Chapter 1 Reading Fiction Chapter 1 Reading Fiction

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction “To seek the source, the impulse of a story is like tearing a flower to pieces for wantonness. ” ~ Kate Chopin

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction What is needed for responsive reading?

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction In a real sense, both the reader and the author create the literary work.

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Few authors tell readers how to respond, but… There can be readings that are wrongheaded or foolish, and some readings are better than others…

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction What types of things influence a reader’s response to a piece of literature?

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction WARNING: An overt or subtle bias that is brought to the story can determine the reader’s response to characters or situations. If you unconsciously project your beliefs and assumptions onto a literary work, you run the risk of distorting it to accommodate your prejudice.

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Should the reader then ignore his or her feelings? No. Your feelings can be a reliable guide to interpretation, but you should be aware of what those feelings are based on.

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Discuss Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour. ”

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Explorations and Formulas

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Explorations and Formulas What is “Formula Fiction”?

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Explorations and Formulas Discuss the chapter from A Secret Sorrow as a romance novel – a piece of formulaic fiction.

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Explorations and Formulas A lot of the material that people read or watch is quite “formulaic. ” It follows a pattern and the reader/viewer knows what to expect.

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Explorations and Formulas Which makes a reader struggle more to understand complex characters, plots, and themes – formula fiction or non formula fiction?

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Explorations and Formulas Discuss Gail Goodwin’s “A Sorrowful Woman. ”

Chapter 1: Reading Fiction Explorations and Formulas Discuss the “Perspectives. ” 1. Feminism and the Romance Novel 2. The Dangers of Reading Fiction “A great obstacle to good education is the inordinate passion prevalent for novels, and the time lost in that reading which should be instructively employed. When this poison infects the mind, it destroys its tone and revolts it against wholesome reading. Reason and fact, plain and unadorned, are rejected. ” ~Letter to Nathaniel Burwell, March 14, 1818, In The Writings of Thomas Jefferson