textual strategies for promoting deep reading in...
TRANSCRIPT
Textual Strategies for Promoting Deep Reading in Adolescents
by
Michelle McRae B.A (Hons) Dip. Ed.
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Deakin University
September, 2017
Acknowledgement
It has been a privilege to spend the past three years immersing myself in the world of literature, creative writing, and research. That I count this time a privilege and not a trial is
due to the guidance and support of Dr Leonie Rutherford.
Abstract DeepReading,unlikehabitualreading,requiresconcentratedthoughttobebroughttothereadingprocess.BothhigherorderthinkingskillsandcognitiveTheoryofMind(ToM)aredevelopedthroughdeepreading.Despitethesebenefits,deepreadingskillsareindeclineamongstAustralianadolescentsnecessitatingfurtherresearchinthisarea.Iarguethatthetextualstrategiesusedwithinmodernisttextscanaidintheprovocationofdeepreadingwhenusedinwritingforteenagers.Acorrelationwasfoundbetweendeepreadingskills,asespousedbyMaryanneWolf,andtheeffectsofmodernisttextsontheirimpliedreader.TotestthisconnectionthelensofmodernismwasappliedtotheanalysisoftwocontemporaryAustralianyoungadulttexts,Somethingintheworldcalledlove(2008)bySueSaliba,andTouchingearthlightly(1996)byMargoLanagan.Drawingonmoderniststrategiessuchas;spatialform,unreliablenarration,withheldinformation,metaphorandthesubversionofnarrativetradition,anovel,ToMyOtherSelfwasthencrafted.Thenovelpurposedtobothdefamiliariseandraiseepistemologicalquestionsinthereader,therebyprovokingdeepreading.Toevaluatetheefficacyofthesetextualstrategiesthenovelwasgiventothreeteenagerswhokeptareadingjournaloftheircommentsastheyread.Theircommentswerethenanalysedtogiveinsightintothenatureofreadingandtheeffectsofthemodernisttechniquesused.Onthenatureofreading,itwasfoundthatcognitiveToMwasevidentindeepreadingandaffectiveToMinshallowreading,alsothatreadersarenothomogenous.Asformoderniststrategies,complexcharacters,spatialstructure,withheldinformation,andthedefamiliarisationofnarrativetraditionsallcontributedtoadeeperreadingexperience.Forliteracyspecialists,thisknowledgecouldpotentiallyimprovemethodsoftextrecommendation.Forliterarytheoriststhisresearchprovidesanalternativemethodologytowhatiscommonlyusedwithinthefieldofliterarystudiesforgatheringrealreaderresponses.Anawarenessofthesetextualstrategiesforwriterscanaidinthewritingofprovocativetextsforyoungpeople,whichmayincreasethecomplexityoftextsandpromptdeepreading.
