English Language Arts A30
Module 3
Lesson 9
Lilian loved sunsets, songbirds, candy, people, dogs, The
Beatles, The New Yorker, Scotch and (little) water, her
family, church, Elton John, Sarah Brightman’s artistry, F.
Scott Fitzgerald, movies, Scrabble, Regina Beach, her
more-than-bridge club, E.B. White, and recently became
an addict of The Young and the Restless. Most of all,
she had a love of words. We estimate that she read
between 3,000 and 5,000 books during her lifetime, not
to mention countless magazines, journals, and
newspapers. She read two papers daily until the day she
died. Her mind was current and hip.
An obituary prepared by the children of former
Reginan Lilian Fairley, a former reporter.
All Rights
Reserved
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Objectives
As a student of language arts and communication processes, in
Lesson Nine of the English Language Arts A30 course, you will have
the opportunity to:

understand the evolution of the Canadian novel.

read to broaden your knowledge of Canadian literature.

recognize that Canadian literature expresses our diverse cultural
heritage.

practise the behaviour of an effective, strategic reader.

recognize prose fiction.

respond personally and critically to literature.

record responses in a response journal.

choose a Canadian novel.

assess authors’ writing techniques.

appreciate the way in which a writer’s ideas are shaped into an
artistic unit.

use appropriate pre-writing and planning strategies.

write a descriptive paragraph which conveys mood.

analyze and evaluate your own writing.

