12 standard: paper 2 planning

Here's the question we worked with on Wed. 11.3.09:

“What happens in fiction is what distinguishes it…” Using at least two works, show how far your interest in novels and short stories has been based on the events and how much of your interest has been in other aspects?

Here are the notes preparing a thesis statement:

How much does plot (events) interest me relative to other issues?

HF: events vs. character

1984: events vs. setting

events are good – plot drives interest – find out what happens, makes meaning or theme concrete

BUT events in isolation are meaningless – need other elements to keep interest, to make meaning meaningful

These next points were part of the planning process, but they may serve as an outline as well:

HF: events have interest: example of feud, freeing of Jim – but they are more interesting (emotionally, thematically) bc of the involvement of characters – H and TS

1984: events have interest: journal, room 101 – setting details make it more interesting (emotionally & thematically)

Here's a rough thesis:

In HF and 1984, the novelists balance the events of the plot and other aspects, specifically character and setting respectively, to create interest, both emotionally and thematically.

A quick outline I threw together

intro: why are events important emotionally & thematically? what would they be like w/o other aspects (preachy, emotionally distant); thesis

body 1: events in HF (S&G feud, freeing Jim)

body 2: character in HF, using same examples, what is added by having HF as narr and TS as char

body 3: events in 1984 (writing in journal, room miniluv)

body 4: setting in 1984, how setting details enhance interest in those 2 events

concl: if only events, less successful novel

an example of how to present the events of the novel without summarizing excessively:

At the end of the novel, when Tom and Huck attempt to free Jim using ridiculous methods devised by Tom, the events of the novel are interesting. The tedious details provided the Twain – the blah, and blah – are both amusing and frustrating. They interact with the expectations of the reader and make us anxious about the fate of Jim.