Web viewThis in turn leads us to recognise and reflect on the themes, ... constructed the narrative...

Reading & Responding - Unit 2

Features of a narrative (I)Except for most poetry, all texts set for Reading and responding are narratives. They tell stories which draw us into the circumstances, relationships, fortunes and misfortunes of people's lives or the lives' of fictional characters. By capturing our interest in these characters, a narrative engages us, not only in the events of the characters' lives, but in thinking about their meaning and significance. This in turn leads us to recognise and reflect on the themes, ideas and values embedded in the narrative.

Although there are important differences between these types of texts, understanding how an author has constructed the narrative is essential in all cases. Two key questions to ask about narrative texts are:

What features or techniques do authors use to involve us in the narrative? How do these features engage you as a reader or viewer and affect your responses?

Narrative: the unfolding of eventsThe way events unfold in a narrative is a key to engaging and holding our attention: we want to know 'what happens next'. Not just that. How events unfold is critical because the events are very carefully arranged to shape our understanding of characters and bring to our attention key themes and ideas that the author is exploring.

As you follow the events unfolding in your selected texts, you will need to consider two important and interrelated elements. Firstly, the plot - that is, the order in which events are presented - and secondly, the narrative structure - how the arrangement of events produces rising and falling tension.

PlotThe plot is the sequence of events in the narrative, arranged so that they: Generate interest, suspense and surprise Allow us to develop a sense of cause and effect as events unfold.

Make sure you develop a thorough knowledge of the plot of any narrative text you study: what happens where, when and to whom. This will assist you to make specific references to the text in your essays.

Adding meaningThink about how and why the author organises the plot in a certain way.

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

The Kite Runner By Khaled

Hosseini

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How do key events add to your understanding of characters and the causes and effects of their actions? How do unfolding events reveal the main ideas in the text?

The order of events may be chronological (events presented from longest ago to most recent, as in 'real' time), or it may be changed, e.g. through flashbacks. If the author does not unfold events chronologically, what effect does the varying of time order have?

Shifts in timeVery few narratives present all events in strict chronological order; most include some reflection on past events by the narrator or central characters. They can also contain explicit shifts between the narrative present and the past - like flashbacks in film. Shifts in time are always significant: They can describe formative events in a character's life, casting light on their background and psychological make-up. They increase the period of time covered by the narrative. They show how the past informs the present.

The following paragraph discusses one way in which shifts in time can show a complex relationship between past and present.

In Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye, the narrative alternates between the 'present' (the late 1980s) and the past. Each of the novel's 15 sections begins with a chapter set in the present, followed by chapters set in the past; most of the 'past' chapters describe the childhood of the narrator, Elaine Risley. This intermingling of past and present - emphasised by the use of the present tense even in those chapters set in the past - reflects the importance of memory to our sense of identity, as well as the powerful ways in which past experiences affect our present and future lives.

1. Does my text start 'in the present' and then shift back to an earlier time? If so, what key questions does the opening section raise about what happened previously to a character or characters?

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2. Does my text move between two or more time periods in order to show a strong relationship between present and past?

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ACTIVITY - Describe shifts in time

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3. Does my text indicate what will happen in the future (known as foreshadowing)? If so, how does this impact on my understanding of characters and situations in the narrative present?

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Narrative structureThe structure of a narrative includes key points or scenes that create rising and falling tension. These include: Exposition - the introduction of the main characters and main situation, setting the scene for some kind of conflict. (Note: conflict may be internal within a character, or external with other people and/or places, or a combination of both.) Crisis points - a character is presented with a problem or challenge which tests their values and beliefs. Turning points - a decisive change in the course of events; a character realises there is no returning to past circumstances. Turning points often coincide with crisis points; they can also be the outcome of a crisis point. Climax - the tension rises to a peak; the main conflict between characters and/or ideas comes to a head and must now be resolved one way or the other. Denouement - the 'unknotting' or unraveling of narrative threads, when questions are finally answered. Resolution - the tension relaxes as conflicts are resolved

In general, narratives build towards the climax, after which the tension decreases. The rising and falling tension enhances our involvement with the characters' fluctuating fortunes - their challenges, aspirations, successes and failures. This is what keeps us enthralled with the story! The resolution generates a feeling of closure or completion, even when the ending is tragic or sad.

Authors also use narrative structure to shape our responses to ideas and values. As such, it is crucial in shaping our response to the text as a whole.

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2 3


Write an example for each of the key points in narrative structure from ‘The Kite Runner’ below.