build vocabulary.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Resources
Choose one of the following novels
The End of War by Jean-Guy Carrier
(ISBN 0-88750-899-5)
Luna by Sharon Butala
(ISBN 0-00-648540-5)
No Man’s Land by Kevin Major
(ISBN 0-385-65886-9)
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
(ISBN 0-7710-9989-4)
A Quality of Light by Richard Wagamese
(ISBN 0-385-25606-X)
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Lesson Nine - Diverse Canadian Voices
Introduction – Voices Through Time
All good stories give pleasure as well as communicate insights about human life.
Some stories, however, primarily entertain. The writers of such works tease, amuse,
surprise, and thrill. Readers typically respond by saying, “That was a good story.”
Who can help but respond to a good story? A good story holds the reader
spellbound. The characters, who may be old ladies, young men, soldiers, or grocers,
have glorious passions or comical flaws. They are well drawn enough to seem real
and worth caring about.
A good story presents a provocative situation, which may be as familiar as thwarted
love or as unfamiliar as fighting a war in France. Suspense keeps the reader
engaged in the unfolding plot. Questions arise and persist, until they are resolved at
the end. Often the resolution seems unexpected, yet inevitable. Like the punch line
of a good joke, the final event or revelation in a good story may be a surprise, yet it
will seem upon reflection to be the only one that fits. Through a good story readers
explore the twists and turns of life and the human character.
In Lesson Nine you will have the opportunity to begin to read a good story – a
Canadian one. Canada is a diverse country made up of multiple regions, cultures,
histories, and identities. In addition to its diverse landscapes and peoples, Canada
has a range of diverse individual voices. Some of these voices provide perspectives
on present issues and concerns. Some voices are voices from the past and reflect
the perspectives of the time. Some voices represent the views of the majority, some
of the minority. Some voices are mainstream, some voices are marginalized. Some
voices are contemplative, some critical. Some voices are female, some are male.
Collectively, they reflect the range of experiences and concerns of Canadians with
diverse perspectives. Each has a story to tell. Canadian novelists reflect this
diversity in their writing. In this lesson you will read five excerpts from five novels.
Each novel is unique and representative of the diversity in Canadian literature. You
will choose one novel to read. You will respond to this novel in a formal way in
Lesson Thirteen. In this lesson, you will also examine the history of the novel and a
number of the devices and techniques novelists use to create their books.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Reread the quotation on the front cover of this lesson. In her lifetime, Lilian Fairley
read between 3000 and 5000 books plus countless magazines and newspapers. She
clearly loved to read. Do you like to read? In your response journal estimate how
many books you have read in your lifetime up to now. After this, state why reading
is or is not important. Give three reasons for your statement.
The Novel in English and Canadian Literature
What is a novel?
Narrative writing: writing that tells a story, or relates an incident
Fiction: story telling (narrative writing) involving imaginary characters and
events
Novel: a long piece of narrative writing about imaginary (fictional)
characters and events
In Lesson Six we saw how the short story developed as a literary form. Although it
seems reasonable to expect that the short story would develop before the more
complex novel, such was not the case. The novel preceded the short story in the
development of English, American, and Canadian literature.
Predecessors of the novel were the epic and the romance. The epic was a long
narrative written in verse, one of the earliest forms of story telling in English
literature. The romance told a story in prose of love and adventure of brave knights
and kings. In English literature the novel appeared first during the Age of Classicism
(1660-1744) in answer to the demands of the common people who wished for stories
that were better suited to their tastes than the old romances. Then, romances were
replaced by long narratives which more realistically depicted the lives of characters
drawn from the lower classes. These novels were moralistic in theme and were
written in a very sentimental style popular at the time.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
During the Transition Period of English literature (1774-1798), many novels appeared
which illustrated various social habits and customs of the day. These were known as
novels of manners. During this period there also arose a vogue for stories of rogues,
bandits, and travellers. These were the Gothic romances.
Sir Walter Scott’s novels were the crowning achievement of the Romantic Period (
1798-1832). His novels combined the romantic descriptions of natural scenery and
romantic plots and settings with more convincing characters and touches of local
colour.
The real flowering of novels in English literature occurred during the Victorian Period
(1832-1892). The most important trait of English fiction since the beginning of the
Victorian Period has been the increase in realism. Novels written during the
nineteenth century reflected the general movement toward social reform. Writers
