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How to Analyze a Text_
1. Who is the story about?
2. What do we know about the main character?
3. Do you like him (her) or not? Why?
4. Which character do you like more? Why?
5. What pictures can you imagine while reading the story? What helps you to see them?
6. Do you like the story? Why?
Interpretation of a Text_
1. Speak of the author in brief.
o the facts of his/her biography relevant for his/her creative activities
o the epoch (social and historical background)
o the literary trend he/she belongs to
o the main literary pieces (works)
2. Give a summary of the extract (story) under consideration (the gist, the content of the story in a nutshell).
3. State the problem raised (tackled) by the author.
4. Formulate the main idea conveyed by the author (the main line of the thought, the author's message).
5. Give a general definition of the text under study.
o a 3rd person narrative
o a 1st person narrative
o narration interlaced with descriptive passages and dialogues of the personages
o narration broken by digressions (philosophical, psychological, lyrical, etc.)
o an account of events interwoven with a humorous (ironical, satirical) portrayal of society, or the personage, etc.
6. Define the prevailing mood (tone, slant) of the extract. It may be lyrical, dramatic, tragic, optimistic / pessimistic, melodramatic, sentimental, unemotional / emotional, pathetic, dry and matter-of-fact, gloomy, bitter, sarcastic, cheerful, etc.
7. The composition of the story. Divide the text logically into complete parts and entitle them.If possible choose the key-sentence (the topic sentence) in each part that reveals its essence. The compositional pattern of a complete story (chapter, episode) may be as follows:
a. the exposition (introduction)
b. the development of the plot (an account of events)
c. the climax (the culminating point)
d. the denouement (the outcome of the story)
8. Give a detailed analysis of each logically complete part.
Follow the formula-matter form. It implies that firstly you should dwell upon the content of the part and secondly comment upon the language means (Expressional Means and Stylistic Devices) employed by the author to achieve desired effect, to render his thoughts and feelings.
Main Notions_
When discussing stories or extracts there are certain aspects which are supposed to regard. It's useful to know them and to be able to use them. They can make it easier for you to talk about novels, stories and other literary work.
If you deal with an extract, begin your discussion with same a few words about its origin, naming the writer and the title of the story or the novel it's taken from.
Plot refers to the sequence of events or actions in a story.
Conflict is at the heart of the plot. It's the up position of the characters or groups of characters to each other or something.
Plot plus conflict comprise Theme. The theme of the story is its central idea or message.
Tone of a story shouldn't be forgotten while speaking on characters or objects. Tone shows the author's attitude and helps us to understand if the writer takes it seriously, ironically, comically, bitterly, humorously or otherwise.
Mood is the dominant impression the story makes on you. It can be gloom, sad, optimistic, pathetic, cheerful, melancholic and so on. Mood like tone may be revealed through the choice of words, figures of speech, dialogues, short or long sentences and even phonetic devices.
A Plan for Retelling:
1. Information about the author and the book from which the passage is taken. Examples:
o I would like to tell you a story ... written by ... . He/she was a well-known for ... . The book is about ... who ... .
o The story I would like to speak about is written by ... . We know that the author ... . The book is devoted to ... .
o We've read a very unusual (thrilling, exaggerated, exciting, etc.) story by ... . It touches upon (deals with) the problem of ... .
2. General characteristics of the text (its slant, type of narration, etc.).
3. Introduction of the main character (appearance, characteristic features, the way he/she is presented in the text) and opening events.
4. Description of events as they appear in the extract. Pay attention to:
o the variety of expressive means, e.g.:
§ a) the narration begins with ...;
§ b) draw(s) the reader's attention to ...;
§ c) ... making the reader believe...;
§ d) serve(s) to stress ...;
§ e) prepare(s) the ground for ...;
§ f) the emotional state of the character is revealed...;
§ g) the author's presentation of ...; etc.;
o the use of stylistic devices, e. g.:
§ a) epithets;
§ b) similes;
§ c) metaphors;
§ d) personifications;
§ e) repetitions;
§ their role in the narration (to create the atmosphere of ...;
§ to convey the feelings and emotion of ...;
§ to give an explanation ...;
§ to express the idea ...;
§ to underline ...; etc.).
