Studying a literary work

the novel

the short story / novella

the play

the tale / short narrative

the character

the protagonist (main character)

the narrator

the plot

the theme (big idea)

the atmosphere / mood

the extract

Two works, read in French.

The narrator (le/la narrateur-trice) tells the story inside the work; the author (l’auteur-e) is the real writer. A first-person « je » is the narrator, not the author.

Détail → Citation → Effet (detail → quotation → effect): name the detail, quote it, explain its effect.

the theme (the central themes)

the character (the characters)

the main character / protagonist

the antagonist (the opposing character)

the secondary / minor character

the motive / motivation (what drives a character)

the relationship (between characters)

the character's development / character arc

to embody a theme (a character standing for a central idea)

the recurring motif (a repeated image/object that points to the theme)

A topic is a single word (la famille); a theme is the claim the work makes about it (« la famille peut être un refuge ou une prison »). A theme is a sentence, not a noun.

Ask three questions: Qu’est-ce qui se répète ? (what recurs?), Quel choix compte ? (what choice matters?), Qu’est-ce qui change à la fin ? (what changes by the end?).

trait → citation → signification (trait → quotation → meaning): name the trait, quote the text, explain what it shows. Look at le motif, la relation and l’évolution.

No — the antagonist (l’antagoniste) is whoever opposes the protagonist's goal, not necessarily an evil « méchant ». And the protagonist (le personnage principal) is a character, never the real author.

the narrative perspective (who tells the story and from where)

the point of view

first-person narrator (uses « je »)

third-person narrator (uses « il/elle »)

omniscient narrator (knows everything, even hidden thoughts)

the tone / mood (the feeling/attitude of the writing)

the register (formal, informal, poetic…)

metaphor — calls one thing another directly (« le temps est un voleur »)

simile — compares using « comme » (« fidèle comme un chien »)

imagery — vivid sensory detail

symbol/symbolism — an object that stands for an idea

personification — gives human traits to a thing (« la mer respirait »)

A comparaison uses « comme » (or « tel »/« semblable à »); a métaphore drops « comme » and says it *is* the thing.

The narrator (le narrateur / la narratrice) is the voice inside the work; the author (l’auteur / l’autrice) is the real writer. A first-person « je » is the narrator, not the author.