How to Teach Fiction

Teaching FictionGROUP:

NGUYỄN NGỌC CHÂU

NGUYỄN MỸ KHÁNH

PHẠM PHÚC KHÁNH MINH

NGUYỄN NGỌC PHƯƠNG THÀNH

ĐỖ THỊ BẠCH VÂN

NGÔ THẢO VY

Outline

The nature of literature

The nature of fiction

The elements of fiction

Other elements

1. The nature of literature

“To analyze works of literature, you

need to know what literature is – what

typical components to expect and

how those components usually work

together.”

(Griffith, 1990)

Literature

Language

Aesthetic

Fictional

True

Expressive

Affective

1. The nature of literature

Literature Is Language

The medium of literature is language.

Writers use language for its expressive and emotional

qualities.

They also use language for itself – the qualities of sounds, rhythms, appearance on pages.

denotative meaning

used by scientists

connotative meaning

used by writers

Literature Is Aesthetic

Literature gives a unique pleasure – aesthetic quality.

Form (the order of language, characters, events, details) is the most important element contributing to this pleasure.

Plot, orderly patterns of language, appropriate character

reduction, ideas offering, logical setting description, ... can

combine to create an overall order and coherence.

disorder

real life

logical order

literature

Literature Is Fictional

All works of literature are “fictional” in the sense that

the reader sets them apart from the facts of real life.

2 ways in which a work can be fictional:

The writer makes up some of the materials.

draw upon real-life observations &

experiences

ignore laws that govern the real

world


The artistic control the writer exercises over

the work

E.g. a newspaper reporter and a poet write

the same event.

the reporter makes the event the object of experience describe the details of the

events exactly

the poet makes his poem the object of experience

adding many special elements the work becomes an artifact


One of the most important effects of

fictionality is the distance between the

readers and the material presented.

Some authors try to reduce the

psychological distance between the

fictional events and the readers.

Other authors constantly remind the

readers that their events are fictional.

Literature Is True

Literature is true

interprets the real world

E.g. fables and fairy tales

embodies a “world view” through an imaginary “world”

typical characters and probable

actions

E.g. The Lord of the Ring

experience of reality

E.g. The Massacre at Fall Creek

Literature Is Expressive

Literature is an expression of the

individuals who write it.

Some authors try to reduce their presence as much as possible. E.g. Shakespeare, Daniel Defoe, …

Others makes themselves and their feeling the obvious subject matter of their work.

Literature Is Expressive

2 results of expressive aspect

The readers are drawn to a work because they are drawn to the

author.

The readers experience events and emotional reactions that may be

outside their experience.

Literature Is Affective

Affective aspect is literature’s ability to create

an emotional response in the reader.

The expressive and affective aspects often

work together.

Some authors try to make their works as unemotional and intellectual as possible.

Others want the readers to feel deeply and sometimes to do something about the situations.

2. The nature of fiction

Fiction: a descriptive term

Fiction includes made-up or imaginary

elements, and has the potential for

being “true”:

true to the nature of reality,

true to human experience.

Fiction ≈ History

two similar aspects

five differences


Fiction ≈ History

to create a world

multiplicity

complexity

to speculate the nature of the real world


Fiction ≠

History

Facts

Principle of order or coherence

Building conflict

Celebrating the separateness, distinctness, and importance of individuals and experiences

Perceptions of writers and historians


Fiction History

1. Facts - Facts are made up by

writers.

- Writers can produce facts

at will, and fit them into a

coherent plan.

E.g. Writers with optimistic

view of reality include

positive and affirming facts

E.g. Writers of fiction can

enter their character’s

minds, look into heavens,

create chains of cause and

effect, foresee the future.

- Facts are truly taken by

writers.

- Writers cannot

manufacture facts to fill in

gaps of their knowledge.


Fiction History

2.

Principle

of order

or

coherenc

e

- Writers must establish

some principle of order

or coherence that

underlies their work.

- They must establish at

least an aesthetic

order, and may impose

philosophical order

upon their materials.

- Historians only need to

record events as they

occur, no matter how

unrelated or senseless

they may seem.


Fiction History

3.

Building

conflict

- Writers of fiction must build

conflict into their worlds.

- Historians needn’t build

conflict.

Three differences point to qualities

that make fiction innately enjoyable –

its imaginative, orderly, and dramatic

qualities.

Fiction History

4.

Celebrating

the

separateness

, distinctness,

and

importance

of individuals

and

experiences

- Writers of fiction celebrate

the separateness, distinctness,

and importance of all

individuals and all individual

experiences.

- They assume that human

experiences are intrinsically

important and interesting.

- Historians record and

celebrate human experiences

that effect or represent large

numbers of people – wars, rises

and falls of civilizations,

technological innovations,

economic developments,

political changes, social tastes,

and mores.

- If they discuss individuals, it is

because they affect or

illustrate the wider

experiences.


Fiction History

5.

Perceptio

ns of

writers

and

historians

- Writers see reality as

united to psychological

perception, as reflected

through the minds of

individuals.

