Unit 3: Fiction E. Style
1. How Style is Created Te style of a narrative refers to the way it is written. It includes how characters, setting and atmosphere are created. It also includes the way in which the writer uses dialogue, language and imagery. Tese have already been covered in this unit. However, you also need to examine and be aware of:
■ How the writer uses verbs to provide insight into character and assist atmosphere. For example, let us take the extract from Of Mice and Men already referred to:
. . . George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. Te hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled
the trigger. Te crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.
Te verbs underlined are carefully selected and are crucial in showing us that George does not want to shoot Lennie. He has difficulty in carrying out the act. Tis shows his love and loyalty to his friend and his conflict at that moment. Te atmosphere is tense and dramatic as George steadies the gun, shakes and steadies himself again before pulling the trigger. Te repetition of the verb ‘rolled’, creates an atmosphere of the exploding, reverberating sound of the gunshot. Lennie’s body did not just ‘fall’ – it ‘jarred’ and ‘settled’. Always examine how a writer uses verbs in a passage and be able to comment on their effect.
■ Note the point of view of the narrative. Ask yourself if it is written in the first person (I, we) or the third person (he, she, they). As we have already seen, the use of the first person makes the narrative more immediate to the reader and allows the reader to view characters and events from the narrator’s subjective perspective. Te use of the third person or the omniscient (all- knowing) viewpoint allows for greater insight into the minds and thoughts of other characters and creates a more objective viewpoint
■ Narratives are usually written in the past tense, but the present tense is also used effectively in some stories. Examine the verb tense in the passage you are describing and note if the writer suddenly changes tense. Tis usually indicates that something important or noteworthy is happening.
■ Note how the writer carefully chooses adjectives and adverbs. Tese must be used carefully to bring the story alive, qualify the action and provide description and information for the reader.
■ Pay particular attention to how the writer uses images which appeal to the senses. We have seen an example of this in the extract from To Kill a Mockingbird, but every narrative will provide plenty of examples of such images.
■ It is important to recognise and be able to comment on any use of simile, metaphor or symbol used in the text. Be also on the lookout for personification, which can create dramatic effects.
■ Look carefully at the details in descriptions. Ask yourself why the writer is describing someone or something in such detail. Pay attention to specific words and ask yourself why they have been selected by the writer.
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