BBL 3201: Introduction to Critical Appreciation

1. BBL 3201: Introduction to Critical Appreciation Semester 1, 2009-2010, 26 June 2009, DKAP D2

2. OUTLINE • INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL APPRECIATION • HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CRITICAL APPRECIATION • SOME USEFUL HINTS • REFERENCING • WRITING ABOUT FICTION: THE WORLD OF THE STORY • THE NATURE OF THE FICTION • PLOT • POINT OF VIEW • CHARACTERS • SETTING • TONE AND STYLE • THEME • SYMBOL • QUESTIONS

3. 1. What is literature? • Anything written in any genre which reaches a certain undefined standard of artistic merit (King and King, English Literature Handbook, 2001) • Teaching of English - big ‘L’, small ‘l’

4. 2. What is a ‘critical appreciation’ of literature? • To comment - more than line by line mechanical analysis of a piece of writing • To analyze - examine closely • To discuss - a close consideration of a topic in a literary work - other words commonly used are comment, consider, examine, explore, evaluate, argue

5. 3. Genres in literature • Types of literature: • poetry (poems) – sonnet, ballad, ode, dramatic monologue • drama (plays) - tragedy, comedy, farce • short stories • novels • prose forms – novels, short stories • fiction – narrative fiction • non fiction prose – essays, article

6. HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CRITICAL APPRECIATION • You need to: • PREPARE by looking up obscure vocabulary; reading the poem aloud sentence by sentence; writing down paraphrases where necessary. (Full paraphrases should NOT be included in the essay itself.) • cover the WHOLE poem/story, not leaving ‘difficult’ bits out, or wandering around aimlessly;

7. HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CRITICAL APPRECIATION CONT’D ORGANISE your approach. There are two main ways: • (a) part by part from beginning to end; this means you have to decide what parts ‘hold together’ by virtue of their focus or pattern. Then write a paragraph clearly focused on that part only. The advantage: you show how form and content correlate; you show how poetic/fictional techniques work together to form a complete, complex effect. • (b) by themes, or ideas . This can be more interesting than (a), but is also more tricky to control; it’s more difficult to be complete in your discussion; and it means you have to be much better prepared before you begin writing. The advantage: it allows you to prioritise ideas from the start, instead of leaving them for your conclusion.

8. HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CRITICAL APPRECIATIONCONT’D INTEGRATE quotations seamlessly into your own sentences; don’t just tag them onto the end, or stick them ungrammatically in the middle. Use short quotations, even single words, which are directly relevant to or supportive of the overall point you are making, rather than long ones. • INTRODUCE the poem/story clearly. Briefly spark interest with a quote or other intriguing start . Contextualize the poem and poet in its period and place, as far as is necessary to an understanding of the poem. Briefly describe its subject, speaker/hearer set-up, physical setting, occasion or event, and overall form, as necessary and relevant. In one sentence ‘map out’ your approach – part by part, thematically, or whatever, using key words as ‘signposts’. (Then pick up these signposts, in the same order, at the beginnings of the relevant paragraphs.) • CONCLUDE strongly. Sum up your claims about the deepest themes and broadest ideas contained in the poem, and their implications.

9. SOME USEFUL HINTS • Start shallow, work deeper. Describe first, then interpret. First outline the subject (literal matter or situation), end with the theme or themes (underlying, broad, abstract ideas) • Be selective in your choice of supportive detail; you may not have the space to unpack absolutely everything in the poem/fiction. • Don’t confuse paraphrase (saying the same thing in your own words) with interpretation (arguing, with evidence from the poem, for a certain reading of the unstated implications of what is on the page). • As a rough rule of thumb: 80% interpretation (your claims about the text’s implications, and explanations of how it works on ideas and feelings), 20% ‘technical’ stuff (use of specific techniques; just enough of this to convince your reader that you know what the techniques are and how they function).

