Analyzing Literature

1. some things, in general, to look for Analyzing Literature

2. Literature is all part of one big story It grows out of itself, and lives off of those stories before it. As a result, THERE IS NO NEW STORY! There is no new story

3. Get in the habit of looking for the following, and then, paying attention to them when they appear: • Quests • Eating • Vampires • Flight Conventions of Action

4. Go there and get something • Basic outline • A quester –young, naïve • A place to go • A reason to go • A difficult and arduous journey beset by dragons • The real reason • See books: The Natural, The Crying of Lot 49, The Lord of the Rings, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Twilight, Star Wars, The Notebook… Quests

5. See Books: Tom Jones, Carvers “The Cathedral”, Joyce’s “The Dead”, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, The Hunger Games, • The act of eating/drinking together is always communion! • The act of sitting down and eating with another person is the basis of community, and when it occurs in literature it is symbolic of this, when it goes well that is • Conversely, if the meal goes poorly, it does not bode well for the relationships Eating

6. A fat brown goose lay at one end of the table and at the other end, on a bed of creased paper strewn with sprigs of parsley, lay a great ham, stripped of its outer skin and peppered over with crust crumbs, a neat paper frill round its shin and beside this was a round of spiced beef. Between these rival ends ran parallel lines of side-dishes: two little minsters of jelly, red and yellow; a shallow dish full of blocks of blancmange and red jam, a large green leaf-shaped dish with a stalk-shaped handle, on which lay bunches of purple raisins and peeled almonds, a companion dish on which lay a solid rectangle of Smyrna figs, a dish of custard topped with grated nutmeg, a small bowl full of chocolates and sweets wrapped in gold and silver papers and a glass vase in which stood some tall celery stalks. In the centre of the table there stood, as sentries to a fruit-stand which upheld a pyramid of oranges and American apples, two squat old-fashioned decanters of cut glass, one containing port and the other dark sherry. On the closed square piano a pudding in a huge yellow dish lay in waiting and behind it were three squads of bottles of stout and ale and minerals, drawn up according to the colours of their uniforms, the first two black, with brown and red labels, the third and smallest squad white, with transverse green sashes. From “The Dead”

7. Vampires • Ghosts and Vampires are never just Ghosts and Vampires • What does Dracula do • He’s old • He attacks at night • He prays on young unmarried (speaking in terms of Victorian Age this would mean virginal) women. • He drains their life from them • He leaves his mark on them • As a result, they’re dead. • This happens all the time in Literature • Anytime an older person ruins a younger person by praying on them (i.e. putting their own needs in front of the victims) it’s a vampire. • See Books: Dracula, Daisy Miller, The Turn of the Screw, A Christmas Carol, Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and “A Hunger Artist”, The Dresden Files, Salem’s Lot

8. Flight • Humans can’t fly. I checked. • Therefore when they do in stories, it’s meaningful • In general, it’s freedom: freedom of body, spirit, mind… • Sometimes it’s paradoxical, since freedom is not always good. See Icarus for example. • See: The Harry Potter novels, Satanic Verses,

9. Source Conventions—Where they get it

10. Authors borrow everything from Shakespeare. Titles, lines, characters, whole plots, partial plots… • Why? • It sounds good. • Writers write what’s in their head, and Shakespeare is in a lot of heads world-wide. • He lends authority. Shakespeare is culturally sacred. • Because its understood, it may be used as a comparison See works: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Master Harold…and the Boys, Midsummer Nights Sex Comedy (Film), “Lovesong Of J. Alfred Prufrock” (Poem)… When in Doubt, Its from Shakespeare

11. Books to read: go tell it on the mountain, Song of solomon, beloved, The satanic verses… • Like Shakespeare, the bible is in the author’s mind • Also, it is culturally sacred. • The following is a list of images that have biblical significance: garden, tree, serpent, 40 days, flood, slavery and escape, fishes loaves, whale… …Or the Bible

12. The life, achievements and death of Jesus Christ permeate literature and the world. For this reason a character archetype, called a Christ Figure, is a predominant practice in literature. Why do it? Well, there are many reasons but usually it is to add weight or significance to the actions of the figure Christ Figures

13. To analyze Christ Figures accurately, look for these 19 attributes associated with the life and death of Christ: • The initials JC • He was crucified, sustaining wounds in the hands, feet, side and head • He suffered greatly • He was self-sacrificing • He was good with children • Associated with loaves, water, wine, fish • 33 years of age when last seen • Employed as a carpenter • Known to use humble modes of transportation (feet and donkeys preferred) 19 things to look for in Christ Figures

14. Walked on water Often portrayed with outstretched arms Spent time alone in the wilderness Believed to have confrontation with the devil, possibly tempted Last seen in the company of thieves Creator of many aphorisms and parables Died and was buried, but arose on the third day Had followers (12) though not all equally devoted Very forgiving Came to redeem an unworthy world 19 things to look for in Christ Figures (Cont.)

