1、英语短篇小说教程英语短篇小说教程Short Stories in English:A Reading CourseUnit ThreeThe Setting and the ThemeReading:“The Discus Thrower”by Richard Selzer The Setting and the Background:The setting often refers to the geographical location and the historical period in which a literary work is set,but it can mean mor
2、e than just the background-the time and the place.It can be a key force in the story.The setting may influence the characters,affect or reflect their emotional state,create a mood for the story,and reinforce the central ideas that the story examines.The Setting:lThe historical setting refers to the
3、approximate period of time during which a story takes place.lThe geographical setting refers to the actual location in which a story takes place.lThe physical setting refers to the various physical attributes of setting,for example,the stormy weather,or the groomy midnight,which help create a storys
4、 atmosphere.lThe cultural setting refers to the social conventions and the general environment,for example,the religious,moral,political and emotional conditions by which characters may be constrained.The Setting:When the setting dominates,or when a piece of fiction is written largely to present the
5、 manners and customs of a locality,the writing is called local color or regionalism.The Theme and the Subject:lSubject refers to what the story is about,while theme is a general idea that extends beyond the story and applies to the world outside fiction.lSubject is the narrators contents and concern
6、,while theme is the authors implication,some comment on values in human nature and conduct.The Theme and the Subject:lThe theme of a story is seldom stated explicitly.Instead,it is implied and conveyed through the selection and arrangement of details,and through the actions and reactions of the char
7、acters.lIf the subject of a story is growing up,its theme may be childhood innocence vs.the corrupted adult world.lIf the subject of a story is about war,it may reveal its theme of the conflict between human nature and patriotism.The Theme:Certain themes are frequently found in fiction,such as loss
8、of innocence,pain of love,struggle of women for equality,generation conflict,clash between desire and conscience,search for ones cultural identity and the tension between idealism and reality.The Story:The Discus Throwerby Richard Selzer Judith Ramsay:With his deftness of style,his imaginative use o
9、f medical ans surgical materials,and his clear narrative talent,Rechard Selzer creates a metaphor for medicine which has all the strange,crude honesty that gives his writing its power.Critic David Johnson:l“How can we face death if we are still alive?”l“How can death inform life if death has not bee
10、n reached?”Questions for Discussion:lWhat impression do you get of the patient from the description given in the story?lList the abnormal behaviors of the patient.What do we understand his abnormality?lRead carefully the paragraph about plate-throwing(lines 73-77).Why does the writer give such detai
11、led description of it?What is your interpretation of this rather abnormal behavior?lWhy does the writer choose“The Discus Thrower”as the title?Is it coincidence that the short story has the same title as the famous Greek sculpture Discobolus(Discus Thrower)?Discobolus英语短篇小说教程英语短篇小说教程Short Stories in
12、 English:A Reading CourseUnit FourThe Character and CharacterizationReading:“Mr.Know-All”by Somerset Maugham The Character:Originally refers to a person who typifies some definite quality,but now is more generalized to refer to any person in a creative writing.The Character and Other Literary Terms:
13、character hero and heroine anti-heroprotagonist/main characterantagonist foilThe anti-herolThe anti-hero is a fictional character occupying a central position in the plot but possessing qualities antithetical to those of the traditional hero.lThe anti-hero is not simply a failed hero but a social mi
14、sfit,graceless,weak,and often comic,the embodiment of ineptitude and bad luck in a world apparently made for others.The Character:A round character:usually has more than one quality,and grows in the course of the story development,as he reacts to events and to other characters.A flat character:is co
15、nstructed around a single idea or quality.Such a character does not develop in the course of narration and is easily recognized and remembered.A foil:is a supporting character whose role in the story is to highlight the protagonist by presenting a comparison or a contrast to him.A static or dynamic
16、character:A flat or round character is also referred to as a static or dynamic character.lA static character is one who changes little if at all.Things happen to such a character without things happening within.lA dynamic character,on the other hand,is one who is modified by actions and experiences,
17、and one objective of the work in which the character appears is to reveal the consequences of these actions.Individualized and type characters:Individualized characters are ones endowed with traits that mark them as individuals,as opposed to type characters.Individualized characters belong,generally
18、 speaking,to realism,as opposed to the type characters of romanticism.Characterization:Characterization is the creation of imaginary characters so that they exist for the reader as lifelike persons.Characterization:direct and indirect presentation There are two basic types of textual indicators of c
19、haracter:lThe direct presentation names the character trait or sums it up,such as“hes utterly selfish”or“he loves only himself.”lThe indirect presentation,on the other hand,does not mention the trait but display and exemplifies it in various ways,leaving the reader the task of inferring the quality
20、they imply.The common methods of indirect presentation:lthe act and speech in the form of behavior and conversation;lthe activity of mind in musing,meditation,self-debating or interior monologue;lthe external appearance,such as a crooked face indicating a crooked mind,or a dirty and disorderly room
21、connoting the characters state of confusion.Preference for indirect methodlIn an individualistic and relative period like our own,generalization and classification of characters/people are less tolerated.When suggestiveness and indeterminacy are preferred to closure and definitiveness and when empha
22、sis is put on the active role of the reader,the explicitness and guiding capacity of direct definition are often considered drawbacks rather than advantages.Characterization,the direct methodsample 1:He was certain that you were as glad to see him as he was to see you.In your own house you might hav
23、e kicked him downstairs and slammed the door in his face without the suspicion dawning on him that he was not a welcome visitor.He was a good mixer,and in three days knew everyone on board.He ran everything.(Somerset Maugham,“Mr.Know-All,”lines 87-91)Characterization,the indirect methodSample 2:“Do
24、you like card tricks?”“No,I hate card tricks,”I answered.“Well,Ill just show you this one.”He showed me three.Then I said I would go down to the dining room and get my seat at table.“Oh,thats all right,”he said.“Ive already taken a seat for you.I thought that as we were in the same stateroom we migh
25、t just as well sit at the same table.”(Somerset Maugham,“Mr.Know-All,”lines 77-83)Reading Tip:The story is set in the declining years of the British colonialism.Many people in the British colonies,or in America,the former colony,would call themselves“English people,”regarding themselves as members o
26、f the glorious British Empire.But those“Colonial English”would not be highly regarded by some“real”English who held the attitude of racial or national superiority.The Story :Somerset Maugh:Mr.Know-All Questions for Discussion:lSummarize the four main characters:the narrator,Mr.Kelada,Mr.and Mrs.Rams
27、ay.lWhat are the undesirable qualities of Mr.Kelada according to the narrator?Find them out in the text and list them.Are they good proof that Mr.Kelada is an unworthy person?lWe have been given enough hints about the true value of the necklace and the possible story behind it.Can you find them?lWhy
28、 did the narrator say by the end of the story“I did not entirely dislike Mr.Kelada”?The four main characters:lthe narrator,a reserved,polite yet prejudiced Englishman;lMr.Kelada,an over-zealous,talkative yet kind-natured colonial;lMr.Ramsay,an overbearing,unpleasant and insensitive American;lMrs.Ramsay,a modest yet helpless lady who had fooled her husband.
