, "The Outside," 1916 ............................................................................................................ 634
• Susan Glaspell, "Trifles," 1916 ...................................................................................................................... 641
• Susan Glaspell, "The Verge," 1921 ............................................................................................................... 650
• Langston Hughes and Zora Hurston, "The Mule-Bone," 1930 ...................................................................... 692
• Henrik Ibsen, "A Doll's House," 1879............................................................................................................. 720
• Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895 .................................................................................. 773
• Critical Reviews of Film Version of The Importance of Being Earnest .......................................................... 812
Fiction Readings and Responses
Responses............................................................................................
............................................................................................ 813
• Louisa May Alcott, "Scarlet Stockings," 1869 ................................................................................................ 813
• Ambrose Bierce, "The Middle Toe of the Right Foot," 1890 .......................................................................... 825
• Henry Cuyler Bunner, "The Nice People," 1890 ............................................................................................ 830
• Willa Cather, "On the Gull's Road," 1908 ...................................................................................................... 835
• Anton Chekhov, "Peasant Wives," 1891........................................................................................................ 843
• Kate Chopin, "Regret," 1897.......................................................................................................................... 850
• Kate Chopin, "The Story of an Hour," 1894 ................................................................................................... 853
• Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 1899 ..................................................................................................... 854
• Joseph Conrad, "The Idiots," 1896 ................................................................................................................ 855
• Philip K. Dick, "Beyond the Door," 1954 ........................................................................................................ 866
• Charles Dickens, "The Signal-Man," 1866..................................................................................................... 870
• Arthur Conan Doyle, "Scandal in Bohemia," 1891......................................................................................... 878
• F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Ice Palace," 1920 ................................................................................................... 891
• Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Ethan Brand," 1850................................................................................................... 908
• Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown," 1835 ................................................................................ 915
• Critical Responses to "Young Goodman Brown"........................................................................................... 922
• Kelly Link, "The Specialist's Hat," 1998 ......................................................................................................... 922
, • Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper," 1892 ............................................................................. 930
• Saki, "The Open Window," 1914 ................................................................................................................... 941
• Mary Shelley, "The Mortal Immortal," 1833 ................................................................................................... 943
• Jim Shepard, "The Zero Meter Diving Team," 2007 ...................................................................................... 950
• Mark Twain, "Eve's Diary," 1905.................................................................................................................... 951
• Madhuri Vijay, "Lorry Raja," 2012.................................................................................................................. 958
• Analysis of "Lorry Raja" ................................................................................................................................. 958
Nonfiction Readings and Responses ......................................................................................
......................................................................................959
959
• Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom, 1855 ........................................................................... 959
• Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854........................................................................................................ 1095
• Mark Twain, "Two Ways of Seeing A River," 1883 ...................................................................................... 1096
• Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery, 1901 ........................................................................................... 1097
• Zitkala-Sa, "The School Days of an Indian Girl," 1900 ................................................................................ 1176
• Other Creative Nonfiction Readings ............................................................................................................ 1183
Introduction to Literature
Lumen Learning & Ivy Tech Community College
Cover Photo: By Sandra Kelly, 2015; Virginia Beach, Virginia
Introduction to Literature by Lumen Learning & Ivy Tech Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
, CONTENTS
Genre Introduction
Introduction.......................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... 1
• Defining Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 1
• Introduction to American Literature.................................................................................................................... 3
• Introduction to Fiction ........................................................................................................................................ 3
• The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction................................................................................................. 3
• Introduction to Creative Nonfiction..................................................................................................................... 4
• Introduction to Plays and Film ........................................................................................................................... 4
• Reading a Play .................................................................................................................................................. 4
• Reading Poetry .................................................................................................................................................. 5
• Poetry Lesson Presentation............................................................................................................................... 5
• Poetry Literary Terms: A Guide ......................................................................................................................... 6
• Free Verse ....................................................................................................................................................... 13
• Billy Collins: A Poet Speaks Out...................................................................................................................... 14
• Approaching Poetry (Includes Free Verse)...................................................................................................... 14
• Approaching Poetry ......................................................................................................................................... 33
Literary Conventions ................................................................................................................. 51
• Literary Terms.................................................................................................................................................. 51
• Elements of Literature...................................................................................................................................... 54
• The Rough Guide to Literary Style, a Historical Overview............................................................................... 54
• Theme.............................................................................................................................................................. 58
• Conflict............................................................................................................................................................. 58
• Symbols in Literature ....................................................................................................................................... 59
• Symbolism ....................................................................................................................................................... 59
• Characters and Characterization ..................................................................................................................... 60
• Metaphor.......................................................................................................................................................... 62
• Point of View.................................................................................................................................................... 62
• Perspective and Point of View ......................................................................................................................... 62
Writing About Literature
Literature.............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................. 64
• How to Read Like a Writer............................................................................................................................... 64
• Modes of Exposition ........................................................................................................................................ 72
• Reading to Write Effectively............................................................................................................................. 73
• How to Write With Style ................................................................................................................................... 73
• Creating an Effective Style .............................................................................................................................. 76
• Structure in Literary Essays............................................................................................................................. 82
• Distinguish Between Primary and Secondary Sources ................................................................................... 83
• Using Databases: Periodical Indexes and Abstracts ....................................................................................... 84
• Writing an Introduction to a Literary Analysis Essay........................................................................................ 85
• Creating MLA Works Cited Entries .................................................................................................................. 85
• MLA In-Text Citations ...................................................................................................................................... 86
• Annotated Bibliographies: An Illustrated Guide ............................................................................................... 90
Literary Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 91
• The Nature of Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 91
• How to Analyze a Novel................................................................................................................................... 95
• How to Analyze a Short Story.......................................................................................................................... 97
• How to Analyze Poetry .................................................................................................................................... 99
• How to Analyze a Film ..................................................................................................................................... 99
• Finding Literary Criticism ............................................................................................................................... 102
• Reader-Response Criticism........................................................................................................................... 104
• Reader-Response Criticism........................................................................................................................... 108
• Introduction to Critical Theory........................................................................................................................ 108
, • New Criticism................................................................................................................................................. 111
• Multicultural Societies Explained ................................................................................................................... 112
Poetry Readings and Responses
Responses............................................................................................
