What are we looking for in prose? Register Point of view Lexis Speech and thought Grammar Metaphorical language Register What is the mode? - Written/Spoken What is the manner? - The relationship between writer and reader: formal or informal? Personal or impersonal? Authorial intention (to characterise, describe a place or time, create an atmosphere or convey a message? What is the field? - The lexis will suggest something about the nature of the subject matter. Point of View Is it a first person narrative, giving a direct insight into a character’s mind? Is it a third person narrative, providing an omniscient view of events and characters? Is it informing or evaluating? Is the narrator reliable or unreliable? - Can readers rely on the version of events provided by the narrator?or should they mistrust the narrator? Are there any examples of interior monologue or stream of consciousness? - are the characters’ thoughts ordered or random? Lexis Are words simple or complicated? Formal or colloquial? Modern or archaic? Are there examples of subject specific words or specific lexical sets? Are the nouns concrete or abstract? Is the naming of characters important? Are any names omitted on purpose? Do any words have significant connotations? What function do the modifiers have? What effects do they create? Speech and thought Does the writer use direct speech or thought to let the characters speak for themselves? Does the writer use indirect speech or thought to interpret or comment on the things that characters say? Grammar Is the grammar standard or non-standard? Formal or informal? Modern or archaic? Are there any occasions when the tense changes from the simple past? What effect does this have? Is the sentence structure varied? - Simple? Complex? What effect do the changes have? Metaphorical language Does the writer use images to give the fictional world a concrete visual quality? To which senses does the description appeal? Are there any metaphors or symbols? What effect do these have?
