190 likes | 895 Views
Chapter 7: Modern Fantasy. By: Karen Beckman, Becky Donjon, Jenny Weber, and Kara Yelliott. Evaluating Modern Fantasy: Suspending Disbelief. Plot
E N D
Chapter 7: Modern Fantasy By: Karen Beckman, Becky Donjon, Jenny Weber, and Kara Yelliott
Evaluating Modern Fantasy: Suspending Disbelief • Plot • The author’s ability to make readers suspend disbelief and accept possibly to that the story could have happened is one of the greatest requirements for modern fantasy.
Characterization • Character from whose point of view a story is told, must be believable for readers to suspend disbelief. • Characters must be internally coherent as well as assessable to the readers. • Make characters believable through language.
Point of View • Authors must decide which point of view best facilitates a believable telling of a story and then sustain that point of view in order to persuade readers to keep suspending disbelief in the fantastic elements of the story. • Three persuasive parts to fantasy: • identifiable laws that always work • hero/heroine that is often lost • things end justly but not always happily
Creating a World:Setting • If a story is to be credible, the author must develop the setting so completely that the reader can see, hear, and feel it. • Lots of detail
Universal Themes • Memorable modern fantasy develop themes related to universal struggles, values and emotions, constant battle between good and evil, faith and social perseverance, personal and social responsibility, love and friendship. • Kids easily identify with such themes.
Evaluation Criteria • While considering the literary elements that fantasy genre requires, consider the questions on page 353 when selecting modern fantasy to share with children.
Bridges Between Traditional and Modern Fantasy • Literary Folktales • Some authors of fantasy have deliberately attempted to replicate the “once upon a time” of traditional folktales.
Religious and Ethical Allegory • Religious themes provide strong links between traditional and modern fantasy. • Mythical Quests and Conflicts • Quests for lost objects set the stage between traditional myths and legends and modern fantasy.
Categories of Modern Fantasy • Articulate animals • Toys that come alive • Prosperous characters and situations • Strange and curious worlds • Time warps
Helping Children Recognize, Understand, and Enjoy Elements in Fantasy • Encourage the students to identify and discuss what makes each story modern fantasy. (note questions on page 386) • Be sure to remind students that they will not find all of these altered elements in every piece of modern fantasy. • Recognition of setting would be to have students close their eyes and listen.
Pointing out the author’s use of similes and metaphors helps students understand the story. • Allegory, irony, figurative language, and traditional elements cause confusion for many readers. • Picture books can help children understand the more complex elements in modern fantasy.
Interpreting Modern Fantasy Through Art: What better than imagination as a tool for illustration? • Well Illustrated Fantasy Selections Provide Children With: • the ability to respond to the illustrations • the ability to compare illustrations of same stories and critically evaluate them. • The ability to receive, process, reflect, and respond to pictures.
A Three Stage Process • Have children describe what is happening in the illustrations and how artists present the story. • Consider how different artists approach the same point in the story. • Let children decide which version they like best and why.
Let Children Extend Their Appreciation of Fantasy Through Art Activities • Murals and Frieze: children work together in group to create one large picture. • Collages, Montages, and Mosaics: use objects to portray meaning. • Shadowboxes: 3-D environment.
Science Fiction • Science Fiction is: • about various possibilities • stories about what could happen • about making the impossible, possible
Advantages • Using imagination • Creativity of characters, plot, and setting • Create a world where science interacts with every area of society • Can incorporate with other areas of education
Disadvantages • Provides fake hopes of something that does not exist • can create a phobia about people who are different