Composition (language)
Encyclopedia
The term composition in written language, refers to the collective body of important features established by the author
in their creation of literature
. Most often, composition relates to narrative work
s of literature, but may also relate to essays, biographies, and other works.
In narratives (primarily fiction
), composition includes, but is not limited to,
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
in their creation of literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. Most often, composition relates to narrative work
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
s of literature, but may also relate to essays, biographies, and other works.
In narratives (primarily fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
), composition includes, but is not limited to,
- Outline, the organisation of thoughts and/or ideas which is used to determine organisational technique
- Plot, the course or arrangement of events
- ThemeTheme (literature)A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
, the unifying subject or idea - DialogueDialogueDialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
, a reciprocal conversationConversationConversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette.Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational...
between two or more persons - CharacterisationCharacterisationCharacterization or characterisation is the art of creating characters for a narrative, including the process of conveying information about them. It may be employed in dramatic works of art or everyday conversation...
, the process of creating charactersFictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of... - SettingSetting (fiction)In fiction, setting includes the time, location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may...
, the time and location in which the composition takes place - Description, definitionDefinitionA definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term , or a type of thing. The term to be defined is the definiendum. A term may have many different senses or meanings...
s of things in the composition - StyleStylistics (linguistics)Stylistics is the study and interpretation of texts from a linguistic perspective. As a discipline it links literary criticism and linguistics, but has no autonomous domain of its own...
, specifically, the linguistic style of the composition - Setting toneSetting toneAuthors set a Tone in literature by conveying emotions/feelings through words. The way a person feels about an idea/concept, event, or another person can be quickly determined through facial expressions, gestures and in the tone of voice used. In literature an author sets the tone through words...
or mood, conveying one or more emotions or feelings through words - VoiceWriter's voiceWriter's voice is the literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice was generally considered to be a combination of a writer's use of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text . Voice can be thought of in terms...
, the individual writing style of the authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - Tone, which encompasses the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience
See also
- Composition studiesComposition studiesComposition Studies is the professional field of writing research and instruction, focusing especially on writing at the college level in the United States...
- Conference on College Composition and CommunicationConference on College Composition and CommunicationThe Conference on College Composition and Communication is a national professional association of college and university writing instructors in the USA. Formed in 1949 as an organization within the National Council of Teachers of English, CCCC currently has about 7000 members...
- KishotenketsuKishotenketsudescribes the structure and development of Chinese and Japanese narratives. It was originally used in Chinese poetry as a four-line composition, such as Qijue, and is also referred to as . The first Chinese character refers to the introduction or , the next: development, , the third: twist, ,...
- Non-linear writing
- Writing processWriting processThe Writing process is both a key concept in the teaching of writing and an important research concept in the field of composition studies.Research on the writing process focuses on how writers draft, revise, and edit texts...