WORD DEFINITION YOUR EXAMPLE

EXPOSITIONthe introduction of the main characters and situation; setting the scene for some kind of conflict

CRISIS POINTa character is presented with a problem or challenge which tests their values and beliefs

TURNING POINT

a decisive change in the course of events; a character realises there is no returning to past circumstances; can coincide with, or be the outcome of, a crisis point

CLIMAX

the point at which the tension rises to a peak; the main conflict between characters and/or ideas comes to a head and must be resolved

DENOUEMENTthe 'unknotting' or unraveling of narrative threads; when questions are finally answered

RESOLUTIONwhere the tension relaxes -conflicts are resolved, issues and relationships are sorted out


ACTIVITY – Key points in narrative structure

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How is your text structured?To see how your text is structured, answer the following questions. Note that the terms in bold are elements or features of structure that an author can use.

1. Do the main events unfold in chronological order?

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2. Does the text begin in the middle of the action and include flashbacks or shifts in time?

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3. Is it divided into two or three - or more - major parts?

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4. Does it use an organising principle? (such as a recurring theme or image; a first-person narrator's point of view; stories or chapters grouped or sequenced according to a number or time period)

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5. Does it have a main plot and sub-plot/s?

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6. Is the plot built around a journey or quest (emotional or physical)?

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7. Is the plot circular, beginning and ending at the same point? You may have answered 'yes' to more than one of the above

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For any elements you answered 'yes' to, consider the effect of the author's choices about structure. For example, does the structure: heighten the narrative tension or suspense? make the opening more exciting, grabbing the reader's attention? highlight connections between different characters or events? ensure that the reader considers several different points of view on the action?

Narrators and narrative viewpointThe narrator is the character or voice that tells the story. The narrative viewpoint is the perspective from which the story is told.

Who is telling the story? Is it a character in the narrative - someone who can reveal only what they individually see, think and understand? Or is the narrator an all-knowing voice outside the story - able to reveal the experiences, thoughts and feelings of all characters?

It is important to think carefully about an author's choice of narrator and narrative perspective, because it affects how characters and events are presented and how we respond to them.

The two main narrative viewpoints are first-person (I) and third-person (he/she; they). The following table summarises the key features of these viewpoints.

First-person narrator (I) Effects (I) a character or individual within the text; uses the first-person ‘I’, e.g. ‘I didn't feel up to daughters, I didn't know how they worked.'

limits the reader's knowledge of other characters to what the narrator knows or thinks about them.

gives an 'inside' account of events allows for a rich, detailed understanding of the narrator's personality, beliefs, fears and aspirations.

limits the narrative to one person's perspective on conflicts and issues

places the reader in the position of an involved participant in the action

Third-person narrator (he, she, they) Effects (he, she, they) a voice located outside the text; uses the third-person 'he', 'she', 'they', e.g. 'She watched Rose crossing the street from sunlight into shade, carrying the new leather handbag that she had bought in Clery's in Dublin in the sale.'

may be 'omniscient' or all-knowing, so can allow the reader to know the thoughts and feelings of as many characters as the author wishes

gives a more detached, objective account can give a detailed depiction of one or two characters or less detail for a range of characters

can represent multiple perspectives on conflicts and issues

puts the reader in the position of observer rather than participant

Authors and the narrators of textsAlways distinguish between the narrator and the author.

The author selects the narrative voice and perspective as part of creating the text so keep the following points in mind: Be careful not to automatically equate the opinions and judgments of the narrator with those of the author.



Authors deliberately choose the first-person or third-person narrator so that they can present their characters' experiences in a particular way. The text usually encourages us to be sympathetic to the narrator's viewpoint, even if the narrator is clearly biased or perhaps even seriously flawed.

Example of a first-person narratorThe following paragraph discusses the use of a first-person narrator in ‘In the Country of Men’. Note that it focuses on how this viewpoint impacts on the reader, showing how the narrative draws the reader into the narrator's world.

The first-person narrator of In the Country of Men, nine-year-old Suleiman, conveys the novel's setting with a sensual immediacy:

I am recalling now that last summer before I was sent away. It was 1979, and the sun was everywhere. Tripoli lay brilliant and still beneath it... true mercy only arrived at night, a breeze chilled by the vacant desert, moistened by the humming sea ... (p.l)

However, Suleiman does not understand everything about the world around him; the reader must fill in the gaps in his knowledge to understand that his mother's 'illness' is in fact drunkenness, and that his father is involved in politically subversive activities that place him in grave danger. Seen through the innocent eyes of a child, the brutal and often profoundly irrational nature of Gaddafi's regime becomes increasingly and terrifyingly clear.

