Purpose of historical fiction & why it is valuable.
Why is this purpose of HF valuable?
Historical fiction can be a window into our future, by expressing the consequences of our actions from the past.
This allows us to map out different courses of history for our future, create visions for humanity that don’t repeat past mistakes.
Who devised the linear structure theory that includes the following steps:
•Equilibrium
•Rising action
•Climax
•Falling action
•Resolution
Tzvetan Todorov, who was a historian, philosopher and Structuralist literary critic.
What is the correct definition of "an idea?"
Typically one or two words, capturing a concept. An abstract noun. E.g. "Love."
True or false:
A motif has symbolic significance.
True
What was the word of the week for week 1?
Fabellator (one who invents tales).
Why is this purpose of HF valuable?
Historical Fiction is a blend of fiction and fact.
Reflects different or silent perspectives, it’s interesting, narrative/stories, - by relating human experiences of history, we get to experience history
What is the name of the narrative structure type where stories are told less linearly. They are able to jump back and forth in time. If you think about scenes in films where there is a flashback, you'll get a sense for how time can be fractured or bent to alter or intensify a story.
Fractured narrative.
What is the correct definition of a theme? (three bullet points).
A statement about life, conveying an attitude or value about an idea.
- At its most basic level a theme may be regarded as the message or even the moral of a text.
- Themes may be didactic or philosophical, inviting us to think about our place in the world.
- A statement about human experience that is profound and which responders may accept or reject, depending on their own worldview.
In Wolf by Wolf, tattoos are a symbol of dehumanisation and identity. What is a motif in the same novel?
Skinshifting.
What is the meaning of the word of the week for week 2? "Apricate."
Why is this purpose of HF valuable?
Historical fiction helps us to re-examine the past and help us interpret it in new ways.
History says “what” happens; historical fiction examines “why”- the human behaviours, motivations, failures, triumphs, follies.
What is the narrative type where the main character either tells a story, or sits down to hear a story. So the narrative is a story within a story.
Framed narrative.
What are the techniques in this extract?
"It's an attractive and drizzly winter's night, scraps of melting snow shored up against the edges of the Place de la Concorde, the city looking ghostly, its windows jewelled with raindrops."
Imagery.
In your novel, is the main character the same thing as the narrative voice in a text? (Whose perspective the story is told from?)
Wolf by Wolf: Yes
Book Thief: No
All the Light: Yes
Code Name Verity: Yes
Librarian of Auschwitz: Yes
What was the word for week 3?
Komorebi (Japanese)
The filtered dabbled effect of sunlight through leaves.
Why is this purpose of HF valuable?
Historical fiction can show us a parallel between now and the past
These parallels help us recognise and identify the lessons, we need to learn, the actions that we should avoid, and mistakes that should not be made again
What is the narrative type where the character ends back up in the place where they originally began. Normally, epic adventure stories follow this structure, like the Greek epic The Odyssey
Circular structure.
Why is this not a good thesis statement?
"Code Name Verity explores the consequences of war for women."
- It rephrases the question
- It does not explain WHAT consequences about war (no clear ideas).
Characters in historical fiction may be based on real historical figures, or they may be fictionalised. Either way, in this genre of literature, they tend to be constructed to explore...
The extremes and dualities of human behaviour, how humans can be both extremely compassionate but also cruel.
What is the 16thc word that means "fair-faced, handsome."
Snout-fair.
Why is this purpose of HF valuable?
Historical fiction allows us to see how we got to where we are now and explains how we deal with events, problems
War, enslavement/power, changes in power, leadership, persecution, inequality, hierarchies in society and how these change, revolutions, technology, evolved, use the earth, developments, discoveries, (science), decline of mythology and religion. Historical fiction explores these crises of human existence.
What is the narrative structure in which the writer includes two or more separate narratives linked by a common character, event, or theme.
Parallel structure.
What are the five elements of setting?
1. Location (the physical WHERE)
2. Time (when – year, dates, but also, time of day)
3. Mood/atmosphere (light and shadow, temperature, positive or negative)
4. Climate and geography (weather, landscapes, urban space and natural space)
5. Politics and culture, and how society is organised (milieu)
What combination of textual concepts enables the protagonist's character arc in a narrative?
To receive 500 points, you must explain WHY this is the case for each textual concept (4 textual concepts in total).
- Plot: the series of events, trials, and challenges that the character must overcome.
- Setting: how the character engages with both their physical time and place, as well as their relationship to the society they are a part of.
- Motifs and symbols: associated with characters, these help to reveal human truths about the character.
- Themes: the character often is a vehicle for the way themes are explored in a narrative.
What week did we have the word "Toska" (Russian), and what does it mean?
Week 4. Spiritual anguish. A dull ache of the soul.