10. SOME USEFUL HINTS Cont’d • Watch your grammar. This course is not just about appreciating good writing; it is also about creating good academic writing. • depersonalize. The appreciation is not (just) about your feelings, opinions and responses; it is not about you. You are making certain claims about the poem, which must be supported by evidence from the poem itself, possibly amplified by material from the writer’s known situation and background (not your own life).

11. REFERENCING • Use critical material by all means, but use it sparingly and critically. DO NOT USE INTERNET SOURCES SUCH AS “SPARK NOTES” – THEY ARE GENERALLY WEAK AND OFTEN MISLEADING. Ask your lecturer who the best critics are. • If you do use a critic, ask these questions first: Who is this person? What are his/her qualifications? Is he or she well-regarded in the academic community? If you cannot quickly find the answers to these questions, the person is likely not worth reading. • In ANY case, give your OWN evidence from the poem or text either to support or refute the critic’s point of view. • Refer to the handbook for further referencing details. Just remember the following: • Full collections (books of poems) are in italics (eg. Seamus Heaney’s collection North). • Individual poems take inverted commas (eg. Seamus Heaney’s poem “North”). • Try to be clear enough that you do not have to use line references after every single quotation. Rule of thumb: can my reader find this quote easily if she needs to? • ALWAYS include a full bibliography: see MLA handbook for the right format.

12. WRITING ABOUT FICTION: THE WORLD OF THE STORY Learning Objectives • By the end of this section, you should be able to demonstrate an adequate understanding of: • (1) the plot; • (2) character; • (3) foreshadowing; • (4) setting and atmosphere; • (5) the functions of symbols; • (6) point of view; and • (7) how to determine and discuss the theme.

13. The Nature of Fiction • The term fictionrefers to any narrative, in prose or in verse, that is wholly or in part the product of the imagination. • Fiction should be regarded as a presentation or imitation of life and not to be confused with a literal transcription of life itself. • Fiction is REPRESENTED rather than REPORTED • Fiction is IMPLICIT rather than EXPLICIT • Fiction has become more DRAMATIC rather than NARRATIVE • Fiction SHOWS rather than TELLS

14. Story versus Plot • A storycould be defined as a narrative of events arranged in their time sequence. A plotis also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. • Stories and plays are made up mostly of actions and incidents that follow each story in chronological order. Finding a sequential or narrative order, however, is only the first step toward the more important consideration- the plot, or the controls governing the development of the actions.

15. Conflict in a Plot • Conflict is a device through which the reader is given the information or material from which to conclude the “hows” and “whys” of what happens; conflict is the controlling impulse in a connected pattern of causes and effects which refers generally to people or circumstances a character must face and try to overcome. • Conflict brings out the extremes of human energy, causing character to engage in the decisions, actions, responses, and interactions that make up most stories. • There are two kinds of conflict: external and internal conflict. • External conflict is when the protagonist is pitted against some object outside himself. This may reflect a basic opposition between man and society or between man and nature. • Internal conflict is when the issue to be resolved is confined to the protagonist’s psyche or personality. For example, Conrad’s “The Secret Sharer,” when a young captain must conquer his insecurity and self-doubt to become the master of his ship.

16. Conflict in a Plot cont’d • Conflict is the opposition of two people. Their conflict may take the shape of envy, hatred, anger, argument, avoidance, gossips, lies, fighting, and many other forms and actions. • Conflicts may also exist between groups, although conflicts between individuals are more identifiable and therefore more suitable for stories. • Conflicts may also be abstract, such when an individual opposes larger forces like natural objects, ideas, modes of behavior or public opinion. A difficult or even impossible choice-a dilemma-is a natural conflict for an individual person. • Conflict may also be brought on ideas and opinions that may clash. In short, conflict shows itself in many ways.