5 . The main idea of the story.
6. Your attitude towards the things described.
The main patterns:
The story is set in ...
· The scene is laid in ...
· The story is written in a form of... (the author's recollections, the dialogue, narration, autobiography)
· The action takes place in ...
· As the story unfolds, ...
· The plot of the story centres round ...
· The basic plot of the story develops slowly towards a violently dramatic incident and an ironical conclusion.
· The plot of the story is complicated (intricate, tangled up, trite, commonplace, simple).
· The plot of the story baffles the reader.
· The gist/core of the problem raised in the story is ...
· The subject taken up in the story/article is ...
· The issues/problems of... are the concern of this article.
· This problem is the subject of the article.
· The problems addressed in the article are acute / urgent / vital / burning.
· The main idea/message of the story is ...
· ... is the main thread of the story.
· The idea is conveyed through the presentation of ... (the dialogue of...)
· The moral of the story is ...
· The central conflict of the story is ...
· With the beginning of Chapter ..., the novel gains momentum and the mood changes.
· The story has a deep emotional/intellectual appeal.
· The content is an objective/subjective reflection of reality.
· The story deals with the burning problems of life: politics, economics, education, marriage..
· The story is a broad reflector of the aims, confusions, concerns, ideas, and attitudes of ...
· This story is intended to provoke thought.
· This story gives food for thought.
· This story is realistic in style, cordial in comedy, sympathetic in mood.
· The story is full of problems, but they emerge as part of life which is so energetically, vividly, frankly offered for our inspection.
· The story provokes contradictory assessments.
· The story is marked with pessimism/optimism.
· The story is characterized by gripping narrative and deep emotional impact.
· The story is permeated with irony/lofty ideas/strong feelings.
· The story is a remarkable insight into human character.
· The story is an in-depth study of human nature.
· The story reveals human virtues and vices.
· This story reflects the author's preoccupation with the moral self.
· The story shows the author's concern with the moral principles.
· The story has a(n)interesting / entertaining / exciting / gripping / amusing / enjoyable / funny / witty / banal / skillfully developed / slow-moving / fast-moving plot.
· The charm of the story lies in a realistic portrayal of the characters and a truthful description of...
· This story is a delight to read, even though it is made of material which is so disgusting and depressing.
· Whatever is sick, sad and ugly in modern urban life is depicted in the story; its rare moments of beauty too.
· The author reveals the nature of his characters through (actions, details, dialogues, etc.)...
· The author gives an account of...
· The author conveys his emotions to the reader using ...
· The author brings to the reader's notice ...
· The author gives a comprehensive and vivid picture of...
· The author remains concentrated on these problems throughout the story.
· In this story the author voices dissatisfaction with ...
· The author shows (presents) complex / complicated / simple / imaginary / realistic / (un)convincing / superficial / flat / round / well(badly) portrayed characters.
· The author seems to be the spokesman of the spirit of time.
· The author's aim is to concentrate the reader's attention on the inner world of his characters.
· The author displays a mastery in rendering the subtleties and contradictions of life.
· The author is focused on human feelings and relationships, actions and motives.
· The author explores the complexity of human character/ smb's inner motives.
· There is one trait always present in this author's books, which singles him out of commonplace writers.
· The author unfolds a theme in which stupidity, hypocrisy and ambition play their sorry parts.
· The author's attention is focused on ...
· The author portrays /depicts a man in close cooperation with society.
· In his story the author turns to the conflicts of contemporary life.
· The reader can easily understand the author's own attitude towards his characters.
· The reader grasps the idea that ...
· ... serves to convey to the reader the mood of the narrator / author.
· It is ... that falls under the author's observation.
· The author's strong point lies in a vivid description of the beliefs, customs, manners, costumes, language of the epoch plus the energy and movement which his story displays.
