Learning Targets for Wednesday, August 26th:
Today I will…
Examine the differences between commercial
and literary fiction by comparing and
contrasting author’s purpose/intent as well as
the work of fiction’s affect on the reader.
Examine Toni Morrison’s excerpt from The
Bluest Eye by reading critically, employing text
rendering, and addressing a Great Question.
IS ALL FICTION
EQUAL?
What is the difference between commercial and literary
fiction?
Fiction…Why read it?
Quick Write: What is the last great
book you read (besides the summer
reading, of course)?
Why did you read it?
Would that book be considered
commercial fiction or literary fiction?
Why?
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
COMMERCIAL AND LITERARY FICTION?
Commercial vs. Literary Fiction
Commercial Fiction
Literary Fiction
 Fiction whose sole purpose is to
 Fiction that is written with serious artistic
entertain, and it requires no serious or
intentions, and this will yield not only
intensive study.
enjoyment, but also understanding.
 It is written and published primarily to  The writer hopes to broaden, deepen,
make money.
and sharpen the reader’s awareness of
life.
 It makes money because it helps large
numbers of people escape the tedium
 Like all serious art, this fiction provides
and stress of their lives.
an imagined experience that yields
 Its value is not appreciably greater than authentic insights into some significant
that of a video game or crossword
aspect of life.
puzzle.
To Reiterate
Commercial Fiction
Literary Fiction
 Takes us AWAY from the real world: it
helps us temporarily forget our troubles
 Plunges us, through the author’s
imaginative vision and artistic ability,
more deeply INTO the real world
 The work is created for the reader’s
immediate pleasure.
 The work hopes to provide a complex,
lasting aesthetic and intellectual
pleasure rater than a simple, escapist
diversion; its object is to offer PLEASURE
plus UNDERSTANDING.
BUT…THESE TWO CATEGORIES ARE
NOT CLEAR – CUT.
Wait…What?
Not every story or novel can
be conveniently tossed into
one bin or the other. These
categories simply suggest
opposite ends of a spectrum;
some works may fall close to
the middle rather than to one
clear end, and genres
normally associated with
commercial purposes and
categories are sometimes
used successfully by authors
with literary intentions.
Examples:
 Uncle Tom’s Cabin: straddles the line between commercial and literary.
 Jane Eyre: regarded as one of the finest literary novels ever written, but adheres to certain
conventions of the commercial romance novel and has been very successful since the time it
was first published.
 Dracula: regarded in its time as a primarily commercial work, but has since garnered enough
critical acceptance and analysis to be considered further toward the literary end of the
spectrum today.
 The House on Mango Street: while written with an audience that did not often find the time to
read in mind and having maintained a consistent level of commercial success since its
publication, is primarily literary in its purpose and execution.
THE TERMS COMMERCIAL AND
LITERARY SHOULD BE APPLIED TO
NOVELS OR STORIES THEMSELVES, NOT
NECESSARILY TO THEIR AUTHORS
For example, Charles Dickens wrote works that fall
into both categories. His novel Martin Chuzzlewit is
greatly discussed and admired by literary scholars,
but his hugely popular A Christmas Carol is
essentially a commercial work.
The difference between commercial and literary fiction does
not necessarily relate to the absence or presence of a “moral.”
 A story whose incidents and characters are notably shallow may have an
unimpeachable moral (Dracula), while a literary story or novel may have no “moral”
at all in the conventional sense; it may choose to dramatize human experience
rather than to moralize about it.
 Nor do the differences lie in the presence or absence of an element of fantasy.
Commercial fiction my have the surface appearance of everyday reality – a police
detective novel is a good example (see John Green’s novels as well) – but have little
significance beyond the reality depicted.
 On the other hand, a fanciful tale may impress the reader with a profound and
surprising truth.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO
KINDS OF FICTION ARE DEEPER AND
MORE SUBTLE THAN ANY OF THESE
DISTINCTIONS.
Let’s Try an Analogy
• Commercial writers are like magicians who devise a contrivance for our diversion. They are
full of tricks and surprises: they pull rabbits out of hats, saw people in half, and juggle
brightly colored balls in the air.
• Literary writers are more like explorers: they take us into the midst of life and say, “Look,
here is the world in all its complexity.” They also take us behind the scenes where they
show us the props and mirrors and seek to dispel the illusions.