TableofContents
Novel:ToMyOtherSelf Provided in hardcopy
Chapter1:Introduction.....................................................................................................1Aims...........................................................................................................................................1Outlineofexegesis.....................................................................................................................1Approachtoresearch.................................................................................................................2Preliminarydefinitions...............................................................................................................3Importanceofdeepreadingfordevelopmentaloutcomes.........................................................4Thelinkbetweenmodernismanddeepreading.........................................................................4CreativeArtefact:ToMyOtherSelf............................................................................................5ToMyOtherSelf–synopsis........................................................................................................5Researchcontribution................................................................................................................6
Chapter2:Theintersectionofdeepreadingandmodernism–aliteraturereview............8Whatisdeepreading?................................................................................................................8Howdoesdeepreadingdifferfromotherkindsofreading?.....................................................10Howdoesdeepreadingdevelop?.............................................................................................11Whyisdeepreadingimportant?..............................................................................................12Whatismodernism?................................................................................................................14Theeffectofmodernism..........................................................................................................15Textualfeaturesofmodernisttexts..........................................................................................15Defamiliarisationandmodernism............................................................................................16Thetextualstrategiesofmodernism........................................................................................18
Moralambiguity..........................................................................................................................18Unreliablenarration....................................................................................................................18Complexcharacters.....................................................................................................................19Dislocatedchronologyorspatialform........................................................................................20
Chapter3:Themultiplefacesofdefamiliarisationanditsroleinproducingdeepreading.........................................................................................................................................22
Somethingintheworldcalledlove...........................................................................................24Encouragingambiguitythroughunreliablenarration.................................................................25Encouragingambiguitythematically...........................................................................................27Encouragingambiguitythrough‘typographicaloddities’............................................................27Encouragingambiguitythroughbinaries.....................................................................................29Encouragingambiguitythroughmetaphor.................................................................................30
Touchingearthlightly...............................................................................................................32Theimpactofspatialform...........................................................................................................32Complexcharacterscreatedthroughtheuseofbinaries...........................................................34Reachingthethirdwayviametaphor.........................................................................................35
ToMyOtherSelf......................................................................................................................37Multipleperspectivesthroughtheuseofspatialform...............................................................37Theeffectofunreliablenarrationoninterpretation...................................................................38Theepistemologicalchallengeofwithheldinformation.............................................................41Defamiliarisationthroughmetaphor...........................................................................................41Thedefamiliarisationofnarrativetradition................................................................................43
Chapter4:Astudyofthreereaders:thenatureofreadingandhowatextcanalterthatreading............................................................................................................................46
Fieldworkdesign......................................................................................................................46
Method....................................................................................................................................48Analysis....................................................................................................................................49ThelinkbetweendeepandshallowreadingandcognitiveandaffectiveToM..............51Theindividualityofreaders......................................................................................................53TheInfluenceofthetextonreading.........................................................................................57
Complexcharacters.....................................................................................................................57Theeffectofspatialstructure.....................................................................................................60Theeffectofdefamiliarisingnarrativetraditions........................................................................61Theeffectofwithheldinformation.............................................................................................62
Chapter5:Conclusion......................................................................................................68
ListofReferences............................................................................................................73
Appendices.....................................................................................................................77Appendix1:Lettertoparticipants............................................................................................77Appendix2:Codesheet............................................................................................................78Appendix3:Spreadsheetofparticipants’comments................................................................81
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Chapter1:Introduction
Thisthesis,TextualStrategiesforPromotingDeepReadinginAdolescents,consistsofanovelandexegesis.Theprimaryquestionbeingaskedis:Canthetextualstrategiesutilisedinmodernisttextsprovokedeepreadingwhenusedinwritingforateenageaudience?Inordertoaddressthisquestiontheconceptsbothofdeepreadingandmodernismwereexaminedbeforebeingappliedtotheprocessofwritingandanalysis.Arisingfromthisresearchareinsightsinto:craftforwriters,theimportanceandrelevanceofdeepreadingforliteracyexperts,andalternateformsofmethodologyandanalysisforliterarytheorists.
AimsThisthesisaims:
- Toidentifystrategies,throughthestudyofmodernism,thatprovokedeepreading;
- Tocreateanovelthatwillincreasethecognitiveloadonthereader;- Toeffectivelygatherdatathatdisplaysreaders’thoughtsastheyread;- Togaininsightintothenatureofreading;- Toassesstheefficaciesofthestrategiesemployedinthecreationofthenovel.
