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Prose Fiction--Short Story, Novel. Literature

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R E F O R T RESUMES ED 015 905 24 TE 909 295 PROSE FICTION--SHORT STORY, NOVEL.LITERATURE CURRICULUM V. TEACHER ANC STUDENT VERSIONS. BY- KITZHABER. ALBERT R. OREGON UNIV., EUGENE REPORT NUMBER CRP-H-149-72 REPORT NUMBER BR-5-0366-72 CONTRACT OEC-5-10-319 EDRS PRICE MF-$0.75 HC-$7.28 180P. DESCRIPTORS- *CURRICULUM GUIDES. *ENGLISHCURRICULUM, *ENGLISH INSTRUCTION, *NOVELS. *SHORT STORIES.FICTION. GRADE 11. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, LITERARY ANALYSIS,LITERATURE. SECONDARY EDUCATION. STUDY GUIDES, SYMBOLS(LITERARY). TEACHING GUIDES. TWENTIETH CENTURYLITERATURE. CURRICULUM RESEARCH. LITERARY GENRES+ OREGONCURRICULUM STUDY CENTER. EUGENE, PROJECT ENGLISH. THE BASIC CONVENTIONS THAT SHAPE THECREATION OF THE SHORT STORY AND THE NOVEL ARE EXAMINEDIN THIS 11TH-GRADE LITERATURE UN:T. THE SECTION ON THE SHORTSTORY ILLJSTRATES NARRATIVE FICTION FORM THROUGH THE SHORTSTORIES OF FORSTER. JACKSON, STEINBECK, THURBER. FOE,MCCULLERS. HAWTHORNE. MANSFIELD. SALINfER. STEELE. AND COLLIER.EMPHASIZED IN EACH STORY'S INTERPRETATION IS AN UNDERSTANDINGOF THE TRADITIONAL FORM REQUIREMENTS UNIQUE TO THE SHORTSTORY GENRE AND OF THE PARTICULAR LIMITATIONS IMPOSED UPON THEWRITER BY THIS FORM. THE SECTION ON THE NOVEL ILLUSTRATES THERANGE OF PROSE FICTION THROUGH THREE NOVELS CHOSEN FORANALYSIS- - "THE SCARLET LETTER,* THE GREAT GATSBY.6 AND THE MAYOR OF CAsTERBRIDGE.6 EACH NOVEL IS DISCUSSED ASA WHOLE. ANALYZED CHAPTER -BY- CHAPTER FOR CLOSER TEXTUALREADING. AND COMPARED WITH OTHER WORKS STUDIED. BOTH SECTIONSINCLUDE INDUCTIVE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND WRITINGASSIGNMENTS DESIGNED TO CLARIFY THE STUDENT'S UNDERSTANDING OFSUBJECT. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, SETTING. SYMBOL. STYLE. TONE.FORM. AND POINT OF VIEW. TEXTS OF THE SHORT STORIES AND NOVELSARE NOT INCLUDED. FIVE TESTS DESIGNED TO ACCOMPANY THISUNIT ARE WENDED. ,EE ALSO ED 010 129 THROUGH ED 010 160.ED 010 803 THROUGH E0 010 832, TE 000 195 THROUGH TE 000 220, ANDTE 000 227 THROUGH TE doo 249. (JO) OREGON CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER PROSE FICTION: Short Story Novel Literature Curriculum V Teacher Version 4 The project reported herein was supported through the Cooperative Research Program of the Office of Education, U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. OREGON CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER U.S, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCEDEXACTLY AS RECEIVED ROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATINGIT,POINTS Of VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. PROSE FICTION: Short Story Novel Literature Curriculum V Teacher Version "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BYQ TO ERIC AND ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE U.S. OFFICE Of EDUCATION. FURTHER REPRODUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM REQUIRES PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER." The Project reperted hereinwas supported through the Cooperative Research Program of the Officeof Education, U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. TEACHER VERSION "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson In neither subject nor point of view is the shortstory unique as a form. There are no limitationsas to the subject the writer may choose nor is there any restriction as to the point of view he may select. The events and attitudes an author may deal with ina short story are similar to those found in the novel. Yet anyone who readsa short story is imme- diately sure that there is considerable differencebetween a novel and a story.In this section we shall focusour attention upon the story3 a genre and upon those elements of form that seem to set it apart, make it unique. "The Lottery" lends itselfadmirably to such an examination, largely because, while appearing "different, " itnonetheless possesses in abundance the distinguishing elements ofthe short story. Students are likely to be impressed by the story.It has a powerful impactupon the reader. Yet even while studentsare discussing the question most likely to be predominant in their mindsat this point (What does it mean?), teachers will most likely hear at leastone and quite likely severaie7arks to the effect that The Lottery" doesn'tseem much like a short story. "What about plot?Pretty vague! And suspense? Is there any? Conflict? What conflict?" Actually, of course, the studentsare being quite perceptive. While "The Lottery' has allthese elements, they have been employed ina some- what unusual proportion by Miss Jackson,who, for purposes of herown, has exercised considerable freedomin shaping her story. Thus it is in just such a story as "The Lottery" that studentswill be most likely to perceive that it is how a story is told thatmakes