Characterization

By Molly Frazier

Even though Mr. Stutts has already given a lecture on characterization and its methods and the different types of characters, I always find it helpful to have a lecture summarized in a paragraph or so, as opposed to merely having jotted notes. Hope that this proves useful to the rest of the class!

Characterization, as defined by dictionary.com, is “1. portrayal or description; 2. the act of characterizing; and 3. the creation and convincing representation of fictitious characters.” And as defined by Mr. Stutts, characterization is “The techniques used by the writer to portray the people (characters) in a story.” There are many different ways of going about characterizing one’s characters. The author can use description to help give the reader a clear view (literally) of what the character is like by describing the character’s personal appearance, their actions (a few adverbs never hurt anyone), and their personality. Dialogue also serves to help characterize, especially since dialogue carries the action of the story and the action can have direct or indirect influences upon the character and how they develop (or don’t develop) throughout the story. Interior monologue also serves to develop the character and reveal things to the reader, especially since interior monologues are given by the characters themselves, in first person perspective. Interior monologues can reveal epiphanies that a character has, or merely show how a thought process can change over the character’s conversation with themselves. And it may very well turn out that the author doesn’t want to develop a character past their creation. There are several different types of characters, including dynamic/kinetic, static, and stock. A dynamic character undergoes a change over the course of the story, whereas a static character doesn’t change at all. A certain type of static character is the stock character, which might also be recognized as cliché, since they are easily recognizable in any type of story.

Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”

By Bailey Hill

Kate Chopin wastes no words in her short story “The Storm.” Chopin paints the picture of a vicious and unexpected storm striking a town. This storm occurs simultaneously with and acts as an impetus for an unanticipated and brief affair. Concerned about being caught in the storm, Alcee Laballiere stops at the nearest house which happens to belong to Calixta. Since Calixta’s son and husband are stuck in town at a store getting ingredients for dinner, she hesitates to let Alcee in. However, she does invite him to seek shelter with in her home. They observe the beginning of the hurricane together, and in the midst of a frightening moment, the embrace each other. Though they immediately separate, Alcee cannot resist her. In accordance with the storm, their affair plays out. The story describes the white of Calixta’s breast and throat. At the same time, the clarity of the rain is espoused suggesting a correlation with the purity of both symbols.

This story speaks to people’s deepest desires. Both Calixta and Alcee have children and are happily married. However, given the chance they jump into each other’s arms. Perhaps Kate Chopin intends for this story to be a comment on human curiosity. Though a person may lead a life of satisfaction and contentment, given the chance they will want to experience something they missed. There will always be a part of us that will crave what could be. Calixta and Alcee engage in a brief affair; they satisfy their curiosity and move on with their lives. Both of them, in the aftermath of their indiscretion, make an attempt to reassure their mate of their faithfulness.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. “The Storm.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Comp. Robert Diyanni. New York: McGraw, 1994. 141-44. Print.

Flash Fiction

By Seth Warner

For those of you who are taking Creative Writing: Fiction this semester and are struggling to reach the 2000 word minimum for your short stories, know that there are other creative writing options out there that don’t require quite as many words.  Although many would argue that 3000 words is a more ideal short story minimum length and that 2000 words is, perhaps, still not enough, there are some writers who prefer to write stories with word counts that fall below even that of the 2000 word mark.  These writers write what is commonly referred to as flash fiction.

While the actual word count range of flash fiction is often debated, the typical accepted range is from 250-750 words—just enough to grab the reader and jostle him/her around before letting go.  Flash fiction writers explain that their works have all of the elements of a short story; the elements are only condensed.  Too few words you say? Well, know that there are sub-categories of fiction writing that contain stories shorter even than those of flash fiction.  One of these sub categories, called Hint Fiction, is gaining popularity.  With an ideal word count of 25 words or fewer, the philosophy behind hint fiction is to hint at a story, letting the story speak for itself and forcing the reader to fill in the details.

Here’s an example:

Trust
by Don Lee

At the Party, he tells her he’s a painter, meaning of houses.  She misunderstands, assumes he’s an artist.  Harmless, he thinks.

According to Robert Swartwood, editor of Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Word or Fewer, “Hint Fiction should not be complete by having a beginning, middle, and end. Instead it should be complete by standing by itself as its own little world.”  With this suggestion, we begin to ponder how short a work of fiction can be while still continuing to appease the reader.  Can anyone be called a writer if stories this brief are valid?  Robert Swartwood believes that “the length of a story does not determine the credentials of a writer.” While I agree with Swartwood, I would like to know what you think.

Works Cited

Startwood, Robert. Introduction. Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer. New York: Norton, 2011. 21-30. Print.

Lee, Don. “Trust.” Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer. Ed. Robert Startwood. New York: Norton, 2011. 87. Print.

Henry, Laurie. “Flash Fiction.” The Fiction Dictionary. Ed. Lois Rosenthal. Cincinnati, OH: Story Press, 1995. 111-112. Print.

