Class on Genres in Literature

Class on Genres in LiteratureCAMBRIDGE LESSON 6Focus of the lesson Writing in disparate genres and registersWrite in different voices and viewpointsImprove style and accuracyThis session will help you develop essential compose skills for the written member of your paper where you are involveed to save creativelyGENRETo be clear just about the type of writing you are aiming for, you need to identify and date four key areas genre, audience, consumption and style. Make these part of your planning when you start to write a non- prevarication text.Genre, audience, purpose and style or GAPSWith each piece of writing you will be tested on your understanding of genre, audience, purpose and style, so you need to be clear about the kind of writing you are aiming for who barely are you writing for and what you are trying to tell them?For example, your text energy be trying tochange someones opinionencourage someone to do something in particular make headway sure your audience kno ws and understands somethingThe examiner wants to see that you commode adapt the flair you write to meet different genres, audiences and purposes.Identifying GAPSWhen it comes to the writing tasks in the exam, your premier(prenominal) step is to clearly identifythe genre what type of text should you be writing, eg a magazine articlethe audience who will be reading your text, eg teenagersthe purpose of your text, e.g. to convince people to do more sportyour chosen writing style, e.g. informalMake notes on these four areas and apply them to help plan your writing. army that you understand how each of these will persuade the examiner to give you tag.EXAMPLESCommon genres simileClassic apologue that has become part of an accepted literary canon, astray taught in schoolsCrime/detective fiction about a crime, how the criminal gets caught, and the repercussions of the crimeFable narration demonstrating a useful truth, especially in which animals let the cat out of the bag as humankinds legendary, supernatural taleFairy tale floor about fairies or other magical creaturesFan fiction fiction written by a fan of, and featuring casefuls from, a particular TV seriesxs, movie, or bookFantasy fiction with strange or otherworldly specifytings or characters fiction which invites suspension of reality illustration in verse full-length novels with plot, subplot(s), theme(s), major(ip) and minor characters, in which the narrative is presented in verse form (usually free verse)Fiction narrative literary works whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on factFolklore the songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people or federation of tribes as handed down by tidings of mouthHistorical fiction story with fictional characters and exits in a historical setting curse fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the readerHumour Usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and excite ment, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter but can be contained in all genresLegend story, sometimes of a matter or folk hero, that has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative materialMagical realism story where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise rea countic environmentMeta fiction also known as romantic badinage in the context of Romantic works of literature, uses self-reference to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while exposing the truth of a storyMystery this is fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the unravelling of secretsMythology legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behaviour and natural phenomena by its symbolism often pertaining to the actions of the godsMythopoeia fiction in which characters from religious mythology, traditional myths, folklore and history are recast into a re-imagined realm created by the authorPicture book picture s torybook is a book with really microscopic words and a lot of pictures, picture stories are usually for little kidsRealistic fiction story that is true to lifeScience fiction story based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planetsShort story fiction of such brevity that it supports no subplotsSuspense/thriller fiction about defile about to befall a person or group and the attempts made to evade the harmTall tale humorous story with blatant exaggerations, authoritarian heroes who do the impossible with nonchalanceWestern set in the American Old West frontier and typically set in the late eighteenth to late nineteenth centuryCommon genres nonfictionBiography/autobiography narrative of a persons life a true story about a real personEssay a short literary composition that reflects the authors outlook or point.Journalism reporting on news and current events research lab Report a report of an experimentMemoir factual st ory that focuses on a significant relationship between the writer and a person, place, or object reads like a short novelNarrative nonfiction/ personalized narrative factual information about a significant event presented in a format which tells a storyReference book such as a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopaedia, almanac, or atlasSelf-help book information with the designing of instructing readers on solving personal problems.Speech public address or discourseTextbook authoritative and detailed factual description of a topic. practise 1Class discussion on identifying genres. By identifying the genre, the reader is able to identify what type of effect the writer is going for and can help when discussing themes. authorship IN DIFFERENT VOICES AND VIEWPOINTSNarrative writing is the most traditional form of creative writing its say a story. The trick to getting high marks is not to tell a story in the traditional way. Think about interesting ways to tackle the different aspects of the narrative.Who is telling the story?Is it kickoff person? Is someone in the story telling the reader