For an interesting article on the benefits of reading fiction, see the New York Times, March 17, 2012:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction.html
It’s important to understand some of the terminology associated with fiction. Think about these terms and associated questions when you read fiction.
Protagonist
The protagonist is the main character.
• What kind of character is he or she? Think about his or her age, personality, political, and religious beliefs. Why do you think the character has those qualities?
• What problems does he or she face?
• Is there a physical description of the character? What does he or she look like? Why is that important?
Plot
The plot is the story.
• What happens in the plot?
• Does the plot use surprises or tricks?
• Is the ending happy or unhappy?
• How does the author create suspense in the story?
• How are the problems in the plot solved?
Theme
The theme is a main idea, or what a text is “about.”
Themes are usually expressed in a single word or a short phrase; for example, love, revenge, forgiveness, the inevitability of fate.
• Ask yourself what you think the theme is.
• Is the theme obvious, or subtle?
• Does the theme give a new outlook on a common idea?
Point of View (POV)
Point of view refers to who is “telling” the story. Common points of view are first person (“I”), and third person (“he/she/they”).
• Why do you think the author chose the point of view used in the work?
• If a character in the work is telling the story, how does that affect your understanding?
Symbols
A symbol is a concrete object that represents an abstract idea. For example, an old tree might represent wisdom, or a storm might indicate danger in a character’s life.
• Think about symbols such as weather, seasons, or settings. What might they represent?
• If you find symbols, how do they reinforce the story?
Humor and Irony
Irony is a figure of speech. Writers use irony in different ways:
• Verbal irony: When a word’s intended meaning is different from its actual meaning. For example, imagine it is a very stormy day, and a character says, “What beautiful weather!” Another way a writer might use irony is in naming a character. If a character in a story is always sad or angry, and the author names that character “Happy,” this is an ironic use of a name.
• Situational irony: When a situation ends differently than what is expected, or what would be normal, we call it situational irony. For example, in the “Gift of the Magi,” a short story by O. Henry, the husband and wife each sell a prized possession to buy the other a gift. The husband sells his watch to buy his wife some beautiful hair combs, and the wife cuts and sells her hair to buy her husband a watch chain.
Determining whether something is ironic is not always easy. The website http://www.isitironic.com/ posts examples of things that might be ironic, and lets users vote on whether something is ironic or not.
Humor: If a story uses humor, is it for its own sake, or does it contribute to the meaning of the story?
Setting
The setting is the time and place of a story.
• Is the particular setting of a story necessary, or could the story happen anywhere?
• Is the setting another “character” in the story? That is, if the setting is during wartime, how does it contribute to the story itself?
• Is the setting an “enemy” of any of the characters? A friend?
How to Respond to Fiction
• Freewrite
• Find online discussions (http://goodreads.com; http://librarything.com)
• Keep a reader’s journal
• Join a book club