Reading Fiction A general guide

Expectations Before you begin: what do you expect? From the title From the first sentence/paragraph After the first events/interactions of characters As the conflicts occurs/is resolved

What really happens in the story Do the characters or situation change as the story is told from beginning to end? Does your reading from the 1st to 2nd time? Summarize the plot! Think about the genre, or kind of story. Read closely and attentively, make notes as you read!

Narration Is the narrator a character or independent? Is the story narrated in the past or present tense? First, second, or third person? Do we know what the characters are thinking? Only some characters? Or none?

Characters Who are the characters? Who is the hero or heroine? (protagonist) Who are the villains/opponents/obstacles? (antagonist) Who are the other characters and what are their roles? Everything is important! Do you as a reader know more or less than the characters of the story? How do your expectations change with those of the characters?

Setting When does the story take place? How do you know? Where does it occur? How do you know? Does the setting change? Does the story move in one coherent direction? Does it bounce back and fourth? How does space/time operate in the text?

Writing Style What is unique about how the story is written? What is the style of the prose? Simple or complex vocabulary? What are the images, figures of speech, or symbols? What is the tone or mood? How does the reader feel? What does the story mean? Express its theme or themes