Historiography, Plot, Point of View, Character and Theme

Chronicles and Plot All plots contain core chronicles: lists of events that happened in the temporal order that they happened. Plot curve – is it always there? When an author creates a plot, he or she arranges events in the order that will best illuminate the story. Plot consists of the way an author makes sense of the connections between events. May be linear or non linear and connections can be causal or associative. What are some books you’ve read with linear or non- linear plots? How were the non-linear ones arranged. What view of the world does linear storytelling give? What views of the world can non-linear storytelling give?

Point of View and Plot What are POV choices? Why might and author choose one POV over another? What does Chopin choose in The Awakening and why? How does POV affect how the plot is narrated? In The Awakening? How do authors use shifts in POV?

POV in The Awakening How would The Awakening have been different if it were told from a different POV? What events would characters in the novel have included if they were writing in the first person? What effect would writing this novel in the second person have had? What would the story have been like from Mademoiselle Reisz’s point of view or Robert’s? What if it were told from the POV of the ocean? How would it have been different if it were told from the perspective of a character looking back on events in their old age?

The Awakening List at least 4 events from The Awakening in the order they are currently told. Choose a first person POV other than Edna’s. How might this person organize these events in a non-linear way? To what effect?

How do authors reveal character? What are four ways we learn about Edna?

Theme – How can you figure it out? What is a theme of The Awakening? What evidence do you have from other literary elements (plot, character, POV, symbolism, voice, tone, mood, etc.) to support this?

Cortes Choose at least three of the events in Cortes’ chronicle, and write a story connecting them. Only one need be in the foreground, however. Your story may be written in first-person or third person limited, and the focal character cannot be Cortes. You should, however, depict Cortes as a character through description, dialogue, actions and other characters’ commentary on him. There should be some non-linear element to your plot structure and your story should have a clear thematic focus. You may set your story in Cortes’ real time period or transpose it to another as you see fit.