Literature

1. types of novels

1.1. "coming-of-age" novel

1.1.1. adulthood, maturity

1.2. detective novel, "whodunit"

1.2.1. criminal, investigation, deduction

1.3. epistolary novel

1.3.1. letters

1.4. Gothic novel

1.4.1. mystery, the supernatural

1.5. graphic novel

1.5.1. comics, sequential art

1.6. historical novel

1.7. roman à clef

1.7.1. fictitious names, thinly disguised

1.8. science fiction novel

1.8.1. scientific advances

1.9. thriller

1.9.1. crime, espionage

2. narrative perspective

2.1. first-person narrator

2.1.1. limited point of view (the "I" perspective)

2.2. third-person narrator

2.2.1. unlimited point of view ➡ omniscient

2.2.2. selective third-person narrator

2.3. unobtrusive narrator

2.4. mixture of different narrative techniques

3. ingredients of a good novel

3.1. imaginative plot

3.1.1. flashbacks, anticipation

3.1.2. suspense, twist ➡ tension

3.2. well-chosen setting

3.2.1. fitting atmosphere

3.3. believable characters

3.3.1. round

3.3.2. identify with

3.4. strong opening

3.4.1. grab the reader's attention

3.5. appropriate stylistic devices

3.5.1. satire, irony, understatement

4. main categories

4.1. drama ➡ tragedy, comedy

4.2. poetry ➡ sonnet, epic poetry, ballad

4.3. narrative prose ➡ short story, novel, biography, autobiography

5. universal themes

5.1. love

5.2. death

5.3. ambition

5.4. revenge

5.5. faith

5.6. fate

5.7. hatred

5.8. deceit

6. short stories

6.1. precursors ➡ fairy tales, myths, legends, fables, parables, anecdotes

6.2. created by Edgar Allen Poe

6.3. characteristics ➡ one subject, one setting, limited number of chracters/events

6.4. structure ➡ exposition, rising action, climax, turning point, denouement/resolution/open ending

6.5. "slice of life" ➡ reaction, to undergo a change

6.6. end ➡ unexpected twist