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fandomhigh2009-02-18 10:37 pm
clevermsbennet.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2009-02-18 10:37 pm
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Literature, Class 7: Period 3, Thursday, February 19
"There is a famous quotation," Miss Elizabeth Bennet said, "which says, slightly paraphrased, 'I am sorry that this letter is so long. I did not have time to write a short one.' This only sounds laughable until one tries to write a letter and discovers that one only has a single sheet of paper. Being concise, being clear in the least number of words possible, that will in many cases require more thought, more effort, than simply filling a page with one's news.
"The same is true, to some extent, with works of fiction. I do not mean to imply that a short story would take an author longer to write than a thousand-page epic. However, a short story is a different work than a novel to start. An event happens, an anecdote is shared. In a novel, the overarching plot is frequently one of personal development: the characters' lives, in short, and the growth that they achieve, or that which they fail to achieve. A novel has a narrative, connecting a series of events; a short story may have one event, and the sequence that creates that event, or its aftermath.
"Most poems, by contrast, are only meant to convey an impression, a feel, a moment in time. However, there is also epic poetry, which seeks to tell a long narrative in poetic form. Historically, epics have their own rules: there is one hero, fighting either with the assistance of -- or despite the interventions of -- various deities. There are long lists: geneaologies, in some cases, as well as the names of the dead, and of those who fought bravely on each side. Epics must start with an invocation to the muse.
"Plays we discussed briefly, of course, during our study of William Shakespeare. As we noted there, the loss of narrative means that we must show our audience what we wish for them to understand. Plays allow for actors to bring their own personalities to each role, for directors to stamp their own imprints onto the works -- which some may say takes us further from the play's original intent. This is true, unless one believes that perhaps plays are intended to be open in this manner: adaptable to each new performance and what it may bring out of the work.
"All of this is complicated enough. And now we add another element: serialisation." She smiled at her students. "At one time, many novels were printed in news-papers in segments. In such situations, each passage's beginning must be accessible to new readers, but of equal importantance is that each passage's ending must leave the audience desiring more. Charles Dickens' work was serialized; as a result, many of his chapters end with dramatic cliffhangers. The audience should be stirred to return to your next episode, eager to know of their beloved characters' fates.
"These are, of course, generalities. As such, they will hardly be applicable in every case. Nevertheless, it is important for us to think about how form affects content. If one was to write a story of a war, the tone, the characterization, the overall impact, all of these would be very different if one wrote an epic poem than a novel. In serialised form, one would plot carefully which major battles fell on which chapter breaks. In a play, one might compress two minor characters into one, so as not to confuse the audience with interchangeable side roles.
"At times, outside factors can affect the story in very specific ways. It has been rumoured, falsely, that Dickens was paid by the word; though he was not, many of his contemporaries were. One can imagine how fondly they reached for adjectives, for a little more description to round out that third paragraph, whether or not the it was perfectly crisp as it then stood. On the other hand, a modern author named Stephen King once finished a 1200-page saga, only to have his publisher insist that -- because of commercial and practical concerns -- the book needed to be far shorter or it would not sell. The issue was not the content, or the book's pacing, but that the simple cost of printing the book would negatively affect its price, which in turn would depress sales. The book was reduced, and published; years later, when the author was famous, he re-released the book in its original state.
"The form of a story changes that story. How we tell a tale alters it; what we keep, what we omit, what words we use. We experience this every day, when recounting to one's sister the dreadful argument one had with one's mother. It is no less true in literature than it is in life."
She smiled. "One final note. We shall be discussing the contrast between an author's intentions and the results, for our next class, which will be after we all experience a much-needed break. Therefore, your assignment is as follows. Please find a copy of Jane Austen's Randolph Park or Amelia. Read either, or both, for our next class, if you are able to do so; there are sufficient copies in the library. There will be no penalty if you do not, but I would encourage you to, at the very least, start one, that we might have a more informative conversation on the matter."
"The same is true, to some extent, with works of fiction. I do not mean to imply that a short story would take an author longer to write than a thousand-page epic. However, a short story is a different work than a novel to start. An event happens, an anecdote is shared. In a novel, the overarching plot is frequently one of personal development: the characters' lives, in short, and the growth that they achieve, or that which they fail to achieve. A novel has a narrative, connecting a series of events; a short story may have one event, and the sequence that creates that event, or its aftermath.
"Most poems, by contrast, are only meant to convey an impression, a feel, a moment in time. However, there is also epic poetry, which seeks to tell a long narrative in poetic form. Historically, epics have their own rules: there is one hero, fighting either with the assistance of -- or despite the interventions of -- various deities. There are long lists: geneaologies, in some cases, as well as the names of the dead, and of those who fought bravely on each side. Epics must start with an invocation to the muse.
"Plays we discussed briefly, of course, during our study of William Shakespeare. As we noted there, the loss of narrative means that we must show our audience what we wish for them to understand. Plays allow for actors to bring their own personalities to each role, for directors to stamp their own imprints onto the works -- which some may say takes us further from the play's original intent. This is true, unless one believes that perhaps plays are intended to be open in this manner: adaptable to each new performance and what it may bring out of the work.
"All of this is complicated enough. And now we add another element: serialisation." She smiled at her students. "At one time, many novels were printed in news-papers in segments. In such situations, each passage's beginning must be accessible to new readers, but of equal importantance is that each passage's ending must leave the audience desiring more. Charles Dickens' work was serialized; as a result, many of his chapters end with dramatic cliffhangers. The audience should be stirred to return to your next episode, eager to know of their beloved characters' fates.
"These are, of course, generalities. As such, they will hardly be applicable in every case. Nevertheless, it is important for us to think about how form affects content. If one was to write a story of a war, the tone, the characterization, the overall impact, all of these would be very different if one wrote an epic poem than a novel. In serialised form, one would plot carefully which major battles fell on which chapter breaks. In a play, one might compress two minor characters into one, so as not to confuse the audience with interchangeable side roles.
"At times, outside factors can affect the story in very specific ways. It has been rumoured, falsely, that Dickens was paid by the word; though he was not, many of his contemporaries were. One can imagine how fondly they reached for adjectives, for a little more description to round out that third paragraph, whether or not the it was perfectly crisp as it then stood. On the other hand, a modern author named Stephen King once finished a 1200-page saga, only to have his publisher insist that -- because of commercial and practical concerns -- the book needed to be far shorter or it would not sell. The issue was not the content, or the book's pacing, but that the simple cost of printing the book would negatively affect its price, which in turn would depress sales. The book was reduced, and published; years later, when the author was famous, he re-released the book in its original state.
"The form of a story changes that story. How we tell a tale alters it; what we keep, what we omit, what words we use. We experience this every day, when recounting to one's sister the dreadful argument one had with one's mother. It is no less true in literature than it is in life."
She smiled. "One final note. We shall be discussing the contrast between an author's intentions and the results, for our next class, which will be after we all experience a much-needed break. Therefore, your assignment is as follows. Please find a copy of Jane Austen's Randolph Park or Amelia. Read either, or both, for our next class, if you are able to do so; there are sufficient copies in the library. There will be no penalty if you do not, but I would encourage you to, at the very least, start one, that we might have a more informative conversation on the matter."
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