15. Good reasons to write a story about a fairy tale: • They’re widely known (mostly thanks to Disney) • They’re easily accessible • They’re culturally based • Books: Grover’s “The Gingerbread House”, The Bloody Chamber, Going After Cacciato… Not to mention Folk/fairy tales

16. It’s all greek • Greek and Roman Mythology has permeated literature for almost 3000 years. It’s not going away. • Why? • By parallel, we add greatness to stories in comparison • They portray essential qualities of being human. • Books: Omneros, Silko’s “Yellow Woman”, O Brother, Where Art Thou (Film), “Musee des Beaux Arts” (Poem)…

17. When Reading, Check the Weather

18. Clean coming down… • …Dirty on the ground • It causes (like all weather) common need for shelter • A plot device at times • Restorative • Principle element in Spring… • …And in making rainbows (Awwwww!) • Look for: Edward B. L.’s “The Three Strangers”, The Rainbow, The Virgin and The Gypsy, Song of Solomon Rain

19. Its principle use is to cause confusion • Can be literal or figurative • Mental, ethical or physical but always confusion • Read: Bleak House, Party Going Fog

20. Clean (when new) • Dirty (when old) • Stark, severe, cold • Warm, comforting, fun • And its an equalizer • , “The Pederson Kid” , “The Snow Man” “The Dead” Snow

21. There’s the whole Age Thing • Spring-Childhood, youth, promise ; Summer-Adulthood, romance, fulfillment ; Autumn-middle age, tiredness, Winter-Old age, tiredness, death. • But remember there are emotional connections to those things and therefore to the seasons they represent • Read: Poems: “After Apple Picking,” “California Dreaming,” “The Wasteland,” Novels: A Winter’s Tale, Daisy Miller The Seasons

22. Thanks to a series of popular studies done by the esteemed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, in which he unlocked the sexual potential of the subconscious mind, literature of the late 1800’s and 1900’s is filled with imagery suggestive of and symbolic of sex. • Strangely, the sexual act itself is never about sex. • Here’s some examples: • Tall buildings, swords and lances (male sexuality) • Rolling landscapes, chalices, cups (female sexuality) • Stairs, (intercourse) Freud (and sex)

23. If a character is given a specific job, it is of course done for a reason. • Military – soldier, leader, pilot… • Architect • Carpenter • Writer/artist/sculptor • Athlete • Boss Check the resume-jobs in lit.

24. Marked For Greatness Blindness Heart Disease Illness Conventions of Health

25. Deformed, scarred and/or monstrous characters are created for a reason. • These Reasons differ each time but consider: • Quasimodo – Hunchbacked to show that outward appearance does not match inner beauty. • Richard III – Hunchbacked to reflect inner ugliness • Oedipus – Has wounded feet • Jake (from Sun Also Rises) – has no … umm… Lance… • Harry Potter – What’s the scar? Where is it? Figure it out!! Marked

26. Usually means the character sees things on a level greater than the other characters. Could mean he is blind to something seen by the reader Blindness

27. The heart is and has been a crucial symbol for hundreds of years. It is the source of love, bravery, sensitivity, devotion…almost any emotion you can imagine. Therefore, heart disease suggests: bad love, loneliness, cruelty, disloyalty, cowardice, lack of determination… If a character dies of heart disease it is always representative of one of these things. Heart Disease

28. Paralysis – The character is in some way stunted from development or, of course, stuck. Tuberculosis – The character is slowly wasting away, becoming less lively, less significant… Plague – is social, scary and destructive VD – an actual representation or reminder of sinfulness. Illnesses

29. What does the story signify? (What point is Mansfield making by writing it?) How does it signify? (What techniques does Mansfield employ to make her point?) Now write down your responses. Try to point to very specific passages or plot points in the story to support. The Garden Party

30. What about the title? What about the first two sentences? The last two? What about the relationship between Laura and Mrs. Sheridan? What about the house above and the town below separated by “a broad street”? More to consider…