Structure in The Cellist of Sarajevo Analyzing Structure? What a Novel Idea!

Analyzing the Structure of a Novel Looking at specific structural choices an author has made is an often overlooked (sadly) strategy for “figuring out” the author’s philosophical purpose (aka THEME) for a novel. Q: What do you think I mean by structural choices?

What are some things to think about when analyzing structure? Ask Yourself: Is there something unusual or noteworthy about the controlling design of the literary work I am studying? If so, how does form contribute to the overall meaning? To Find Your Answer, Do the Following: If you are analyzing a short story or novel, look hat how the text is organized or look at plot development, especially when it deviates from “normal” structure If you are analyzing a poem, identify the poetic structure and note the variations within that structure If you are analyzing a play (or movie script), think about how the scenes are presented-Is there something significant about the way the scenes are organized? If you are analyzing a non-fiction text, ask yourself about the sections or subtitles of an essay or the chapters of a memoir. Is the way in which they are laid out contribute to some larger idea at work?

The Structure of Cellist of Sarajevo As you’ve probably already guessed, there is something “unusual” and significant to note about the structure of this novel. What is it you ask….It’s a sonata! (don’t know what that is? Luckily, I’ll tell ya!)

Sonata A Sonata is one of several terms commonly used to denote a large-scale musical structure It often indicates a musical piece that is written for solo instruments that are backed up by a piano, which eventually come together to create a more unified, “complete” sound. Question: What might this look like in a novel?

The Sonata Form The sonata form generally consist of the following segments: The Introduction The Exposition: Presents primary thematic material, often in stark contrast (i.e. opposing styles and keys) to one another The Development: Where harmonic and textural possibilities of thematic material is presented The Recapulation: Thematic material returns back to the original key and all “themes” play in the same tone The Coda: Primarily designed to bring a piece to the end, often a reiteration of the cadence

So How the Heck Is the Novel Written in Sonata Form? Our challenge will be to answer this question over the next few weeks.