OutlineofexegesisChapter1setsoutthewarrantforresearchclearlyarticulatingtheneedandgoalsoftheresearchaswellasintroducingthemainconceptsofeachchapter.Chapter2isacomprehensiveliteraturereviewwhichdefinesbothdeepreadingandmodernismanddetailshowtheirconceptsintersect.Thechapterthenturnstothetextualstrategiesimplicitinmodernismsuchasmoralambiguity,unreliablenarration,complexcharacters,subvertingnarrativetraditions,anddislocatedchronologyorspatialform.Thesehavetheeffectof
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defamiliarisingthereader,whichinturnprovokeshigherorderthinkingandincreasedcontemplation.Chapter3reflectsontheprocessofwritingthenovel.Itdrawsonboththeoryandotheryoungadultnovelstoexplainwhycertaindecisionsweremadeandtheeffectthesedecisionshadonboththetextandimpliedreader.Inparticular,thischapterfocusesonthedefamiliarisationeffectedthroughtheuseof:complexcharacters,metaphor,binaries,andunreliablenarration.Followingonfromthediscussionofthewritingprocess,chapter4outlinesthemethodologyemployedinthefieldwork,beforepresentingthefindingsfromthereaderjournals.Conclusionsaredrawnastothenatureofreadingandtheinfluenceofthetextuponreading.Chapter5concludesthisexegesiswithasummaryoftheprocess,themainfindings,therecommendationsthatcanbedrawnfromthefindings,andpossibleareasoffurtherresearch.Itconcludesbyclearlyarticulatinghowthisresearchprojectprovidesanoriginalandsignificantcontributiontothefieldsofliterarystudiesandwriting,withapplicationsalsoforliteracyspecialists.
Approachtoresearch
Therelationshipbetweendeepreadingandmodernismisscrutinisedinmultiplewaysthroughoutthisthesis.InChapter2,areviewoftheoreticalliteraturefoundcommonalitiesinthetheorybetweenthesetwofields,notingthetextualstrategiesofmodernismthatcouldproducedeepreading.Twoyoungadultnovelswereanalysedthroughthelensofmodernismtotheorisetheeffectsofmoderniststrategiesontheimpliedreader.Thesemodernisttextualstrategieswerethenutilisedinthecraftingofanovel,ToMyOtherSelf(TMOS)thataimedtoprovokedeepreading.Whileanalysissuggestedaresponsetothestrategiesemployeditwasimperativetotestmynovel’seffectonrealreaders.Thiswasachievedthroughfieldworkinwhichthreeteenagersreadthenovelandcompletedareadingjournal.Theircommentswerethen
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analysedtakingnoteofreactionstomoderniststrategiesandthetypeofreadingemployed.
Preliminarydefinitions
Readingatitsmostbasiclevelistheabilitytodecodewords.Asreadingskillsdevelop,however,italsoinvolvesinterpretation,extrapolation,andmeaningproduction.Whilethereisarangeofreadingskillsdevelopedthroughpracticethisthesisfocusesondeepreading,whichistheapplicationofconcentratedthoughttothereadingprocess.DeepReadinginvolvesinferring,deducing,analysingandreflectinguponthetext.ItisdeepreadingthatistestedinthehigherlevelsofthereadingliteracyassessmentdomainoftheProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA).PISAisaninternationalsurveyconductedeverythreeyearstotesttheskillsandknowledgeoffifteen-year-oldstudents.PISAdefinesreadingliteracyas,'understanding,using,reflectingonandengagingwithwrittentextsinordertoachieveone'sgoals,todevelopone'sknowledgeandpotential,andtoparticipateinsociety'(Thomson,DeBortoli&Underwood2017,p.96).PISAacknowledgesthatthisdefinitiongoesbeyonddecodingandliteralinterpretations.Whilethereismuchcontentionrelatedtostandardisedtesting,thePISAinstrumentclearlyarticulatesthemanyformsthatreadingcantakeandthecomponentsofhigherlevelreading.
ThesesamegoalsarereflectedintheAustralianCurriculumwherestudentsarerequiredto,‘analyseandevaluatehowpeople,cultures,places,events,objectsandconceptsarerepresentedintexts’(ACELY1749),‘identifyandanalyseimplicitorexplicitvalues,beliefsandassumptionsintexts’(ACELY1752)and‘compareandcontrastinformationwithinandbetweentexts,identifyingandanalysingembeddedperspectivesandevaluatingsupportingevidence’(ACELY1754)(AustralianCurriculum2017).Thisrequirementgoesbeyondbasiccomprehensiontoincludeanalysis,reflection,andanalogicalskills.