such as Charles Dickens, William Thackerary, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, Robert
Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, and Joseph Conrad wrote novels that portrayed
human life and character in a clear, simple, and realistic style. By the end of the
Victorian Period the novel had replaced all other literary forms in popularity.
The use of accurate detail and of situations which the reader could accept as
plausible anticipated the modern novel. The general tendency of modern,
contemporary Canadian, American, and English novels is toward even greater realism
than the Victorians attained. Most writers of modern fiction have tried to tell the
whole truth about human life and behaviour. Modern novelists make tireless efforts
to get to the very bottom of human character. The most significant characteristic of
contemporary fiction is the author’s attempt to discover the profound and often
complicated forces that determine human character and explain human action.
What is your favourite type of book? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? In your
response journal state your favourite type of book. Provide two reasons for your
choice.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Canadian Literature
It is difficult to decide just when and where Canadian literature began. Was it in the
oral culture of our First Nations’ peoples, or in the early Greenlander’s sagas of visits
to our eastern coast, or in the descriptions of a rich and beautiful land brought back
to France by Jacques Cartier? When Samuel de Champlain, in the early 1600s, was
charged with the destiny of New France, he kept a careful journal of the day-to-day
activities. When the Jesuit priests established their order in Canada, their annual
reports were sent back to France, collected, published as The Jesuit Relations and
sold to raise funds.
The first settlers were concerned primarily with survival and what writing they did
was closely related to their daily struggle, appearing mainly as reports, diaries, or
sermons. Much of what they wrote is of great historical importance.
With the capture of Quebec and the development of Canada as a British colony,
certain trends occurred. French Canadian culture, now cut off from France,
continued in its classical, pre-revolutionary pattern. The minority British element was
soon increased by the influx of United Empire Loyalists from the new American
Republic. The Loyalists brought with them their institutions of local self-government,
newspapers, and education as well as their own pioneering experience.
The fur trader gave way to the permanent settler, and the feelings of patriotism were
fanned by the War of 1812 and the political rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada in
the 1830s as the colonists pushed for responsible government. The move toward
nationhood produced fiery speeches and much journalism from leading political
figures in the Maritimes and the Canadas.
The literature of the time reflected the birth pangs of the emerging nation in addition
to the more immediate concerns of daily life. Some settlers coming directly from the
British Isles were often unprepared for the rugged life of the frontier and were lonely
and homesick for the old land. Others, who had been forced out by famine and land
enclosures systems, wholeheartedly accepted the new challenge. These events and
conditions shaped the literature of the period.
With the establishment of the new dominion in 1867 and its rounding out by the
addition of the Hudson Bay Lands and the far North West, came conscious effort to
establish a distinctive national identity. This was partly achieved through ambitious
railroad building schemes to link the nation by transportation, settlement, and trade.
The character of a definite body of Canadian literature was taking shape. This
literature was the expression of a people of varied origins living together in the
Dominion of Canada. A distinctive Canadian culture was emerging, with nationalistic
feelings fostered to a great extent by the poets and writers of the day. Many of
these writers were employed in the Canadian civil service or other branches of
administration and were quite aware of what was happening on the national scene.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
The great natural beauty of Canada was celebrated in poetry and prose, and social
and political issues were used by some writers as a basis for fictional works. Writers
of this period felt the need to contribute to the creation of a cultural identity for the
new Dominion. In this course, you have read a poem from a writer of this period:
Archibald Lampman (Lesson Two).
The writers in Canada after 1900 continued to play an important part in the
development of Canadian culture. Some wrote international best sellers. L.M.
Montgomery created the character of Anne of Green Gables and made Prince Edward
Island famous to the world. In the first two decades of the twentieth century
economic, political, and philosophical forces transformed Canadian society. It was a
time of economic prosperity, marked by the emergence of powerful new financial
classes, development in the West, and rapid urbanization in the East. While the
world was coming to Canada with the arrival of large groups of non-English-speaking
immigrants, Canada was going out to see the world as its people, especially artists
and authors, went abroad to study and to live. The Great War sealed Canada’s
