eng 260 guide to reading and writing about literature

ENG 260 GUIDE TO READING AND WRITING

ABOUT LITERATURE

Presentation 2: Short Stories

ENG 260—Literature of Sports, Spring 2002

ENG 260--Literature of Sports, Spring 2002

ENG 260 Guide to Reading and Writing about Literature

Presentation 2, Slide 2

This presentation will discuss

• how to read short stories• questions you should ask

yourself as you read a short story

• writing about short stories




How to read a short story

The first time, read it through without stopping.

more . . .




Read it again at least a few more times, right away or later (if you can’t read all the stories several times, do the ones that have special meaning for you).

Make notes and responses (see Presentation 1, Slide 12).




Questions to ask about the story:

basic questions: • What is the point of view?• Who is the protagonist?

more . . .




• Who are the other major characters?

• What is the setting? • What is the plot? (Summarize

it.)




deeper questions: • What is the author’s tone?• How does the author depict

and develop the characters?• What are the conflicts facing

the main characters?more . . .




• What is the structure of the story?

• What is the theme of the story?

• What are the relations between the setting, characters, imagery, symbolism, allusions and/or figures of speech and the theme?




Writing about short stories

conventions: • put short story titles in

quotation marks

eng 260 guide to reading and writing about literature

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