E.g. Time is presented as

an experienced,

emotional phenomenon,

as a river flowing insidethe mind. Time is not

measureable but is

determined by states of

mind.

- Other aspects of reality

are also determined by a

character’s states of mind.

- Historians present reality

as external to individuals

and unaffected by

human perception.

E.g. Time is divisible into

exact, measurable units

(centuries, decades, etc.);

as a river where individuals

float like pieces of wood.

The last two differences reveal an equally important aspect of

fiction – the kinds of reality it deals with and thus the kinds of truth it attempts to expose.

3. The elements of fiction

PlotCharacte-

rizationTheme

SettingPoint of

viewIrony

Symbolism

3.1 Plot

3.1 Plot

Definition

PLOT

What happens in a narrative

A pattern of carefully selected, causally

related events that contains conflict

3.1 Plot

Freytag pyramid

Unstable

situationA conflict that sets the plot in motion

Exposition The nature of the conflict

Series of events

Events related by cause

- Event 1 Event 2 Event 3

- Cause Event 1, Event 2, Event 3

3.1 Plot

Freytag pyramid

CLIMAX The most intense event

Falling action

(dénouement) =

unravelling

Brief

Falling action <much less intense <

Climax

Stable situation

3.1 Plot

Freytag pyramid

3.1 Plot

Types of conflict

Internal conflicts

Within the minds of characters

External conflicts

Between individuals

Between individuals &

the world external to individuals

3.1 Plot

The forces in a conflict

Protagonist

• Main character

• Someone fighting for something

Antagonist

• The opponent of the protagonist

• A person / a non-human force/ an aspect of the protagonist

3.2 Characterization


Definition

CHARACTERIZATION

Characters:

people

The author’s presentation

& development of

characters

Characters:

NOT people

The author’s action of

giving them human abilities

& human psychological

traits


Types of characters

Flat (simple) characters have only one/two

personality traits easily recognizable

Round (complex) characters have multi

personality traits resemble real people

Static characters remain the same

throughout a work.

Dynamic characters change during the

course of the work grow in understanding

The climax of the growth: epiphany


Types of characters

3.3 Theme – Definition

4 areas of human experience

The nature of humanity

The nature of society

The nature of humankind’s relationship to the world

The nature of ethical responsibilities

3.3 Theme – Characteristics

The theme is not the same as the subject/ topic

- Subject: what the work is about

- Theme: what the work says about the subject

E.g. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 (p. 113-114)

- Subject: Love

- Theme: Love remains constant whether assaulted

by tempestuous events or by time


A work’s theme must apply to people outside the

work

Move from concrete situations within the work to

generalizations about people outside the work

Many works have more than 1 subjects and thus

more than 1 theme

E.g. The Last Leaf by O’ Henry

Themes: - Death - Pessimism

- Hope - Love and friendship


Some works may not have a subject or a theme

E.g. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” and “The Fall of

the House of Usher”

The subjects and themes of complex works can

rarely be covered completely

+ Support the interpretations as logically and with

as much evidence as possible

+ May disagree with the author’s viewpoint


Theme may be a presentation of a problem rather

than a message neatly solving the problem

3.3 Theme – Questions

3.3 Theme – Questions

What is the work about?

What does the work say about the subject?

In what direct and indirect ways does the

work communicate its theme?

3.4. Setting

Place Time

AtmosphereSocial

environment

3.4. Setting – Place & Time

The physical

setting

The relationship

that place has to

characterization

and theme

At what period in

history does the

action take place?

How long does it take

for the action to

occur?

How is the passage of

time perceived?

3.4. Setting – Social environment

& atmosphere

Little importance in a work

Determining the behavior of characters

The emotional reaction the characters have to the setting

What method does the author use?

What does the author achieve?

Why does the author create this atmosphere?

3.5. Point of view

Point of view is the position from which a

story is told.

3.5. Point of view

Who is telling the story?

A story is told

through the eyes of

a narrator.

It is the “voice” of

the story.

3.5. Point of view – Four types

of point of view

1st person

3rd person omniscient

3rd person limited

3rd person objective


of point of view

The narrator is one of

the characters. Uses “I, me, we, my,

our”

He can’t tell us

thoughts of other

characters.

First Person Point of View


of point of view

“The other thing I want to clear up right

away is that this was MOM's idea, not

mine. But if she thinks I'm going to write

down my "feelings" in here or whatever, she's crazy. So just don't expect me to

be all "Dear Diary" this and "Dear Diary"

that.

The only reason I agreed to do this at all

is because I figure later on when I'm rich

and famous, I'll have better things to do than answer people's stupid questions all

day long. So this book is gonna come in

handy.”

Jeff Kinney's The Diary of a Wimpy Kid


of point of view

The narrator is not a character.

Uses he, she, him, her, they, them, their

and characters’ names.

3 types of Third person point of view:

1. Omniscient

2. Limited

3. Objective

Third Person Point of View


of point of view

The narrator is all-knowing.

The narrator can enter the

minds of all characters

and describe what they

are thinking and feeling.

Omniscient Point of View


of point of view

“The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes.”

