English

• Novel study

  Novels are an imaginative realisation of the world, with people represented through characters carrying out daily actions in different places
• Many novels are a source of entertainment, but novels that stand out are those that make us think about the world we live in
• It is through novels that we can engage with ideas and sensitivities
• Important events can be addressed in an imaginative world that asks people to reconsider their views and to act with empathy to create a moral universe
• Novel study


  Involves many elements that come together to create meaning
• While it is easy to start with all the elements separately, ultimately you are looking for the patterns that reinforce the ideas of the text
• Contexts to research and define


  • Historical context
  • Social context
  • Cultural context
  • Authorial context
  • Situational context
• Plot


  • Essence of the novel - beginning, middle and end
  • Unfolds events by creating structure
  • Can be revealed in different ways i.e. linear or nonlinear
  • Needs a motivation to move the plot forward
  • Events must be linked in some way; a good plot ties all loose ends together
• Types of plots and plot words


  • Mosaic novel or multiple plots
  • Sub plots
  • Parallel plots
  • Episodic plots
  • Circular plots
  • Prolepsis and analepsis
  • in medias res
  • Eucatastrophe
  • Plot device
• Character


  • Can be approached in various ways and with differing effects
  • Imitate real people by reflecting their traits
  • Function as plot devices
  • Represent values and attitudes
  • Blend all of the above
• Character as person


  • Portray real people
  • Have psychological depth
  • Lives beyond the words of the text
  • Written so as to be understood (motivations, behaviour, etc.)
  • The more traits a character has the more rounded a character appears
  • Resemble real people = creates empathy and reader connection
  • Characters can be presented through their actions and habits, speech and thoughts or appearance and setting
• Characters as function


  • May simply be a performer of actions
  • Simply to drive the plot forward
• Character as code


  • Illustrate the theme of the novel and its values
  • May use archetypes, stereotypes or other classifications
  • They are mimetic; they represent something else through imitation
• Types of characters


  • Protagonist
  • Deuteragonist
  • Tritagonist
  • Antagonist
  • Foil
• Character attributes


  • Dynamic
  • Stock
  • Flat
  • Round
  • Symbolic
• What is the authorial intention of these characters? Purpose and impact on the reader?
• Textual integrity


  Three specific qualities a text can possess: organic unity, universal themes, critical engagement
• Organic unity


  • Coherence (or unity) between the form, content, techniques used in the text
• Universal themes


  • Themes relevant to the human condition and experienced by all people across time
• Critical engagement


  • Text generates critical discussion because it is ambiguous in its meaning or readers have conflicting ideas about its value
• Deciding if a text has textual integrity


  1. Read and analyse the text to determine if it possesses one or all of the three qualities

  2. Engage in research to see if the text has garnered critical discussion and lack of consensus
• A text's integrity is reflected by the discussion it creates, especially when the debate is about the meaning of the text rather than just its quality
• To decide if a text has textual integrity, you need to know the text well, analyse it for organic unity and universal themes, and research whether it has generated critical engagement and discussion