............................................................................................ 113
• Maya Angelou, "On the Pulse of Morning," 1993 .......................................................................................... 113
• Billy Collins, "The Lanyard," 2007.................................................................................................................. 116
• Emily Dickinson, Poems Series One, 1890 ................................................................................................... 116
• Emily Dickinson, "Wild nights - Wild nights!" 1861 ........................................................................................ 154
• Robert Frost, "Acquainted with the Night," 1923 ........................................................................................... 155
• Robert Frost, "The Lockless Door," 1920 ...................................................................................................... 155
• Langston Hughes, "Let America Be America Again," 1935 ........................................................................... 156
• Edgar Allen Poe, The Complete Poetical Works, 1845 ................................................................................. 158
• Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven," 1845............................................................................................................. 299
• Ezra Pound, Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, 1920 ................................................................................................. 299
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Selected Works, 1855................................................................................... 319
• Theodore Roethke, "My Papa's Waltz," 1961................................................................................................ 421
• Reader-response to "My Papa's Waltz"......................................................................................................... 422
• Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market," 1862...................................................................................................... 422
• William Shakespeare, Sonnets, 1609............................................................................................................ 422
• Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Ode to the West Wind," 1891 .................................................................................. 469
• Phillis Wheatley, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1773 ................................................... 469
• Walt Whitman, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," 1865 ..................................................................... 506
• William Carlos Williams, "The Red Wheelbarrow," 1962............................................................................... 506
• Additional Poems........................................................................................................................................... 507
Drama Readings and Responses ........................................................................................... 508
• Anton Chekhov, "The Bear," 1888................................................................................................................. 508
• Anton Chekhov, "The Cherry Orchard," 1904................................................................................................ 514
• Anton Chekhov, "The Three Sisters," 1900 ................................................................................................... 546
• Susan Glaspell, "Inheritors," 1921 ................................................................................................................. 585
• Susan Glaspell, "The Outside," 1916 ............................................................................................................ 634
• Susan Glaspell, "Trifles," 1916 ...................................................................................................................... 641
• Susan Glaspell, "The Verge," 1921 ............................................................................................................... 650
• Langston Hughes and Zora Hurston, "The Mule-Bone," 1930 ...................................................................... 692
• Henrik Ibsen, "A Doll's House," 1879............................................................................................................. 720
• Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895 .................................................................................. 773
• Critical Reviews of Film Version of The Importance of Being Earnest .......................................................... 812
Fiction Readings and Responses
Responses............................................................................................
............................................................................................ 813
• Louisa May Alcott, "Scarlet Stockings," 1869 ................................................................................................ 813
• Ambrose Bierce, "The Middle Toe of the Right Foot," 1890 .......................................................................... 825
• Henry Cuyler Bunner, "The Nice People," 1890 ............................................................................................ 830
• Willa Cather, "On the Gull's Road," 1908 ...................................................................................................... 835
• Anton Chekhov, "Peasant Wives," 1891........................................................................................................ 843
• Kate Chopin, "Regret," 1897.......................................................................................................................... 850
• Kate Chopin, "The Story of an Hour," 1894 ................................................................................................... 853
• Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 1899 ..................................................................................................... 854
• Joseph Conrad, "The Idiots," 1896 ................................................................................................................ 855
• Philip K. Dick, "Beyond the Door," 1954 ........................................................................................................ 866
• Charles Dickens, "The Signal-Man," 1866..................................................................................................... 870
• Arthur Conan Doyle, "Scandal in Bohemia," 1891......................................................................................... 878
• F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Ice Palace," 1920 ................................................................................................... 891
• Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Ethan Brand," 1850................................................................................................... 908
• Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown," 1835 ................................................................................ 915
• Critical Responses to "Young Goodman Brown"........................................................................................... 922
• Kelly Link, "The Specialist's Hat," 1998 ......................................................................................................... 922
, • Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper," 1892 ............................................................................. 930
• Saki, "The Open Window," 1914 ................................................................................................................... 941
• Mary Shelley, "The Mortal Immortal," 1833 ................................................................................................... 943
• Jim Shepard, "The Zero Meter Diving Team," 2007 ...................................................................................... 950
• Mark Twain, "Eve's Diary," 1905.................................................................................................................... 951
• Madhuri Vijay, "Lorry Raja," 2012.................................................................................................................. 958
• Analysis of "Lorry Raja" ................................................................................................................................. 958
Nonfiction Readings and Responses ......................................................................................
......................................................................................959
959
• Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom, 1855 ........................................................................... 959
• Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854........................................................................................................ 1095
• Mark Twain, "Two Ways of Seeing A River," 1883 ...................................................................................... 1096
• Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery, 1901 ........................................................................................... 1097
• Zitkala-Sa, "The School Days of an Indian Girl," 1900 ................................................................................ 1176
• Other Creative Nonfiction Readings ............................................................................................................ 1183
