Contemporary
Literature
Mrs. Casey
Fall Semester 2011
Reading takes dedication and discipline
 If you want to learn about yourself, learn
about others--people both real and
fictional.
 You gain insight into their struggles, fears,
longings, beliefs, habits, and
relationships; then you can apply that
insight as you make sound decisions for
your own life.
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Why Read?
Through the power of the imagination we
are literally transported to another place
without actually leaving the comforts of
our own home, classroom, etc.
 Cheaper than travel; book $10….airfare
$400
 You are the creator- what people look like,
where they live, what they wear, etc.
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Why Read?
To understand a quality story, you must
understand PLOT
 A plot is a causal sequence of events, the
"why" for the things that happen in the
story.
 The plot draws the reader into the
character's lives and helps the reader
understand the choices that the
characters make.
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Plot
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A plot's structure is the way in which the story
elements are arranged.
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Exposition is the information needed to
understand a story.
Conflictis the catalyst that begins the major
conflict.
Climax is the turning point in the story that
occurs when characters try to resolve the
complication.
Resolution is the set of events that bring the
story to a close.
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More Plot
Refers to who tells us the story and how it
is told
 Narrator- teller of the story; affects our
understanding of the characters’ actions
by filtering what is told through his or her
perspective; not the author
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Point of View
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2 broad categories of points of view:
3rd person and 1st person narrator
3rd person narrator (nonparticipant)
 1. Omniscient (narrator takes us inside the
character/s)
 2. Limited omniscient (narrator takes us inside
one or two characters)
 3. Objective( narrator is outside the characters)
 NO type of 3rd person narrator appears as a
character
Categories
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Omniscient narrator is all-knowing; can
move from place to place and pass back and
forth through time, slipping into and out of
characters as no human being possibly could
in real life. They can report the characters’
thoughts and feelings as well as what they
say and do.
If a narrator makes judgments about the
characters, it is called editorial
omniscience.
Categories, con’t
If the narrator allows the characters’
actions and thoughts to speak for
themselves- neutral omniscience.
 Limited omniscient narrator- confined
to a single perspective of either a major
or minor character.
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Categories, cont
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Stream-of-consciousness techniquemost intense use of a central consciousness
in narration;
James Joyce, Virginia Wolf, William Faulkner;
takes a reader inside a character’s mind to
reveal perceptions, thoughts, and feelings;
suggests the flow of thought as well as its
content
May include fragments, complete sentences
as the character’s mind makes rapid
associations free of conventional logic or
transitions.
Categories, con’t
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Example:
Coffin now. Got here before us, dead as he
is. Horse looking around at it with his
plume askew. Dull eye: collar tight on his
neck, pressing on a blood vessel or
something. Do they know what they cart
out of here every day? Must be twenty or
thirty funerals a day. Funerals all over the
world everywhere every minute.
Thousands every hour. Too many in the
world.
– Ulysses by James Joyce
Categories, cont
You will be required to journal each day
we read.
 Journaling helps you remember what you
read.
 It allows you to write down questions you
have about the reading.
 You can reflect on the section and relate it
to your own life or question the motives of
the characters in the story.
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Journals
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Each journal entry should be one page
long (minimum). It will include:
A summary of the section
Characterization of the characters met
(flat, round, dynamic, static, protagonist,
antagonist); descriptions, what other
characters think about them, what you
think about them, etc.
One favorite line from the section
One question about the reading
Journal Requirements
Each day we will have an “Of course I
read it!” quiz. These quizzes are 10
points each, usually with a bonus
question.
 We will count each and every quiz, so
read and journal thoroughly.
 If you do the reading, it makes the class
discussions much more interesting.
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OIRIQ!
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Fiction isn’t “fact” but good fiction is “true.”
It should show something that is true to life
through the characters and events.
Think about the title; why did the author
choose it?
As you read, try to predict what will happen
next.
Record your thoughts as you read: agree,
disagree, why did they do that? Would I do
that?
Reading Fiction
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The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mocking J*
The Book Thief
And Then There Were None
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All of these are available from the public library
Also, Fiction Addiction has cheap used copies
Amazon.com (really cheap used books)
Mr. K’s on Laurens Road (cheap used books)
Book List