《英语短篇小说选读》讲义(第七周)

Story 4 Discussion
Close-reading
Atmosphere: sounds real; take everything told to be true;
Story 4 Discussion
Close-reading
How does Mrs. Sappleton’s words and behavior increase Framton’s fear?
• Harry Potter
Alice in Alice’s Adventure In Wonderland
Buck in The Call of the Wild
I. Definition of Character
• Any individual in a literary work. • Factors to be considered: 1. A character is usually but not always a human being. 2. It must have some recognizable human qualities. (resemblance to real people)
II. The different types of character
• “Every person is unique, so is a character in a fiction.” • How many types of persons do you think in our real life? • How do you divide the persons into different types?
Two methods
Characterization by showing (dramatic)
Through dialogue
Through the author’s comment
Through action
Characterization by the author
• In the most customary form of telling, the author interrupts the narrative and reveals directly, through a series of editorial comments, the nature and personality of the characters, including, the thoughts and feelings that enter and pass through the character’s minds.
Created with Haiku Deck
story 4 The Open Window —Saki —Point of view
Story 4 Discussion
About the author
Hector Hugh Munro (1870–1916), better known by the pen name Saki, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and culture. The word ―saki‖ means person who holds the good wine. He is considered a master of the short story, and often compared to O. Henry.
A Question to think about:
• What is the relationship between plot and character? 1. Character is the most significant agent of plot. 2. Without character, there would be no plot and, hence, no story.
Explain the last sentence and tell what you think of the girl.
Story 4 Discussion
Close-reading
How might this story have been different if it had been told from the girl’s point of view?
visit? How does this setting add to the
atmosphere of the girl’s story?
Story 4 Discussion
Close-reading Setting: introduced by his sister; visit a stranger; knows nothing about the village and its residents; open window
Today’s Agenda
—Students presentation —discussracter
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Reasons for division Roles in a fiction
Types of character
features
Protagonist Antagonist
major or central opponent against whom the protagonist struggles Complex multidimensional, the capacity to grow and change.
When does the climax of the story come?
Story 4 Discussion
Close-reading
Why do you think Framton reacts so intensely to the appearance of the three figures?
Factors to be considered:
• The term protagonist and antagonist do not imply moral judgments. • Many protagonists embody a complex mixture of both positive and negative qualities.
Types of character
protagonist Round character Dynamic character antagonist Flat character Static character
III. characterization
• How do you know a person’s characteristics in your life? • How many ways do we have to analyze the characterization in a fiction?
Minor role, a single trait Develop or change as the story progresses Remain the same
characteristics
Round character
Flat character development Dynamic character Static character
By action
What a given character is revealed by what that character does.
The idea that one’s behavior is a logical and even necessary extension of one’s psychology and personality is widely shared.
Characterization through action is the most important and adequate method of revealing characters. It is helpful to examine the motive of a character.
Story 4 Discussion
His writing style
Many of Saki's works satirize the conventions and hypocrisies of Edwardian England with the ruthless but straightforward life-and-death struggles of nature. Nature generally wins in the end.
Factors to be considered:
• Round characters have more depth and require more attention. • Major characters in fiction are usually round characters. • Flat characters tend to stay the same throughout a story, but round characters often change.
Story 4 Discussion
Close-reading Framton: calculating, cautious,