directly? In these kinds of narratives the narrator might be the principal(prenominal) character or it might be someone who is very minor. Imagine the story of Cinderella told from the point of view of the mouse who gets turned into her footman. Hed have a very different view of the story and what would life be like after hes turned back into a mouse.If the narrator is a specific character, that character needs to be reflected in the way the story gets told the comments or asides which they make to the reader might show who they really are. Perhaps the narrator in the example above would keep making comments about cheese. If its someone unexpected then keeping that quiet for a while can lead to an effective ending.Are you an all-knowing narrator? The story is told in the third person, but the narrator might need to tell the audience what the characters are thinking. Or pe rhaps there is a secret in the characters departed which the reader needs to know to understand whats going on.Or, is the narration limited to what a single observer can see? This works well for stories which are shrouded in mystery, or follow a small event in detail. Twist in the tale stories need these kinds of limits.The person who is supposed to be telling the story will determine the voice you write in. If the narrator is someone serious, the modulate will be serious. If the narrator is a bit of a joker, the tone will be more informal. Dont tell the reader about the narrator directly let the way you write do it for you.Plot is what turns a list of events into a story. Its the connection between different events that show cause and effect. Make sure that events in your story happen for a reason, and that they affect the characters. body process 2Exercise pick a word at random. Give yourself two minutes to think of as many different possible stories related to that word as pos sible the more creatively you use the word the better.Lost, for example, might be a story about getting lost in a wood, or losing a game, or a story set in a lost property office. Or maybe someone has lost something which is very important to them but the reader doesnt understand why its so important until the very end of the story. The plot is why its important, how it got lost, and why its needed now.ORDERThe swan in which you tell the story is important. It might seem natural to tell a story from beginning to end but mixing up the chronology or timeline of a story is a good way to make it more interesting. It still needs to make sense, but it doesnt have to be in order. some(prenominal) different possibilities are telling the story in flashback, starting from the most dramatic point and then explaining how bothone got there. Or you might want to start at the end and work your way back to the beginning. Starting in the middle of the action is a good way to capture the interest of the reader.In the exam, make a quick bullet point plan of the plot and then write numbers next to the bullet points to remind yourself what order youre going to write them in.Because creative writing assessments are quite short, its best not to get too complicated with plot or ordering one twist is enough, or one change to the chronology.CharactersIn a short story you dont have time to include a lot of characters- one or two main characters is enough. You can include some other minor characters if you need them to make the plot work, but not too many. Only give names to major characters it will help the reader to work out who matters enough to remember.Make each character distinctive. Think of one characteristic physical or personal which summarises them. In your planning, note down each character and their unique identifying point, with two or three different ways of referring to it. Referring to the same thing in different ways reinforces the character and it adds cohesion to the whole story.When you check through your work make sure that each character talks in the way youd expect them to. If youve got a member of the royal family in your story, they wont talk like you and your friends.Whos talking?Dunno, shurrup. Werent me.Im not entirely sure. Could you perhaps repeat yourself?An unusual setting can be a way to make a narrative really interesting. Changing the setting can make a story out of something every day. There are some events listed below. First think where they normally occur, and then choose somewhere completely different to produce an interesting story idea.ACTIVITY 3EVENTNORMAL SETTINGUNSUSUAL SETTINGFootball gameWeddingLessonsSleepingListening to musicTeaching a class cook outDont forget to use your usual toolkit of effective writing techniques. Vary your sentences for effect long ones to build suspense, and short ones to provide punch lines. Use a build of punctuation.You should make sure that you include some literary devices but only where they have effect. A metaphor or a simile is a majuscule way of creating an image for the reader, but it needs to be appropriate. Pick a simile which emphasises an important characteristic, or an important plot point. If a main character is cross, then perhaps his face looked like a raincloud. Try to avoid using clichs. Dont use metaphors which dont support the effect you are aiming for.Choose the words you use carefully, to create an impact on the reader. Adjectives can tell us a lot about a character, but use too many and they fall away strength. Even when writing prose you can use techniques like onomatopoeia (words that sound like their meaning) or alliteration (repetition of the same sound) to create an effect.Dont forget to check that youve got the basics honest -capitals, full stops and spelling. There is no point in using advanced techniques if you forget the basics you wont get full credit when it comes to existence marked. At least a third of the marks for writing go to accurate sentences, varied for effect.Remember USE GOOD ENGLISH, ALWAYS CHECK FOR ERRORS AND using CORRECT PUNCTUATION