relationship with the larger world. In these and the preceding years, the most
favoured image for Canada–and its literature–was that of youth struggling to grow
into adulthood.
Writers of fiction, caught up in this social transformation, were equally involved in the
theoretical and practical issues of the international literary world. Traditional
concepts of fiction were being challenged by writers. The merits of realism and
naturalism were under debate, and both were challenged by the advocates of
idealism and romance. The preponderant weight of Canadian literary opinions was in
favour of idealism. Literature was not a personal expression of a peculiarly sensitive
individual who could unmask his own and society’s soul, but a social force that would
entertain while instructing, leading, and inspiring.
A large market for fiction was developing in the newspapers and magazines of Britain
and the United States, enabling authors to make writing a profession that brought a
full or partial income. Canadian writers found that they could use scenes and
characters from their own country to speak to their international audience.
The twenty years between 1920 and 1940 reflected a period in Canadian fiction
when the realistic novel emerged, the regional novel reached its high point, and the
psychological influences of the twentieth century began to be felt. Nature moved to
the background as humankind moved to the centre; yet the acute sense of place on
which Canadian fiction is based continued to dominate. Novels set in the prairie
region of Canada enjoyed a great popularity during this time.
English-Canadian fiction in the years between 1940 and 1960 showed few signs of
forming a coherent literary pattern. Individual writers tended to go their own ways,
searching for the fictional modes that suited them best. It has often been remarked
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
that, because Canada is a vast country composed of scattered pockets of population,
its literature is inevitably regional in inspiration and character. The diversity of
regions attracted a comparable diversity of immigrants whose literature was naturally
influenced by their different origins and traditions.
Much of Canada’s best literature has been produced in the years from 1960 to the
present. We are fortunate to have a virtual cornucopia of writers, writers who are
not only well known at home but internationally as well. The diversity of writers and
works produced is perhaps the most prominent feature of Canadian literature of this
period. The diversity of Canadian literature is reflected in English Language Arts A30.
The two major themes of the curriculum on which this English Language Arts A30
course is based are “Diverse Landscapes and People” and “Diverse Canadian Voices.”
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Review of the Reading Process
Reading is a transaction between a piece of reading and, you, the reader. As you
read, you search for and find meaning based on what you bring to the writing and
what the writing brings to you.
Just as with writing all reading has a purpose. You read to entertain yourself, to gain
knowledge, to understand, to be enlightened. Do you remember the purpose
statements introduced in the first few lessons of this course?
In the next few pages you will be reading excerpts from five novels. These have
been provided to help you choose the novel that you will respond to in a detailed
fashion in Lesson Thirteen of this course. Your purpose statement before reading
these excerpts might look something like:
My purpose for reading these excerpts is to gain some knowledge and
understanding about the stories so that I can make a choice about which
book I want to read.
You may wish to review ‘Strategies for Reading Fiction’ in the “Communication
Strategies” section of your English Language Arts Ready Reference.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
What is Prose Fiction?
Prose fiction is literature about imagined people and events. Sometimes
the settings (time and place) are imaged; often they are not. The purpose
of prose fiction is to stimulate the reader’s imagination and communicate
the author’s ideas about language and perception or view of the world.
Short stories, legends, myths, and novels are usually made up of the same basic
elements – events (plot), people (characters), places (setting), point of view, conflict,
theme, and sometimes symbol and irony. Should you need help with the terms just
mentioned, review “Inside a Short Story” in Lesson Six of English Language Arts A30.
Because of their length, novels usually introduce a greater variety of characters and
may include subplots and even use more than one point of view to give different
perspectives on the events of the narrative. Where a novel might have many focuses
and subplots, a short story usually has one focus. Where the novel usually creates a
broad exterior world that develops as the story unfolds, the short story creates a
smaller world, often an interior one. However, the basic elements are the same with
the novel and the short story.
The novel, however, requires that you keep subplots separated and recognize their
relationships to the main plot. As the characters are likely to be dynamic rather than
static, you need to be aware of their motives and be able to recognize the events
that lead to changes in the characters.
As you read a story, whether it is a short story or a novel, always try to answer the
following questions.

