Prose Fiction

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The analysis and interpretation of prose narratives, like short stories and novels, from classic authors such as Miguel de Cervantes, Jane Austen, and Homer.

Historical Context: Understanding the social, cultural, and political background of the time period in which the work was written can provide insight into the author's purpose and the text's themes.
Genre and Form: Understanding the various genres of prose fiction, such as romance, comedy, tragedy, and epic, and their narrative structures and conventions can help readers identify and appreciate the techniques used by the author.
Narrative Point of View: Understanding the perspective from which the story is told, such as first-person, omniscient, or limited, can help readers identify the author's intentions and the mode of narration used.
Characterization: Understanding the process of creating and developing fictional characters can help readers better understand and appreciate the motivations behind the characters' actions.
Themes: Understanding the key ideas and motifs that the author explores in their work can help readers identify the novel's central message or meaning.
Symbolism: Understanding the use of symbols, such as objects or images that represent deeper meanings, can help readers appreciate the author's thematic and stylistic choices.
Style: Understanding the author's use of language, diction, syntax, and other stylistic devices can help readers appreciate the author's writing style and its effects on the reader.
Literary Devices: Understanding the techniques and tools that authors use to create meaning, such as imagery, foreshadowing, irony, and metaphor, can help readers appreciate the depth of the text.
Allusions: Understanding the references to other texts, historical events, or cultural phenomena can help readers better understand the author's intentions and the cultural context of the work.
Critical Approaches: Understanding the various methods of literary analysis, such as New Criticism, Feminism, Marxism, and Psychoanalytic Theory, can help readers develop a deeper appreciation for the complexities and nuances of the text.
Novel: A long fictional narrative in prose that typically explores complex characters, settings, and themes.
Short Story: A brief fictional narrative that typically focuses on a single event or character and is designed to be read in one sitting.
Novella: A medium-length fictional narrative that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.
Fable: A short fictional story that typically features animals or mythical creatures and is designed to convey a moral lesson.
Allegory: A type of extended metaphor in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract concepts or moral qualities.
Myth: A traditional story that explains the beliefs, values, and customs of a particular culture through the use of gods, heroes, and supernatural creatures.
Fairy Tale: A traditional story featuring magical elements, heroic quests, and happy endings.
Gothic Fiction: A type of fiction that features supernatural or horror elements, typically set in a gloomy, dark, or mysterious location, and often explores themes of madness, death, and the supernatural.
Historical Fiction: A type of fiction that is set in a particular time and place in history and typically features real historical events and figures.
Science Fiction: A type of fiction that explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations, typically set in the future, on other planets, or in alternate realities.
Romance: A type of fiction that explores the complex relationships between individuals, usually involving some form of love or affection.
Mystery: A type of fiction that involves solving a crime or puzzle, typically featuring a detective or other investigator.
"Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, poetry, and including both print and digital writing."
"Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and essays."
"In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, also known as orature, much of which has been transcribed."
"Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role."
"The term derives from Latin literatura/litteratura 'learning, a writing, grammar,' originally 'writing formed with letters,' from litera/littera 'letter'."
"Within its broad definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles or other written information on a particular subject."
"Developments in print technology have allowed an ever-growing distribution and proliferation of written works, which now include electronic literature."
"Literature is often referred to synecdochically as 'writing,' especially creative writing, and poetically as 'the craft of writing' (or simply 'the craft')."
"Syd Field described his discipline, screenwriting, as 'a craft that occasionally rises to the level of art.'"
"It [literature] is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form."
"Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment."
"Which now include electronic literature."
"Much of which has been transcribed [referring to oral literature or orature]."
"Within its broad definition."
"Also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, poetry, and including both print and digital writing."
"Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role."
"The term derives from Latin literatura/litteratura 'learning, a writing, grammar,' originally 'writing formed with letters,' from litera/littera 'letter'."
"Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment."
"Works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and essays."
"A craft that occasionally rises to the level of art."