Assignment #4 Using the criteria in the lecture notes, write an evaluation of both these stories.

Conclude your response by explaining which one you believe is the more significant story.

Evaluating Fiction
Two basic principles that may serve to help us form our own evaluation of a story are discussed below. (1) Decide how well the story achieves its central purpose. Do all the elements work together to accomplish the central purpose as efficiently and as compellingly as possible? Think about the elements contained in a short story: plot (action), theme, setting, character, conflict. Some stories might focus more on one or two elements; others might blend them effectively. In "A Worn Path," for example, character, setting, and action are equally important in the development of the story and its purpose. In "Rope," the emphasis is on point of view with plot following closely behind. As you consider the elements contained in a particular story, do not make the mistake of taking one element of the story and judging it in isolation. Take, for example, the story "Miss Brill." It would be a mistake to judge "Miss Brill" as a mediocre or even poor story because it does not have a lot of action. The same would apply to "Roman Fever." Look at the impact of the ending of "Roman Fever." Wharton achieves it largely because the action is so deceptively minimal that the reader only slowly becomes aware that the real story is emerging as much from what is unsaid as what is revealed in the dialogue between the two characters. (2) Decide how significant is the story's purpose. Once you have judged a story as having successfully integrated its elements into a unified whole, then it is time to evaluate the depth, range, and significance of what the story has achieved. Remember the difference between literary and commercial fiction. The same principle applies here. If the story's chief purpose is to entertain, we will probably judge it as less significant than a story that reveals important truths about human nature or the human experience. "Most Dangerous Game" and "A Worn Path" both achieve their central purposes, but Welty's story has far more depth and significance than "Most Dangerous Game." The evaluation becomes harder, however, when you

are judging two literary stories. What makes one more significant than the other? As you explore stories in more depth, it does not take long to see that your experiences, your prejudices, your intelligence, your sensitivity, how much you have read, how observantly you've lived--all these things affect your literary judgment. This is where the fun begins because, as you can see, one reader could argue effectively why "Roman Fever" is a more significant story than "A Worn Path," while another reader could argue just as strongly and effectively the opposite. (It's called "judgment" for a reason.) Just be aware that when you evaluate a work of fiction you are judging it according to your own time. In other words, what cultural aesthetics and ideals you have today will evolve and change. You might be impressed with a particular work in your 20s that, when you re-read it in your 50s, you may wonder why you ever thought it was the best story you ever read. (The same applies to movies and music.) So be aware that your own evaluation--or that of our culture at large--may well change over time.

Terms for the Study of Fiction

plot theme conflict protagonist antagonist developing character static character flat character round character stock character point of view the sequence of events that comprise a story the main idea of a story the clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills the main character of a story the force against the protagonist a character that undergoes a permanent change within the confines of the story a character that remains the same within the confines of the story a character whose traits can be summed up in one or two sentences a character that is complex, many-sided a character that is a familiar stereotype the angle of vision from which a story is told

symbol dramatic irony irony of situation

something that has a literal meaning but suggests or represents something else as well a discrepancy between what a character says and what the reader knows to be true a discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between what is and what would seem appropriate, or between what one expects and what really happens in a story a discrepancy between what a character says and what he means that attitude of the writer towards his material as reflected in his or her writing that quality of an author's writing that distinguishes it from that of any other writer putting something up to ridicule (Click here for further explanation.) beginning of the story; introduces characters; establishes setting; provides background the first point of conflict in the story the story continues to develop through a series of entanglements the turning point of the story the resolution of the story

verbal irony tone style satire

exposition incentive moment complication climax denouement

Literary vs. Commercial Fiction You may remember the sensation created by the publication of the first Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). Fourth and fifth graders who, before Harry Potter, read only if forced or bribed or threatened, were picking up that big, long book, reading it, and loving it. That popularity also brought out the critics. Some thought it was the most imaginative,

compelling children's story that had come along in years. Some thought it was a dangerous influence on children because it focused on the occult. The controversy raged and then increased with the next book and the next. Did I think some of the criticisms of the book were ridiculous and extreme? Absolutely. Yet, oddly, the criticism that bothered me the most came from a critic who said that the books weren't great literature. That comment bothered me because it implied that anything that doesn't fall in the great literature category is not worth reading. The sub-text was that one should only read great literature and that there is something wrong in spending one's time reading anything else. Comments like that intimidate people who sometimes just like to read a book for the escape it provides. So what if the Harry Potter books aren't great literature? They tell a great story. And while they may not be great literature, they made a great contribution to the literacy of a generation that otherwise might never have discovered the worlds that exist within the pages of a book instead of in video games. The important thing to know about distinguishing between great and good literature is that only by reading a lot of both can you start to make the distinction for yourself. The Harry Potter books fall into the category of commercial fiction. Commercial fiction is often what you see on the best-seller lists, and it is written to entertain its audience in such a way that it makes money. While it mainly provides for its audience a temporary escape from their troubles, it can, in fact, have interpretive elements, just like literary fiction, but those elements are usually a byproduct in commercial fiction, not its goal. Literary fiction broadens and deepens our awareness of life. Through our imagination, it takes us deeper into the real world and expands or refines our minds. Literary fiction enables us to understand ourselves better. It illuminates some aspect of human life or behavior. Literary fiction might make the best-seller lists, but getting on those lists wasn't the guiding purpose of its author. It is only after reading both commercial and literary fiction that we can see each for what it really is. Is reading commercial fiction bad? Absolutely not. There is nothing wrong with reading a romance novel or a spy thriller or a graphic fantasy novel. Commercial fiction provides a healthy escape that's legal and doesn't add calories. But, as with all things, there should be balance. Just as I don't eat chocolate every day (even though I want to), I don't read only commercial fiction. I know that reading only escape literature can leave the reader with a distorted concept of reality or false hope. So, I know that while there's a solid lesson to be learned about friendship and trust in the Harry Potter series, I know I'd better squelch my desire for an invisibility cape. Never gonna happen.

Sample Response Paper and Response Grading Criteria

Response papers are slightly less formal than essays, but I still expect thoughtful analysis, clarity, and correct grammar and punctuation. The response paper provided in the box below ran a little over 550 words. I like this response because the student supports her assertions with details, examples, and quotations from the story. Her response contains no distracting grammatical problems and articulates well the writer's response to the prompt. It received a grade of 10. Grading criteria: 9 or 10 = complete (does what the prompt asks) and meets the expected length, 400 - 450 words (longer responses are not penalized); clear and articulate; uses details to support assertions; shows insight into the work; contains appropriate supporting quotations (including the specific page number from where each was taken); has no editing or grammatical errors; follows MLA formatting standards 7 or 8 = pretty good response but contains no quotations and/or may contain a few minor editing or grammar errors 5 or 6 = thoughtful response but the student is not reading the text well, the response needs more details, and/or the response contains several editing or grammar errors below 5 = very skimpy response, the response is quite a bit off the mark, and/or the response contains too many editing or grammar errors Note: As the semester progresses, it often becomes clear to me which students are reading the comments I've made on their responses and which students are not (like students who do not follow MLA formatting after I've pointed it out to them). In those cases, I begin to take off more points.