"What is a Foil?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers
Vložit
- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- What is a foil in literature? What are some examples of foils and how can we identify them? What types of things can foils make shine more brightly? MFA in Fiction student Rebecca Fradkin answers these questions using examples from Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, Larsen's "Passing," and other common literary and cultural texts.
The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify foil in literature but also to analyze their characteristics and influence upon plot and theme. A collaborative partnership between Rebecca Fradkin and OSU Associate Professor and MA Director Megan Ward, the video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the channel or visit liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/w....
Spanish subtitles are now available for this video. To access these subtitles, click on the settings icon in the video.
Timestamps
0:00 Foil Definition
0:52 Foil Example#:1 Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes
2:16 Foil Example #2: Nella Larson's Passing
Below are a few more videos in the series. Please drop us a comment letting us know what literary terms you would like us to explore in future videos!
"What is a prologue?": • "What is a Prologue?":...
"What is a stanza?": • "What is a Stanza?": A...
"What is stream of consciousness?": • "What is Stream of Con...
"What is figurative language?": • "What is Figurative La...
"What is irony?': • "What is Irony?": A Li...
"What is a metaphor?": • "What is a Metaphor?":...
"What is a simile?": • "What is a Simile?": A...
"What is hyperbole?": • "What is Hyperbole?": ...
"What is a imagery?": • "What is Imagery?": A ...
"What is a sonnet?": • "What is a Sonnet?": A...
"What is metonymy?": • "What is Metonymy?": A...
"What is synecdoche?": • "What is a Synecdoche?...
"What is enjambment?": • "What is Enjambment?":...
"What is satire?": • "What is Satire?": A L...
"What is juxtaposition?": • "What is Juxtaposition...
"What is foreshadowing?": • "What is Foreshadowing...
"What is understatement?": • "What is Understatemen...
"What is rhyme?": • "What is Rhyme in Poet...
"What is an unreliable narrator?": • "What is an Unreliable...
"What is a genre?": • "What is a Genre?": A ...
"What is a narrative arc?": • "What is a Narrative A...
"What is a flashback?": • "What is a Flashback?"...
"What is personification?": • "What is Personificati...
"What is a narrator?": • "What is a Narrator?":...
"What is a flat character vs a round character?": • "What is a Flat Charac...
"What is symbolism?": • "What is Symbolism?": ...
"What is a graphic narrative? (Part I)": • "What is a Graphic Nov...
"What is a graphic narrative? (Part II)": • "What is a Graphic Nov...
"What is epistrophe?": • "What is Epistrophe?":...
"What is poetic meter?": • "What is Meter in Poet...
"What is a portmanteau?": • "What is a Portmanteau...
"What is anaphora?": • "What is Anaphora?": A...
"What is an oxymoron?": • "What is an Oxymoron?"...
"What is a zeugma?": • "What is a Zeugma?": A...
"What is free indirect discourse?": • "What is Free Indirect...
"What is a vehicle and a tenor?": • "What are Vehicles and...
"What is the uncanny?": • "What is the Uncanny?"...
"What is a point of view?": • "What is Point of View...
"What is deus ex machina?": • "What is Deus Ex Machi...
"What is a frame story?": • "What is a Frame Story...
"What is ekphrasis?": • "What is Ekphrasis?": ...
"What is blank verse?": • "What is Blank Verse?"...
"What is an epistolary novel?": • "What is an Epistolary...
"What is allegory?": • "What is an Allegory?"...
"What is tragedy?": • "What is a Tragedy?": ...
"What are euphony and cacophony?": • "What are Euphony and ...
"What are assonance and consonance?": • "What are Assonance an...
"What is a setting in literature?": • "What is a Setting?": ...
"What is onomatopoeia?": • "What is Onomatopoeia?...
"What is theme in literature?": www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5KZc...
"What is a conflict in literature?": • "What is Conflict in L...
"What is persona?": • "What is a Persona?": ...
"What is a dramatic monologue?": • "What is a Dramatic Mo...
"What is an allusion?": • "What is an Allusion?"...
"What is alliteration?": • "What is Alliteration?...
"What is an epic?": • "What is an Epic?": A ...
"What is an ars poetica?": • "What is an Ars Poetic...
"What is a motif?": • "What is a Motif?": A ...
"What is a protagonist?": • "What is a Protagonist...
"What is literature?": • "What is Literature?":...
"What is a foil?": • "What is a Foil?": A L...
You know, this is precisely what I needed. I wondered how to have my characters shine brilliantly in a way that feels organic, and foils are the perfect tool for that! Glad I subscribed. :)
Thanks so much for supporting the channel, Rashid! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the new video!
As a literature tutor, I never regret subscribing to this channel. Great content as always
Wow, thanks so much, paul! We're so happy to heat that you enjoyed the new video. Good luck with your teaching!
As an aspiring writer I can just say that I LOVE YOU GUYS SO. FREAKING. MUCH
Thank you from the bottom of my heart
Wow, thanks so much, Julia! This post really made our day!
Your videos are all so thoughtful and well organized! My middle schoolers appreciate them and I use them to augment our instruction.
Thanks so much, goodysgotit! We're so happy to hear that you and your students are enjoying the series!
I now want to read Passing. TY.❤
You're very welcome, Jude! And definitely check out Passing. It is just so good!
If you enjoyed the video, please let us know by hitting the like button, asking a question, or sharing your thoughts on your favorite examples of literary foils. Thanks for watching, everybody!
So well done, as always!
Thanks so much for your continued support, Anthony!
@@SWLF I’m so impressed with the quality, clarity, and consistency of these tutorials and would love to learn more about how you’ve brought them together, spread out the workload, and created such an admirable and useful series. It’s a testament to interdisciplinary collaboration!
@@anthonycuda7876 Thanks so much, Anthony! It is a lot of work (we now have a 4-person committee devoted to managing these videos), but it has been a fun project to oversee and it has grown far more quickly than we could have imagined when we started back in 2019. Essentially, we drafted a list of initial terms and then solicited interest from faculty (and now some grad students), who have been incredibly generous with their time. Now that the logistics have been worked out, the biggest time commitments still involve setting up the recording space for a shoot (we lost our regular space during the pandemic) and video editing, which we spread out between 3 people. We're still learning, of course, but that's the point of being at a university!
Rebecca Fradkin is a great teacher!
Thanks so much, Philip! We agree!
Is there a book you’d recommend that gives us the different character types -Foil, round, flat, and etc? The book I’m reading “Writing fiction” doesn’t mention foil characters.
Great question, @lamoda! We'll ask our creative writing faculty and will get back to you if they have any suggestions. In the meantime, we hope visitors to this thread will feel free to chime in.
Great video! Could you suggest me some books to learn more about foil characters? Thank you
Thanks so much for your kind words, Juliana! We'll reach out to the script writer for this one and will let you know if they have any recommendations.
How anti-hero and villain are different or are they the same?
Great question, shipra! The antihero is discussed in our "What is a Protagonist?" video. Check that one out and let us know if you still have any questions.
@@SWLF I saw that video. It's not always necessary for the hero to make noble deeds. So even if we don't like Marlowe's Tamburlaine, he is still the protagonist of the play right?
@@shiprapathak6470 Nice work, shipra. We agree!