Literary Concepts and Analysis
The Hero
A hero is a person of extraordinary qualities who serves as a model for a community.
Phrases
A phrase is a set of words organized around one, which functions as the core.
The Novel
A novel is a long prose narrative of imaginary events.
The Antihero
The protagonist is devoid of the extraordinary qualities with which the hero is usually presented in epics.
The Simple Sentence
A sentence is a word or set of words between two breaks that transmits a complex and meaningful message. A sentence contains at least a subject and a predicate.
Subject and Predicate
The subject is a noun phrase that agrees in number and person with the verb. All words that are not part of the subject noun phrase are included in the verbal phrase that functions as a predicate.
Types of Subjects
Depending on the relationship of meaning between the subject and the verb, we distinguish three types of subjects:
- Agent: If the subject performs the action intentionally.
- Cause: If the subject is the involuntary reason or trigger.
- Patient: If the subject receives or is affected by the action of the verb.
Subgenres of the Novel
Realistic Novels
In some novels, the facts told are not fictitious, but plausible—not actually occurring, but possible.
Detective Novels
Detective novels narrate a crime whose perpetrator is unknown and the investigation that leads to solving the case.
Coming-of-Age Novels
These novels feature a teenager or a young person whose personality develops throughout the story.
Non-Realistic Novels
In other novels, the events are improbable or fantastical, meaning they did not or could not happen in the real world.
Novels of Chivalry
These novels recount the adventures of knights-errant.
Horror Novels
Horror novels feature supernatural beings or events that cause great fear and anguish in the characters.
Science Fiction Novels
These novels narrate events that occur in a future world, often to draw conclusions about the present.
The Simple Sentence (Continued)
The verb phrase that serves as a predicate in the sentence contains a verb kernel.
Direct Object
The direct object is a noun phrase that can be replaced by the pronouns lo, la, los, las.
Indirect Object
The indirect object is a prepositional construction headed by the preposition “to” and can be replaced with the pronouns le, les.
Short Stories
A short story is a brief narrative of imaginary events, featuring a small number of characters and an underdeveloped plot.
Folktales
Folktales are anonymous, traditional stories of folk origin, transmitted orally from generation to generation.
Short Story (Literary)
These are invented and written by known authors and have always been transmitted in writing.
Fairy Tales
In a fairy tale, the real world is suddenly altered by a supernatural or inexplicable event.
The Simple Sentence (Continued)
Complement System
The complement system is a prepositional construction headed by a preposition and is required by the verb.
Attribute
The attribute is a noun or adjective that always accompanies a copula, and its core agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Predicative Complement
The predicative complement is an adjectival phrase that always accompanies non-copular verbs, and its nucleus agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Poetry
Meter
Each line of writing in a poem is called a verse.
Rhyme
Rhyme is the total or partial coincidence of sounds in two or more verses from the last stressed vowel.
The Simple Sentence (Continued)
Agent Complement
The agent complement is a prepositional construction headed by the preposition “by” that appears in sentences with the verb in the passive voice.
Circumstantial Complement
The circumstantial complement is located in the predicate and provides information on the location, time, mode, amount, or cause of the verbal action.
Themes in Lyrics
Love
Key themes include the suffering of a breakup, the happiness of requited love, jealousy, and the desire to be with a loved one.
Other Themes
Other themes include the passage of time, nostalgia, death, solidarity with those who suffer, loneliness, and religious concerns.
Types of Sentences
Attributive Sentences
These sentences include a predicate attribute.
Transitive Sentences
These sentences include a direct object complement.
Intransitive Sentences
These sentences do not contain a direct object.
Personal vs. Impersonal Sentences
Personal sentences have a subject, while impersonal sentences lack a subject.
Active vs. Passive Sentences
Active sentences have the verb in the active voice, while passive sentences have the verb in the passive voice.
Theatre
Dramatic Text
A dramatic text is a literary text meant to be performed on a stage. It includes main text (dialogue) and secondary text (stage directions).
Representation
The representation is the staging of a dramatic text by actors before an audience.
Semantic Relations
Polysemy
A polysemous word has several different meanings.
Homonymy
Two words are homonyms when they are pronounced the same.
Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms have the same meaning. Antonyms have opposite meanings.
Semantic Field
A semantic field is a set of words in the same grammatical category that share a semantic feature.
Drama Genres
Tragedy
Tragedy is a play with serious or painful events and an unhappy ending.
Comedy
Comedy is a play with humorous situations and everyday characters, typically with a happy ending.
Text and Cohesion
Text
A text is a set of sentences linked coherently to convey a complete meaning.
Textual Cohesion
Sentences in a text are connected through various linguistic means.
Connectors
Connectors are linguistic elements that link paragraphs and sentences within a text.