The main components of a literary text

Due to the reader's analysis of a literary text it arises as a unity of the basic components:

• the compositional and genre unity , including the settings, conflict, plot lines and turns, text partitioning;

• the system of characters;

• the tonal system i.e. the author's usage of expressive means and stylistic devices for creating specific stylistic effects and the atmosphere of the text;

• the author's image, including the narrator and narrative, the dominant point of view, forms of presentation;

• the message (idea / concept) of the text;

• the theme (thematic planes) of the text;

• the image of the reader

Literary analysis is also known as literary criticism. In this context, "criticism" means a close reading and interpretation of a literary text, such as a poem, a short story, a play, a novel, or even a movie. The elements that make up a literary work are closely examined for their meaning and significance. Some of these elements are theme, character, and plot. Regardless of what aspect you choose to discuss, your analysis will focus on one controlling idea that can be stated in one direct sentence. For example: "Although most critics regard W.Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra as a great love tragedy, it is actually a mockery of a tragedy, for Cleopatra is incapable of love, and Antony is interested only in sex." Then you introduce evidence from the play to prove your central controlling idea / thesis.

Plot and plot structure of a literary text

Plot is a series of interlinked events in which the characters of the story participate

• Does the author include all possible events into a story?

• What kind of events does he take into account?

• What is the difference between an action and an event?

Event is an external/internal change of the situation of the story

• To external changes belong numerous natural changes of the objective reality.

• Under internal changes we mean mental changes in the inner state of the character.

Event vs incident

Incidents:

• Don’t lead to important consequences

• Potential, just cloudy possibilities

• Don’t change the outcome of the story

EVENTS:

• Have important consequences

• It is a pivotal point

• Cause reactions and change the outcome of the story

• Have later repercussions

The main distinguishing features of event

• relevant – it should be important in a definite fictional world;

• unexpected – it should break all the characters expectations. If the action is ordinary it's not an event;

• consequential – it should change the character, his lifestyle;

• unrepeatable – it shouldn't return the character into the previous situation. It should be a one-time action.

As to the typology of events, they may be:

punctual or drawn out;

single or repeating;

closed or open;

preserving creation or destroying entities;

cyclic or not cyclic.

Scene is a little independent story, built on talk, connected and sequential actions, description and background material.

It has meaning.

It has a point: one thing that needs to be shown.

It conveys mood, attitudes, a sense of time and place, advance the plot, demonstrate the characters.