Selected Readings of British and American Fiction Type: ElectiveSemester: 1 Credit: 2Teaching Hours:32 Instructor: Chen Dadi TL:

The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door Fredric Brown’s “Knock”

Before your decision What is fiction? Why do we like fiction?

Discovery or daydream?

Novelty or reality?

What is fiction? A story told in prose A story assumed to be made up so as to express and explore the author’s feelings and ideas about life through the imagery of characters and action. The category of fiction includes the short story, the novel, the novella and related genres.

Novels in movie: the way we like it

Understanding fiction Definition Development of the fiction Genres of the fiction Elements of the fiction Techniques of the fiction

Development of the fiction Tale/Adventure  Letter  Fiction  Variety  Experimental

Development of the fiction Narrative Epics Folktales/fairy tales Romance (picaresque, pastoral, etc.) Novel In its own way, through its own logic, the novel discovered the various dimensions of existence one by one: with Cervantes and his contemporaries, it inquires into the nature of adventure; with Richardson, it begins to examine 'what happens inside,' to unmask the secret life of the feelings; with Balzac, it discovers man's rootedness in history; with Flaubert, it explores the terra previously incognita of the everyday; with Tolstoy, it focuses on the intrusion of the irrational in human behavior and decisions. It probes time: the elusive past with Proust, the elusive present with Joyce. With Thomas Mann, it examines the role of the myths from the remote past that control our present actions. Et cetera, et cetera. –from Milan Kundera, The Art of Fiction

Genres of the Fiction Social Novel Novel of Manners Chronicle Novel Psychological Novel Education Novel Philosophical Novel Popular Novel Western Novel Detective Novel Spy Novel Science Fiction Novel Fantasy Novel Horror Novel Romance Novel Historical Novel Experimental Novel See Pages for details

Elements of the Fiction Plot Character Setting Conflict Theme (Fictitious Reader)

Techniques of the Fiction Point of View Characterization Style Symbolism Imagery and Irony

Checklist for analyzing a story Look at the plot of the story. How do the events in the story relate to one another, and how do they relate to the story as a whole? What conflicts occur in the story, and how are these conflicts developed or resolved? Does the story include any noteworthy plot devices, such as flashbacks or foreshadowing? Analyze the characters of the story. What are their most striking traits? How do these individuals interact with one another? What motivates them? Are the characters fully developed, or are they stereotypes whose sole purpose is to express a single trait (good, evil, generosity) or to move the plot along? Identify the setting of the story. At what time period and in what geographic location does the action of the story occur? How does the setting affect the characters of the story? How does it determine the relationships among the characters? How does the setting affect the plot? Does the setting create a mood for the story? In what way does the setting reinforce the central ideas that the story examines?

Examine the narrative point of view of the story. What person or persons are telling the story? Is the story told in the first person (using I or we) or in the third person (using he, she, and they)? Does the narrator see from various perspectives, or is the story restricted to the perspective of one person? Is the narrator a major character telling his or her own story or a minor character who witnesses events? How much does the narrator know about the events in the story? Does the narrator present an accurate picture of events? Does the narrator understand the full significance of the story he or she is telling? Analyze the style, tone, and language of the story. Does the writer make any unusual use of diction or syntax? Does the writer use imaginative figures of speech? Patterns of imagery? What styles or levels of speech are associated with particular characters? What words or phrases are repeated throughout the work? Is the story’s style plain or elaborate? Does the narrator’s tone reveal his or her attitude toward characters or events? Are there any discrepancies between the narrator’s attitude and the attitude of the author? Is the tone of the story playful, humorous, ironic, satirical, serious, somber, solemn, bitter, condescending, formal, or informal –or does the tone suggest some other attitude?

Focus on symbolism and allegory. Does the author use any objects or ideas symbolically? What characters or objects in the story are part of an allegorical framework? How does an object establish its symbolic or allegorical significance in the story? Does the same object have different meanings at different places in the story? Are the symbols or allegorical figures conventional or unusual? At what points in the story do symbols or allegorical figures appear? Identify the themes of the story. What is the central theme? How is this idea or concept expressed in the work? What elements of the story develop the central theme? How do character, plot, setting, point of view, and symbols reinforce the central theme? How does the title of the story contribute to readers’ understanding of the central theme? What other themes are explored? From Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, pp

Reading and annotating

Petunias n. 矮牵牛 花 Duffel n. clothing and other personal gear carried by a camper. Jar vi. to shake or shiver from impact Verbena n. 马鞭草 Splintery adj. 裂片 似的 by Alice Walker, from the complete stories A Sample of Analysis

Questions Who was she? What happened to her? Why did she recall her family history? What did she mention petunias in the end? What did the author wish to tell us?

Introduction of the course Focus of the Course Format of the Class Evaluation Requirements

Focus of the Course How to appreciate fiction. How to write about fiction.

Format of the Class Lecture, seminar, discussion

Evaluation 30% Attendance, assignment, group-work 70% Term paper (or examination paper)

Requirements Punctuality and diligence is rewarding for every learner. Please read the story and the relevant section before the class (better prepare some questions also at the same time). Please let yourself actually and actively involved in the seminar. If you have any challenge or difficulty in learning, please let me know.

Text book and reference 袁宪军 钱坤强 主编，英语小说导读，北京：北京大 学出版社， 2004 年 4 月。 ISBN X Kirszner, L.G. et al. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing(Fiction) (Fifth Edition), Beijing: Peking University Press, ISBN Brooks, C. et al. Understanding Fiction, trans. Feng Yidai, et al. Beijing: World Publishing Corporation ISBN

Assignment Please read Penn’s “Why Do We Read Novels?” and write a short passage about your knowledge or interest in fiction. (no word limit, due next week) Everyone will get a note from the teacher. Please find relevant information to define the term on the note, and find one example to explain. Recommended book: Milan Kundera, The Art of Fiction (L’art du roman)

Topic for next week Chapter 1 Plot Please read from P.5 to P.17, including John Updike’s A&P.