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Flashcards · AP® English Literature and Composition · Unit 4

Unit 4: Short Fiction II flashcards

42 cards on topics 4.1 to 4.7. Pick a topic or study the whole unit.

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4.1 Contrasting characters

What are contrasting characters, and what do they reveal?
Characters set against each other so that a difference in what they value becomes visible. The contrast earns credit when you explain its function: what it creates, exposes or prepares in the story.
What is the four-step method for analysing a character contrast?
Detail, difference, value, effect. Quote one detail for each character, state precisely how they differ, name the value each stands for, then say what the contrast does for the story.
Who is the antagonist in a story?
Whatever opposes the protagonist: another character, a collective such as society, nature, or the protagonist's own internal conflict. The antagonist need not be a villain.
Why should you keep "who opposes?" separate from "who is good?"
Opposition is a role in the plot; goodness is a judgement. A rule-keeper can oppose a sympathetic character and still be reasonable, so describe the clash of values rather than ranking people.
How can a contrast change as a story goes on?
It can build across scenes, involve an absent character, or soften when one character's view shifts. Say if the text shows the contrast narrowing or growing, and what that signals.
What is a common mistake when comparing characters?
Writing two separate sketches with no link, or listing traits like "calm" and "nervous" without values or effect. Always join the two sides with a comparative sentence.

4.2 Nuance and complexity in character relationships

What is a nuanced relationship between characters?
One that holds more than one feeling at once, such as affection and resentment or duty and irritation. Describe it with a connecting word that keeps both layers, such as "and yet" or "while".
What kinds of evidence show the complexity of a relationship?
What is said and to whom, what is done, what is avoided, small gestures and objects, what the narrator reports, and change over time. The gap between speech and action often carries the nuance.
What does it suggest when a character praises someone only to a third party?
It suggests a pride or affection that cannot be said face to face. Treat it as evidence of a relationship that holds love and reserve at once.
How does conflict relate to affection in a relationship?
Characters can care for each other and still clash because their value systems differ. Do not equate conflict with dislike; name the values that conflict.
What is the surface-undercurrent method?
State how the characters appear to relate, find the second feeling beneath it, support each layer with a detail, then say what the complexity adds to the story's meaning.
How should you quote when analysing a relationship?
Use two or three exact words that show the tension, not a long passage. A short accurate quotation is stronger evidence than a block of text.

4.3 The function of setting, and character and setting

What is mood, and how do setting details create it?
Mood is the feeling a text creates in the reader. Concrete details such as weather, light, objects in a room and the season build it, so name the details and the feeling.
How does a character's environment give information about them?
The place a character inhabits shows their habits, values or situation. A bare desk with one lamp suggests discipline or isolation; a cluttered room suggests something else.
What is the method for explaining the function of setting?
Go from detail to mood to character to meaning. Name a detail, say what feeling it creates, link it to the character, then say what that adds to the story.
How can setting contrast with a character's state of mind?
A bright spring scene outside a house of mourning can contrast with the expected grief. Both matching and contrasting settings mean something; say which and why.
What does a closed room suggest compared with an open window?
A closed room suggests confinement, resignation or privacy; an open window or outdoor space suggests possibility, release or exposure. Treat these as tendencies that the text must support.
Why should you not simply say "the setting is dark"?
It names a quality without detail or effect. Quote the details that create the darkness and explain what mood or meaning they build for the character.

4.4 Plot order and contrasts

What is the difference between the order of events in the story and in the text?
The story is the events in the order they happen; the text may present them in a different order, such as starting at the end. The order of telling is a choice that shapes what the reader knows.
What common ordering devices can a writer use?
Chronological order, flashback, delaying a key fact, repetition, a time jump, or an ending that returns to or reverses the opening. Each has an effect on suspense, irony or emphasis.
What effect does opening with an outcome and looking back have?
It creates curiosity: the reader asks how the outcome came about, and the later explanation then works as a release or a reinterpretation of the opening.
What does delaying a key fact do?
It creates suspense or irony, because the reader senses something is missing while the character acts. Say what the reader suspects and when the fact is revealed.
What does a contrast emphasise?
The particular traits of the things compared. Name what is set against what, and the trait or value each carries, then say what the contrast shows, such as guardedness against care.
Do you need to label every part of a plot diagram?
No. You do not need archetype or plot-diagram labels. Describe the order of events and its effect on the reader's knowledge and feeling.

4.5 Narrator, point of view and perspective

What is narrative distance?
How far the narrator stands from the events and characters: physically, in time, in relationship or in emotional investment. A close narrator gives intimacy or urgency; a distant one gives detachment or irony.
How do you identify point of view from a passage?
Check pronouns (first or third person), direct address ("you"), time (remembered or as it happens), what is noticed or omitted, diction and syntax. Quote the clues.
What is stream of consciousness?
A narrative technique that relates a character's thoughts as a continuous flow. It is a choice that gives close access to a mind, not careless writing.
What is tone, and where does it come from?
Tone is the attitude of a narrator, character or speaker toward an idea, character or situation. It emerges from perspective and is shown by diction, details and syntax.
How can syntax reveal a narrator's state of mind?
Short, broken sentences, dashes and exclamations can suggest agitation, while long flowing sentences suggest calm or reflection. Quote the pattern and say what it suggests.
What are common errors when writing about a narrator?
Writing "the author feels", naming a tone with no supporting words, ignoring syntax and treating distance as only physical. Tie every claim to words in the passage.

4.6 Thesis and commentary in a prose analysis

Does a thesis need to list the literary elements or quotations?
No. A thesis may preview the line of reasoning, but it need not list elements, points or quotations. It must state an arguable interpretation with a reason.
What are the levels of a thesis in a prose analysis?
Summary (retells), obvious (a truism), developing (a claim with no reason) and defensible (an arguable idea with a reason and a hint of the reasoning). Aim for defensible.
How does a line of reasoning work in a prose analysis essay?
The logical sequence of claims that together defend the thesis. Each paragraph should add a step, for example neutrality, then answerability, then care.
What does commentary do?
It explains how each piece of evidence supports its claim and how the claim supports the thesis. Praise ("a powerful image") and repetition ("this shows he is exact") are not commentary.
What does a topic sentence do?
It states the claim of a paragraph, so the reader knows the point before the evidence arrives. Each topic sentence should connect to the thesis.
What does it mean that developing an interpretation is recursive?
Evidence can lead to a claim, and a claim can lead you back to better evidence. Revise your thesis if the passage points somewhere more precise.

4.7 Evidence and composition in a prose analysis

What jobs can a piece of evidence do in a prose analysis?
To illustrate, exemplify, clarify, associate, amplify or qualify a point. Choosing a purpose helps you use each piece of evidence for a reason, not just because it is nearby.
When is evidence sufficient?
When its quantity and quality give apt support for the line of reasoning: enough varied, well-chosen details, each explained, rather than many unexplained quotations.
What are the three levels of coherence?
Sentence, paragraph and whole text. Check that each clause links to the next, each paragraph has a clear topic sentence, and each paragraph connects to the thesis and to its neighbours.
Which tools create coherence?
Topic sentences, transitions, repetition of key terms, synonyms, clear pronoun reference and parallel structure. Use them to show how ideas connect.
Why is unclear reference a problem?
"This shows..." with no clear referent leaves the reader unsure what shows what. Name the idea or quote: "This repetition shows..."
How short should a quotation be?
As short as will carry the point, often a phrase. Quoting a whole sentence when three words would do hides the key words.

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