Teaching Literary Analysis 101: A Workshop for Newbies to English Teaching

1. Teaching Literary Analysis 101: A Workshop for Newbies to English Teaching Karen Roberts; Karen.Roberts513@gmail.com and @schools.sa.edu.au Resources available at http://duffystirling.wordpress.com

2. Philosophy of Literary Analysis 101

4. Context …

5. Context Yay for SAETA conferences!

6. Context …

7. Karen’s Blog: http://duffystirling.wordpress.com Google ‘Duffy Stirling’.

8. Caveat … Karen.roberts513@gmail.com

9. Let’s get started

10. Success in Literary Analysis Besides literacy, to be successful in Literary Analysis, our students need: • Strong understanding of language features, elements, techniques, textual concepts • ‘Worldliness’ • An understanding of constructivist, post modernist ways of understanding meaning

11. Argument Authority Character Code and Convention Connotation, Imagery and Symbol Context Genre Intertextuality Literary Value Narrative Perspective Point of View Representation Style Theme English Textual Concepts http://englishtextualconcepts.nsw.edu.au/

12. Insight Publications Explicit explanations and tasks around most textual concepts. Particularly Robert Beardwood’s series. NSW/Vic course bias, unfortunately.

13. Success in Literary Analysis Besides literacy, to be successful in Literary Analysis, our students need: • Strong understanding of language features, elements, techniques, textual concepts • ‘Worldliness’ • An understanding of constructivist, post modernist ways of understanding meaning

14. Success in Literary Analysis Besides literacy, to be successful in Literary Analysis, our students need: • Strong understanding of language features, elements, techniques, textual concepts • ‘Worldliness’ • An understanding of constructivist, postmodernist ways of understanding meaning

15. Tell Em What You’re Gonna Tell Em • Texts are Constructed • Meaning Making • Death of the Author • TIEE-ing it all together

16. Bear in mind … • When I say ‘Literary Analysis’, I mean aka Text Analysis aka Responding to Texts. • When I say ‘TextualElements’, I mean features, techniques, conventions, style, language choices and so on. • When I say ‘Authors’, I also mean creators, filmmakers, poets, songwriters, copywriters, advertisers, journalists and so on.

17. Texts are Constructed

18. Texts are Constructed Education in Australia takes a CONSTRUCTIVIST approach.

19. Constructivism is … … a philosophy of mind, centred on the idea that our ‘reality’ is ‘constructed’, and influenced by our perceptions, experiences, culture and worldview. The central idea is that our ‘truth’ is relative and influenced by our experiences.

20. Constructivist Education … • Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted. • Learning is influenced by experience, perception, culture and worldview. • Learning is assimilated and accommodated in existing understandings. • Building useful knowledge structures requires effortful and purposeful activity.

21. Texts are constructed Similarly, in our discipline, we see texts as constructed.

22. Texts are constructed Authors draw upon a selection of elements to assemble their texts. Authors make deliberate choiceswhen assembling their texts.

23. Texts where the ‘Author’ is blatantly obvious with their intensions. 12 Years a Slave – directed by Steve McQueen

24. Texts where the ‘Author’ is blatantly obvious with their intensions. George Orwell has been very public with his intentions.

25. symbols and motifs text structure setting techniques narrative point of view vocabulary characters cultural beliefs, values, ideas (fears) genre conventions

26. Texts are assembled … the text techniques text structure narrative point of view symbols and motifs vocabulary characters setting cultural beliefs, values, ideas (fears) genre conventions

27. Texts are constructed Use a metaphor to get this concept across …

28. Texts are constructed Use a metaphor to get this concept across …

29. Texts are constructed Use a metaphor to get this concept across …

30. Use a metaphor to get this across. + + = + + +

31. Texts are constructed … and culturally linked. Authors draw upon a selection of elements to assemble their texts. Authors make deliberate choiceswhen assembling their texts. Those choices are influenced by cultural conventions.

32. Intertextuality This is the concept intertextuality. https://www.aate.org.au/documents/item/1315

33. Intertextuality Philosopher Julia Kristeva: “any text is the absorption and transformation of another.” https://www.aate.org.au/documents/item/1315

34. Textual Elements are Culturally Influenced (Intertextuality) Intertextuality is not just explicit references to other texts (i.e. as in The Simpsons): it refers to the cultural toolbox of textual elements from which an author selects (indirect intertextuality); that could be anything such as character types, structures, symbols, or situations. You could suggest this to students by looking at …

35. Philosophy of Literary Analysis 101 In summary: Authors • make deliberatechoices • to construct texts • using culturally influenced textualelements.

36. Meaning Making

37. Constructivist Education … “Learning is a search for meaning … The purpose of learning is for an individual to construct his or her own meaning, not just memorize the "right" answers and regurgitate someone else's meaning.” Edutechwiki

38. Texts are constructed Authors draw upon a selection of elements to assemble their texts. Authors make culturally influenced deliberate choiceswhen assembling their texts, for a purpose: to create meaning.

39. Meaning Making Authors make deliberate choices to create meaning that achieves a purpose. For Example, the purpose could be: • To entertain, persuade or inform. • To influence a particular audience • To explore ideas, values or issues. • To create an emotional response.

40. Meaning Making Authors make deliberate choices to create meaning that achieves a purpose. For Example, the purpose could be: • To entertain, persuade or inform. • To influence a particular audience • To explore ideas, values or issues. • To create an emotional response.

41. Meaning Making MEANING SUBTEXT

42. Meaning Making

43. By the way Subway the restaurants are named after the sandwhiches, which are called ‘submarine sandwhiches’ or ‘subs’ for short. The shop was called ‘Pete’s’ originally.

44. Types of Subtext Theme Values Issues Imagery

45. ‘Theme’ Themes are the big ideas of a text. Themes are about the universal shared experiences of being human. love, death, pain, loss, envy, revenge, conflict, friendship, struggle, resilience …

46. ‘Theme’ THEME: growing up MESSAGE / MORAL / LESSON / CONTENTION: growing up is painful, but necessary

47. ‘Theme’

48. THEME CONTENTION You shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover / you shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance It is important to believe in yourself, and fight your insecurity. You are worth more than you think. appearance self-acceptance

49. Texts are assembled … the theme techniques text structure narrative point of view symbols and motifs vocabulary characters setting cultural beliefs, values, ideas (fears) genre conventions

50. ‘Theme’ ‘Themes are built up through the events and situations in the story. The way the situation plays out carries the message about the themes.’