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Interpretation of a Text

  1. Speak of the author in brief.
    • the facts of his/her biography relevant for his/her creative activities
    • the epoch (social and historical background)
    • the literary trend he/she belongs to
    • the main literary pieces (works)
  2. Give a summary of the extract (story) under consideration (the gist, the content of the story in a nutshell).
  3. State the problem raised (tackled) by the author.
  4. Formulate the main idea conveyed by the author (the main line of the thought, the author's message).
  5. Give a general definition of the text under study.
    • a 3rd person narrative
    • a 1st person narrative
    • narration interlaced with descriptive passages and dialogues of the personages
    • narration broken by digressions (philosophical, psychological, lyrical, etc.)
    • an account of events interwoven with a humorous (ironical, satirical) portrayal of society, or the personage, etc.
  6. Define the prevailing mood (tone, slant) of the extract. It may be lyrical, dramatic, tragic, optimistic / pessimistic, melodramatic, sentimental, unemotional / emotional, pathetic, dry and matter-of-fact, gloomy, bitter, sarcastic, cheerful, etc.
  7. The composition of the story. Divide the text logically into complete parts and entitle them.If possible choose the key-sentence (the topic sentence) in each part that reveals its essence. The compositional pattern of a complete story (chapter, episode) may be as follows:
    1. the exposition (introduction)
    2. the development of the plot (an account of events)
    3. the climax (the culminating point)
    4. the denouement (the outcome of the story)
  1. Give a detailed analysis of each logically complete part.

Stylistic Devices

Metaphor directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects. It is a figure of speech that compares two or more things not using like or as That boy is a fox
Personification a figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to an abstract quality, animal, or inanimate object The wind whistled through the trees The flowers danced in the gentle breeze. The fire swallowed the entire forest.
Irony a figure of speech in which there is a contradiction of expectation between what is said what is really meant. is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words It is characterized by an incongruity, a contrast, between reality and appearance posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is. The butter is as soft as a marble piece.  
Epithet a descriptive literary device that describes a place, a thing or a person in such a way that it helps in making the characteristics of a person, thing or place more prominent than they actually are. the sweetest flower of all the field The earth is crying-sweet, And scattering-bright the air, Eddying, dizzying, closing round, With soft and drunken laughter…
Metonymy a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept "The king's guns were aimed at the enemy," using 'guns' to represent infantry.
Zeugma a figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas. John lost his coat and his temper” [They] covered themselves with dust and glory.”
Pun a word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect “Atheism is a non-prophet institution” the word “prophet” is used instead of “profit” to produce a humorous effect. A horse is a very stable animal. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. What is the difference between a conductor and a teacher? The conductor minds the train and a teacher trains the mind.
Antonomasia is a kind of metonymy in which an epithet or phrase takes the place of a proper name, such as "the little corporal" for Napoleon I. Conversely, antonomasia can also be using a proper name as an archetypal name, to express a generic idea. The Queen of Pop" or "The Material Girl" for Madonna The Iron Lady" or the "The Leaderene" for Margaret Thatcher
Oxymoron a figure of speech that combines incongruous or contradictory terms Alone in the crowd Almost suddenly Anarchy rules!
Hyperbole the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally My grandmother is as old as the hills. Your suitcase weighs a ton! She is as heavy as an elephant! I am dying of shame. I am trying to solve a million issues these days
Simile a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, often introduced with the word "like" or "as" The beast had eyes as big as baseballs and teeth as long as knives.
Euphemism polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant. Euphemism is an idiomatic expression which loses its literal meanings and refers to something else in order to hide its unpleasantness   You are becoming a little thin on top (bald). Our teacher is in the family way (pregnant). He is always tired and emotional (drunk). We do not hire mentally challenged (stupid) people. He is a special child (disabled or retarded)
Periphrasis a stylistic device that can be defined as the use of excessive and longer words to convey a meaning which could have been conveyed with a shorter expression or in a few words. It is an indirect or roundabout way of writing about things. Instead of simply saying “I am displeased with your behavior”, one can say, “the manner in which you have conducted yourself in my presence of late has caused me to feel uncomfortable and has resulted in my feeling disgruntled and disappointed with you”. The high-tech, electronic device said that I had an email. (Refers to computer.) The greatest playwright that ever lived wrote Romeo and Juliet. (Refers to Shakespeare.)
Allusion The act of alluding is to make indirect reference. It is a literary device, a figure of speech that quickly stimulates different ideas and associations using only a couple of words. Allusion relies on the reader being able to understand the allusion and being familiar with the meaning hidden behind the words. The software included a Trojan Horse. (allusion on the Trojan horse from Greek mythology) to wash one’s hands of it. (allusion on Pontius Pilatus, who sentenced Jesus to death, but washed his hands afterwards to demonstrate that he was not to blame for it.)


Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1523


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