Is the person telling the story a character within the story or someone
watching the action from the outside?
Note: In fictional writing, never assume the narrator of the story and the
author of the story are one and the same. The narrator of a fictional story is
invented by the author just as are all the other characters in the story.

What is the central conflict or focus in the story?

Why do the characters behave as they do?

How do I feel about the story’s events?
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9

What is my reaction to the main characters?

What comments or questions about life does the story convey?
Looking Forward: Choosing a Novel
How does one choose a novel to read?
A friend or a family member might recommend a novel to you.
You might be told by a teacher that a particular novel is required reading.
You might look at a best sellers' list or read a book review in a newspaper or
magazine.
You might belong to a book club where members choose a certain novel to
read or discuss.
You might be a fan of a particular author and cannot wait until his next novel
is published.
You might have seen a movie based on a novel, which you enjoyed so much,
that you want to read the story in print.
A title may spark your interest in reading a novel.
You might read a summary of a novel and want to read the whole book.
You might read a few pages of a book and find yourself invited into the story.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Titles
You will choose one novel to read and study in English Language Arts A30.
Following is a list of five titles. Should you have the time and inclination, you may
want to read all five novels. You will, however, only be working intensively with the
one you choose.
Titles of novels provide a hint to the reader and pique the reader’s curiosity.
Review the list of intriguing titles below. What do you think each book may be
about, based on the title? In your response journal, write three possible ideas for
each title presented.
The End of War by Jean-Guy Carrier
Luna by Sharon Butala
No Man’s Land by Kevin Major
A Quality of Light by Richard Wagamese
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
Summaries of the Novels
Following are descriptions of the five novels.
The End of War by Jean-Guy Carrier
In this historical novel set in French Canada at the onset of World War I, Montreal
residents question the motives of politicians and clergy when reacting to the issue of
conscription. Conscription is the involuntary recruitment of soldiers from the
populace. In the ensuing riots, violence erupts. As the author demonstrates, the
resulting death is only the beginning of the tragedy.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Luna by Sharon Butala
Set in rural Saskatchewan, this novel explores the roles, relationships, and emotions
of prairie women. The book contrasts the responses of a woman rejecting farm life
with those of her cousin, who embraces the physical and emotional struggle of the
ranching experience. The reactions of families involved in the date rape of a young
teen illustrate stereotypical views of women’s roles as submissive wives and
mothers. This novel includes one scene containing crude language.
http://www.amazon.ca/Luna-Sharon-Butala/dp/0006474918
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Butala
No Man’s Land by Kevin Major
This historical novel chronicles the movements and thoughts of soldiers in the
Newfoundland regiment during the twenty-four hours preceding their tragic deaths
during the Battle of the Somme. Through the eyes of Second Lieutenant Alan
Hayward, the book describes the landscape, the men’s motives for joining the
regiment, the inept and uncaring decisions of commanding officers, and the bravery
of the soldiers as they prepare to die.
http://www4.newcomm.net/kmajor/nmlbook.htm
A Quality of Light by Richard Wagamese
Focussing on the issues of personal and racial identity, this novel describes how two
young friends explore the complexity of being a First Nations’ person in Canada
today. Joshua Kane, an Ojibway, was adopted as an infant by a loving nonAboriginal family. When his troubled friend Johnny encourages Joshua to discover
his Ojibway heritage, the young men help each other learn about themselves and
about what it means to be Aboriginal. This novel effectively uses light as a
metaphor for the qualities needed by all who search for and model ethical truth.
Readers are advised that the novel contains some coarse language.
http://www.richardwagamese.com/a_quality_of_light.html
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
The meandering reflections of an elderly woman provide a poignant portrait of her
proud, independent individuality. Through her memories, the woman traces her
youth on the prairies, her stormy marriage, and her relationships with her children.
This is an insightful narrative of self-understanding and acceptance.
http://www.amazon.com/Stone-Angel-Phoenix-Fiction/dp/0226469360
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/presssite/metadata.epl?mode=synopsis&
bookkey=53867
Which book interests you the most? Perhaps you were drawn into all the excerpts.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Background Information for the Novels
Luna, A Quality of Light, and The Stone Angel are biographical novels. If you choose
any one of these books you will need little background information to understand and
enjoy the story being told. Fictional biography depends on realistic detail to paint a
picture that touches the reader as if the fictional lives of the characters in a novel
had actually been lived. If, however, there are details in a book that puzzle you try
to find an explanation. Sometimes you can use a reference book to look up historical
facts mentioned in the novel, or the meaning of terms unfamiliar to you. Other times
you can ask someone else: a friend, a family member, or your Technology Supported
Learning teacher.
The End of War and No Man’s Land are historical novels. The difference between a
novel set in the past and a historical novel is a matter of emphasis. The writer of a
historical novel is at pains not simply to write an interesting novel, but to re-create a
period and its people; in doing so, the novelist tries to create a picture that is
academically truthful. The author of a historical novel might well desire to be
accurate and faithful to the age he is presenting, but that novel is still read primarily
for enjoyment rather than for edification. Therefore, the author will often choose as
characters people who can be “exploited” for their dramatic appeal. Just as with a
biographical novel a reader does not necessarily need background information in
order to read, understand and enjoy a historical novel. For those of you choosing
either one of these historical titles some background information about World War I
and the Battle of the Somme will be helpful. Read the articles that follow.
Canada in World War I
Read the information found in the “Canada Remembers Times” on Canada and the
First World War
http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&zu=ht
tp%3A%2F%2Fwww.vac-acc.gc.ca%2Fgeneral%2Fsub.cfm%3Fsource%3Dhistory%2Ffirstwar
In the novel, No Man’s Land, Kevin Major pulls us into the lives of the young men of
the Newfoundland Regiment who fought in that battle. Newfoundland was not a
province of Canada in 1914. It joined Confederation in 1949. Newfoundland had
colonial status in the British Empire during World War I.
Battle of the Somme
From July 1 to late November in 1916 British, Imperial and French troops hammered German
defence line north of the Somme River in one of the most futile and bloody battles in history. The
1st Newfoundland Regiment was virtually wiped out at Beaumont Hamel on the first day of the
battle. The Canadian Corps entered the battle on August 30, and during its attacks in September
was supported by the first tanks used in action on the Western Front. The machine guns, barbed
wire, trenches and massive use of artillery resulted in hard fighting and heavy casualty, especially
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
in the capture of Regina Trench, Courcelette, Thiepval and Ancre Heights. Rain, snow, and sleet
brought the battle to an end. After five months of fighting the Allies had penetrated about thirteen
kilometres along a thirty-five-kilometre front. Allied losses were estimated at 623 907, of whom
24 713 were Canadians and Newfoundlanders. German losses were estimated at 660 000.
For those of you wishing to know more about the wars Canada has participated in,
talk to your social studies or history teacher or visit your local library.
For those of you who want to know more about Canadian Military history check out
the following websites.
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca
http://www.warmuseum.ca
http://www.legion.ca/
http://www.mala.bc.ca/history/letters/
http://lib74123.usask.ca/scaa/sain/gallery.html
Choosing and Beginning to Read
Do obtain the novel you have chosen and start reading it as soon as possible.
As you read your chosen novel, use your response journal pages to practice the
following active reading strategies.




