Starter task: Rank these people by how likely you are to believe their stories. (1- most believable, 5- least believable).

Make sure you can justify your opinions purely based on what you can see/ know about their characters.

Look at these 5 pictures. Imagine

they are telling you a story.

a) b) c)

d) e)

Sixth form LangLit.

Key term- Narrative Voice and Viewpoint.

Y12- My expectations

• Independence- email me for work. Let me know if your finding work difficult/ unchallenging. Bring me in draft work of assignments.

• Turn up!- if you can’t turn up, make sure you chase me up for PowerPoints/ worksheets.

• Develop your own interests- find out what ‘type’ of texts you enjoy reading (including media), watch films (especially remakes of literature pieces).

Learning Objectives

ALL: Will become acquainted with and understand a range of narrative techniques.

MOST: Will analyse what characteristics of the narrator make them reliable/unreliable.

SOME: Will apply this knowledge in order to craft our own unreliable narrative voice.

AS Unit: Changing Texts•Coursework = 40% of AS

The focus of this unit is on MULTIMODAL texts, e.g. texts that combine different modes of communication (speech, writing, sound, image) to create meaning.

You will be asked to produce a folder of coursework consisting of 2 written pieces (folder length = 3000 words max.)

You will begin this unit by studying Wuthering Heights. You will consider how this text could be changed into a different mode.

AS Unit: Changing Texts• You will eventually watch a remake of ‘Wuthering

Heights’ (‘Sparkhouse’) which is a modern multimodal version of the text produced for television.

• Task 1: you will write an essay comparing the two versions, explaining how the multi modal version has been achieved and evaluating how successfully it has been adapted.

• The whole project can be no more than 3000 words altogether and must be completed by Easter.

• You will eventually watch a remake of ‘Wuthering Heights’ (‘Sparkhouse’) which is a modern multimodal version of the text produced for television.

• Task 2: you will create your own multi modal text based on ‘Wuthering Heights’. This can be any version that uses modes other than just words to put across the themes, and should be for a different purpose and audience than the original.

• The whole project can be no more than 3000 words altogether and must be completed by Easter.

AS Unit: Changing Texts

A few examples of multi modal remakes you might do: - illustrated book for children, - website, - article with illustrations, - e-book or power point presentation, - illustrated diary, - advertising materials, blog, - script for film version with clear directions for camera

and screen shots (or you can film it yourself!).

AS Unit: Changing Texts

Think outside of the box with this coursework. The more creative you are, the more marks you are likely to get!

NARRATOR

Narrative Voice and Viewpoint

– A teller of a story.

DO NOT CONFUSE THE NARRATOR WITH THE AUTHOR!They are usually different people with differing views. The

narrator is a character an author takes time to create- so explore why he/she has created them!

What is a narrator?

AUTHORCHARACTERS/ EVENTS IN THE

STORY

through the eyes

of the

talks about

ALWAYS QUESTION A NARRATOR!

• More often than not, the narrators are characters in their own right, with their own biased views/ flaws etc.

• There are of course cases that narrators are more reliable… especially third person omniscient (we will come back to this).

Interpreting narrators…

What makes a narrator unreliable?TASK: Make a quick brainstorm:

What characteristics make a narrator reliable/unreliable?

Important characteristics of

a narrator.

ProfessionPersonality

Age

BiasesSocial Class

Religious viewsWhen/ where they live

Mental state

The time between events and the story being told

Point of view (third person/first person).

Reliable/ unreliable narrators

• On your worksheet, read the quotations from various famous novels/films.

• Consider whether the quotation makes us as readers put more trust in/ become more suspicious of the storytellers.

– Remember- justify your opinion. Why does the narrator seem reliable/ unreliable?

Reliable/ unreliable narrators

• On your worksheet, read the quotations from various famous novels/films.

• Consider whether the quotation makes us as readers put more trust in/ become more suspicious of the storytellers.

– Remember- justify your opinion. Why does the narrator seem reliable/ unreliable?

• First person: “I”- usually very unreliable, as a result of the narrator providing their opinions/ biases.

• Second person: “you”- directly talking to the reader.• Third person:– Objective: Where the narrator knows none of the

characters thoughts and feelings.– Limited: Where the narrator only knows the thoughts

and feelings of one character.– Omniscient: Where the narrator appears to know the

thoughts and feelings of each character.

Different points of view.

TASK: USE THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS TO COMPLETE THE WORKSHEET ON NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVES (POINTS OF VIEW)

Shifting perspectives (points of view)

• We are going to read an extract from As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.

• This book follows the journey of a family who move their recently dead mother to her place of burial across America.

• As we read, try to work out the narrative perspective this story is coming from. Is it reliable/ unreliable? This is a modernist text; we will look at this term at a later date!

1. What is interesting about the narrative of this novel? Considering that this book uses a shifting perspective, try to write a definition for this technique.

2. Do you think the narrative is an example of a reliable/ unreliable narrator? What is about their situation that makes you think this?

3. ‘So what?’ consider why the author uses an unreliable narrator. What effect does this have on stories? What does it force the reader of the stories to do.

Shifting perspectives (points of view)

• A constant changing of narrators/points of view.

• A simple way of remember what shifting perspective is thinking of trends on Twitter.

• When clicking on a searchtrend, you will immediatelysee thousands of people’spoints of view/opinionson the same story.

Shifting perspectives (points of view)

• It is important that you develop your ability to creatively write this year.

• TASK: Write a piece, using a shifting perspective (and a number of unreliable/opinionated narrators), about one event that occurred over the summer.

• This could be a national news event (transfer deadline day/ Miley Cyrus’s MTV dancing/ Syria) or a personal experience.

Shifting perspectives (points of view)

BE CREATIVE AND AMBITOUS: EXPERIMENT WITH LANGUAGE AND STRUCTURE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

• Have you used:

• First person perspective?• A number of narrators- shifting perspective?• Narrators who are unreliable (hopefully for

differing reasons)?• Experimental language/ language techniques?

Self assessment- learning check

Learning Objectives

ALL: Will become acquainted with and understand a range of narrative techniques.

MOST: Will analyse what characteristics of the narrator make them reliable/unreliable.

SOME: Will apply this knowledge in order to craft our own unreliable narrative voice.

Narrative Voice and Viewpoint

Key terms:• Unreliable narrator– A narrator who has a characteristic(s) that makes the

reader question the authenticity of their story.• Omniscient narrator– A narrator (usually third person) who appears to know

everything, including the thoughts and emotions of multiple characters.

• Shifting perspective– A constant changing of narrators/points of view.

Independent workWe now need to start gaining a wider knowledge of literary

movements.

You should research the two terms: -Romanticism-Modernism.

Try to work out the differences between the two and establish what the main beliefs of Romanticists/ Modernists are.

Keep a note of this URL: http://madeley12langlit.edublogs.org