A Guide to Appreciating Fiction.ppt

A Guide to Appreciating Fiction and Poetry A Guide to Appreciating Fiction Chief elements of fiction: Plot Two major types of characters Setting Point of view Theme Tone Irony style Plot Conflict (external/ internal ) Five stages of plot development (plot structure) (Exposition开端 ? elaboration发展 ? climax高潮 ? denouement (resolution)结局 ) 3. Ordering of plot (chronological order/ flashback/foreshadowing) Look at the plot How do the all the events in the story relate to one another? How are they related to the story as a whole? What conflicts occurs in the story” How are these conflicts developed or resolved? Dose the story include any noteworthy plot devices, such as flashbacks or foreshadowing? Characters Two major types of characters : Round characters undergo change (hero/heroine protagonist/ antagonist ) Flat characters stay the same Methods of characterization Direct characterization (name / appearance/ mind ) Indirect characterization (dialogues/ actions) Presenting the characters’ motivation Analyze the characters Who are the protagonist？And who are the antagonists? What are the characters’ most striking traits? How do these individuals interact with one another? What motivates them to take certain actions? Are the characters fully developed, or are they stereotypes whose sole purpose is to express a single trait or to move the plot along? Setting Natural environment Manufactured environment Main functions of setting Setting as a background for action Setting as an antagonist Setting as a means to create a proper atmosphere. Setting as a means to reveal the personality of a character. Setting as a means to reinforce theme. Point of view Omniscient point of view Limited omniscient point of view Objective point of view First-person point of view Second-person point of view Third-person point of view Stream of consciousness The strategies for identifying theme A. Avoid confusing a work’s theme with its subject. B. the statement o