Bill Stifler

Understanding Literary Conventions in Fiction

Your definition should reveal the significance this element of fiction has in interpreting a story and should not just identify its use in stories. Your essay will be graded on how well you define the term and its significance to interpretation, on clarity, and on grammatical correctness.

In order to do this essay effectively, you will need to review the definitions of all of the terms. Do not use a general purpose dictionary like Webster’s or a general encyclopedia like Encarta for your definition. Be sure to quote your definition in your introduction. See Elements of Fiction and Figures of Speech.

After you are familiar with the terms, read through all the stories quickly, looking for any possible examples of the terms. Make notes of any that you see.

Then choose the stories you feel most comfortable with to do a close reading to gather details for your paper on the one term you have decided to define.

Again, be sure to explain how the literary convention you are defining helps interpret stories. For instance, it is not enough to say that the grinding ball is a symbol in “The Secret Lion.” You must explain what it symbolizes and how that advances and supports the meaning of the story.

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