2.2: About Fiction - Short Stories and the Novel
- Page ID
- 339829
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:
- explain the difference between fiction and non-fiction, short stories and novels.
- describe the key elements of fiction.
- discuss the meanings of “tone,” “diction,” and “syntax."
- identify the major elements of a plot.
- identify character, setting, and theme.
- differentiate between internal and external conflict.
- 2.2.1: What is Fiction?
- This page discusses fiction as imaginative literature encompassing various genres and contrasts it with nonfiction, which must adhere to truth. It highlights the benefits of reading fiction, such as entertainment and deepening life understanding through characters' experiences. Critical reading enhances appreciation of narrative techniques, and personal perspectives influence individual interpretations, leading to unique insights.
- 2.2.2: How to Interpret a Short Story
- This page provides a guide on analyzing short stories, detailing key literary elements like setting, characterization, and theme. It highlights the structure of a short story and suggests questions to enhance understanding of the narrative's message and the author’s intent. The guide encourages readers to develop their own opinions and articulate their analyses in an essay format.
- 2.2.3: Short Stories versus the Novel
- This page outlines the differences between short stories and novels. Short stories are concise, typically ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 words, featuring a clear plot and fewer characters. They unfold quickly with a structured narrative. In contrast, novels are longer, with multiple events and characters, and can span extended timeframes.
- 2.2.4: Types of Novels
- This page discusses the evaluation of literature, contrasting mass literature, which prioritizes entertainment and accessibility, with traditional literary merit. It highlights popular genres like westerns, romance, science fiction, and crime, often found in newsagents.
- 2.2.5: How to Read Fiction
- This page explores the dynamic relationship between readers and writers in fiction. It outlines Robert DiYanni's reading processes: experience, interpretation, and evaluation, and highlights Virginia Woolf's philosophy advocating for deep engagement with literature. Woolf encourages readers to trust their instincts, seek genuine insights, and embrace emotional responses, while appreciating diverse perspectives.
- 2.2.6: Elements of Fiction
- This page outlines essential elements of literature for critical analysis, such as character, plot, setting, theme, and rhetorical devices. It emphasizes understanding these through fundamental questions and highlights the importance of setting, characterization, conflict, and authorial style. The text encourages readers to support their views with examples and maintain a balanced approach in literary discussions.
- 2.2.7: Character
- This page examines the creation and analysis of characters in prose fiction, emphasizing the emotional responses they evoke and the strategies used in characterization. It discusses E.M. Forster's distinction between flat and round characters and underscores the importance of surprise and depth in character development.
- 2.2.8: Plot
- This page explains the importance of understanding plot for discussing themes and context in stories. It defines plot as the sequence of main events driven by conflict, highlighting key elements such as the inciting incident, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement.
- 2.2.9: Setting
- This page discusses the importance of setting in fiction, highlighting how geographical location and time influence mood, tone, and character development. It cites examples from Edgar Allan Poe, Salman Rushdie, and Turgenev to illustrate how settings can evoke emotions, reflect societal values, and reveal character identities. Overall, the page emphasizes that time and place are vital for creating narrative depth.
- 2.2.10: Narration, Point of View, Dialogue
- This page examines the role of the narrator in literature, distinguishing between the narrator and the author, and discussing unreliable narrators through examples like Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day." It analyzes narrative voice and perspective, emphasizing the effects of first-person and third-person narration. The significance of dialogue is highlighted, showcasing how it enriches character interactions and story depth, particularly in contrasting scenes with and without dialogue.
- 2.2.11: Word Choice, Tone, Voice, and Style
- This page explores the concepts of connotation and denotation in word choice, highlighting how these layers affect meaning and tone in literature. It underscores how an author's unique style influences narrative impact. Virginia Woolf's "Kew Gardens" uses detailed, impressionistic language to convey human and natural dynamics, while Raymond Carver's "Gazebo" employs minimalism and colloquial dialogue to create a sense of uncertainty.
- 2.2.12: Rhetorical and Literary Devices
- This page discusses several rhetorical devices in literature, such as metaphors, similes, repetition, imagery, symbolism, and allegory, explaining how they enhance meaning and interpretation. Metaphors and similes create comparisons, while repetition highlights key ideas and imagery evokes sensory experiences. Symbolism permits deeper interpretations, and allegory conveys specific meanings.
- 2.2.13: Theme
- This page discusses the concept of themes in literature, emphasizing their role as central ideas that connect plot, characters, and conflicts while conveying significant messages about humanity. It highlights the importance of articulating themes in complete sentences and acknowledges that stories can encompass multiple themes. Additionally, it notes that analyzing motifs—recurring elements within a narrative—can aid in identifying these themes and unveiling deeper meanings and connections.