Name: ______
Novel: ______
“Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion”
“. . .breaking bread together is an act of sharing and peace, since if you’re breaking bread you’re not breaking heads. . . [it] has to do with how characters are getting along. Or not getting along.”
Who is eating (or refusing to eat) together?
Quote and cite a passage which describes a meal shared (or refused) between characters.
What adjectives would you use to describe the mood of this (attempted) meal?
What does the (attempted) meal tell you about the characters or their relationships with one another?
Why/how is this (attempted) meal significant to the novel as a whole? Is it symbolic? Is there a connection to another part of the novel?
If there is another meal later on in the novel, is it different than the previous meal? If so, how? Do the characters’ interactions change?
How is this change significant to the novel as a whole?
Name: ______
Novel: ______
“Nice to Eat You: Ghosts and Vampires”
“are never only about ghosts and vampires. [They’re] also about things other than literal vampirism: selfishness, exploitation, a refusal to respect the autonomy of other people. . .Sometimes the really scary bloodsuckers are entirely human.”
Which two characters have an “unequal” relationship? That is, one character has more power and control over another more vulnerable character.
Powerful Character:
Vulnerable Character:
Paraphrase and cite a scene in whichthe powerful character gains power over the vulnerable character.
Quote and cite a passage which illustrates how the powerful character grows in strength by purposely weakening the more vulnerable character.
What does the powerful character ultimately gain/want to gain by taking advantage of the more vulnerable character? Cite your references.
What is ultimately the outcome of this unequal relationship between these two characters? Cite your references.
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Every Trip is a Quest
“. . . and the real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge. So, when a character hits the road, we should start to pay attention, just to see if, you know, something’s going on there.”
Who is the quester?
Where is he/she going? Cite your reference.
Quote and cite his/her stated reason to go there.
What challenges or trials must the character go through on the quest? Cite your references.
Quote and cite the real reason this person goes on this quest/journey. (What, specifically, does he/she learn about him/herself?)
Name: ______
Novel: ______
“Geography Matters …”
“What does it mean to the novel that its landscape is high or low, steep or shallow, flat or sunken? Why did this character die on a mountaintop, that one on the savanna? Why is this poem on the prairie? Why does Auden like limestone so much? What, in other words, does geography mean to a work of literature?”
Where do the major scenes take place? If there are several, consider each.
How does the author describe the place? What features seem to be the most important to the author?
In your opinion, why should the author have selected that place for an important event? Why do you say that?
What does the geography of the place reveal about the character? Do the steep stair (for example) reveal how out of shape a character is? Or do they reveal how much sacrifice a character is willing to make to achieve a goal?
What part does the geography play in the conflict?
How does geography affect the outcome of the story?
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. New York: Harper, 2003.
Name: ______
Novel: ______
“… So Does Season”
“Now to the nuts and bolts: Shakespeare didn’t invent this metaphor. This fall/middle-age cliché was preety creaky in the knees long before he got hold of it. What he does, brilliantly, is invest it with specificity and a continuity that force us to really see not only the thing that he describes – the end of autumn and the coming of winter – but the thing he’s really talking about, namely the speaker’s standing on the edge of old age.” “Nor is the issue always age. Happiness and dissatisfaction have their season.”
What seasons are represented in your novel?
How are the seasons represented? Did the author focus on what was wrong or challenging about the season, or what was good or fortunate about the season?
Has mention of the season been withheld? Why do you suppose an author would do that?
How might seasons correspond to age in your novel?
How might season correspond to satisfaction or dissatisfaction in your novel?
Does season correspond with any other element in the novel, such as death, illness, birth, etc?
Name: ______
Novel: ______
“Is That a Symbol”
“Here’s the problem with symbols: people expect them to mean something. Not just any something, but one something in particular. Exactly. Maximum. You know what? It doesn’t work like that. Oh, sure, there are some symbols that work straightforwardly: a while flag means, I give up, don’t shoot. Or it means, We come in peace. See? Even a fairly clear-cut case we can’t a single meaning, although they’re pretty close. So some symbols do have a relatively limited range of meanings, but in general a symbol can’t be reduced to standing for only one thing..”
What people in your novel might be symbolic of something else in your novel?
What places might be symbolic of something else in your novel?
