CUBE: Approach to Literary Analysis

Characterization

Setting

Them

e

Plot

Point of View

Tone/Attitude/Effect

Setting: The time, location, and atmosphere of a story.

• Historical time period• Geographic location:– Topography, scenery, stage set

• Cultural backdrop/social context:– Way of life, talking and behaving, gender

roles, traditions, customs, beliefs, values, laws, etc.

• Artificial Environment: – cities, towns, villages, neighborhoods,

houses, etc.• Props: – clothing, furniture, tools, technology, etc

Setting

Setting: The time, location, and atmosphere of a story

• Setting establishes mood and atmosphere. Setting conveys not only an accurate picture of the time and place, but also the emotional content and attitudes of the characters and society in which they live.

• Setting can be used to create the conflict in the story: Man vs. Nature Man vs. Society

• Archetypal settings have some universal aspect that is associated by most people with a particular human experience.

Characterization/Character

• Character: An individual in a story or play.

• Characterization: The process by with the writer reveals the personality of a character.

Characterization

Character

• Static or Dynamic– Static: Changes little over the course of a

story.– Dynamic: Changes in some important way

as a result of the story’s action.• Flat or Round– Flat: Has only one or two personality traits– Round: Has many dimensions to his/her

personality – complex, three-dimensional

Archetypal characters embody a certain kind of universal human experience.

Characterization:

• Direct: The writer tells us what the character is like, i.e. beautiful, generous, sneaky, etc.

• Indirect: The writer reveals character from:– Dialogue – what they say.– Actions – what they do.– Interior monologue – what they think– Other character’s dialogue – what is said about

them– Associations – with whom they are in relationship– Status – what they have, wear, live, where they

are, etc.

PlotThe sequence of events in a

story

• Plot focuses on a central conflict or problem faced by the main character.

• The actions that the characters take to resolve the conflict build toward a climax.

• The conflict is resolved and the story ends.

• Cause and effect invariably drive plot.

PLOT

PlotA plot typically develops in five stages:

• Exposition– Introduces the setting, the background, the

characters, and generally the conflict(s).• Rising action

– The conflict develops and build toward a climax.• Climax

– Point of maximum interest or tension. Usually a turning point in the story.

• Falling action– Shows the results of the important action that

happened at the climax. Leads to the final resolution of the conflict.

• Resolution/Denouement– The conflicts of the story are resolved.

Denouement in French means “unraveling.”

Diagram of PlotDiagram of Plot

Inciting incident/Opening situation

Exposition

Ris

ing

Act

ion

Climax

Falling

Action

Denouement

Resolution

Special Techniques of PlotSpecial Techniques of Plot

Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what will happen in story

Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence of events to tell about something that happened in the past

Plot Diagram

2

1

3

4

5

1. Exposition• This usually occurs at the beginning of a short

story. Here the characters are introduced. We also learn about the setting of the story. Most importantly, we are introduced to the main conflict (main problem).

2. Rising Action

• This part of the story begins to develop the conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense occurs.

3. Climax• This is the turning point of the story.

Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict. The main character will change in some way.

4. Falling Action• All loose ends

of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of.

5. Resolution• The story comes to a reasonable ending.

ImageryImagery is words or phrases

that appeal to one or more of the five senses. Writers

use imagery to describe how their subjects look,

sound, feel, taste, and smell.

Theme: The central, underlying, and

controlling idea of a literary work.

• The message about life or human nature that a writer wants the reader to understand

• A perception about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader.

• Usually not stated directly (explicitly), but must be inferred (implicitly).

• May imply how a person should live but should not be confused with a moral.

• Can be stated in one or more complete sentences, but not in a single word.

Theme

How Do I find the Theme?

Ask the following questions:• How has the main character changed?• What lessons has he/she learned?• What is the central conflict in the work?• What is the subject(s) of the work?• What does the author say about the

subject?• Can this idea be supported entirely by

evidence from the work itself?• Are all the author’s choices of plot,

character, conflict, and tone controlled by this idea?

Point of View: The vantage point from which

the writer tells a story.

• Refers to the method of narration used to tell the story.

• The Narrator of a story is the character or voice that relates the story’s events to the reader.

Point of View

Point of ViewThere are two basic types of point of view:

• Participant point of view (first person)– One of the characters (major or minor) tells the story

using first person pronouns. (I, me, my, our, we, etc).

– The reader only knows what the narrator knows.• Nonparticipant Point of View (third person)

– Third-person limited• Unknown narrator relates the inner thoughts and feelings

of only ONE character, or of a few of the characters using third-person pronouns (he, him, she, her, they, them, etc)

– Third-person omniscient• An ALL-KNOWING narrator who can enter the minds of all

the characters relates the story using third-person pronouns.

– Objective Narrator• The narrator does not enter a single mind, but instead

records what can be seen and heard. Allows the reader to observe dialogue and external action.

Tone/Attitude/Effect:The narrator’s attitude toward the subject,

which is revealed by the words he/she chooses.

Tone can be discovered by looking at the author’s use of:

• Diction– Word choice: abstract/concrete; connotative/denotative, etc

• Imagery– Vivid descriptions or figures of speech that appeal to the five

senses (taste, touch, sight, sound, smell).• Details

– Facts the author has chosen to share with the reader.• Language

– The overall use of language, such as formal, clinical, jargon, etc.

• Sentence structure– The grammatical structure, sentence length, and organization

of a writer’s sentences.

Tone/Attitude/Effect

Tone/Attitude/EffectTo misinterpret tone is to misinterpret meaning.

Watch for:• Symbols

– Something which is itself and also stands for/represents something else

• Allusions– References to a well-known person, place, event, literary

work, or work of art.• Motifs

– An often-repeated idea or theme in literature.• Irony

– A discrepancy between appearances and reality. May be situational, dramatic, or verbal.

• Satire– Ridicules the shortcomings of people/institutions of a

society in an attempt to bring about change.

Understanding the CUBE allows a reader to analyze a story

from different sides.

Characterization

Setting

Them

e

Plot

Point of View

Tone/Attitude/Effect