英美小說要素解析1

英美小說要素解析AnApproachtoFictionteacherxuxiaoxia@163.comOffice:9308-2PN:646088Ray徐曉霞

What’sthecourseabout?Whatisfiction?Whatarethevitalelementsinaworkoffiction?Plot?Characters?Setting?Pointofview?Theme?Style?Tone?Symbolism?Allegory?GeneralIntroduction

Tobetteranalyze,understandandappreciatewhatweread.Howtolearntheseelements?Byreadingsamplereadingsprovidedinthetextbook.Let’sturntotheCONTENTStotakealookatthelayoutofthetextbook.Whytheseelements?1.Behere!Attendancewillberecordedanditispartofyourfinalscore.2.Don’tbelate.Ifyouare,sayyou’resorry.3.Don’thaveanykindoffoodhere.4.Nocellphonecanbeusedintheclassroom.Don’tletanyoneseeyourcellphonewhileyouarehere.5.DONOTSLEEP!DONOTFROWN!BasicrequirementsofthecoursePleaseturntothepreface.Afterthat,wewilltakealookattheEditor’sNote.Nowlet’sbegin!Books:fictionandnon-fictionFiction:imaginationFiction:novels,novellas,shortstoriesAnovel:abouthumanexperience,throughaconnectedsequenceofevents,withanumberofpersons,inaspecificsettingAshortstory:brief,asingleeffect

(morefocused)Anovella:betweenashortstoryandanovelinlengthandcomplexityKeywords/wiki/NovelA

novel

isabookoflong

narrative

in

literary

prose.Prose:themosttypicalformof

language,applyingordinary

grammaticalstructure

and

naturalflowofspeech

ratherthan

rhythmicstructure

(asintraditional

poetry).Proseisdifferentfrompoetrybecauseitisnotrhythimic.AnovelFurtherdefinitionofthegenreishistoricallydifficult.Theconstructionofthenarrative,the

plot,theway

reality

iscreatedintheworksof

fiction,thefascinationofthe

character

study,andtheuseoflanguageareusuallydiscussedtoshowanovel'sartisticmerits.Theaboverequirementsmakeanoveldifferentfromfactualhistory.Soanovelisimaginary.Fictionality

andthepresentationina

narrative

arethetwofeaturesmostcommonlyinvokedtodistinguishnovelsfromhistories.Novelscan,ontheotherhand,depictthesocial,political,andpersonalrealitiesofaplaceandperiodwithaclarityanddetailhistorianswouldnotdaretoexplore.DifferencesbetweennovelsandhistoriesNovelsaresupposedtoshowqualitiesof

literature

and

art.Anovelwillbeanalyzedwithalookatthealmosttimelessvalueitissupposedtoshowinthehandsofprivatereadersasaworkofart.Aspecificnovelcanhavethese"eternalqualities"ofart,this"deeper

meaning"an

interpretation

triestoreveal.Differencesbetweennovelsandhistories/techniques/media/forster.htmlE.M.Forsterwasasuccessfulnovelistandlateranacademic.Threeofhisnovels,

ARoomwithaView（看得見風(fēng)景的房間）

(1908),

Howard’sEnd

（霍華德莊園）(1910)and

APassagetoIndia

（印度之行）(1924)havebeenmadeintofilms.

<<霍華德莊園>>圍繞家產(chǎn)繼承權(quán)和女主人公的婚姻鋪敘了一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)的“故事”。但是，在更重要的層面上，這是一部有關(guān)英國(guó)以及人類文明的寓言。Hemakesacleardistinctionbetweenstoryandplot,andemphasestherelationshipbetweencharacterandincident.Andhisdiscussionoffantasy,prophecyandrhythmencouragesusthattrulygreatwritinggoesbeyondstorytelling.E.M.Forster’s

