2017-2018: the Canon
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Agenda Why are we here? Who are we? (introductions) How do we dissect texts? What have we learned? Where is the industry now? When are the cocktails? Why are we here? What did we read? 2017 2018 Reader’s Point of View: Poetics by Aristotle Plot (mythos) Character (ethos) Thought (dianoia) Diction (lexis) Melody (melos) Spectacle (opsis) Writer’s Point of View: The Order of Creation Plot (mythos) Character (ethos) Thought (dianoia) Diction (lexis) Melody (melos) Spectacle (opsis) Analyzing Writing: Deep Reading Analyzing Writing: Deep Reading Consider the Context Is the Language Effective? Analyze the Overall Structure Look Hard at the Climax How has the Protagonist Changed? Break Down Every Scene Analyzing Writing: Literary Forensics https://www.garyalanmcbride.com/literary-forensics-resources/ Reading Techniques Close Reading (bullet points) How To Read Like A Writer (16-page essay, 6 tips) Reading Like A Writer (book) – Francine Prose How to Read Literature Like a Professor (book) – Thomas C. Foster Industry Resources Story Architecture Fiction categories Genres – the 5-Leaf Clover Novel Writer’s Market: 2019 The 7 Basic Plots ‘Book Riot’: publishing insider podcast Story focus: Milieu, Idea, Character or Event NYT Book Review podcast Arch-plot Structure — explained in 12 sections Sentiment analysis: 6 emotional arcs and story shapes (paper) Top Sellers Weekly: Publishers’ Weekly, The New York Times Scene / Chapter Considerations Best-selling Fiction & Literature in 2019 (Amazon) Dictionary of Fiction Critique (book) — terms we need to know Best-selling Fiction Authors (all-time) Point of View: here and here Best-selling Books (all-time) SCENES and SEQUELS Choose your words: Anglo-Saxon vs. Latinate Analyzing Writing: Form Analyzing Writing: Form Timing Matters 92% 75% 50% 25% 8% ~ first 25 pages Editors At Work: The Magical Mid-Point 50% Editors At Work: The Magical Mid-Point 50% Editors At Work: The Magical Mid-Point 50% Editors At Work: The Magical Mid-Point Exit West The Witch Elm Eleanor Oliphant Origin Editors At Work: The Magical Mid-Point Less Mrs. Fletcher Female Persuasion Broken Angels Analyzing Writing: AI Stories Reviews (32M) + (70M) Story DNA machine learning Story Shapes: AI Kurt Vonnegut (1985) The Shape of Stories July 2016 Exit West – Mohsin Hamid (2018) Less – Andrew Sean Greer (2017) Eleanor Oliphant – Gail Honeyman (2017) The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas (2017) Origin – Dan Brown (2017) The Witch Elm – Tana French (2018) Mrs. Fletcher – Tom Perrotta (2017) House of Broken Angels – Luis Urrea (2018) The Female Persuasion – Meg Wolitzer (2017) Kudos – Rachel Cusk (2018) Asymmetry – Lisa Halliday (2018) There There – Tommy Orange (2018) Writing Analyzation: Plot Points vs. Sentiment Pacing (words per Backstory paragraph) (% past tense) Points of View—How many is too many? 1 3 [2] 5 Alice, [Amar], Ezra 1-ish . But it’s not who you think . Points of View—How many is too many? 8 13 12 Points of View—How many is too many? 21 15 Using POV to Explore the Human Condition “Migration is a basic condition of humanity” “How much is being a Mohsin Hamid good person or bad person tied to luck?” Tana French “A white middle-aged American man walking around with his white middle-aged American sorrows?” . “It’s a little hard to feel sorry for a guy like that.” - from Less, Andrew Sean Greer And what if the POV is a shell? Faye Trends: Book Length—Last 50 years 1970-2019 1970-2019 1970-2019 Pulitzer Prize National Book Award Booker Prize avg: 411 Pages avg: 405 Pages avg: 368 Pages Trends: Mixing Genres 1970-2019 1970-2019 1970-2019 2 2 1 1 1 Pulitzer Prize National Book Award Booker Prize 1980: The Executioner’s Song – Norman Mailer (True Crime, Literary) 1988: Paris Trout – Pete Dexter (Thriller, Literary) 2001: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon (Super Hero, Literary) 2003: The Great Fire – Shirley Hazzard (Romance, Literary) 2013: The Orphan Master's Son – Adam Johnson (Thriller, Literary) 2007: Tree of Smoke – Denis Johnson (Thriller, Literary) 2016: The Sympathizer – Viet Thanh Nguyen (Mystery, Literary) Where to next? .