Here are the literary terms we'll focus on during our reading of Of Mice and Men. I will not only expect you to use these terms in your analysis of the book, but I will test you on them at the end of the unit.
 

Setting

Quick definition: the time and place a story occurs

Why it is significant: A writer does not choose a setting by default. It is a carefully thought out decision, because a setting acts upon the characters in subtle ways and often forces the action itself. Often, an understanding of the setting will help us realize characters’ motivations and reasons for doing things.

What makes setting difficult: Writers often assume we have some understanding of historical periods, so if we do not catch the subtle hints about the place, we might miss something significant. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee lets us know the book is set during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time as president (during the Great Depression) by saying, “We had just been told we had nothing to fear but fear itself.” That allusion is subtle unless the reader has a handle on American history. Steinbeck's clues are even more subtle, because his settings were more contemporary and his audience understood more about the time and place.

How you can read setting better: The easiest way to analyze setting is to ask yourself, “How would this story go if the setting were different?” Once you begin to change the setting, you realize how crucial it is. Another strategy is one I’ll harp on a lot – look for the key lines. Writers drop key lines all over their work. They consider all sentences to be important, but some sentences they load with meaning and significance. Look for the ones that craft the setting.

Character foil

Quick definition: characters that contrast one another

Longer definition: characters that have enough in common that we associate them or think of them together, but then when we put them next to each other in our minds, we see they are opposite of each other in key ways.

Why it is used: a writer will use character foils to highlight particular characteristics. If a character is good, he looks better if you see him next to someone who is bad.

Foreshadowing  

Simple definition: a hint or suggestion about what will happen

Why use it:

• By using foreshadowing, a writer can often create suspense, making a reader guess about what is to come.
• Also, foreshadowing can be a type of symbolism a writer intends for you to recognize after you read the end of the book. In that case, the writer might not want you to recognize it as foreshadowing as you read, but intends for you to realize it when you get to the end. Then you can look back on it and say, “Oh, so that’s what that was all about.” That foreshadowing can then lend you insight about how to interpret the main action.

But doesn’t it make it boring to give away future action?

If the guess is particularly easy (that is, if it gives away future action), the writer is likely trying to use a type of dramatic irony, where the reader knows something a character does not. This way, the reader is rooting for the character to act in a certain way. An example is scary music in a movie – it begins playing before a character enters a creepy house, and you as a viewer pick up on the foreshadowing and are rooting for the character to be careful (usually – depending upon how jaded a movie viewer you are).