Example of a third-person omniscient narratorThe following paragraph discusses the use of a third-person narrator in A Christmas Carol and how this influences the reader's view of characters and events. In this novel, the narrator's comments and observations deliberately position the reader. In other texts, the third-person narrative viewpoint can be more detached and work in a more subtle fashion to shape the reader's responses.

The omniscient third-person narrator in ‘A Christmas Carol’ knows everything about the world of the text, presenting a detailed portrait of 19th-century London ('a glorious pageant' on Christmas Eve) and relating Scrooge's travels with the Spirits around the city and even across the sea. Yet this narrator also has qualities of a distinct individual, expressing viewpoints on characters (Scrooge is a 'squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!'), occasionally using the first-person ‘I’ and addressing the reader directly:

If you should happen, by any unlikely chance, to know a man more blest in a laugh than Scrooge's nephew, all I can say, is, I should like to know him too.

This narrative voice allows Dickens to deliver a clear moral message in a way that is engaging, entertaining and frequently humorous.

Example of a third-person limited narratorIn some cases the third-person narrator is not omniscient, but describes characters and events from the point of view of a central character (usually the protagonist). The following paragraphs discuss Toibin's use of a third-person limited narrative perspective in Brooklyn.



The opening of Brooklyn describes an ordinary evening in the life of Eilis Lacey. Although several people are described, including Eilis' sister Rose, her mother, and her friends Nancy and Annette, the narrative consistently presents them exactly as Eilis would see them. In fact, as Eilis does not reflect on her own appearance - an early sign of her lack of vanity - we gain little sense of what she looks like. On the other hand, her wry sense of humour and sharp observations of others are quickly evident.

For example, the description of Miss Kelly, when Eilis has a meeting with her early in Part One, is not as an objective, external observer might see her, but as Eilis sees her:

Miss Kelly spoke, Eilis thought, as though she were describing a slight done to her, closing her mouth tightly between each phrase.

On the other hand, the narrative does not give a view of Eilis as Miss Kelly sees her; nor does it describe Miss Kelly's private thoughts and feelings, although the reader can easily infer them. In this way, the reader learns about the societies of 1950s Ireland and America through Eilis' experiences of them, and gains a keen appreciation of the challenges and constraints faced by independent and enterprising young women of Eilis' generation.

Features of a narrative (I)…Continued.Settings and contextsThe settings of a narrative are the places and times in which the action is located.

Settings help to bring the world of a narrative to life in our imagination. Characters become all the more vivid and 'real' to us as we visualise the surroundings in which their experiences unfold.

Long narratives such as novels and films have more than one setting. Different characters can live in different places and/or times; main characters can move from one setting to another in response to changing life circumstances.

Writing about settings is not simply a matter of describing those locations. Show your understanding of how settings influence a reader and how they link to other elements of the text. Focusing on how settings contrast or change will help you to do this.

Ask yourself the following questions to understand the importance of settings in your text:

Do built environments embody features of society that an author may wish to emphasise? Are natural environments described as having positive or negative qualities? How is this related to interactions between people and the natural world? How do characters' responses to settings reflect their feelings? For example, do they feel comfortable and settled or, alternatively, are they restless, seeking change in their lives?


ACTIVITY - Explore The Significance Of Settings

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1. What are the main settings used in your text? Be as specific as possible; identify times as well as places.

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2. For each main setting, list several words describing qualities of that setting, e.g. lush, wild, tropical, natural. Identify any strong similarities or contrasts between different settings, e.g. look for contrasts between indoor and outdoor settings, or between town and country settings.

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3. Does a main character experience particular feelings in a specific setting? What do these feelings reveal or suggest about this character?

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4. How do contrasting settings suggest contrasting values or attitudes held by people who inhabit those settings? Think about contrasts such as city/country, interior/exterior, wealthy/poor, north/south, east/west.

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5. Identify one or two significant changes of setting in the course of the narrative. Is a new factor introduced? For example, is a main character placed in a new situation that develops or tests them? Do two characters meet to develop conflict? How are these changes linked to plot development?

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6. In what time period is the text set? Why do you think the writer has chosen to set the text in this particular time?

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ContextsContext is a broader term than setting. It encompasses real events and circumstances outside the world of the text.

Three main contexts to consider are historical, social and cultural. These can often overlap.

Historical contexts - the events and circumstances of the time, such as wars; key political figures; changes to laws, technology or society. Social contexts - the nature of the society, including gender roles, social conventions and social divisions. Cultural contexts - the cultural features of a social group or historical often related to race and ethnicity.

A context map: historical, social and cultural contextsAnna Funder’s ‘Stasiland’ tells the story of individuals caught up in the former East Germany's culture of spying and informing. The context map below indicates some of the historical, social and cultural issues that the text draws upon.



