Exercise 7. THE CHARACTERS Is the purpose of the characters in this book to present interesting people; to bring out the characteristics of some particular place or time; to illustrate a theory; to show the author's view of life; to make a study of human nature; to develop the plot? Explain your answer. Do you like the names of the characters? Are any of them especially appropriate? Are the characters described in formal detail or in vivid flashes? Does the description of them reveal character as well as appearance? Are any of them interesting in themselves? Which ones can you especially visualize? Why? Can you find instances of character revealed by conversation? by actions? by special incidents? by analysis? by little touches? by especially striking reactions? Where does the author's greatest strength in portraying character lie-in drawing men, women, or children? Has the character-drawing any noticeable weaknesses, such as inadequate motivation, exaggeration, sentimentality, a too sudden shift of motives or characteristics to advance the plot? Discuss the motivation. What are the motives of the leading characters? At what points do these motives clash? Do the motives seem to you human and natural in the circumstances? Are they simple, elemental, or complex, mixed? Judging from the motivation, how should you class the story? as a picture of real life? Is the number of characters large or small? Is the range wide or restricted? Which of the characters are static and which kinetic? Do the kinetic characters seem to you to be logically developed? Explain your answer. Are any of the characters idealized? romantic? especially real? Are any of them caricatures? If so, what traits are exaggerated? Do any of the characters appeal especially to your imagination? To what extent does the story grow out of character, that is, to what extent do the characters influence the plot? Which are the principal characters? the subordinate characters? For what purpose are the subordinate characters used? Do any contribute humor? philosophy? information? local color? an impression of numbers essential to reality? Do any of them throw light on other characters? Are any of them so interesting in themselves that they intrude on our interest? Write a brief estimate of the book considered from the point of view of character alone. Exercise 8. THE SETTING What is the setting of the story? Is it in any way essential? on plot or character? Can you find examples of setting revealed by description? by the occupation, dress, or speech of the characters? by dialogue? by the introduction of historical scenes, places, people, costumes, customs? Are any scenes especially appropriate for the events which occur there? Is there any use of symbolism in setting? Can you find examples of description used to help the reader visualize the scene? to increase suspense? to reveal character? to create atmosphere? to reflect the mood of the story through harmony or contrast? Has the book a distinctive atmosphere? If so, how is it secured? In which scenes is it the strongest? Is the book in any way a study of environment? Exercise 9. THE STYLE Has the book a strongly marked style? Do you think you would be able to recognize another book by the same author merely from the style? If so, what qualities of style would especially help you to identify him? Is there much description in the book? If so, is it formal, introduced for its own sake, or incidental to the story? Is the description long or flashed in vividly suggestive phrases? Quote some picture-making passages. Are the descriptions good for choice of details, for choice of words, or for both? Which of them have clearly defined moods? Is the description mostly of people, places, or things? Is any of it highly imaginative or keenly observant? What things does the author notice particularly and bring out in his descriptions? Has the book humor? If so, what special qualities has its humor? Is it exaggerated, robust, quaint, sly, whimsical, absurd, ironical, ridiculous, quiet, witty, sympathetic, shrewd, boisterous, coarse, brilliant, subtle? Is it inherent in persons, in situations, in the author's way of looking at things and of expressing himself? Is it ever tinged with pathos? Has the author power to touch our feelings? Can you give examples of his power to create pity, fear, terror, horror, compassion, awe, resentment, anger in the reader? Does he portray human emotions vividly? If so, which ones does he handle best? Can he create atmosphere? Has he imagination? If so, what kind of imagination is it-fantastic, exalted, brooding, bitter, whimsical, childlike, or what? Is there much author's comment? Is the author objective or subjective in his attitude toward the story—that is, does he intrude himself into it (subjective attitude) or remain aloof (objective attitude)? What do you think of his choice of words? Is his vocabulary wide? Are his words strong and simple? Does he always use them correctly? Does he use any specially connotative or specific words? Of what sort of words does he seem most fond? Can you find examples of ease, simplicity, and clarity of