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (1850)


of point of view

The narrator only knows

the thoughts and

feelings of ONE

character, and it is

often a main

character.

Limited Point of View


of point of view

“When he had been younger, Harry had

dreamed and dreamed of some

unknown relation coming to take him

away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet

sometimes he thought (or maybe

hoped) that strangers in the street

seemed to know him. Very strange

strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a

violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia

and Dudley.”

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (2001)


of point of view

The narrator can only tell

what can be seen or heard.

Cannot know thoughts or

feelings of the characters

Adds no comments on what

is happening

Allows readers to make

inferences

Objective Point of View


of point of view

“The morning of June 27th was clear and

sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-

summer day; the flowers were blossoming

profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to

gather in the square, between the post

office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in

some towns there were so many people

that the lottery took two days and had to

be started on June 26th, but in this village, where there were only about three

hundred people, the whole lottery took less

than two hours,…”

Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” (1948)

3.5. Point of view – Multiple

Choice

The narrator is an observer and knows

everything about all the characters.

A.) First person

B.) Third person omniscient

C.) Third person limited

D.) Third person objective


Choice

The narrator is an observer and describes the

thoughts and feelings of just one character.

A.) First person





Choice

The narrator is a character in the story and

tells what he or she experiences.

A.) First person





Choice

The narrator just describes the facts, does not

enter the mind of the characters.

A.) First person




3.6. Irony

It is the difference between what we

expect to happen, and what actually

does happen.

It is often used to add suspense and

interest.

It is also used to keep the reader

thinking about the moral of the story.

3.6. Irony

3.6. Irony – Four types of Irony

Irony

VerbalIrony

SituationalIrony

DramaticIrony

AttitudinalIrony

3.6. Irony – Four types of Irony –

Verbal Irony

The simplest kind of irony.

It occurs in a conversation where a person aims to be understood as meaning something different to what his or her words literally mean.

E.g. “Awesome! I can’t wait to read the seven

hundred page report.”

“You picked a fine

time to leave me

Lucille, with four

hungry children and

a crop in the field”

LUCILLE by Kenny

Rogers


Verbal Irony in song lyrics


Verbal Irony – Two types

There are two types of verbal irony

1. Overstatement – when a person

exaggerates the character of something.

2. Understatement – when a person

undermines the character of something.


Situational Irony

Occurs when the situation is different from what most people expect and common sense indicates it is, should be or will be.

E.g. THE STORY OF AN HOUR by Kate Chopin


Attitudinal Irony

Results from what one

person expects. An

individual thinks reality is

one way when, in fact, it is

very different.

E.g. THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

by O. Henry


Dramatic Irony

Occurs when the audience knows something

that the characters do not know.

This is used to engage the audience and

keep them actively involved in the storyline.

E.g. In all of the Friday the 13th movies, we

know Jason is in the woods but the

characters do not. When they go out into the

woods, we are afraid for them because we

know that they are in danger.

A CONCRETE

OBJECT

ABSTRACT MEANINGS

A SYMBOL

3.7. Symbolism

E.g. Destruction

+ Passion = Fire

Hell

A concrete object

Abstract meanings

SYMBOLS

An abstract concept

Concrete objects

METAPHORS

Symbolism vs. Metaphors

Examples:

fire destruction

snake evil

night old age

raven death

love an ever-fixed

mark that looks on

tempests and is never

shaken

life a roller coaster

time money

Symbolism vs. Metaphors

Two kinds of Symbolism

Public (conventional)

symbols

are those that most

people would

recognize

refer to something

definite

E.g. the red cross, the

American Eagle,

flags of countries, the

skull and crossbones

Private symbols

are unique to an

individual or to a single work

E.g. the valley of ashes

(an area between the

Long Island suburbs and New York City) moral

decay, urban blight, the oppression of the poor by

the wealthy,

meaninglessness, hell, and violent death

“A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway

Frederic: “It’s raining hard.”

Catherine: “And you’ll always love me, won’t you?”

Frederic: “Yes.”

Catherine: “And the rain won’t make any difference?”

Frederic: “No.”

Catherine: “That’s good. Because I’m afraid of the rain.”

Frederic: “Why are you afraid of it? Tell me.”

Catherine: “All right. I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it.”

Frederic: “No.”

Catherine: “And sometimes I see you dead in it. It’s all nonsense.

It’s only nonsense. I’m not afraid of the rain. I’m not

afraid of the rain. Oh, oh, God, I wish I wasn’t.”

She was crying. I comforted her and she stopped crying. But outside it kept

on raining.

Questions

What does the rain in “A Farewell to Arms” by

Ernest Hemingway represent?

Questions

What does the rain in “A Farewell to Arms” by

Ernest Hemingway represent?

The rain is a symbol of Catherine’s death, the

war, the cruelty of fate.

3.7. Symbolism

Not every work uses symbols, and

not every character, incident, or

object in a work has symbolic

values.

4. Other elements

Dialogue

Description

Poetic use of language

Metaphor

Distinction

Thank you for your

attention!

Education

How to Teach Fiction