17. The Five-Stage Structure of Plot • The traditional plot may be broken down as follows; however, many plots do not follow in exact sense or sequence this breakdown. • a. Exposition • b. Complication or rising action • c. Crisis or climax • d. Reversal or falling action • e. Conclusion, resolution or denouement

18. The Five-Stage Structure of Plot

19. The Five-Stage Structure of Plot cont’d • Exposition: the presentation of essential information, especially about what has occurred before this piece of action begins. • Compilation or rising action: when the conflict is introduced. The conflict may exist between the protagonist and an antagonist, or between the protagonist and non-human factors such as fate, nature, or between the protagonist himself. • Crisis or climax: the decisive turning point. This is when the plot reaches its point of greatest emotional intensity, directly precipitating its resolution. • Reversal or falling action: once the crisis has been reached, the tension subsides and the plot moves towards its appointed conclusion. (Note: Sometimes there is no reversal or falling action). • Resolution or denouement: The final section of the plot. It records the outcome of the conflict.

20. Analyzing Plot In approaching the work of fiction, we can analyze the plot by attempting to answer such questions: • What is the conflict? Is it internal, external or the combination or both? • What are the chief episodes that make up the plot? How is it arranged? • Compare the plot’s beginning and end. What essential changes have taken place? • Describe the plot in terms of its exposition, complication, crisis, falling action, and resolution. • Is the plot unified? Do the individual episodes logically relate to one another? • Is the ending appropriate to and consistent with the rest of the plot? • Is the plot plausible?

21. Point of View • A story must have a plot, characters, and a setting. It must also have a storyteller: a narrative voice, real or implied, that presents story to the reader. The narrative voice is the point of view, the method of narration that determines the position, or angle of vision, from which the story is told. • The point of view involves, among other things, the distance that the author wishes to maintain between the reader and the story and the extent to which the author is willing to involve the reader in its interpretation. • There are four basic points of view: • Omniscient • Limited omniscient • First-person • Dramatic

22. Point of View cont’d • 1. Omniscient point of view (panoramic, shifting, or multiple point of view): • The omniscient narrator is an all-knowing presence. From a vantage point outside the story, the narrator is free to tell us as much or little, to dramatize or summarize, etc. • The narrator firmly imposes himself between the reader and the story, and retains full and complete control over the narrative. • The narrator can direct the reader’s attention and control the source of information.

23. Point of View cont’d • 2. Limited omniscient point of view (third person or selective omniscient) • The narrator retains the right of immediate access to the work but moves the point of view inside by selecting a single character to act as the centre of revelation. • The reader’s knowledge of the events is always restricted to what his focal character can know or see. • The tightness of focus and control are the main advantages of this limited point of view as it provides the intensity that is suited to the story. It also works well as a means of creating and sustaining irony because it can exploit the disparity between what the focal character thinks he or she knows and the true state of affairs.

24. Point of View cont’d • 3. First person point of view • This view is tightly controlled and limited in its access to information. • 4. Dramatic point of view (Objective point of view) • The story is told by no one. The reader is left largely on his own. There is no way of entering the minds of the characters; no evaluative comments are offered to the readers of how to respond to the events or the characters. Without the presence of the narrator, telling is replaced by showing (action and dialogue).

25. Reliable and Unreliable Narrators • The omniscient and the dramatic point of view could always be regarded as reliable narrators as they are placed outside the work and aids directly in its analysis and interpretation. • However, when the narrative voice is positioned inside the work and belongs to a character, the reliability of this voice becomes questionable.

26. Characters • The term character applies to any individual in a literary work. • The kinds of character include: protagonist, antagonist, flat, round, stock, dynamic, and static. • Methods of Characterization • Characterization through the use of names • Characterization through appearance • Characterization by the author • Characterization through dialogue • Characterization through action

27. Characters cont’d • 1. Telling: Relies on exposition and direct commentary by the author. • 2. Showing: The author allows the characters to reveal themselves directly through their dialogue and their actions.

28. Setting • In its broadest sense, setting encompasses both the physical locale that frames the action and the time of day or year, the climatic conditions, and the historical period during which the action takes place. • Setting helps the reader to visualize the action of the work. It helps to create and sustain the illusion of life.