Record your reactions, thoughts, and feeling to events, characters, and
situations.
Jot down notes that may help spur your memory about characters and events in
the novel.
Record quotations that are meaningful to you.
Ask questions you have about what you have read.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Figurative Language and Literary Devices in Novels
Novelists make extensive use of figurative language and literary devices to make
their books interesting and enjoyable for their readers. As you read your novel be
alert to language and techniques employed by the writer. This will not only add to
your enjoyment as you recognize the artistry of the author but may help you in your
own writing. Paying attention to the language and techniques employed by the
writer will also help you make and defend an informed critical response to the novel
in Lesson Thirteen.
Figurative Language
Figurative language is language that communicates ideas beyond the literal meanings
of the words. The words in a figurative expression are not literally true; rather, they
create impressions in the reader’s mind. Two of the most common forms of
figurative language are simile and metaphor, both of which have been introduced
earlier in this course and reviewed here.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an indirect comparison
between two things that are actually unlike yet have something in
common. A metaphor does not use the words like or as.
A simile is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between
two things that are actually unlike yet have something in common.
Similes express the comparison by using the word like or as.
Personification, is a figure of speech in which human qualities are
attributed to an object, animal, or idea.
Literary Devices
Literary devices are methods or techniques used by writers to create
the effects they want in their writing. Writers of novels and other
forms of fictional writing use a number of literary devices.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
The novels presented in this lesson are all examples of realistic fiction. Realistic
fiction tries to depict life as accurately as possible. People, places, and
situations are presented as the author believes them actually to be, and events are
presented in such a way as to make them seem believable.
Perhaps the first job of the fiction writer is to convince you to believe in the world of
the story – at least temporarily.
Besides furnishing a plausible abode for the novel’s world of feeling,
place has a good deal to do with making characters real, that is,
themselves, and keeping them so.
Eudora Welty
Setting is the time and place of a story.
The world of the story is called the setting. In a short story the setting is limited,
usually to one time and place; in a novel, because of its length, there can be a
number of settings. For example, in The Stone Angel there are two major settings,
the fictional town of Manawaka and the city of Vancouver. In No Man’s Land,
however, there is only one major setting. Most of the action takes place in a French
village where the soldiers wait for their orders.
Local Colour is the use of details that are common in a certain region of a
country.
To make settings plausible, novelists often rely on local colour. The End of War is
set, at least at the beginning of the novel, in rural Quebec. The author establishes
this through use of details: the name of the village – St. Philemon; the location of the
village on a side of a mountain; at the heart of the town stands the Church of St.
Gabriel; the mention of at least two seasons, summer and winter; the names of the
characters – Honore Fradet, Emilie, Pauleon. The author of Luna clearly establishes
the setting of her story in southwestern Saskatchewan through local colour: buffalo
beans, smell of alfalfa, clouds of dust, grasshoppers, trips to Swift Current. Details
can also include what clothes characters wear, local customs, or any other things
peculiar to a region.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Note: Local colour does not refer to the names of colours an author may mention.
The colour of something may add to the detail but the colour of something is not
local colour. Think about a sports broadcast of a baseball, curling, or football game.
Besides the sports announcer there is often a colour commentator who provides
details which makes the broadcast more interesting. In the story, Luna, Rhea wears
a dress made of “a shiny, wine-coloured material.” This is an interesting detail but it
is not local colour whereas the “strips of tiny scarlet mallow at the very edge” of the
buffalo beans is a detail that adds to the local colour because this "scarlet mallow” is
a plant that would be common in that part of Saskatchewan.
Dialect is the distinctive manner of speaking by groups in a particular
region, period, or social class.
Dialect is related to local colour in that it helps to establish a setting in a novel. It
also helps to add realism to a piece of writing. Remember what Mark Twain says
about characters in a novel speaking about real people (Lesson Five). The author of
The Stone Angel uses dialect to help add realism to both the setting and the
characters in her novel. Hagar’s father would stand there behind the counter, bulky
and waist-coated, his voice with its Scots burr prompting Hagar when she forgot, and
telling her to concentrate or she would never learn. He would say to Hagar, “Do you
want to grow up to be a dummy, a daft loon?”
Dialogue is written conversation between two or more characters.
The use of dialogue brings characters to life and gives you insights into their qualities
or personality traits
An idiom is an expression that has come into common use that does not
mean exactly what it says. Idiom can also mean dialect or refer to a
specialized vocabulary or a manner of expression used by a group.
The word idiom comes from a Greek word meaning “peculiar” or “one’s own.” An
idiom is a piece of language that does not always make sense when translated
literally or logically, but it is the natural way for an English speaking person to talk or
write.
These idiomatic expressions, whose origins may have long been forgotten, persist in
common daily conversation and in literary works. Although expressions like “the cat
is out of the bag” or “to have a finger in the pie” do not mean exactly what they say,
these idioms have become an integral part of our language. An idiom is an
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
expression, peculiar to a particular locale or group of people, whose words do not
mean exactly what they say, but whose meaning is clear. Every language abounds in
idioms. Just as idioms in English cannot be sensibly translated into other languages,
idioms in other languages such as Ukrainian, Norwegian, or French, cannot be
translated literally into English.
Each idiom must be learned as a phrase. Consider this example. “To look up a
word” in a dictionary is an idiom. Logically, we should say we “look down” because
usually we begin at or near the top of a dictionary page and look down the page for
a specific word. Yet no native English speaking person would word his sentence