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Importanceofdeepreadingfordevelopmentaloutcomes
Accordingtothe2015PISAreadingscoresforfifteenyearolds,Australiawasslightlyaboveaverage,however,themeanscoreforAustraliahassteadilydeclinedsince2000(Thomson,DeBortoli&Underwood2017,p.95).ThistrendisofconcerninthelightoflongitudinalstudiessuchasSullivan's(2013)thatshowthelinkbetweenchildhoodreadingandsignificantcognitiveprogressbetweentheagesof10and16.Sullivan'sstudymeasuredcognitiveprogressbytestresultsintheareasofvocabulary,spellingandmathematics.DeepreadingisalsoimportantforthedevelopmentofTheoryofMind(ToM).ToMistheabilitytounderstandanotherperson'sactionsthroughthelensoftheirthoughts,beliefsandfeelings(Zunshine,2006,p.6).Apersonwithawell-developedToMisabletomakeinferencesastoanotherperson’sthoughts,emotionsandmotivations.AllfictionexercisesToMtoagreaterorlesserextent.Fictionisthestoryofotherpeople,creaturesorevents;howweimmerseourselvesinitisdependentonourToM.ThedevelopmentofdeepreadingskillsisimportantbothfortheliteracybenefitsandfortheaugmentationofToM.Currently,accordingtoPISAassessments,deepreadingskillsareindeclinewithinAustralia.Thisthesisconsiderstherolethatfictionaltextscanplayinencouragingdeepreading,andbyextensionaidinthedevelopmentofToMandhigherorderthinkingskills.
ThelinkbetweenmodernismanddeepreadingWhenthehigherorderthinkingskillsassociatedwithdeepreadingareconsideredalongsidethehistoryofliterarymovements,alinkwasidentifiedbetweenmodernistpracticesanddeepreading.Modernistwritingbegantoemergearound1910asareactiontothecommonliteraryconventionsthatwerefoundinVictoriannovels(Faulkner1977).Atthecruxofmodernismisanincreasedemphasisonepistemologicalquestions.Thesequestionsinducedbothbyformandcontentprovokehigherorderthinking.Inanalysingthetextualstrategiesinoperationwithinmodernisttextsasetoftechniquesemergethatcanbeusedinwritingaimedatadolescentstoprovokedeep
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reading.Thishasimplicationsforwriterswhoseektoproducetextsthatactivatedeepreading,andforliteracyspecialistsastheyidentifybooksthataremorelikelytocognitivelychallengereaderstherebydevelopingdeepreadingandhigherorderthinkingskills.
CreativeArtefact:ToMyOtherSelf
Thenovel,providedinhardcopy,waswrittenutilisingtextualstrategiesfoundinmodernisttexts.Thesestrategiesaimedtoincreasethecognitiveloadonthereaderbyraisingepistemologicalquestions,therebyprovokingdeepreading.Inparticular,thesestrategieswere:complexcharacters,aspatialstructure,unreliablenarration,defamiliarisationofnarrativetraditions,andwithheldinformation.
Theversionofthenovelprovidedtoexaminersistheversionprovidedtotheteenagereadersintheempiricalresearch.Thenovelhasnotbeenfurthereditedenablingtheexaminertoexperiencewhattheparticipantsreadandclearlyidentifywhatparticipantsreferredtointheircomments.
ToMyOtherSelf–synopsis
Toldinalternatingchapters,ToMyOtherSelfdetailsthelifeofColinMaloneyatsixteenandattwenty-one.Sixteen-year-oldColinhasplansforhisfutureandplanstogetagirlfriend,HannahWestwood.AstheirrelationshipprogressesColinbecomesincreasinglyobsessiveculminatinginhimpunchingHannah.Distraughtatdiscoveringthatheiscapableofsuchviolenceagainstsomeoneheloves,Colinattemptssuicide.