AspectsoftheNovelA

storyis

anarrativeofeventsarrangedintheirtimesequence

—itsimplytellsuswhathappenedandinwhatorder.Thisemphasisonchronologicalsequenceisadifferencefromreallife.Ourreallivesalsounfoldthroughtimebuthavetheaddedfeaturethatsomeexperienceshavegreatervalueandmeaningthanothers.Valuehasnoroleinastory,whichisconcernedwith

thelifeintime

ratherthan

thelifebyvalues.storyandplotAnovelistcanonlybegintoexplorethevalueofhumanexperiencesbydevelopingthecharactersofthestory.ButForsteremphasizesthatcharactersarenotrealpeople;rathertheyare

like

realpeople.Sometimescharacterscanseemtobemorerealthanthepeoplearoundus,andthisisbecauseanovelistisabletorevealthecharacter’s

hiddenlife.charactersDOYOUHAVEAHIDDENLIFE?SometimescharacterscanseemtobemorerealthanthepeoplearoundusForsterdistinguishesbetweenflatcharactersandroundcharacters.

Thereallyflatcharactercanbeexpressedinonesentence.Thesecharactersareeasilyrecognizedwhenfirstintroducedandeasilyrememberedafterwards.flatcharactersandroundcharactersAroundcharacterbycontrasthasfurtherdimensionstotheirpersonality,whicharerevealedaseventsdemandthem.Aflatcharacterneversurprisesuswiththeirbehaviour,butaroundcharactermaywellsurpriseuswiththeseunsuspectedaspectsoftheirnature;and

thetestofaroundcharacteriswhetheritiscapableofsurprisinginaconvincingway.

AroundcharacterDickenswroteflatcharacterssuperblywell.

Nearlyeveryonecanbesummedupinasentence,andyetthereisthiswonderfulfeelingofhumandepth.ProbablytheimmensevitalityofDickenscauseshischaracterstovibratealittle,sothattheyborrowhislifeandappeartoleadoneoftheirown.Soareroundcharactersnecessarilybetterthanflatcharacters?Aplotisalsoanarrativeofevents,theemphasisfallingoncausality.“Thekingdiedandthenthequeendied,”isastory.“Thekingdied,andthenthequeendiedofgrief,”isaplot.Thetimesequenceispreserved,butthesenseofcausalityovershadowsit.

Considerthedeathofthequeen.Ifitisinastorywesay“andthen?”Ifitisinaplotweask“why?”plot“Thekingdiedandthenthequeendied,”“Thekingdied,andthenthequeendiedofgrief,”What’sthedifference？We’vediscussedthedefinition,keyfeaturesandkeyelementsofandinfiction.Source:WikipediaandForster’sAspectsoftheNovelSummary1.Whatisfiction?2.Howisfictiondifferentfromhistory?3.Whatkindoflanguageisusedinfiction?4.Whatarethethreegenresoffiction?Howaretheydifferentfromeachother?5.HowmuchdoyouknowaboutE.M.ForsterandAspectsoftheNovel?TopicsfordiscussionAplotisasequenceofinterrelatedactionsorevents.Aplotistheplanofdevelopmentoftheactions.Aplotisaplanorgroundworkforastory,basedonconflictinghumanmotivations,withtheactionsresultingfrombelievableandrealistichumanresponse.Chapter1PlotInawell-plottedstory,nothingisirrelevant;everythingisrelated.牽一發(fā)而動(dòng)全身P1inthetextbookConflict:oppositionTypesofconflict:Externalconflict:betweenManandnature;Manandsociety;ManandmanInternalconflict:Withinonecharacter:one’sinnerstruggleConflictinPlotExposition:beginning,background,introductionComplication:therisingaction,development,intensificationCrisis:theclimax,greatestintensity,theturningpointFallingaction:subsidesResolution:final,equilibrium,conclusion,denouementFivestagesofplot:p3subsideEquilibrium

1.相稱;平衡;均衡2.均勢(shì)3.(心情的)平靜equilibriumThecustomaryway:chronologicalplottingNon-chronologicalplotting:e.g.flashback閃回Theorderingofplot1.Whatisplot?2.Whatisconflict?3.Whatarethetypesofconflict?4.Whatarethefivestagesofplot?5.Whatisthecustomarywayoforderingtheplot?6.Whatisflashback?TopicsfordiscussionReadingassignments:ChristmasDayintheMorningARo