What images might be symbolic of something else in your novel?
What events might be symbolic of something else in your novel?
What actions might be symbolic of something else in your novel?
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines.New York: Harper, 2003.
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Conflict
External Conflicts: What are some of the primary external conflicts, and how do they lead the reader to the overall theme of this novel?
Internal Conflicts: What are some of the primary internal conflicts, and how do they lead the reader to the overall theme of this novel?
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Indirect Characterization
Primary Character: ______
Describe the character’s motivation and personality in a way you can support with evidence listed below:
Paraphrase & cite something this character does that characterizes him/her.
Quote & cite something this character says that characterizes him/her.
Quote & cite something this character thinks.
Paraphrase and cite a description about this character’s appearance.
Paraphrase and cite how other react to this character.
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Irony
What examples of irony do you find in the book (In each case, cite 3 things: 1) Example, 2) pg number, & 3) What this reveals)
Verbal Irony
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Dramatic Irony
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Situational Irony
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-
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Dynamic Character:
What deep, meaningful insight or inner growth does the character experience as a result of their conflict? Remember, any evidence presented of dynamic change has to be considered from before the climax, and after the climax in order to reveal the change.
Character: ______
Paraphrase & cite the passage which portrays the character’s internal conflict.
Paraphrase & cite the passage which portrays the character’s internal change.
Paraphrase & cite the event in the plot which leads to the character’s internal change?
Paraphrase & cite a passage in which the character’s thoughts change.
Paraphrase & cite a passage in which the character’s actions change.
Paraphrase & cite a passage in which the character’s language changes.
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Point of View
From what perspective is this story told (Cite your initial proof with page number)?
Character: ______
In what ways does the narrator’s perspective influence a reader’s perception of this particular story?
What evidence exists of the narrator’s sympathies for a particular character (cite your evidence and page numbers – give at least three examples)
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-
-
Name: ______
Novel: ______
What is a primary theme? (There may be several in a novel)
When considering character motivation, setting, or circumstance, who/what directly have an impact on the conflict the most? How? Paraphrase & cite references.
What is the author suggesting about life through the characters and/or events?Paraphrase & cite references.
How is that idea supported in terms of symbols and motifs? Paraphrase & cite references.
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Diction:
Quote & cite examples unique dictin on te part of character (include slang, jargon, regional dialect, etc)
Evaluate your opinion of the author’s use of language using the following scales (it should be supported by the evidence you provided above):
PlainElegant
1 2 3 4 5
I------I------I------I------I
SimpleComplex
1 2 3 4 5
I------I------I------I------I
InformalFormal
1 2 3 4 5
I------I------I------I------I
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Figurative Language
Quote & cite a simile:
Paraphrase & cite a metaphor:
Paraphrase & cite a passage with personification:
Quote & cite a passage of hyperbole:
Quote & cite an example of understatement:
Quote & cite an example of imagery:
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Imagery
Give examples of imagery that appeal to the senses. Choose especially significant passages to explain how the imagery contributes to the overall effect of the story or scene within the story:
Smell:
Sound:
Sight:
Touch:
Taste:
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Cultural values
Cultural values are those values or ideals shared across a particular culture. That cultural may be defined in terms of nationality, regional influence, a particularly significant aspect of life that brings people together such as race, religion, ethnicity, age, etc.
What values are directly addressed or ignored in this particular piece of literature?
What values are indirectly addressed or ignored in this particular piece of literature?
How do a character’s cultural values seem to change as a result of conflict or exposure to other characters?
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Mood & Tone
Mood: How is the mood created? What tools are used? What is the mood, and what is the significance of that mood to the overall story?
Examples that support you?
Tone: How is the tone communicated? What tools are used? What is the tone, and what is the significance of that tone to the overall story?
Examples that support you?
Name: ______
Novel: ______
Style
Style: How would you describe the author’s overall style? Is it conversational? Chatty? Terse? Economical? Dramatic? Flowery? Impersonal, Personable? Natural? Journalistic? Scholarly? Lyrical? Simple? Complex? Readable? Rough? Rugged? Slangy? Stylistic? Noir? Vague? Verbose? Wordy? Pretentious? Sesquipedalian? (using a lot of long words that most people do not understand, this word was added just for the fun of it.)
Examples that support you?