Phrases and Word Combinations for Interpretation of a Literary Text Phrases of general meaning
The extract in question; the selection under study; the fragment under analysis;
the excerpt under consideration (examination) is taken from …
The story is set in …
The events are set in …
The scene is laid in …
The setting, especially the description of nature helps evoke the necessary atmosphere (mood) appropriate to the general intention of the text.
The setting reinforces characterization.
It increases the credibility of the whole story.
It reveals certain features of characters.
to be meaningful;
to increase the tension and the reader’s suspense;
to affect the reader’s emotional response to the story;
to heighten suspense;
to reinforce characterization;
to contribute to characterization;
credibility;
to create verisimilitude;
to evaluate, to assess, to rate, to judge;
to judge a character’s action;
to depict, to describe, to portray a character;
to share the character’s emotions;
to arouse affection, compassion, warmth, delight, admiration, dislike, disgust, aversion, resentment, antipathy.
a simple (flat) character;
a complex (well-rounded; round) character.
Tonal system
The tone may be formal, semi-formal, informal, conversational, cheerful, vigorous, serious, humorous, lyrical, dramatic, excited, agitated, passionate, impassive, detached, matter-of-fact, dry, melancholy, moralizing, unemotional, pathetic, ironical, bitter, reproachful, sneering.
The tone is maintained by a number of stylistic devices, such as …
to convey the atmosphere (of)
to evoke a certain attitude
a deliberate exaggeration
the irony of life (or the situation).
Narrative method
the omniscient author;
the observer author (an onlooker);
the story is told from the point of view of an onlooker (an observer), a character who participates in the events;
the events are presented through the perception of …;
the dominant point of view is …;
the narrator enters into the mind (of a character);
the narrator reveals the personality of;
the narrator shares the viewpoint of;
to increase the immediacy and freshness of the impression;
to stimulate imagination;
to increase the credibility of the plot;
to stimulate the reader to make his own judgments;
to make the reader draw his own conclusions.
The theme
The contents are rendered vividly;
A story on the theme of …
to reveal the importance of …
the writer’s standpoint, views on …
a moving, exciting, impressive story;
to awaken, arouse interest in;
to retain interest, to hold interest in;
to excite (evoke) a feeling (emotion);
to arouse the reader’s excitement;
to arouse the reader’s concern, curiosity, emotions;
to excite one’s mind;
to touch one’s heart;
to stir one’s imagination.