style? Is the meaning ever vague? Is the style ever unnecessarily heavy? Can you find sentences that seem to you especially forceful and concise? Does the author use much figurative language? If so, what particularly effective figures of speech do you find? Is the style at all poetic? Can you find striking examples of the author's sympathy or sincerity? Is he ever insincere? If so, what seem to you earmarks of his insincerity? Is he ever unduly sentimental? hackneyed? sordid? coarse? Is he fond of irony? of symbolism? Is his point of view romantic or realistic? Is his style suited to his subject matter? Is the style ever theatrical? overdone? To what extent does it reveal his personality? Wherein do you think the chief strength of his style lies? Exercise 10. THE THEME Do you think the purpose of the story is to entertain? to show a character? to reveal the author's point of view about life? to illustrate a theory? to exemplify a moral principle? to bring about a reform? to indulge the fancy or the imagination of the author? to present an historical picture? to stress local color? to suggest or to solve a problem? Is it a combination of purposes? State the theme of the book. Show how it is illustrated through plot, character, and setting. Does the author sacrifice any truth in his characterization or any probability in his plot construction in order to emphasize the theme? Has the story any element of propaganda? Has the book any significance apart from its value as a story? Exercise 11. THE TRUTH OF THE STORY Does the story seem to you true to life? If so, in what respect? Is its truth fidelity to external facts or to inward ones? Is it true to facts as you know them? Is everything that happens possible and probable? Is the dialogue true to life? Are the problems such as people in real life face? Is the solution of the problems one that would be natural in real life? Can you find examples of author's comment that seem to you especially true? that you could apply to life as you know it? Is the ethical point of view a true one? Do you think the author's ideas of right and wrong false, mistaken, or illogical? Does the book present any difficult moral problem? About which characters does the moral issue center? Does the book present ideas that are worthy of attention apart from their connection with the story? B Exercise 1. Choose one of the following subjects as a topic for an essay on a novel which you have read recently: 1. A study in environment 2. Our inconsistent human nature 3. How plot, character, and setting interact 4. Problems of human life presented in 5. The influence of chance and character on the plot of 6. The romantic point of view as illustrated by 7. A well-rounded work (the happy blending of plot, character, setting, style, theme, and truth) 8. Two kinds of truth to life (a study of two novels, one a romance, the other a realistic novel) 9. The influence of one human life on another as illustrated by 10. The use of subordinate characters in 11. Description as a fine art 12. A panorama of (a particular place or period) 13. A bit of propaganda 14. as a master of suspense 15. Manner and matter (a study of style and subject matter) 16. A matter of method (the point of view and the method of narration) 17. What's in a name? (the author's choice of title and names) 18. Genuine artistic economy 19. Methods of character-portrayal used by 20. A question of atmosphere 21. Local color 22. Unreality made real - and 23. A picture of (some common human trait or condition such as meanness, self-sacrifice, squalor, poverty, extravagance, courage, cowardice, war, patriotism, hypocrisy, integrity) 24. Familiar motives in strange settings 25. A study in character development 26. Some difficult problems in ethics 27. 's point of view (a criticism of a character's philosophy of life) 28. The lesson in the life of 29. The pathos of the commonplace (or, the poetry, the humor, of the commonplace) 30. The guiding motive (simplicity of motivation) 31. Being your own hero (advantages and disadvantages of the first person) 32. History made real 33. The intangible charm of 34. A character that stirs the imagination 35. Life as it appears to 36. A study in boys (girls, kings, Indians, pioneers, sea captains, soldiers, pirates, animals) 37. The disadvantages of being a heroine C Exercise 1 Discuss the use of subordinate characters as shown by: a. Gurth, Wamba, and Ulrica in Ivanhoe b. Uncle Venner in The House of the Seven Gables c. The guests at the Red House in Silas Marner d. Hayraddin in Quentin Durward e. The Dodson sisters in The Mill on the Floss f. Blanche Ingram in Jane Eyre g. Mrs. Jameson in Cranford h. Zerrilla in The Rise of Silas Lapham i. Dick Steele in Henry Esmond j. Mackellar in The Master of Ballantrae k. Cluny in Kidnapped 1. Michael Lambourne in Kenilworth Exercise 2 Find different ways of revealing character in one of the following novels: 1. Adam Bede 2. Quentin Durward 3. Great Expectations 4. The Marble Faun 5. Tom Sawyer 6. Kidnapped 7. The Heart of Midlothian 8. The Mill on the Floss 9. The Rise of Silas Lapham 10. Bob, Son of Battle 11. Henry Esmond |