Analysis of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Case of Identity”

By David Mruz

“A Case of Identity” is the third story in Doyle’s anthology Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  It uses a simple formula for a mystery that still instills a thrill among readers to seek a solution to the case.  The story is introduced, as many of the Holmes’ stories begin, with a discourse between Holmes and Watson. A debate between Watson and Holmes on whether real life can be considered eccentric or dull in comparison to the written tales of authors serves as an introduction to the mystery.  Holmes takes the former view of life while Watson believes the latter.  Holmes believes that the case presented by the client whom he is expecting would convince Watson of life’s eccentricities. The client, a nearsighted woman, is seeking Holmes talents to locate her missing fiancée.  The clues are brought forward at this point, including the missing person’s appearance, the missing person’s typewritten signature, and the client’s remarkable inheritance.  An alert reader can use these clues to draw up answers to the questions who, how, and why respectively.   With this evidence brought forth, a conclusion can be drawn up by the reader.  This is necessary in any mystery as the continual piecing together of clues and the asking of questions by the readers keeps them engaged in the story.  The literary element that also adds to the light-hearted yet intellectual tone of this Sherlock Holmes story is that, according to Holmes and Watson’s perspective, the existence of the case affirms Holmes theory that reality is more unusual than fiction.  However, as a reader, we can be amused by the story as such cases of false identity do not occur often in reality, thus favoring Watson’s theory in comparing the eccentricities of literature and reality.

 Works Cited

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan.  “A Case of Identity.” 1891. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 1. Ed. George Stade. New York:  Barnes and Noble Classics, 2003. 225-238. Print

A Writer’s Autobiography

By Cameren Jones

I started writing poetry in the 5th grade after my teacher gave us an assignment to write about what made us different.  I also had a wild imagination and found writing was an outlet for my vivid thoughts that paints my mind different hues of unique.  I continued writing over the years and then another opportunity came for me to read my poetry aloud in class in the 9th grade.  Of course I was nervous because I definitely don’t fit the description of a writer or someone that expresses their emotions in such an articulate manner.  However, when I read aloud in class I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my chest and that’s when I realized I need to get more involved.  I was influenced a lot by Tupac, Langston Hughes, various music artist, and Edgar Allen Poe.  Tupac and Poe connected with me the most because they both had lived rough lives just as I had and I felt a strong connection with their writing styles.  Once I knew my writing style for sure I began to put everything I felt on paper and it just flowed as if it had been waiting to come out for some time.  I then began to do poetry competitions.  My first was at the peace center in which I was chosen out of all of S.C to compete against the final 5.  I was only in the 10th grade and my competition was all college students.  I felt so many different emotions but when it came time to perform I truly felt at home on the stage.  That was my first slam win and I was ranked #1 youth poet in S.C.  From there I went on to do many more competitions and even went to nationals my senior year and took 3 place in the nation among all ages of poets.

Self-Reflection as a Writer

By Leah Mayo

I have always been a writer, even at a young age. My parents noticed this, and so would give me journals to write in. But I could never keep a diary, no matter how many times I tried. I would much rather create my own world than write about my current one. I wrote my first story in fourth grade. A school assignment, we were to write an ending paragraph to a story about a woman and her seeing-eye dog, Ursula. I went over the top and created an entirely different story based on the characters, which I placed officially in a blue folder and included a title page and illustrations. I felt as if I’d published my first book.

From the stories of Ursula I moved on to poetry, beginning with strict stanzas and a rhyme scheme and eventually graduating to a more modern, freer verse. My second book was a combined collection of poems my best friend and I had written, some together, and was in a red folder. The poems were extremely dramatic and about subjects that we, as fifth graders, knew nothing about: love and pain and suffering. We were the most proud of our opening poem, Chained to Tears, which we had written together and stuffed with the most depressing and deliciously heartbroken adjectives and adverbs we could think of.

Although my early works are a bit embarrassing to me now, I envy the ease with which they were written. I hope to find that magic again and have the inspiration to write stories and poems with as much vigor as I did then. I’ve slowed down and I hope to find another Ursula, another prompt that will point me in a direction that I can take at full sprint.

Apostrophe

By Rachel Miles

All right, in fiction, a literary device known as an “apostrophe” (which is very different that the punctuation mark) is used to directly address “a person, an abstract concept, or an important object.” This is different than an authorial intrusion, where the author directly addresses the narrator (Williams). Apostrophes show something about the narrator, that the audience either did not know before or did not see as clearly.

John Hollander (Rhyme’s Reason: A Guide to English Verse. Yale UP, 1989) uses the technique of apostrophe to define apostrophes as well as show how they are used:

Apostrophe! we thus address
More things than I should care to guess.
Apostrophe! I did invoke
Your figure even as I spoke.

By doing this, he personifies “Apostrophe,” giving it a figure as well as adding a layer of mystery to it. I think this is a great example of an apostrophe because Hollander demonstrates how apostrophes express a multitude of feelings and emotions by addressing an abstract topic (Nordquist).

