Unit 4 & 5 The Lady or the Tiger? Frank R. Stockton

Unit 4 & 5 The Lady or the Tiger?Frank R. Stockton Short Stories • What’s a short story? A short work of narrative prose fiction. The distinction between the short story and novel is mainly one of length. As opposed to the tale,a mark of a short story is a fully delineated character • Structural elements of a short story : plot, character, characterization, point of view, setting, tone and style, theme, symbol

What is plot? • Dictionary meaning: the main story of a literary or dramatic work. (Webster’s College Dictionary ); the set of connected events that a story, film is based upon. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) • Plot is not merely the sum total of events or their sequence. It is the organizing principle that controls the order of events, the selecting, ordering, and arranging of incidents to bring out their importance, their relationship and their mutual dependence.

E.M. Forster made a helpful distinction between story and plot. A story is “a narrative of events in their time-sequence. A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality.” A story arouses only curiosity; a plot demands intelligence and memory. Thus plotting is the process of converting story into plot, of changing a chronological arrangement of incidents into a causal and inevitable arrangement.

Structural elements of plot in a traditional story exposition, conflict, complication, crisis, climax and denouement (untying of the knot, resolution, conclusion). climax crisis complication falling action conflict exposition denouement

Exposition:theopening portion of the story that sets the scene, introduces the main characters, tells what happened before the story opened, and provides any other background information that is needed for the reader to understand and care about the events to follow. • Conflict:aclash of actions, ideas, desires or wills that is intensified and then resolved during the narrative. The conflict can be physical, mental, emotional or moral, usually taking three basic forms: man vs. man (some other person or group of persons); man vs. his environment ( nature , society, fate); man vs. himself ( some element in his own nature).

crisis:a moment of high tension. • climax:the moment of greatest tension at which the outcome is to be decided NOTE:Although a highly dramatic story may tend to assume such a clearly recognizable structure , many contemporary writers avoid it, considering it too contrived and arbitrary.

Characteris essential to plot. If stories were depopulated, the plots would disappear because the two are interrelated. To quote Henry James, “What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?” In this sense a major function of plot can be said to be the representation of characters in action. • Charactersare simply the imagined people who inhabit a story. If animals or even objects are given human attributes, they too function as characters. • Characterization: The methods by which an author creates, develops and presents a fictional character are called characterization.

Notes on some well-known short-story writers Washington Irving (1783-1859) • “Father of American Literature” • the first prose stylist American romanticism of • making wide use of legends and folktales • dominant theme of change • works including: History of New York (1809) The Sketch Book (1820) Bracebridge Hall (1822) etc. Best known stories: “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) • “father of the modern short story”.(the first to develop the short story as a distinctive art form and to elaborate criteria by which it can be judged • genius: poet, literary critic, short- story writer • short stories including two categories: “Horror Fiction” and “Detective Fiction”. • Important works including: “The Fall of the House of Usher”(1839) “The Masque of the Red Death”(1841-42) The Black Cat” (1845 ) -“The Purloined Letter”( 1845). “The Cask of Amontillado” “The Masque of the Red Death” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (famous for elements of horror and mystery in his stories)

best known poems: “The Raven” (1845), “To Helen”( 1831), “Annabel Lee”( 1849 ) and “Israfel”( 1831). • mysterious life & death • not recognized in his own days O’ Henry (1862-1910) (popular writer) • one of the most prolific modern American short story writers (writing 300 titles) • stories usually dealing with some self-sacrificing member of a family who is undergoing hardship to help a close relative • plot full of coincidence • “surprise ending” as the “trademark” of O’ Henry stories • best known stories: -Cabbages and Kings (1904) The Four Million(1906) The Trimmed Lam (1907) Heart of the West (1907) The Gentle Grafter (1908) … etc.

James Thurber (1894-1961) • one of American’s finest humorists (after Mark Twain) • most famous collection of stories “ My Life and Hard Times” • creating memorable character in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Anton Chekhov (Russian) (1860-1904) • prolific (wrote more than 1000 stories during his life time) • themes (powerlessness of people; mis- understanding amongpeople) • influential (Ernest Hemingway, Katherine Mansfield, etc.) Saki (1870-1916) • pen name of Hector Hugh Munro, meaning “wine – bearer” or “ bringer of joy” • English, but born in Burma • famous for his whimsical, ironical short stories • often surprising his readers with unexpected endings. (e.g. “The open window” )

