Reading a Novel

Getting the Best out of a Novel

Novels can be read just for the joy of it. However, not all are happy to read, and reasons for reading a novel can be many; escaping reality for some moments, wanting to learn about another country and or different people in a different time, getting ideas about how future will be, just relaxing, or having to solve a task given by your teacher. Sometimes reading a novel can even be a challenge that you have to deal with in order to pass an exam or a course. The question is, if you do not really like reading novels, how to survive and get the most out of it?

My advice is to open a new document in Word with access to Zotero and Ordnett+ and give it a top text with the novel’s title, author and year published. Next, you are ready to take notes. Take down quotes and passages that you think are important about characters, setting, plot, point of view and theme, and give the page numbers.

All through the novel, notice how characters, ie the people in the story, are described. You are given hints by what s/he says and what s/he does in addition to what others say about her or him. Does s/he change through the story (dynamic) or not (static)? Are the characters flat/simple stereotypes with only one or two main personality qualities or round/complex characters that have depth? Read more about characters on pages 294, 296 in Access.

Setting, ie where and when the story takes place (in a novel there can be several settings). Ask yourself the following questions:         Where does the action take place?What does the setting sound like, look like, feel like?         How many days, months, years are involved?

When does the action take place, ie any particular hints as to what political and or social context the setting is in? 

Read more about setting on pages 305, 306 in Access.

Plot, ie the action of the novel (there can be several subplots whose purpose is to add depth and meaning to the main action)

·         What makes the situation unstable at the beginning of the narrative? (what information is given in the first paragraph?)

·         What is the main conflict?

·         What are the minor conflicts or subplots, and how are they related?

·         Which conflicts are external ( between characters or between a character and the outside world)?

·         Which conflicts are internal (within the minds of the characters)?

·         Where is the climax?

·         Is the main conflict resolved during the course of the story? How?

·         How does the story end? Suspense? Surprise?(J. Anthony, 2008)

Read more about plot on page268, 269 in Access.

Point of view (narrative perspective), ie who tells the story?
Is the narrator objective, limited or omniscient?

·         Third person Objective point of view– the narrator is simply a “fly on the wall” who records events and dialogue dispassionately

·         Third person Limited point of view – we are allowed access to the thoughts and feelings of one or two characters

·         Third person Omniscient point of view – the narrator is “God” and has insight into the minds of all characters

·         First person point of view – the narrator is in the story telling it to the reader using I or we

Basically, we can trust omniscient narrators whereas first person narrators are unreliable because we only have access to one person’s view on events. Read more about point of view on pages 278, 279 in Access.

Finally, there is theme, ie the underlying idea (s)
According to Access page 268 "themes of a literary work are found outside the work itself. In a sense, themes are what connect a story […] to the real world."(J. C. Anthony, 2012) In order to find the theme(s) look at the title, subtitle, and names of characters – these will often indicate something important. In addition, you should be aware of any moral questions being asked by any of the characters, because these can also point to themes.

Sources

Anthony, J. (2008). Access to English: literature : Vg3 : engelskspråklig litteratur og kultur - programfag i studiespesialiserende utdanningsprogram Vg3. Cappelen.

Anthony, J. C. (2012). Access to international English : programfaget internasjonal engelsk (Utg. 2.). Cappelen Damm.

Notes from earlier courses by Gro L