After watching the J.D. Salinger video, please answer the following question with a partner: What affect did The Catcher in the Rye have on youth culture in America? BELL RINGER 9/10
EQ: How do Salinger’s choices about structure, narration, and character impact the theme of The Catcher in the Rye? Agenda Bell Ringer/Discussion EQ/Agenda Literary Terms Notes – Structure & Narration “Phony” Journal Entry - Brainstorming Homework: Chapters 1-3 Take notes on major plot points for each chapters (so you can refresh your memory before a quiz). ENGLISH III
Frame Story: an introductory story that sets the stage for a second, more emphasized story One Thousand and One Nights, How I Met Your Mother Holden’s story begins in a “rest home” where he relates the events that lead up to his going to the “rest home.” Establishes time frames, defines the narrator or storyteller, sets a mood for the rest of the novel, and prepares the reader for the inside narrative Quest Narrative: a story in which the central character is searching for something, such as a person, location, or abstract value. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz Part of understanding The Catcher in the Rye is figuring out exactly what Holden is looking for in the world around him. STRUCTURE & NARRATION
Picaresque: An episodic story about a series of adventures of a rather roguish protagonist Huckleberry Finn, The Lone Ranger The Picaresque Hero has noble intentions but is somewhat misguided and unreliable in his/her perception of the world. Holden’s story is broken down into chapters that focus on one or two interactions with other characters. Holden is a noble young man (protector of the innocent) who is also confused about life and the way he wants to live. Psychological Story: A story that focuses on the internal psychological aspects of the central character, yet still mixes in the outer narrative. “The Tell-Tale Heart” Much of the important plot points in this story happen in Holden’s mind, not in the outward action. STRUCTURE & NARRATION
First Person Narrator: story told in the grammatical first person (I, me, my, etc.) Holden tells his story to his therapist, but as we read, we become the audience to whom he is directing his tale. Focuses the story from one perspective, but forces the reader to ask, “Is this narrator reliable?” Narrative: an account of connected events (plot) The Catcher in the Rye seems “plot-less” to some readers because it’s events are not related in chronological order which makes Holden seem like he’s rambling. Confessional: the tone of the story is confidential, much like the confession of sins to a priest or of secrets to a close friend. Holden spends much of his time trying to “confess” is innermost thoughts to the people around him, but they refuse to listen (which isn’t all their fault). STRUCTURE & NARRATION
Stream of Consciousness: the reader sees what Holden thinks about in a random association of ideas, much like the actual pattern of human thoughts. These are the tangents that Holden continually wanders off into, much like the flow of an actual conversation (even though that’s not what we expect from a novel). Dialogue: conversations between characters Flashbacks: a scene that is set in a time earlier than the main story. Holden uses flashbacks and earlier dialogue (conversations) to expand on his points about life and people. On the surface they seem like Holden losing focus, but every part of a narrative contributes to it’s meaning (they are there for a reason). STRUCTURE & NARRATION
Colloquial Language: language used in ordinary conversation, not literary or formal. Holden speaks like an actual teenager (not like a writer trying to speak like a teenager). Swearing, slang, grammatical mistakes STRUCTURE AND NARRATION
Identify some of the things about your own society that you think are “phony.” Fake, insincere, dishonest, hypocritical Holden often applies this word to people who try too hard to fit in or people who try too hard to pose as a member of a certain group. Make a list with a partner Don’t worry about writing a response yet, just try to come up with potential ideas. “PHONY” JOURNAL ENTRY
What do you remember of dramatic structure from last year? What are the parts? In what order? What do the parts measure? If you’re in 11 th grade this year, talk to one of the seniors around you. BELL RINGER 9/10
EQ: How are comedic sketches structured and formatted? Agenda Bell Ringer/Discussion Agenda/EQ Structure Notes Example: The Black Knight CREATIVE WRITING
A beginning, middle, and end A Premise (beginning) Some Complications (middle) A Resolution (end) SKETCH STRUCTURE
Premise Have a story to tell, not just crazy antics Having a story means having a conflict Internal: character’s conflict with self External: character’s conflict with other characters, society, or nature You know you have a conflict when you reach the point in the story where you ask, “Uh oh, what are they going to do now?” You should be able to state a sketch’s premise in one or two sentences SKETCH STRUCTURE
Some Complications When you present a premise with a conflict, you need to resolve it for the audience. If there is a goal to be accomplished, you have to introduce some complications to that goal to keep the audience interested. Episodic: a series of joke situations that happen one right after the other Complications could be used in any order Progressive: point A causes or leads to point B, to point C, and so on Must proceed in a logical, chronological sequence Hint: solve the immediate problem and search for a complication to that. Then solve that difficulty but find another problem it can cause. Keep going until the ending. SKETCH STRUCTURE
A sketch is an acted-out story joke – the most important part is the punch line. If you have a weak ending, you have a weak story. The ending must provide a big laugh (probably the biggest laugh) Should progress naturally out of the sketch’s action, but it shouldn’t be predictable Should tie the sketch into a neat little package – the sketch couldn’t go any further even if you wanted it to in order to give the audience some satisfaction. The exception is an ending that seems to bring the sketch back to its beginning – A woman spends an entire sketch destroying her house chasing after her dog, so she gets rid of the dog – only to have her husband bring home a gorilla at the end of the sketch. This should be used sparingly because the audience sees it as cheating because you haven’t really solved the problem. SKETCH STRUCTURE
THE BLACK KNIGHT Beginning What’s the Premise (conflict)? Middle How is the conflict complicated to build tension and add humor? End How is the conflict resolved? Does it make sense with the rest of the sketch? Was it too easy to predict?