UNIT 1: The Elements of Storytelling
OVERVIEW
What makes a good story? Part of what makes literature enjoyable is seeing how another person responds to a crisis and deals with conflict. Crises -- whether they involve the challenges of helping to raise a severely infirm sibling or struggling to maintain one's dignity under an oppressive political system -- are frequently resolved in unexpected ways. The stories that we'll be studying in this unit explore the often surprising conflicts.
This unit enables students to confirm and hone a common understanding of important literary elements, as well as a shared vocabulary for discussing them. Each story will be used to focus especially on a particular element, such as mood in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe or symbolism in "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier. The selected works provide exposure to literature from a variety of cultures.
What makes a good story? Part of what makes literature enjoyable is seeing how another person responds to a crisis and deals with conflict. Crises -- whether they involve the challenges of helping to raise a severely infirm sibling or struggling to maintain one's dignity under an oppressive political system -- are frequently resolved in unexpected ways. The stories that we'll be studying in this unit explore the often surprising conflicts.
This unit enables students to confirm and hone a common understanding of important literary elements, as well as a shared vocabulary for discussing them. Each story will be used to focus especially on a particular element, such as mood in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe or symbolism in "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier. The selected works provide exposure to literature from a variety of cultures.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How do storytellers tell stories?
How do storytellers tell stories?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify and explain plot structure (i.e., exposition, rising action, crisis/climax, falling action, resolution/denouement) in short stories.
- Analyze how authors create the setting in a short story.
- Define the concept of theme and identify the theme(s) in stories read.
- Identify and explain characterization techniques in short stories.
- Identify and explain the use of figurative language in short stories.
- Analyze how authors create tone and mood in short stories.
- Identify the point of view in a short story and analyze how point of view affects the reader's interpretation of the story.
- Write a coherent essay of literary analysis with a clear thesis statement, at least three pieces of evidence from texts, and a strong introduction and conclusion.
FOCUS STANDARDS
- RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- RL.9-10.5: Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
- W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
LITERARY TEXTS
Short Stories
OTHER MEDIA
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The Butler's in Love - Absinthe by Mark Stock
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TERMINOLOGY
Allusion
Character, characterization Figurative language Irony (e.g., dramatic, situational, verbal) Narrator |
Plot (i.e., exposition, rising action, crisis/climax, falling action, resolution/denouement)
Point of view Imagery |
Setting
Style Symbol, symbolism Theme Tone |
IMAGE GALLERY
Click on images to enlarge and view captions.
Click on images to enlarge and view captions.
AUDIO GALLERY
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"The Interlopers" by Saki (14m 45s)
"Two Kinds" by Amy Tan (29m 04s)
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"Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier (23m)
"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World"
by Gabriel Garcia Márquez |
VIDEO GALERY
Click on the video tutorials below to learn about the basic elements of storytelling and some literary devices.
Click on the video tutorials below to learn about the basic elements of storytelling and some literary devices.
ELEMENT 1: Narrator / Point of View
ELEMENT 3: Characterization
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ELEMENT 2: Setting
ELEMENT 4: Plot Structure (feat. Freytag's Triangle)
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ELEMENT 5: Symbol and Symbolism
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ELEMENT 6: Theme
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NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE 1:
Tone & Diction (Denotation and Connotation) NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE 3: Motifs
The Process of Analysis: How to Interpret Fiction
A Guided Tutorial Using Van Gogh's Starry Night |
NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE 2: Figurative Language
Das Rad ("The Wheel")
Chris Stenner, Arvid Uibel, and Heidi Wittlinger | 2002 |