Meanwhile,twenty-oneyearoldColinisstrugglingtounderstandhowhislifewentdownthepathitdid.FiveyearsonColinisstilldealingwiththefalloutfromdecisionshemadeasasixteen-year-oldwhenheseesHannahWestwoodonanewsreport.Thenextdayhefindshimselfwithafour-year-oldsonhe
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neverknewexisted.Asthestoriesunfold,Colinmustcometotermswithwhoheis,thechoicesthathehasmade,andthechoicesthatcanstillbemadetoturnalifefromoneofsubsistencetooneofhope.
ToMyOtherSelfisastoryaboutperspectives.Itisabouthowweperceiveourselves,ourfuturesandourpast,andtherepercussionsofthis.Inthesameway,thetheoreticalresearchandfieldworkinterrogateshowreadersperceivelanguageandstoryandhowthisperceptioncanbemanipulatedthroughdefamiliarisationandambiguity.
ResearchcontributionLiterarystudiesandcriticism,literacyeducation,andcreativewritersallhaveastakeinthestrategiesofliteraryfiction,andinempoweringreadersbothtoengagewithfictionandtodeveloptheirdeepreadingskills.Withinliterarystudiesdiscourse,criticshaveanalysedmodernistfiction,andtheoristshaveconductedresearchintoreaders’responsesandmeaningcreationintheactofreading.Educatorshaveresearchedtheimportanceofdeepreadingforliteracydevelopment,whilelinguistshavebroughttheirdisciplinaryskillstobearonanunderstandingofthemechanicsofreading.Fromanotherangle,again,writerswithapassiontoextendthereadersofthefuturehaveastakeincraftingtextstoengageandchallengeyoungpeople.However,thisthesisisthefirsttoprogresstheseseveralfieldsbytheorisingandtestingtheeffectsofmodernistnarrativestrategiesonthedevelopmentofdeepreadingskillsinyoungadults.Itsresearchcontributioninvolvesthedevelopmentoftheory,itsapplicationtothewriter’scraftthroughthecreationofayoungadultnovel,andtherigoroustestingoftheorythroughempiricalevaluation.Themethodologybehindtheempiricalevaluationalsoaddstotheknowledgeandpracticeinliterarystudies.Currentlyempiricalresearchwithteenagereadersorlong-formfictionisrarelyused.Thisthesisutilisesbothanentirenovelandrequiredtheproductionofreadingjournalsbythreeteenagereaders.Thereaderjournalsprovideanalternatemethodofdatacollectionto
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thesurveys,onlinereaderforums,interviews,focusgroups,andmedicalteststhatareoftenusedinliterarystudies.
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Chapter2:Theintersectionofdeepreadingandmodernism–aliteraturereview
Theaimofthisresearchprojectistoidentifythetextualstrategiesthatcanprovokedeepreadinginteenagers.IbeginwiththeconceptofdeepreadingasarticulatedbyMaryanneWolf(2009).Thethinkingskillsactiveindeepreadinginthefieldoflinguisticsandliteracyeducationcorrespondtothoseencouragedinmodernistwriting.Thisledmetoexplorethekeyfeaturesofmodernismandtheeffectsofthesefeaturesonthereader.Thesefeaturesprovidedatoolkittoplaywithinthewritingofthenovel.Modernisttextsraiseepistemologicalquestions(McHale1987,p.9).Thesequestionshaveadefamiliarisingeffectonthereader.Thisdefamiliarisingeffectisenabledinthetextthroughunreliablenarration,complexcharacters,lackofamoralcentre,andaspatialratherthanchronologicalapproachtotime.
Whatisdeepreading?
