Reading Fiction

READING FICTIONUNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LITERARY FICTION AND GENRE FICTION, AN INTRO TO COMPONENTS

READING FICTION RESPONSIVELY

“Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written.”

--Henry David Thoreau

“The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power.”

--Toni Morrison

KATE CHOPIN• Feb 8, 1850-Aug 22, 1904

• In 1870, at the age of 20, she married Oscar Chopin and settled in New Orleans.

• By 28, she had 6 children.

• When Oscar Chopin died in 1882, he left Kate with $12,000 in debt, which would be around $250,000 in 2009 money.

• She had depression due to her husband’s death and mother’s death, and was encouraged to go into writing by her OB.

• Not many writers during the mid- to late 19th century were bold enough to address subjects that Chopin willingly took on. Although David Chopin, her grandson, claims "Kate was neither a feminist nor suffragist, she said so. She was nonetheless a woman who took women extremely seriously. She never doubted women’s ability to be strong.”

WRITING EXERCISE: KATE CHOPIN’S “THE STORY OF AN HOUR”

Write a response to the story on p. 15

• How would you categorize this story?

• What are the attributes that would put the story in this category?

• What was confusing in the story?

• What did you notice about the language? Was it easy to follow and read?

DISCUSSION

Look at the annotated copy of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” on p. 17.

Discuss in a group whether or not you agree with some of the annotations. Was there anything that you thought about the story that was not included?

LITERARY FICTION V. GENRE FICTION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm5muPNkANQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CT2B22dgJo





DISCUSSION

Discuss the article and short videos in a group. What are the limitations of genre fiction? What are the advantages? What could be the problem with labels in writing and reading?

A COMPOSITE OF A ROMANCE TIP SHEET

P. 26: Composite of a Romance taken from a publisher. Discuss the composite and answer the questions on p. 29.

Group #1: Discuss Questions #1-4



WHY DO WE STUDY LITERARY FICTION IN COLLEGE?

• It challenges preconceptions we have.

• It deepens understanding of privilege—gender, race, language, ethnicity, class, disability/ability

• The language usage is more artful. The level of craft is, often, higher than that of genre fiction.

• It provides connections between other studies.

• It provides room for discussion.

OVERVIEW OF THE COMPONENTS IN FICTION

• Character: A good writer gives us the illusion that the character is real, but we should also remember that a character is not an actual person, but instead has been created by the writer.

• Setting: the context in which the action of a story occurs.

• Point of View: refers to who tells the story and how it is told.

• Symbolism: a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning.

• Theme: the central idea or meaning of the story.

Education

Reading Fiction