1. How to analyse fiction
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2. How to analyse fiction There are 7 terms: 1. Plot 2. Theme 3. Setting
4. Characters
5. Point-of-view
6. Language
7. Dialogue
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3. How to analyse fiction 1. Plot: The plot is the event or the action
Always a conflict (otherwise the story will fail to interest the reader)
Fairytale: home-away-home
Action may begin in the middle: medias-res
Action may be chronological
Ending: open/closed
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4. How to analyse fiction 2. Theme:
Theme is what the text is about at a deeper level
Common themes in literature are:
The American Dream
Father and Son
Identity
Growing up
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5. How to analyse fiction 3. Setting:
Place, time and social circumstances
Real world or imaginary world
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6. How to analyse fiction 4. Characters:
Main character: the protagonist (the hero)
Main character: the antagonist (the anti-hero)
Flat character: one dimensioned, often stereotyped e.g. lazy
Rounded character: complex character
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7. Who is telling the story? (the narrator)
5. Point-of-view:
Who is telling the story? (the narrator)
The narrator is not the same as the author
First person: good for creating intimacy, it is like reading someone’s diary
Third person: less personal tone, narrator is like a camera
Third person omniscient: the narrator knows everything about the characters, places, events etc.
The unreliable narrator: distorting facts (e.g. a criminal)
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8. How to analyse fiction 6. Language:
Language can be examined by looking at the following terms:
Implicature
Telling
Showing
Denotation/connotation
Figurative language (similes/metaphors)
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9. How to analyse fiction Implicature: between the lines/euphemism
Telling: colourful language using many adjectives
Showing: simple and concise language
Denotation: the literal dictionary meaning (horse)
Connotation: the personal association people get in their heads when they hear the word
Figurative language:
Similes: like/as, used to paint a mental picture (she is as mean as a XX)
Metaphors: In a metaphor like/as is not used but the comparison is implied (my daughter is a XX)
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10. How to analyse fiction 7. Dialogue:
A conversation between two or more people, you get a tone of voice in real speech and may be able to judge for instance if a person is happy, ironic, hurt etc.
Dialogue brings us close to the characters and their conflicts.
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11. How to analyse fiction
Now read “XX” and analyse the story using the seven terms
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