For instance, in the song “Blue Moon,” written by Lorenz Hart, the singer is expressing their feelings of loneliness and abandonment. By addressing the “Blue Moon” the singer conveys in a few words how sad it is to not have a dream or a love that he or she can call their own and how lost he or she is feeling.

Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own.

Apostrophes are often used when no one else is there for the narrator to address; since no one else is there, the narrator’s emotions can be truly revealed to the audience. For instance, I seriously doubt that the narrator in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) would have said this quote in front of other people; they would probably think he is suicidal.

Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me; if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as nought; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness.

So, apostrophes are mostly used to convey deep emotions or reveal something about the character who is apostrophizing. Therefore, apostrophes are addressed to another person who is not there, some concept, or an object that is important.

Works Cited

Nordquist, Richard. “Apostrophe (figure of speech).” About.com Grammar & Composition. About.com, n.d. Web. 24 Jan 2012.

Williams, Lind. “Apostrophe.” Literary Terms. Cyber English, 2008. Web. 24 Jan 2012.

“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway

By Lance Putnam

It is Ernest Hemingway’s use of detail, symbolism, and dialogue that brings us into a somber conversation between a couple and presents us with a life changing decision in his short story, “Hills Like White Elephants.” At the beginning of the story we are given a brief description of the setting, in Spain at a train station, and are quickly led into the dialogue between a young man and woman. Hemingway’s use of voice and language makes the situation more realistic and also makes the notion of the distance in their relationship, mainly due to the choppy, compressed sentences of yes and no’s. The short sentences in the lengthy dialogues allow for the parts to be easily read, quickly drawing the reader in, but as to what exactly the couple is having a discussion about is not told to us upfront. It is through the symbolism in the story that the reader must interpret the subject of their discussion- abortion. On one side of the station is a dry land, and on the other, a land of trees and a river, this symbolizing her pregnant state and the conflicting states of being fertile and barren. The train station in itself is also a symbol, giving that idea that a train can either go in one of two ways, each leading in a completely different direction, just like the contemplations of having an abortion. And while not as subtle, the mentioning of the couples drinking of the beer, their use of the word “it” throughout, and the constant acknowledgement of their love and lifestyle of travel. Through Hemingway’s writings and usage of simple words and sentences, he brings us into a thought-provoking story about a controversial topic, especially for the time the story was written in. In the end though, we are still left to determine for ourselves what the couple’s decision was.

Works Cited

Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” 1927. Scribd. Aug. 2007. Web. 20 Jan. 2012.

“Gurov in Manhattan” by Ehud Havazelet

By Jada Suber

This week’s BASS reading was written by Ehud Havazelet and entitled “Gurov in Manhattan.” After reading the title, I had no clue what to expect considering that I had never heard of the word “Gurov.” The main overview of the story was about a man who had once fallen in love and lost her in her quest to follow her dreams. After she left, he picked up an interest in another woman, younger than he, and was torn between pursuing her and leaving her alone. Though he liked her, he didn’t want to be a factor in deterring her from her dreams.

Overall, the story was interesting. I enjoyed Havazelet’s writing style and his use of description. Though it was a little confusing, I thought that the links in the story that related the characters to other characters in other works of literature was rather clever considering the literary background of the main character, Sokolov who was a lecturer in Russian literature. I think it was a great way to characterize Sokolov throughout the entire story.

I could not tell if I favored the ending of the story. It left with a lot of questions, the main one being: did Sokolov go after Amity in the end? If he didn’t it would make sense that he grew as a character and understood that if he liked Amity as much as he thought, then he would let her live her young life. If he did go after her, I think that he believed he deserved as much happiness as anyone else. Needless to say, I believe that either outcome could be looked on in a positive manner.

Epiphanies

By Paul Rice

An epiphany is a sudden awakening or understanding of something in a story which changes the characters view of themselves or of something else in the story. Oftentimes, epiphanies serve as catalysts for new actions.  The term was made popular by James Joyce, but this technique has been used by others, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne. In Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” there are two instances of epiphany which dramatically change the character’s view and move the plot along.

In the first, the main character realizes that the woman he loves is imbued with a poison, and thus, he begins to distrust her, and likens her character to the poison that is in her veins. He is also given a phial of antidote, and with this new knowledge, he begins to conceive of a plan in which the woman must drink from the phial. Thus, the character gains a greater understanding, and changes his actions and views.

In the second epiphany, which occurs soon after the first, the main character realizes that he is as poisonous as the woman. With this realization comes the knowledge that he has been the subject of an experiment by Rappaccini, and introduces complexities into his previous decision regarding the phial. In the end, this latest epiphany puts him on the path to try and drink from the phial with the woman. So, a new understanding has been reached, and views and actions have been affected by that understanding. Epiphanies form major turning points in literature, and have been used extensively to give the main character a greater understanding and move the plot.