How Texts Construct a Version of Reality
Framing: What mode
has the author used to tell
the narrative? Is it a
memoir, diary entry,
autobiography, instruction
manual, death bed
confession, etc?
Language: Is also central
to how well an author is
able to construct a
truthfulness and
authenticity in their work.
Language needs to be a
naturalistic representation
of the world in which it is
set, historical or fictional.
Language needs to be
appropriate to the
situations, roles and
relationships that are
being enacted.
Characters:
Genre: The generic
conventions of the text and
whether or not they belong to a
literary style also determines
how the reader is positioned in
relation to the texts ‘truths’.
For example in a gothic text we
may feel empathy for a
character who is placed in a
hopeless situation even if the
character is flawed. This same
character in a comedy may be
interpreted very differently.
Themes: are central ideas or
comments that the author is
trying to exploit in a given text.
The theme is the issue that is
being discussed and the
author’s stance in relation to
this theme is often the moral or
message of the text. It is how
these themes are presented to
the reader that go a long way to
ensuring what is considered
truth and fallacy within a text.
Cultural Assumptions:
Point of View: In an attempt to
create a world that is believable
authors consciously create texts
from a point of view. The point of
view that the author appropriates
can ensure the reader takes up a
particular position in relation to the
text. For example, how would a
different version of reality and
therefore truth be constructed if The
Yellow Wallpaper and Jane Eyre
had not been written in first person?
Symbols and Motifs: These
appear generally in the forms of
images or words which function to
represent an important idea or
concept. The use of symbolism,
because of the deliberate nature of
its construction is often a very
precise indicator concerning what
the text is trying to tell the reader.
Motifs are simply when a symbol is
idea is repeated for dramatic or
aesthetic effect.
Context: provides the reader with
the who, what, why, where, when
and how of the text. This looks at
the time, place and setting of the
action. These elements are again
conscious constructs which often
mirror aspects of the character or
have been chosen to enhance
dramatic tension.