Literary Concepts and Techniques

LITERARY CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES
4. Literary concepts and techniques… literary concepts and techniques are the commonly used tools that help us unpack the meaning of a short by means of deductions from its theme, plot, structure, setting etc..

These techniques are rather very helpful in helping one deduce or understand the meaning of a text. In most times the literal meanings of texts hidden behind the writer’s choice of language and writing style and thus literary concepts and techniques are effective

I am going to be elaborating more these different types of literary concepts and techniques while basing my elaborations on 3 of my chosen stories from the story booklet which are namely taste by Ronald Dahl, The silk scarf by Ahmed Essop and The magic man by Dianne Hofmeyr

* The first one is the plot and structure of the story
It refers to what happens in the story, the order of the events and how these events are connected for example take a look at how Richard Praat was a respected famous gourmet who when placing a bet with Mike seemed overly confident about winning which did naturally raised a few eyebrows but what is more interesting is the manner in which he was found out to have cheated on the bet by having seen the wine prior to the bet. He had remembered how he had advised Mike on where to store the wine for their next dinner during their previous dinner. Before the dinner he secretly snuck to wine’s location and looked at it which is what led to him being overly confident about the bet but at the same time is what led to him being found to be a cheat as he had forgotten his spectacles at the wine’s location

* Setting of the story
Is the context in which the story happens The setting of the story is vital because it serves as a form of parenthesis in terms of the venue, era etc… of the story like for an example look at how Mr Sakur a man of his own principles stood firm against Mrs Nebo irrespective of her position as the wife of the up and coming minister of foreign affairs but again you look at how the other shop owners were submissive to pleasing her because of the time in history where black people were starting to become more politically powerful other shop owners feared Mrs Nebo because of her husband’s position as the shop owners were Indians and Mr Nebo was African, based on minor deductions from the story it is clear the story took place during apartheid

* Point of view
It refers to the lens through which a story is being told. Who is telling it?
People’s point of view differ whilst one would just narrate a story as they see it another will go to great lengths to narrating the story by means of giving a clear description of the characters, setting and time of the story which also relates to the type of narration used in the story a clear example of that is revealed between Taste and The magic man. In taste the “I” narrator goes to great lengths describing the setting at the table, the people present, sitting structure, the aroma of the room etc… meanwhile in The magic man the 3rd person just jumps into the story without elaborating on the background and other relevant information that can possibly help the reader paint a picture of the scenery in which the story is taking place so when all is said and done the point of view is clearly conveyed by the type of person reading e.g. first, second or third person narration

* Characterization
Is the art of creating characters for narrative purposes including the process of conveying information about them
Characterisation is very effective in giving the reader a face to put to a character and gives the writer a platform to convey information regarding someone in the story. Elaborating on the character makes it even easier for the reader to identify and possibly to the character for example in taste we are told that Richard Praat is a gourmet but instead of us accepting it because it is said the writer goes to great lengths to describe his physical appearance e.g. an old man who wears spectacles with a small mouth that bears large hanging lips that are curved at the end typically sounds like the features of an old foodie and winey

* Theme or message
The theme is the concept or idea that runs through the story, its main message or moral. The theme of a story is of great importance because it is the underlying idea that the reader is suppose to deduce from the story unlike a moral a theme is all about showing the bigger picture of the story and its characters and is basically what the story is all about it sometimes gives the reader something to relate to for example in the magic man the whole theme is about accepting and letting go of the past and moving on with life

* Language and style
The language and style used in stories differs with writers while others are straight forward in getting to the point of the story others will take a longer route by elaborating on various things within the story for example in The magic man the writer just keeps the reader thinking about the plot/theme of the story by talking about various events the occur before the main event meanwhile in the silk scarf the writer just go forward in talking about the story and one can immediately conclude the end of the story without having finished to read the story and the language used also plays a great role because some writers use basic English words to form a sentence that describes something meanwhile another will use well thought through words that sum up the description in one complex word

Ultimately it is clear the different literary concepts and techniques used by different writers are what helps the readers identify their writers and relate to their writers writing style and grammar usage