using “to look down a word.” Therefore, “to look up” as in “I am going to look up
the word idiomatic in the dictionary,” is an idiom; it cannot be explained by defining
its individual words.
Most writers make effective use of idioms in their writing. Idioms bring life to a piece
of writing. You will find idiomatic expressions in the dialogue as well as in the
narrative portion of the novel you choose to read. For example, in the The Stone
Angel the author uses idiomatic expressions both in the narrative portion of her story
as in “to mark her bones” and “rest in peace” and in dialogue as in, “Mother’s having
one of her days.” Do you have any problems understanding these expressions?
Probably not; however, there are some expressions which do go out of date such as
“the blue-eyed boy.” This expression means a man or a boy who is somebody’s
favourite and with whom he can find no fault. For example, Bobby was always
jealous of his younger brother, because he knew Jimmy was their mother’s blue-eyed
boy. Jimmy’s eyes could have been brown or green – the expression does not mean
the colour of his eyes. Should you come across an idiomatic expression you do not
understand when reading your novel or any other piece of writing ask someone or
look in a dictionary to find its meaning. Not all idioms are found in a dictionary but
many are. There are also reference books that can be found in libraries and book
stores which explain and often give the origin of the hundreds of idioms in our
English Language. One such reference book is Oxford Pocket English Idioms.
I remember when I wrote The Stone Angel what a terrific surprise it was
to me to realize that I was actually writing a lot of Hagar’s speech in the
idiom of my grandparents’ generation – which was, I may say, an idiom
I didn’t even know I remembered until it came back to me with her, and I
knew it was right. It was like tapping a part of your head that you didn’t
know was there, and it was all there.
Margaret Laurence
Imagery is the collection of descriptive details in a literary work that
appeal to the senses.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
In summer the cemetery was rich and thick as syrup with the funeral-parlor
perfume of the planted peonies, dark crimson and wallpaper pink, the
pompous blossoms hanging leadenly, too heavy for their light stems, bowed
down with the weight of themselves and the weight of rain, infested with
upstart ants that sauntered through the plush petals as though to the manner
born.
In the above excerpt, the author of The Stone Angel, has appealed to the senses of
sight and smell. How has she done this? Has she used diction, detail, and figurative
language to create this image for her readers?
Local colour, dialect, dialogue, idiomatic expressions, and imagery all contribute to
the place element of setting. They also contribute to the time element of setting.
Sometimes you are told exactly when a story takes place as in The End of War. In
this novel the author begins each chapter with an exact time and place: “St.
Philemon, 1914.” In other novels you will need to make inferences as to when the
story takes place.
Inferences are intelligent guesses and conclusions based on indirect
clues. We infer information when we make these guesses and
conclusions.
Another device used by many novelists is flashback. Flashback is used to provide
information out of sequence with the basic chronological order of time.
Flashback is a device by which a writer interrupts the present action of
a story to recreate a situation or incident of an earlier time.
A flashback can help emphasize a particular part of a story, provide background
information, or explain a character’s actions. The author of The Stone Angel makes
extensive use of flashbacks to tell the story of Hagar Shipley. Many of you will be
familiar with this flashback technique as used in films or television programs. A
device such as a fade-out or hazy dream-like sequence is used to clue the audience
as to what is happening.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Another device that is sometimes used by writers is foreshadowing.
Foreshadowing is the dropping of important hints to prepare readers for
what is to come and to help them anticipate something, usually an
unpleasant event, that will occur later on in the piece of writing. It is not
a part of every piece of writing.
In the prologue of A Quality of Light in a very short line: “Then came Johnny,” the
narrator, Joshua Kane gives indication that Johnny Gebhardt is going to be a big part
of his life.
Another way to give a reading audience information is to provide a prologue.
A prologue is an introduction to a play, a novel, or a poem. The prologue
establishes a mood and it helps the audience to understand what is to
follow.
Only one of the five novels listed in this lesson has a prologue: A Quality of Light. It
certainly will help you to understand what is to follow in the rest of the novel.
Mood is the feeling or attitude that the writer creates in the reader
through carefully selected details and words.
Related to mood is tone.
Tone is the writer’s attitude toward a subject; a writer’s tone can be
serious, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek, solemn, objective and so on.
In a novel an author may use more than one tone depending upon the situation he is
describing, but there is usually one main tone in a novel. For example, a tragic novel
may have humourous or very romantic interludes but the main tone will still be
serious.
Another device an author may use in his writing is allusion.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
An allusion is a reference to a historical or literary person, place, or
event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar.
Understanding allusions in a work can give the reader a better understanding of it.
Read the following comic strip. You will only find it funny if you understand the
allusions to Van Gogh, Marc Antony and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
The author of The Stone Angel makes use of allusions in her novel. Read the
following quote from the novel.
I think now she must have been carved in that distant sun by stone masons
who were the cynical descendants of Bernini, gouging out her like by the
score, gauging with admirable accuracy the needs of fledgling pharaohs in an
uncouth land.
Benini was the greatest sculptor in Europe during the 17th century. Pharaohs were
kings in ancient Egypt. With the use of these two allusions Margaret Laurence tells
you quite a bit. The men who carved the stone angel were not artists in the true
sense of the word. They probably used assembly line techniques to carve the stone
angels to satisfy a market in North America. The buyers of these stone angels were
would-be empire builders who really did not know a whole lot about art.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Characterization
Characterization (sometimes called character development, character
portrayal, character delineation) refers to the methods an author uses
to portray characters.
Many factors contribute to the development of a character. The reader comes to
know a character through the writer's description of the character.





