A.J.

Eaton
ENGL 112L
4/15/17
Reflective Essay

Whilst being enrolled in my introduction to Literature class this semester, I came to learn

several new literary devices and terminologies. As per my instructor I began learning about

different aspects of the literary world and how to comprehend the concepts involved. In the

beginning of the semester I learned the distinction between fables and fictional stories. I learned

that fictional stories are often stories that are partially made up and not entirely factual. Whereas

fables, which are also not entirely true, are made to provide a moral or life lesson of the sorts.

Along with learning this information I learned the basics to a literary piece. It had come to my

understanding that in any given piece of literature there must be a plot, conflict, climax,

resolution, and some form of narrative technique.

Also, another important part to stories in the literary world are the characters in the story.

For characters in the story to develop, the characters must be narrated and explained in some way

within the story. Of course, I knew before this class that this is typically done through the means

of points of view. Authors vary between the use of first-person, second-person, third-person and

even omniscient view. What I did learn, however, are the terms of flat characters and round

characters. A flat character or also known as a static character is a character in the story that has

remained the same or consistent throughout the story. On the other hand, a round character or

dynamic character is a character in the story that has undergone an immense change throughout

the story.

In addition to having characters in a story I learned that setting, tone, and style are

important in a literary work. Before taking this course I had already known the importance of the

setting of a story for the setting effected how and where the characters of the story interacted
 A.J. Eaton
ENGL 112L
4/15/17
with one another. The setting could also play a part in the plot and cause of conflict with the

elements of time, weather, atmosphere, and etcetera. Tone and style, however, were new to me. I

learned that tone is the attitude that is inferred from the story by the writing styles of the author.

Whereas style is the unique choice of diction by the author that could possibly make him or her

solely distinguishable from other authors. I found this in many ways completely true, for if one

were to read an Edgar Allan Poe form of literature, it would be easy to assume it were him and

no other author. This is only because he has a distinct writing style, the same could also be said

for William Shakespeare and his elaborative playwrights.

Consequently, written stories a not the only written works that are classified as literature.

Playwrights and poems are also a part of this category. Just like written novels and fable tales,

plays or playwrights have a plot, setting and characters to tell a story. The difference is that plays

are meant to be acted out in a live action form, includes an abundance of direct dialog, and

written stage maneuvers. Another defining aspect about plays that I learned is that plays can be

depicted differently depending on the director of the play. The intended dialect of the play that

was written remains the same, but the visual aspect of the play could vary from director to

director. This results in the various remakes of renowned plays and each play is distinctively

different from the next in the visuals and acting. The other works of literature that are also

important are poems. Poems are written for readers to work effectively in a cognitive standpoint.

Accordingly, to my understanding, poetry is a collection of words that wholly challenges the

reader to understand a symbol or encourage a more perceptive view.

Ultimately, hence my enrollment in my Introductory Literature course, I learned an

abundance of valuable information about literature. I learned the importance of understanding

how a story is concocted and the wiring of it all. I also learned the meaning behind poetry and
 A.J. Eaton
ENGL 112L
4/15/17
the purpose of plays in the literary and entertainment world. With this information, it could

prove to make me into a more effective and intuitive reader.