READING FICTION

READING FICTION

Choose one activity from each of the following sections:

SECTION ONE: REPORTING AND RECORDING

SECTION TWO: CHARACTERS AND THEIR WORLD

SECTION THREE: CAPTURING THE STYLE OF THE BOOK

SECTION FOUR: THE AUTHOR’S VIEWPOINT

SECTION ONE: RECORDING YOUR READING

A REVIEW

Write a review of the book for others in your class to read. The intention of the review is to:

inform the reader briefly of the theme and plot,
mention any strengths and weaknesses of the plot and characterisation,
express your own personal opinion of the plot, narrative, description, characterisation, sex role stereotypes, beginning and ending.

Although you should write on the above topics in the suggested order, you should attempt to shape your review into interestingly linked paragraphs, combining any mention of strengths and weaknesses with your personal opinion where you think it is appropriate.

A good review will be interesting because it is informative, personal and lively.

A poor review will be mostly re-telling of the events of the book and hardly mention any elements in (I) and (iii) above.

or 2. A PUBLICITY PACKAGE

Decide to which age range the book would best appeal. Decide to which genre the book belongs i.e. Science Fiction, Romance, Historical, Adventure, etc. This will help you decide the appropriate readership or audience for the book. Or, in other words, the people most likely to buy the book.

Bearing these things in mind, design a range of publicity for the book. Use the full range of media available. From the list below choose 2 publicity tasks:

(i)	Magazine Advertisements	-	which magazines?
(ii)	Newspaper Advertisements	-	which papers? how different to magazine advertisements?
(iii)	Radio Advertisements	-	commercial radio can be pop or classical, which would the book’s audience listen to?
(iv)	TV Advertisements	-	You do not often see books advertised on TV unless there is an adaptation (a "tie in"). Pretend there is.
(v)	Posters for Bookshops	-	Good design, eye-catching. Remember the intended audience.

or 3. THE EDITOR’S DESK

Study a tabloid newspaper (like the Daily Mirror or the Sun). Produce a front page in the same style based on important event in your book. Remember to use headlines, sub-headings, pictures and comments from those involved.

SECTION TWO: THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR WORLD

CHARACTERISATION

Work on the main character of the book. Study parts of the book that seem to give you the best idea of what this character is like. Work out how the author makes you think what the character is like. It will be either:

by saying directly something about him or her, i.e. likes, dislikes, personality etc. or,
by choosing to describe a particular action or way of acting or speaking, leaving you to decide what sort of person does or says that sort of thing, or
by making other characters say things about him or her.

If you choose various points throughout the book you will be able to see how this character changes in response to events and other characters. Does the character become more wise, understanding, mature, happy or sad; does he or she overcome events and learn about life? Or not? What are his/her motives for action? You need to make a set of notes including quotes and events.

or 2. THE DIRECTOR’S INSTRUCTIONS

You are making a film version of the novel and you have to give a briefing to the actor who is playing one of the main characters. You need to explain about the character’s background, appearance, personality and role in the story. Make sure you include some ideas on how the character moves and speaks.

or 3. TWO POINTS OF VIEW

Choose an episode from your book which two of the characters will see differently. Each character writes a diary entry, describing the same event from his or her own point of view.

or 4. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

Do a roleplay or write a playscript of a meeting between . . .

two characters who are in the story but who have never met
two characters in the story, but some years later.

or 5. A POEM

One of the characters writes a poem describing his or her secret thoughts and feelings at an important moment in the story.

SECTION THREE: CAPTURING THE STYLE OF THE BOOK

A CREATIVE EXTENSION

This work involves you in entering the imaginary world of the book and extending the ideas, scenes, characters and narrative in some new and original way. For example, you could rewrite a chapter or an incident from a minor character’s point of view. You could write an alternative ending to the novel. You could write a sequel or even a "prequel". Wherever there is action in the narrative there is always the possibility of action elsewhere, involving characters "off-stage". You could try a meanwhile-back-at-the-ranch episode.

or 2. A SCRIPT FOR A TELEVISION ADAPTATION

Choose a section of the book, at least a chapter, which is particularly visual in your imagination.

Decide from whose point of view this section of the text is being narrated (told). This is the narrative point of view. It may be a first person ("I") narrative or it may be a god-like third person, but not necessarily the author. You must try hard to preserve this narrative point of view in your adaptation.

Decide if there is to be a "voice-over" narrator or whether the text is to be adapted through dialogue and pictures only. Set the dialogue out in script form and describe the scene the camera "sees" in present tense. Here is an example of an adaptation:

4. The cottage bedroom

The screen turns to orange. Yellow words appear: The present. At first the letters are very small, as if in the background, then they grow very large as if moving into the foreground.

It is early evening. Silvia sits on a single bed and fixes her make up in hand mirror.

5. The cottage kitchen

The kitchen: only the basic essentials are present. There is also a deckchair, a bicycle, and some firewood heaped under the table. Tess is sorting through piles of wild flowers and plants on the table. She arranges them in jars. She hums.

6. The cottage living room

The screen is filled with an image of the globe, the continents in bright primary colours. The camera pulls back and we realize that it is a pencil sharpener, standing on the table amongst books and materials for the girls’ ecology survey. Wendy sits at the table reading a large book.

There are peeling plaster walls, torn chintz covers on the armchairs, an open staircase, a fire roaring in the old stone hearth.

Tess comes in from the kitchen. She puts a jam jar of plants on the table in front of Wendy.

Wendy: [Deep in her book] Thanks.

Tess: [Goes to the window] It’s starting to rain. [She pulls the curtains]

SECTION FOUR: CHARACTERS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

This can be done in one of two ways, or a combination of both.

If you have genuine and interesting questions to ask the author then write to him/her. With your teacher’s help you can get the letter posted. Most authors will reply to genuine letters. You had better think of doing this early in your course so that you allow time for a reply to arrive. You can then use the reply, set out as an interview.
If the author is dead you will have to use your imagination. You will need to find out a little about the author concerned, (so much the better if it is a famous dead author). The idea is to bring out in your imaginary interview the themes, issues and ideas the author develops in his/her book.

Set out your interview as a playscript.

or 2. LETTER TO THE AUTHOR

Select two episodes from the book. Write a letter to the author about these two episodes. You letter needs to contain the following things:

Questions asking why certain things are happening, e.g. why haven't you let Bridget tell Sharon about the stolen money? I think it would be much better because . . .
Comments of pleasure, displeasure, anger at events, and an explanation of why you feel this way.
Predictions of what you think will, or ought to, happen.

Then write the author’s reply to your letter explaining the reasons for the way he or she wrote the story.