nterpretation of Fiction

The theme is the core of meaning in the story. If we 'dive' under the surface of the story and find what we believe is the writer's real intention, we are probably getting close to the theme. Whenever we are to interpret a piece of text, we must read it carefully and then ask ourselves - What is this really about? What is the author's real intention with this text? Does the text have any general message, a 'deeper' meaning, indicating something 'beyond'?

The novel 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell may just be read as an exciting story about some animals taking over a farm. Period! If you, however, start asking the questions mentioned above, you are trying to find the theme of the novel. This might give answers like: Animal Farm is the description and criticism of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and how political ideals collapse, giving way to tyranny, written by a disillusioned Socialist. Animal Farm is about revolutions in general + the broken promises, etc. mentioned above. The theme of Animal Farm is to show how absolute power eventually corrupts people. Etc. etc.

In your search for the theme you should try to make an approach through the main plot. 

In Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' the plot is the growing conflict between the children on the abandoned island with the Third World War as a kind of background. It is easily understood that Golding wants to tell the reader something more than just an exciting story about some kids on an island. Perhaps this story is really about more general and serious aspects of human life? Could it be a story about the dark sides of human minds, and the struggle between good and evil forces within every one of us?

Please, do remember one very important thing! Every reader has the right to suggest and defend his/her own personal theme. There doesn't exist any key answer to the question about the theme. The really important thing is that you are able to find support for your suggestion throughout the story/poem. Don't worry, be happy, and think about the process of interpretation as a kind of intellectual crossword. Then it will prove to be both interesting and rewarding.

The setting of a narrative or a dramatic work is the general locale and the historical time, the place and time, in which it occurs. In short: Where and When the story takes place.

The general setting of Macbeth, for example, is medieval Scotland, and the setting for the scene in which Macbeth comes upon the witches is a blasted heath. Setting may have implications, a hidden (symbolic) meaning, for example:

Space

limited: person's thoughts are directed inwards; feeling of being restricted, dependent on others or isolated from social en­rollment;

largely unlimited: person's thoughts and feelings are directed outwards, towards others; feeling of being free, independent, able to decide one's own fate course of action

Season, time of day

spring, summer, daytime: person's state of mind more optimistic, perceptive, future-orientated;

autumn, winter, night: person more pessimistic, thoughtful, depressed, past-orientated

Weather

stormy, high winds: restlessness, excitement, sometimes uncontrolled or even wild emotions; foggy, cloudy: unclear, unfocused thoughts and feelings; uncertainty, sense of being endangered or threatened; cool, rainy: cold, lacking in feeling or emotion; reserved; little interest in others; snow, ice: isolated from others; incapable of developing human relationships; sunny, dry: happy, relaxed, warm-hearted, understanding,

1. Who do you think is (are) the central character(s) ?

2. Do any of the characters function as a contrast to another ?

3. Are the characters mainly static ones, or do they develop significantly?

How are the characters revealed to us? How do we 'know' and 'understand' the characters?

- through the author's statement. That is the case of direct characterisation

Examples of Indirect characterization:

- By their own speech

-Through the reactions of other characters - By their own actions

- By revelations of their own thoughts and feelings (introspection, i.e. the examination of a character's own thoughts), interior monologue, stream-of consciousness.

- Through description of externals (e.g. their physical appearance). - Through symbolic elements like meaningful names and physical characteristics, setting, etc.

Other characters may act as extras

The chief character of a work is called the protagonist or hero, and if pitted against an important opponent, that character is called an antagonist. Hamlet is the protagonist, and King Claudius is the antagonist in Shakespeare's play, and the relation between them is one of conflict, thereby constituting a plot. In addition to the conflict between individuals, there may be the conflict of a protagonist against fate, or against the circumstances that stand between him and a goal he has set himself; and in some works, the conflict is between opposing desires or values in a character's own mind. When discussing the main plot of Animal Farm, one should consider seven main turning-points: The Rebellion; The Battle of the Cowshed; The mock confessions and mock trials of Napoleon; The Battle of the Windmill; The betrayal of Boxer; The party at the end

Subplots are sequences of events that are more or less distinct from the main plot. Plot curve is the rising/falling pattern of the plot(s). Indicating plot curves will enable you to keep the main line(s) of development in focus throughout a long novel, as well as simplifying your analysis of structure.