looks
behaviour
motives
emotions
personality
Writers use the following methods to portray a character in a story.




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description by the narrator
actions of the character
words of the character
thoughts of the character
reactions to the character, including actions, words, and thoughts of other
characters
In creating the character, Rhea, in the novel, Luna, Sharon Butala has used the
methods mentioned above.
 Description by the narrator: Rhea was wearing her good dress, a shiny, winecoloured material that looked black in the dimness….She was wearing her brown
orthopedic shoes….The shoes were a good sign.
 Actions of the character: Rhea is sitting in her armchair at the end of the living
room in the house she has occupied for sixty years.
 Words of the character: “I’ve been all right more or less,” Rhea said, “for eighty
years. I should think I’ll be all right this afternoon, too.”
 Thoughts of the character: I, she thinks, a heavy woman even then, old already
at forty, yes, that’s true, she tells herself.
 Reactions to the character, including actions, words, and thoughts of other
characters: “Good,” Selena said, with a firmness she never felt in Rhea’s
presence, “you’re ready. Let’s go then.”
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
In his book, Story and Structure, Laurence Perrine tells us: To be convincing,
characterization must also observe three other principles. First, the characters must
be consistent in their behavior: they must not behave one way on one occasion and
a different way on another unless there is a clearly sufficient reason for the change.
Second, the characters must be clearly motivated in whatever they do, especially
when there is any change in their behavior: we must be able to understand the
reasons for what they do, if not immediately, at least by the end of the story. Third,
the characters must be plausible or lifelike. They must be neither paragons of virtue
nor monsters of evil nor an impossible combination of contradictory traits. Whether
we have observed anyone like them in our own experience or not, we must feel that
they have come from the author’s experience – that they could appear somewhere
in the normal course of events.
Theme
Theme is the idea, general truth, or commentary on life or people
brought out through a literary work.
“Daddy, the man next door kisses his wife every
morning when he leaves for work.
Why don’t you do that?”
“Gracious, little one, I don’t even know the woman.”
********************************
“Daughter, your young man stays until a very late hour.
Hasn’t your mother said anything to
you about this habit of his?”
“Yes, Father. Mother says men haven’t altered a bit.”
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
There is a significant difference between these two jokes. The first joke depends
only upon a reversal of expectation. We expect the man to explain why he does not
kiss his wife; instead, he explains why he does not kiss his neighbour’s wife. The
second joke, though, contains a reversal of expectations that depends as much or
more for its effectiveness on a truth about human life; namely, that men tend to
grow more conservative as they grow older, or that fathers often scold their children
for doing exactly what they did themselves when young. This truth, which might be
stated in different ways, is the theme of the joke.
The theme of a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the
unifying generalization about life stated or implied by the story. To derive the theme
of a story, you must ask what its central purpose is: what view of life it supports or
what insight into life it reveals.
Whereas a short story, an essay, or a poem usually has only one theme, longer
works such as plays and novels may have several themes. As you read your novel
think about its central purpose. What message or messages about life or people is
the author trying to convey?
Conflict
Conflict is the struggle that arises between the main character and
another person or force in a story. There are two major types of
conflict: internal conflict – the protagonist is in conflict with emotions
and desires within himself and external conflict – the protagonist is in
conflict with society, another character or with the natural world.
To provide insight into human life, writers usually focus on characters who face
various kinds of conflict. A character may struggle against another person, the
pressures of society, or the forces of nature. Two elements within a character may
be in conflict. Depending on how the conflict is resolved, the character – or at least
the reader – gains some new understanding of the world and human existence.
Many elements of a novel have been defined and discussed as separate
entities in this lesson. This is not how they work in a novel, however. In a
good story all these elements work in concert to produce an enjoyable
read. Keep in mind that the main function of a novel is to entertain.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Response Journal
Books
Estimated number of books read ______________________________.
In a complete statement tell why reading is or is not important to you.
Reasons
1.
2.
3.
My favourite type of book is ____________________________.
Reasons
1.
2.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Titles: What do you think each book may be about, based on the title?
The End of War
1.
2.
3.
Luna
1
2.
3.
No Man's Land
1.
2.
3.
A Quality of Light
1.
2.
3.
The Stone Angel
1.
2.
3.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9
Name of novel chosen:
________________________________________
Note: These response journal pages are to be submitted with Assignment
Twelve.
English Language Arts A30
Lesson 9