CONTEXT
Context refers to the background of the author and how it influences what they write and
why. It helps shape their views and values. It includes factors such as:
•
Education
•
Religion
•
Social conditioning
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Cultural traditions
•
Geography
•
Family
THEMES
Themes are the major ideas, concerns, issues or messages which the writer is trying to get
across to the reader. They are central to the purpose of the text. Setting, plot, character,
style and film techniques all help to develop and explore themes.
Examples of themes include; jealousy vs. trust, racial prejudice, how religion affects
decisions, loneliness, sexual harassment, betrayal of friendship, etc. A text may have
several themes or sub-themes.
Readers have a variety of experiences and therefore interpret texts differently. Two people
can read the same text and yet be struck by very different aspects of its content. This is
because your own context influences how you see things – your personal views and values.
Themes and Issues in Texts:
Betrayal of friends and/or family.
Importance of courage and determination.
Conformity vs. individuality – one character standing alone.
Conflict: Cultural, religious, political etc.
Effects of death on characters.
Family relationships – destruction of or building of.
Fantasy vs reality.
Gender politics.
Personal journey.
Discovering identity.
Jealousy vs trust.
Human justice vs Divine justice.
Power and politics.
Racial prejudice.
The influence of religion on society.
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 17
PLOT
The plot refers to the events of a text and how they are structured. A plot usually contains
some basic elements; exposition, rising action, complication/conflict, climax, denouement
and resolution. Look below at a typical narrative plot graph.
STRUCTURES
•
Chronological – Events arranged according to how they occur in ‘real’ time.
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Retrospective – Starting at the end and looking back.
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Flashbacks – Events providing background information as necessary.
•
Traditional linear – Beginning, middle, end.
•
Non-linear – Complex/disjunctive.
•
Flash forwards – Events providing future information.
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 18
ACTIVITY
Plot the Plot of your selected text.
Action
Exposition
Conflict
Complication
Rising Action
Climax
Resolution
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 19
CHARACTER
•
Who’s involved – major or minor characters?
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How do they act?
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What do they say?
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What do other characters say about them?
Characters are persons or creatures who do and say things in text. They help communicate
the author’s messages and point of view and help develop themes through their actions,
thoughts, feelings, descriptions and dialogue.
Character types you should know include:
•
Protagonist – Most important character, usually hero or anti-hero, in a drama (play, film)
or narrative (story). For example: Griet in the novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring.
•
Antagonist – Name given to describe character that is in opposition to hero
(protagonist) in a drama or narrative.
•
Rounded characters – Fully developed individuals who are capable of complex
emotions and actions and can be unpredictable.
•
Flat (secondary) characters – One-sided and are based around a single identifying trait.
For example: Revenge. The reader sees only this trait about the character and no other
sides.
A character can be the narrator of the story.
When this is the case the reader is presented with only one perspective and it is important
for the reader to be aware of the possible limitations of the narrator.
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 20
Theme in the text:
Give specific examples
& quotes that link the
character to the theme.
Theme in the text:
Give specific examples
& quotes that link the
character to the theme.
Theme in the text:
Give specific examples
& quotes that link the
character to the theme.
Theme in the text:
Give specific examples
& quotes that link the
character to the theme.
Character’s Name:
ACTIVITY
Complete a character profile on a protagonist from set text.
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
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ACTIVITY
…now that you have finished your detailed plan, begin writing your character profile.
Use proper sentences and the formal writing requirements.
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© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 22
SETTING
The where and the when of a text. There can be more than one setting. Cultural and
geographical factors can affect the setting too. Sometimes called ‘context’ of text.
STYLE
POINT OF VIEW
Point-of-View refers to the perspective from which we observe the world.
The story can be told from a first person point-of-view. This enables us to see the action
through the eyes of a narrator. We see things from his or her point-of-view. It offers great
psychological insight into the mind of this person who is often, but not always, a central
figure in the narrative. We think of David in Montana 1948 and how we learn so much about
him, as well as the bizarre sequence of events in that novel. Through David’s eyes a whole
world unfolds before us.
On the other hand, first person perspective is necessarily limited. We cannot go ‘inside the
head’ of other characters. We can only glean, indirectly, what they are thinking, and what
motivates them. This is especially true of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous The Great Gatsby.
From the viewpoint of Nick Carraway, we gain insight into the enigmatic Jay Gatsby. But we
never get to hear what he thinks.
A story can also be told from a third person perspective. This is very common. We are told
that ‘he’ or ‘she’ said a particular thing, or experienced a particular emotion. As a device, it is
very effective as it enables the writer to adopt an omniscient position. We are privy to all that
goes on thanks to that privileged position. It also enables the author-narrator to adopt a
privileged or superior ‘speaking position’, commenting on events as they unfold. We think of
Jane Austen and all of her famous novels.
LANGUAGE / DIALOGUE
Is the language simple, difficult, wordy, descriptive, colourful, convincing, colloquial, formal?
TONE
Tone indicates the author’s attitude towards the subject or theme. Is it angry, sad, negative,
bored, thoughtful, aggressive? What language makes it feel like that? What are the key
words that colour the emotion or attitude of the writing?
FORM AND GENRE
Form:
Genre:
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 23
CONVENTIONS
1. SHAKESPEAREAN CONVENTIONS
Plays by William Shakespeare:
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Usually have five acts.
•
Are comedies, tragedies, histories or late plays (sometimes known as ‘Problem Plays’).
•
Contain soliloquies, asides.
•
Explore themes of ambition, good vs evil, order vs disorder, divine right of kings, love.
•
Often feature noble characters like kings and queens, emperors and senators.
•
Sometimes have supernatural characters like witches and fairies.
•
Can have servile or mad characters who speak in prose and are the butt of jokes.
•
Use colourful language full of imagery.
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Contain sustained and serious conflict.
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Follow a standard narrative plot: introduction/exposition, complication/conflict, climax,
resolution.
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 24
CINEMATIC TECHNIQUES
Complete the following table:
Technique
Explanation + Example
How it Conveys Narrative
Lighting
Dialogue
Editing
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 25
Technique
Explanation + Example
How it Conveys Narrative
Dialogue
Mise-en-scène
Soundtrack
(diegetic)
Soundtrack
(non-diegetic)
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 26
CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES AND MOVEMENT
Term or
Technique
Definition
Camera Shots
ECU extreme
close up
Example / Effect
CU close up
MS mid shot
WS wide shot
EWS extreme
wide shot
Camera
Angles
Low angle –from
below looking up
High angle – from
high looking down
Eye level
Camera
Movement
Handheld
Tracking shot –
Moving camera on
dolly (tracks)
 Andrea Hayes. Cambridge Checkpoints VCE English Units 3 & 4 2009
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 27
ACTIVITY
TEXT FACTS SHEET
Title:
Author:
Themes, ideas,
views, values
Main characters
Protagonist
Antagonist
Others
Plot
Settings –
cultural, social,
historical
Style features –
POV, language,
genre, tone
 Andrea Hayes Cambridge Checkpoints VCE English Units 3 & 4 2009
© The School For Excellence 2016
Summer School – Units 1 & 2 English – Book 1
Page 28