 Literary writers carefully shape their materials with the intent that we may see,
feel, and understand them better, not for the primary purpose of furnishing
entertainment.
 Therefore, any fiction that illuminates some aspect of human life or behavior
with genuine originality and power may be called “literary.”
 This story – whether large or small – presents an insight into the nature and
condition of our existence. It gives us a keener awareness of our humanity
within a universe that is sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile. It helps us to
understand our world, our neighbors, and ourselves.
So…How do I read Literary Fiction?
If time is permitting, you should read any piece of
literary fiction at least twice in order to fully grasp
what it has to offer
The first time to simply enjoy and familiarize
yourself with it.
The second time read more slowly and
deliberately in an attempt to understand the full
artistic significance and achievement of the
piece.
So…How do I read Literary Fiction?
It is important to keep an open mind.
You need to be willing to expect the
unexpected.
Know that it will address one or more
of the GREAT QUESTIONS.
Assignment
 Critically read and annotate the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
 Then, you will complete some text rendering.
Text rendering is a process to break down a piece to get at the authentic meaning.
 Once you have critically read and annotated the selection, you will pick out:
 One word from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and
meaningful
 One phrase from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and
meaningful
 A Great Question the selection addresses (use textual evidence to support your
choice)
Please Grab ALL 4 Documents in the Front of the
Room!!
Turn in your HOMEWORK:
 Please turn in your 6 word memoir with your rubric.
 Please make sure your name is on both documents.
 Please do NOT staple them together.
 If you still need to submit your student info. sheet or your AP contract, please put
this in the box as well.
 Also, if you have your binder, please put it in your drawer in the black file cabinet.
Please take out your text rendering for The Bluest
Eye and some paper to take notes on.
Homework:
Please read “My Papa’s Waltz” at least
2 times.
Please complete TPDASTT over the
piece in your composition notebook.
Please be prepared to explicate your
perception of this piece on Monday.
Learning Targets for Friday, August 28th:
Today I will…
 Examine a provided image for meaning by employing the OPTIC strategy to analyze
the piece.
 Examine aphorisms for meaning by deconstructing the statement for author’s
purpose as well as my perception of what is being stated.
 Explain my interpretation of the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison by
explicating my text rendering as well as provide justification for my choice of the
Great Question.
LOOK AT THE RUBRIC YOU HAVE
BEEN PROVIDED
OPTIC: Untitled
Think/Pair/Share:
An aphorism is a succinct statement expressing an opinion, perception, or general truth. Read the following aphorisms
VERY carefully:
 “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” - Anonymous
 “Until lions tell their stories, tales of hunting will glorify the hunter.” - African proverb
 “Theory is subversive because it puts authority in question.” – Stephen Bonnycastle, In Search of Authority
 “What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you
are.” — C. S. Lewis
 “All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.” — Richard Avedon
 “There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” — Aldous Huxley
 “Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.” — George Bernard
Shaw
What do all of these quotes have in common with the activity you just did with the
photograph? Explain your thinking.
PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING
Quick Write: What do you think this quote from
William Blake is trying to convey? How does this
align with what we were discussing on Friday in
regards to the photographs and the aphorisms?
IF THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION WERE
CLEANSED EVERYTHING WOULD
APPEAR TO MAN AS IT IS, INFINITE.
WILLIAM BLAKE
Learning Targets for Monday, August 31st:
Today I will…
 Examine an aphorism from William Blake for author’s purpose as well as my
perception of what is being stated by addressing a quick write prompt as well as
actively participating in discussion.
 Explain my interpretation of the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison by
explicating my text rendering as well as provide justification for my choice of the
Great Question.
 Examine my understanding of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke by actively
participating in a discussion over my perception of the piece as well as what led me
to my conclusions.
Assignment
 Critically read and annotate the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
 Then, you will complete some text rendering.
Text rendering is a process to break down a piece to get at the authentic meaning.
 Once you have critically read and annotated the selection, you will pick out:
 One word from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and
meaningful
 One phrase from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and
meaningful
 A Great Question the selection addresses (use textual evidence to support your
choice)
SOCRATIC DISCUSSION OVER THE TEXT
RENDERING OF THE EXCERPT FROM
THE BLUEST EYE BY TONI MORRISON &
“MY PAPA’S WALTZ” BY THEODORE
ROETHKE.
Debrief:
What was your perception of
these pieces influenced by?
Has you perception changed
due to you participating in this
Socratic discussion?