29. The Functions of Setting • to provide background for the action • as an antagonist • as a means of creating appropriate atmosphere • as a means of revealing character • as a means of reinforcing theme

30. Settingcont’d • Authors traditionally use the cycle of the year and the cycle of the day to establish settings because of their traditional association with the successive cycles in human life: • Spring, morning: Youth • Summer, noon: Maturity • Fall (autumn), afternoon, twilight: Declining years • Winter, night: Death

31. Analyzing Setting • How does the author go about establishing setting? Does the author want the reader to see or feel the setting or does the author want the reader both to see and feel it? What details of the setting does the author isolate and describe? • Is the setting important? If so, what is its function? Is it used to reveal, reinforce, or influence character, plot, or theme? • Is the setting an appropriate one?

32. Tone and Style • Tone: It is used to characterize the special qualities of accent, inflection, and duration in a speaker’s voice. • Style: The distinctive quality of literature that sets it apart from all other forms of artistic expression is its reliance on language.

33. Theme • Theme may mean the moral or lesson that can be extrapolated from the work, as with one of Aesop’s fables. • Theme could also refer to the basic issue, problem of subject with which the work is concerned: For example, “the nature of man,” “the discovery of truth,” or “the initiation into adulthood.” • In literature, theme is the central idea or statement about life that unifies and controls the total work.

34. Identifying Theme • The theme of a literary piece must not be confused with the work’s subject or situation. Theme is the abstract, generalized statement or comment that the work makes about a concrete subject or situation. • Try not to understate or even failing to discover the total significance of the theme of the story. • Make sure that the theme that is proposed is supported by the work’s other elements. • Titles may also provide clues about the theme. • Biographical and autobiographical explorations are helpful in discovering the theme in a work. They can tell us something about the author’s intentions.

35. Symbol • Symbolism enhances fiction in such a way as to help readers organize and enlarge their experience of the work. • Allegoryis a technique for expanding the meaning of a literary work by having the characters and sometimes the setting and the events represent certain general abstract ideas, qualities, or concepts usually moral, religious, or political in nature.

36. QUESTIONS: 1. What is the plot? • Plot has two chief meanings: • What happens, the gist of the narrative • The writer’s arrangement or structuring of the material into a story • A plot has an introduction, a compilation, and a resolution. As the story gets under way some difficulty or problem or complexity arises (usually a conflict of opposed wills or forces) and finally there is some sort of setting down. The end is denouement (French for “untying”).

37. 2. What is foreshadowing? • The fiction writer provides a coherent world in which the details work together. Foreshadowing which eliminates surprise or at least greatly reduces it and thus destroys a story that has nothing except a surprise ending to offer is a powerful tool in the hands of a serious writer. • In preparing to write about foreshadowing: • Reread the story; now that you know how it ends, you will be able to see how certain early details are relevant to the ending • Underline or highlight these details, and jot down brief notes in the margins • At a later stage in the process of writing, you will probably find it useful to jot down on a sheet of paper key phrases from the text and to annotate them

38. 3. Why writers use symbols? • Writers use symbols as they want readers to perceive that certain characters or places or seasons or happenings have rich implications, stand for something more than what they are on the surface. • Writers help us perceive these things by emphasizing them, by describing them at some length or by introducing them at times when they might not seem strictly necessary or by calling attention to them repeatedly.

39. 4. Elaborate on the following points of view:third-person narrators and first-person narrators • Third person point of view: • Omniscient narrator knows everything that is going on and can tell us the inner thoughts of all the characters. • Selective omniscient reveal the thoughts of one of the characters but seeing the rest of the characters from the outside only • Effaced narrator (dramatic or objective point of view) does not seem to exist for he does not comment in his own voice and does not enter any minds. • In writing about a third-person narrator, speak of “the narrator” or “the speaker” not of “the author.”

40. 5. How do you determine and discuss the theme? • Story is concerned with “How does it turn out? What happens?” Theme is concerned with “What does it add up to? What motif holds the happenings together? What does it make out of life, and what wisdom does it offer?”