Studying a literary work

the novel

the short story

the play

the novella

the character

the protagonist (main character)

the narrator

the plot

the theme (big idea)

the atmosphere / mood

the extract

Two works, read in German.

The narrator (der/die Erzähler/in) tells the story inside the work; the author (der/die Autor/in) is the real writer. A first-person „ich“ is the narrator, not the author.

Detail → Zitat → Wirkung (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 (die Familie); a theme is the claim the work makes about it („die Familie kann Zuflucht oder Gefängnis sein“). A theme is a sentence, not a noun.

Ask three questions: Was wiederholt sich? (what recurs?), Welche Entscheidung zählt? (what choice matters?), Was verändert sich am Ende? (what changes by the end?).

Eigenschaft → Zitat → Bedeutung (trait → quotation → meaning): name the trait, quote the text, explain what it shows. Look at Motiv, Beziehung and Entwicklung.

No — the antagonist (der/die Antagonist(in)) is whoever opposes the protagonist's goal, not necessarily an evil „Bösewicht“. And the protagonist (die Hauptfigur) 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 «ich»)

third-person narrator (uses «er/sie»)

authorial/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 («die Zeit ist ein Dieb»)

simile — compares using «wie» («treu wie ein Hund»)

imagery — vivid sensory detail

symbol/symbolism — an object that stands for an idea

personification — gives human traits to a thing («das Meer atmete»)

A Vergleich uses «wie» (or «schien»/«gleicht»); a Metapher drops «wie» and says it *is* the thing.

The narrator (der/die Erzähler/in) is the voice inside the work; the author (der/die Autor/in) is the real writer. A first-person «ich» is the narrator, not the author.