Analyzing Fiction.ppt

Reading Others Clothes Language—speech Body Language Actions Thoughts Attitudes Background Physical characteristics Friends—relationships with others Name Hearing Others Tone The reflection in a work of the author’s attitude Toward his or her subject, characters, and readers. humorous -- condescending grim -- apologetic nostalgic -- playful tender -- serious brusque -- ironic Analyzing Fiction Plot Characters Setting Point of view Tone Theme Analyzing Fiction Plot Plot is the careful arrangement by an author of incidents in a narrative to achieve a desired effect. Plot is more than simply the series of happenings in a literary work. It is the result of the writer’s deliberate selection of interrelated actions (what happens) and choice of arrangement (the order of happening) in presenting and resolving a conflict. In Aspects of the Novel, E. M. Forster explains the difference between plot and story in this way: Analyzing Fiction Most plots involve conflict: External conflict: one person against another or a person against nature or fate. Internal conflict: two elements at war within the same person. Typical plot structure: Exposition: presentation of important background information Complication: building of tension between opposing forces Climax: the turning point of the action towards the final resolution of the conflict Denouement: sometimes called the resolution of the conflict Analyzing Fiction Characters List traits of main characters. Note whether characters change by the end of the story. Describe each event that influences a characters change. Explain, for each event, what happens to the character and how he or she changes. Describe a scene in which a character has an epiphany. Explain what happens and what the character comes to see. Mark the places where the author or other characters make revealing statements about a character. Analyzing Fiction Setting The general local