The historical context of an author's timeIt can be important to consider the author's context, even when the text is set in a different time, as the following example shows.

Steven Amsterdam's Things We Didn't See Coming is set in the first three decades of the 21st century - that is, the near future at the time the book was published (2009). This text presents a bleak (or dystopian) view of the future, portraying a world in which survival has become extremely difficult as a result of environmental and social changes. Such a view is less an attempt to predict accurately what will happen than a projection into the future of widespread concerns about climate change and the use of the world's finite natural resources.

Language and imageryAn author crafts language carefully and in ways that can powerfully affect our response to a text. This doesn't mean that we are expected to find significance in every word. However, when you re-read and do further close study on your text, carefully consider how:

certain features of language help to create the tone and style of the writing word choices produce an image with special meaning for a setting, character or k particular words and images have a symbolic meaning.

These are significant because they allow the author to build complexity and layers of meaning into a text. Aim to address some of these techniques in your text responses, as this will help you to demonstrate a more sophisticated understanding of the text.

Style and tone



Style is the way in which language is used. The style of the writing may be formal or informal, reflective or fast-paced, poetic and ornate, or direct and down-to-earth.

Tone is the mood or 'sound' of the writing, and conveys an attitude to the subject matter.The tone can be serious or comic, sarcastic or sincere, angry or affectionate (among many other possibilities).Style and tone are closely related to other aspects of narrative, such as context, characterisation and narrative viewpoint. For example: In a first-person narrative, the style and tone of the narrative will reflect the personality, background and social context of the narrator. In a third-person narrative, the tone of the narrative voice is usually more formal than the language used by the characters. This encourages us to see the narrator's viewpoint as reliable and truthful. The tone and style of the characters' speech reflects their social context (class) and educational background. Their use of language thus allows the author to represent aspects of the society and culture to which characters belong. The use of non-English words conveys the cultural context of characters and highlights cultural differences.

The following paragraph shows how characteristics of tone and style can be quickly identified through one or two adjectives (e.g. 'plain', 'literal'). Note that it also explains how style and tone contribute to the characterisation of the narrator and the impact of the text on the reader.

Margaret Atwood's use of a plain, literal style in Cat's Eye evokes Elaine's childhood world and outlook. Objects and experiences are described in a simple, matter-of-fact style, using concrete images and an understated tone that captures both a child's perspective and the adult's careful reflection on the past. When Elaine says, 'I'm in the kitchen, greasing muffin tins for my mother', she expresses both the simplicity of the child's experience and her sense as an adult of curiously examining her younger self, wondering at the emotional distance between mother and daughter. At times, the emotional intensity is suddenly increased through a more poetic expression, such as 'Misery washes over me like a slow wind'. Here, the simile conveys the depth of Elaine's unhappiness, as well as her sense that events, and even emotions, happen to her in a way she has little control over.

ImageryAn image is a 'mental picture'. It is usually visual, but it can appeal to other senses.Imagery draws you, the reader, into the sensory world of the text, influencing your responses to situations and events. It can also be used to suggest several associated meanings; hence, it can be crucial to your interpretation of characters, to the ideas and values presented in the text and to your overall response to a text.

Recurring imagesLook for images that recur in your text, as they will have a special significance for the meaning of the text as a whole. In particular, a repeated image indicates that the author is doing more than simply describing a setting or character; they might be suggesting important ideas and



themes embedded in the narrative. Practise carefully, 'unpacking' the meanings of a recurring image as this adds complexity and originality to your analysis.

Images of natureNarrative texts focus on human characters and situations - the social world. However, most authors also make us aware of elements of nature, such as gardens, mountains, oceans and the weather.

The natural environment is often an important 'backdrop' for human actions and states of mind, e.g. changes in the weather can reflect or anticipate a changing situation in the characters' lives. Natural imagery can: Convey a location's unique or special qualities Suggest what is fundamentally important or beautiful in life Suggest a sense of natural order that contrasts with the social world, perhaps exposing flaws in social conventions, attitudes or behaviour.

SymbolsSymbols are images that stand for a larger idea or concept. Some symbols are widely recognised: the crown symbolises royalty; scales symbolise justice; a rose symbolises love.

In a narrative, a recurring image may become symbolic because of ideas that the text encourages us to associate with that image. Symbols point to the broader implications of circumstances and events, so recognising and analysing symbols can help you to understand a text's major themes.

1. Identify two or three recurring images and where they appear in the narrative.

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a. What are they associated with - a character? settings?


ACTIVITY - Explore Imagery

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b. Do they have a positive or negative association? Why?

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c. Are any of these images symbolic? If so, what do they symbolise?

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