· The author's sympathy lies with ...
· The author's real central figure seems to be ...
· The author's irony exposes the vices of this society: hypocrisy, money-worship, and moral degradation. That is why one can hardly find any positive character in the novel.
· The author is known for a deep psychological analysis of his heroes and a very thoughtful attitude to the burning political and social problems of the day.
· The author starts a new tradition of bringing the language of literature (in the author's speech, no less than in that of the personages) close to the language of real life. He does away with the elaborate syntax of the 19th century prose and cultivates somewhat abrupt sentences, true to the rhythm and the intonation of the spoken language and full of low colloquialisms and even slang.
· The author's method of developing a story often involves a turn which takes the audience half by surprise, as it may have taken the dramatist himself.
· There is not a character in the story that is not worth studying, nor a scene that is not life-like, not a reflection that has not a deep meaning.
· The character of the heroine is drawn with admirable skill. She is full-blooded and many-sided: adventurous, gifted, with a keen sense of humour and deep understanding of people.
· He is the only character worthy of the author's positive estimate.
· His life is characteristic of/typical of/peculiar to...
· She is an embodiment of beauty.
· Money becomes the prime object of their worship and respect.
· This character enjoys all the sympathy of the reader.
· Though possessing some social problems, this story seems to have an air of being away from reality.
· The story reveals the author's great knowledge of man's inner world. He penetrates into the subtlest windings of the human heart.
· The author's style is remarkable for its powerful sweep, brilliant illustrations and deep psychological analysis. Everything he touches seems to reflect the feelings of the heroes, and his power in depicting their passions - hate, fear, revenge, remorse, love - is enormous.
· Giving the author his due for brilliance of style and a pointed ridicule of many social vices, such as snobbishness, money-worship, pretence, self-interest, etc., we realize, however, his cynical attitude to mankind. It is quite obvious that when describing the corruption of modern society, he is not indignant but rather amused. His habitual attitude is that of expecting little or nothing of his fellow men. His ironical cynicism combined with a keen wit and power of observation affords him effective means of portraying reality without shrinking before its seamy (порочный, дурной, отвратительный) side.
· The author shares in his characters' attitude towards ...
· ... is given by the author with great force and skill.
· Galsworthy's realism lies in his capacity for making his hero part and parcel of his surroundings and convincing the reader of his typicality: he is a fine artist in reproducing the individual workings of his characters' mind.
· The foundation of Galsworthy's talent lies in a remarkable power of ironic insight combined with an extremely keen and faithful eye for all the phenomena on the surface of the life he observes.
· The appeal of Jerome lies in his gentleness and irony, in his power of digression (отступление, отклонение), his gift of capping his comic moments with a final extravagant act that outbids (превзойти, затмить) life altogether.
· The atmosphere of gayety characteristic of the beginning is changed by sad humour towards the end.
· The charm of this story lies in its interesting plot and exciting situation. At the same time it conveys deep thought, keen observation and sharpness of characterization. These very qualities assure the author of an outstanding place in the annals of literature and in the hearts of all who love good stories.
· Many of the events, reactions and descriptions in the story are seen through the main character's eyes.
· This description provides an essential clue to the character.
· ... leads to comical effect.
· ... intensifies the total effect.
· ... brings out the character's essential nature.
· ... adds much to the revelation of...
· ... stands in contrast to ...
· The compositional arrangement of the text (stylistic devices) help to bring the idea out (to create tense atmosphere, to show the real state of things).
· The author resorts to high-flown phrases/expressions to show ...
· The enumeration shows the author's striving for an exhaustive and fully detailed presentation of the phenomenon dealt with.
· The choice of vocabulary and stylistic devices is admirable.
· The following stylistic devices contribute to the expressiveness of the passage.
· The author makes extensive use of ... to render the story more vivid, convincing, more real and emotional.
· All the descriptive attributes used in the passage serve to convey to the reader ...
· An additional humorous effect is produced by ...
· The description of ...is contrasted to that of...
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