Presentation Guidelines

Your time today should be spent: ● Deciding how to divide each portion of your presentation so that you and your partners receive relatively equal assignments ● Deciding on the format of your presentation ● Researching your novel for textual evidence to support each claim ● Using your template from yesterday to expand on aspects of the novel ● Determining the author’s primary purpose for writing his or her novel and the efficacy of said purpose ● Redirecting your group members should they stray from their assignments ● Asking me for clarification about anything related to the rubric or parameters of the assignment.

Here, you are explaining the title’s meaning and its nuances. How does the title make an impact throughout the course of the novel? What themes does it support. Cite textual evidence in your response. The Title

First sentences and chapters are often iconic. What about the first chapter pulls you in? Analyze any major literary devices, including foreshadowing, in the first chapter of your novel or play and explain their impact on the work as a whole. Explain whether or not your the first chapter drew your group in, creating suspense or merely boring you. Cite evidence. First Chapter/Part/Scene

Explain how the novel might be responding to aspects of the time and place of its writing. Does it challenge any social or political norms of its time? Is the novel reflective of any prevalent attitudes of the time period? Does it undermine any of these attitudes? Be specific and cite textual evidence. Historical Context

Identify any significant symbols and motifs, mentioning what themes they might develop. Do not be afraid to give me your interpretation of their meanings (and not the interpretation you lifted from sparknotes.com). Look for recurring objects, actions, and ideas. Always try to connect these devices to deeper currents in the novel. Cite evidence. Symbols and Motifs

Do a thorough character analysis, answering questions such as: Does the protagonist fit into any archetypes? Is he or she relatable? Can you empathize with him or her? How does your protagonist compare to others that you’ve read this year? Would he or she get along with Hamlet, or would a fight ensue? How do the characters fulfill the author’s purpose as a whole? Is your novel or play character-driven or plot-driven? Cite evidence. Character Analysis

How does the story’s setting drive the plot? Does it enhance any particular character traits? Is it symbolic or archetypal? Is it scenic? Banal? (Ideally the air doesn’t smell of Purina Dog chow). Cite evidence. Setting

Identify and explain any conflicts (nature of the conflict and how its resolution or lack thereof impacts meaning). Examples: Man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. self Conflicts

Explain the genre of your novel, using textual evidence. E.g. how is it representative of realism, magical realism, decadentism, aestheticism, minimalism, romanticism, etc. Does your novel combine genres or defy classification? How? How would you describe the author’s style? Florid? Economic? Somewhere in between? Cite evidence. Genre

How does the narration influence one’s perception of the plot and characters? Is the narrator reliable? Unbiased? Omniscient? Limited? Cite evidence. Point of View

Questions that deal with what it means to exist, to thrive, to desire, to be happy, and to find truth. Cite evidence. Philosophical/Existential Questions

Are there any allusions? Biblical? Literary? Historical? How do they add depth and meaning? Cite evidence. Allusions