it unique. The subject matter of "The Lottery" could have been presentedacceptably in an essay or even a tract. Yet all of its dramatic impact would begone. That impact is completely dependentupon the careful structure of the story, completely a creature of the careful shaping of the elements of plot,theme, and character. "The Lottery"bears a family resemblance to the parableor allegory* (Most students will havebecome familiar with the fable in the seventh grade and will have studied The Pearlin the eighth. )Characters are not fully developed. Both Stela-47;1 and MissJackson are primarily concerned that we see Kino and Old Man Warner,not as individuals, but as prototypes. Mrs. Hutchinson does notgrow, tlhange, or develop in this story, but from her words and actions thereemerges a clear-cut picture of a woman who is unconcerned with the predicament Ifothers ("Clean forgot what day itwas... I thought my oldman was stacking wood.} .and then I remembered itwas the twenty-seventh andcame a-running.' 1 She laughs softly with her friend as she waits. When singledout as the victim, she cries out that it is not fair. Thus Miss Jacksonuses Mrs. Hutchinson to make one of the major points of the story. Old Man %Trieris another prototype ("People aint what they used to be"). Withhim, Miss Jackson savagely makesher point about man's slavish adherenceto castom, his feeling that anything sanctioned by longuse is right, holy, and just. With the action of allthe good citizens of the village she ismaking *till another point. Thereis a -2- terrible doubleness even inkind, good people that allowsthem to seek out and inflict cruelty upon ascapegoat without even amoment's hesi- tation. So, we see that, havingchosen the form of allegory orparable, Miss Jackson has increased thepossibilities for expanding themeaning, the subject of her story.Evan her characters tend toilluminate that meaning; their personalities aresubservient to the whole and arenot developed for their own sake.Of course, the story is not a"naked" parable at all despite the flatcharacterization and fantastic events.The village is real and the people arealive. Neither one couldsummarize the meaning of this story in aneat statement. Thereis no moral tag, for the form has been somanipulated that the reader is left toponder several possible though relatedthemes. Since the action of"The Lottery" is fantastic, one of theauthor's major problems is shaping thereader's attitude to the eventstherein. Point of view is enormously importantin "The Lottery. " The reader must feel that everythingthat happens is credible andcommonplace. ( s... men speaking of planting and rain,tractors and taxes.") The lottery is menticned casually in the samebreath as square dancesand teen-age clubs. As the tone emerges,the reader is increasinglyreceptive to the reality of the situation,The affable Mr. Summershelps to emphasize the normality of the situation.Everybody is obviously in earnest about the lottery, so the reader acceptsit too. Horror is thus counter- balanced by the dry cheery atmosphere ofthe story. Is "The Lottery" a story, then?What elements are present in it that are unique to the genre? Tobegin with, sh basic chronological pattern of organization is present,thin thcrigh the events thatformulate that pattern may be. Villagers meet,draw lots, and stone a woman to death. There is no looseness of construction,We know that unity is essential to the short story. Everythingin ''The Lottery" speaks bothof the tightness of construction as well asthe unity of the basic elements. Characters, action, and point of view aremanipulated to illuminate the subject. Actually, as noted earlier, thecharacters are part of the subject-- the7 each are variants of an ordinary person,and they are more or less equivalent to terms involved in the'statement of truth" or central idea. Finally, "The Lottery" does what the short storymust do and does it superbly. The story is"a moment of revelation. " In that moment the reader becomes dramatically aware of theawful .ambivalence of the human soul. -3- TEACHER VERSION "The Other Side or the Hedge" by E. M. Forster The two stories we are using tointroduce this unit will probablymake notable impressions of differentnatures on the students."The Lottery" will protbly elicit a moreemotional response than TheOther Side of the Hedge, " whit h is more apt toengender thoughtful, philosophicalreflections and perhs.ns may crystallize somethoughts that have been stirringvaguely within, the students' ^-onsciousness,The surface story in this caseactually has almost no emotionallyconnotative details; the students-willreact rather to the underlying meaningthey see in the allegory--ameaning which may not and perhapsshould not be precisely the samein all students. The response is, then, of a muchdifferent sort; yet the works are alike in that both belong to the genreshort story. An analysisof some of their
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