Some avant gardes in modern short story writing Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) • often compared to Anton Chekhov’s • concerned with mood in revelation of characters (c.f. neat plots) • impressionistic techniques ( e.g. in “Miss Brill”, a single episode illuminating the entire life of a character.) James JoyceDubliners (“The Dead”) Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Language points: imperious:proud and arrogant; domineering, overbearing an imperious person/voice 飞扬跋扈的人/傲慢的口气 be imperious with sb.对某人态度傲慢 waver:be or become weak or unsteady; falter His courage never wavered. 他的勇气从未减弱 Her steady gaze did not waver. 她目不转睛地注视着 They did not waver in their support for him. 他们毫不动摇地支持他。 premises:a large stretch or area of land with the buildings thereon The firm moved to its new premises in 1971.该公司于1971年迁至新址。 Keep off the premises.禁止入内。

tribunal:a court of judges officially appointed to deal with special matters; group ofofficials with the authority to settle certain types of dispute the Hague Tribunal海牙国际仲裁法庭 a military tribunal军事法庭 During Clinton’s impeachment dispute, several tribunals were set up to look into the case. personage:person, esp. important or distinguished one Political and royal personage from many countries attended the funeral.许多国家的政界要人和皇族人士参加了葬礼。 moiety (formal or law):half possess sb. of sth.: make sb. possess sth. He possessed me of the necessary information. They possessed themselves of her money by illegal means

aspire:desire strongly to achieve sth.; have ambition for sth. aspire for/after/to sth. or to do sth. aspire to succeed渴望成功 aspire after knowledge渴求知识 What do women aspire for? parapet: a low protective wall or railing along the edge of a platform, balcony, bridge, roof, etc. devious:tricky, not straightforward a devious explanation拐弯抹角的解释 He is genuinely a person without a devious nature.他确实是个光明正大的人。 reverie:daydream have a reverie about the delicious food 幻想着美味佳肴 indulge in reveries about the future沉溺于对未来的想入非非

rapture:intense delight rapturous: causing or expressing rapture give sb. a rapturous welcome/reception热情洋溢地欢迎/接待某人 na rapturous sign/look欣喜若狂的惊叹/神情 kindle:catch fire; arouse, stimulate: kindle (with sth.):become bright, shine or glow to kindle hope/desire激起希望/欲望 nHer eyes kindled with excitement.她兴奋得双眼炯炯发亮。 rekindle: After the Salt lake city and Sydney bribery scandals, International Olympic committee vows to make some reforms to rekindle the Olympic spirits.盐城和悉尼贿赂丑闻后，国际奥委会发誓要进行改革，以重燃奥运精神。

lightly: in a light manner, without serious consideration Marriage is not something to be undertaken lightly.婚姻大事不可掉以轻心。 set oneself up as sb.:regard oneself as or claim to be (the specified type of person) He likes to set himself up as an intellectual.他喜欢自命为知识分子。

Miss Brill • Trifling incidents as subject matter • Fresh, innovative plotline • Impressionistic /symbolic techniques to convey powerful atmosphere • Powerful characterization

Indirect Characterization • Describing the character’s physical appearance • Stating the character’s actions and/or words • Revealing the character’s thoughts • Showing how the character is treated by others

Characterization in Miss Brill • Focusing on Miss Brill’s neckpiece • Revealing what Miss Brill thinks • Showing how Miss Brill is treated by others • Showing how the Miss Brill behaves

Exercises (Blank filling) hollowed abreast pinched dashing, solemn invalid frail resolute 1. The prisoner took a (an) _____ vow to avenge the wrongs he had suffered. 2. The hero of the play was a smiling ____ cavalry office. 3. The beggar’s face was _____ from hunger and cold. 4. The cheerleaders, walking four ____ , entered the stadium. 5. The ____ eyes of the sick man followed the doctor’s movements anxiously. 6. The crystal was too ____ to be shipped and had to be carried by hand. 7. Although she is confined to a wheelchair, the patient does not think of herself as a(an) ____. 8. Once I make up my mind to do something, you will find me ____.

Blank-filling Hobble, swoop, dash, patter, trot, rush, march, quiver, flop, droop 1. She _______ along (the corridor) in her bare feet. 2. A herd of gazelles（蹬羚） ________ off with incredible speed and grace. 3.They ______ in the parade to the beat of the drums. 4. He hurried off, his assistants ________ after him. 5. When he thought there was going to be an earthquake, he _________ out into the street, still in his pajamas. 6. Ambulance crews ___ to the scene of the accident. 7. After a day’s hard work, he went home and ________ into a chair 8. The leaves on the trees ____ in the breeze. 9. The plant needs some water—it’s starting to ____ . 10. Because her shoes were too tight, the woman _____ along.

Translation • - She had taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder,… • - .. the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light…. Translate the following sentences by using the given words as verbs. anger ,battle, book, ,picture, chair, flower, seat ,pencil, pin, Room, eye, dam, oil, shoulder , storm 1. 你的票定好了吗? 2. 昨天谁主持会议? 3. 他对我们寄托了很大的希望。 4. 这厅能坐一千人。 5. 它描绘了大学生的生活。

6. 他匆忙用铅笔在上面记下了时间。 7. 我们应当负起这些责任来。 8. 人们带着怀疑的眼光注视着他。 9. 我希望我们能住同一个房间。 10. 这些花开得很好，但结果不多。 11. 我们决定筑一条拦河坝。 12. 他忙着给自行车上油。 13. 医生们苦战了六昼夜来抢救他的生命。 14. 这使我们气愤至极，把他痛打了一顿。 15. 一千多学生冲进了参议院大楼。

Unit 4 & 5 The Lady or the Tiger? Frank R. Stockton