Plot development :

• Exposition - an outline of characters and setting, preparing you for the conflict

• Complication - the building up of the conflict, rising tension.

• Climax - the highest point of tension, the event(s) where the fate of the characters and the outcome of the story are decided

• Denouement - the resolution, the playing-out of the action, finishing the story off by showing the consequences of the climax for the main characters.

Beware of the fact that you don't always find all the ingredients in the 'receipe' above. Some stories might for example start in medias res and are therefore without any exposition.

Glossary:

In general - The position from which something is viewed (very often biased) Point of view refers to the way in which a narrator approaches his material (characters, action, setting, etc.) and his audience. The writer’s choice of point of view is extremely important, as it to a large extent actually decides how the reader is to experience and comprehend the characters, action, etc. These are the most used points of view:

• First-person-central: The central character tells the story in the I-form (in this case the narrator is either reliable or unreliable)

• First-person-peripherial: One of the minor characters tells the story in the I-form

• Third-person-limited: The author refers to all characters in the third person, and we enter the mind(s) of only one or a few of the characters

• Third-person-omniscient: Here we enter the minds of all the important characters (in the 3rd person)

• Third-person-objective: Here we are not allowed to enter into the minds of any of the characters; as in drama we see the characters and events from the outside and must infer thoughts and feelings on the basis of these facts alone

Useful questions you may ask to find the right point of view: Who speaks?

If (a), does the narrator address the reader and comment on events (intrusive narrator) or does he observe impartially and without intruding his opinions? Does he just 'tell' the story or 'show it', letting events speak for themselves? (3rd pers. objective) Does the narrator limit or focus knowledge through any particular character or characters (limited point of view)?

By the term 'style' in fiction, we mean the author's manner of using language. When concidering the 'style' we might check:

• Vocabulary and idiom (common/idiosyncratic (way of thinking or behaving that is peculiar to a person or group), dialect, technical terms, abstract/concrete words)

• Parts of speech (a high relative frequency of: 

• - nouns -> formal, archaic, solemn, stiff  - verbs -> lively, filled with action 

• - adjectives -> decorated, descriptive, emotional (the 'painting')

• Sentence structure Does the author use a lot of subordinate clauses (hypotaxis -> often more difficult to read, formal, sophisticated, not widely used in speech), or does he avoid this, relying instead on the use of main clauses (parataxis ->easily comprehended, informal, concrete, widely used in common speech)?

• Figures of speech (the use of similes, metaphors, paradox, irony, rhetorical questions, etc.)

You should also try to determine how consistently an author uses one kind of style throughout one book or short story.

This term is used to indicate the author's emotional attitude as presented in the story. It may be ironic, romantic, mysterious, impassioned, serious, etc. 

The most serious mistake that you can make is simply to paraphrase the plot of the text, which means that you are just 'retelling' the story in your own words. This is never what you are expected to do at university level. What we are interested in is interpretation and discussion of different aspects of the work. If you are supposed to discuss the theme of the story, your analysis must focus on the aspects of the story which obviously have to do about that. You should then refer to the text (and what happens there) to exemplify and prove your arguments. It is really undesirable to suggest any pattern for the interpretation of literature! If you, however, feel a bit inexperienced, you might try to discuss the story you are supposed to interpret in this way:

• Introduction - A short presentation of the author, etc

• Presentation of the story. A kind of brief 'surface-level' outline. No hints to thematic aspects at all.

• Setting

• Plot

• Theme

• Point of View + Character

• Style + Tone

• Conclusion - Perhaps some personal and/or general reflections as to the relevance of the theme