DeepreadingskillshavebeenexplainedbyMaryanneWolfasthe'arrayofsophisticatedprocessesthatpropelcomprehensionandthatincludeinferentialanddeductivereasoning,analogicalskills,criticalanalysis,reflectionandinsight'(Wolf&Barzillai,2009,p.32).RichardVacca(2002),areadingexpert,usessimilartermstoWolftodescribewhathecallsstrategicreaders,'readerswhoknowhowtoactivatepriorknowledgebefore,during,andafterreading;decidewhat'simportantinatext;synthesizeinformation;drawinferencesduringandafterreading;askquestions;andself-monitorandrepairfaultycomprehension'(p.8).Thesetheoristsusedifferentlabels,however,theskillstheyseeasrequisiteforastrategicoradeepreaderarethesame.Theybothrequirethereadertobringhigherorderthinkingskillstothereadingofthetext,therebyprovidingmoremeaningandcontext.
TheskillsidentifiedbyWolfandVaccaarealsoevidentinthePISA(ProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment).Thetaskforreading
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literacyhassixproficiencylevels.Thelowestlevelrequiresthereaderto'locateasinglepieceofexplicitlystatedinformation'whilstthehighestlevelrequiresthereaderto'makemultipleinferences,comparisonsandcontrasts…integrateinformation,…reflectandevaluate'(Thomson,DeBortoli&Underwood,2015p.102).Theseproficiencylevelsclearlyshowtheprogressivedevelopmentofreadingskills.Atthelowerlevelisdecoding,atthehighest,deepreading.Deepreadinghasitsparallelintheconceptandpracticeofclosereadinginliterarystudies.
Inherbook,TeachingLiterature(2003),ElaineShowalterdescribes‘close’or‘slow’reading.
Closereadingisslowreading,adeliberateattempttodetachourselvesfromthemagicalpowerofstory-tellingandpayattentiontolanguage,imagery,allusion,intertextuality,syntax,andform…Inasense,closereadingisaformofdefamiliarizationweusetobreakthroughourhabitualcasualreadingpractices.Itforcesustobeactiveratherthanpassiveconsumersofthetext’.(Showalter2003,p.98)
Thisslowreadingrequiresalesseningoftransportationandidentificationinsteadnecessitatingamorecriticalstance.Textualstrategiesproducingadefamiliarisingeffectarecentraltotheproductionofmynovelandwillbediscussedinmoredetailbelow.
Insummary,thetheoristsabovediscussatypeofreadingthatisalternatelydescribedasdeep,slow,orclosereading.Deepreadingassumesthoughtfulanddeliberatereading;whereWolftalksofreflectionandinsight,VaccamentionsdrawinginferencesafterreadingandPISA’sdiscussionofliteracylevelslistsbothreflectingandinferringaswellascomparingandevaluating.Theideaofreadinginformedbythehigherorderthinkingskillssuchas:inferentialanddeductivereasoning,analogicalskills,criticalanalysis,reflectionandinsightwillbedescribedasdeepreadingthroughoutthisexegesis.ThehigherorderthinkingskillsidentifiedbyWolfwereusedindevelopingthecodingframefortheanalysisofparticipantjournalsfromthefieldworkphaseoftheresearch.
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Howdoesdeepreadingdifferfromotherkindsofreading?
Deepreading,asdiscussedabove,necessitatestheuseofhigherorderthinkingskills.Thereareothertypesofreadingthatutilisetheseskillstoalesserdegree.TheobviousextensionofShowalter’sdefinitionofclosereading,mentionedabove,isreadingthatishabitual,notrequiringcriticalattentionandthatencourageshighlevelsoftransportation.Green(2004)inherworkontransportationinfictiondefinestransportationas‘anintegrativemeldingofattention,imagery,andfeeling,focusedonstoryevents’(p.248).Shegoesontodescribeitasafeelingofbeing‘lostinabook’withtheresultof‘reducingnegativecognitiveresponding,creatingattachmentstoorfeelingsforcharacters,andmakingthenarrativeworldseemmorerealandnarrativeeventsmorelikepersonalexperience’(p.248).Readingthatishighintransportationdiscouragescriticalthinkingwhilstencouragingidentificationandempathywithcharacters.Greenalsoacknowledgesthatthisreadingismorelikelytooccurinbest-sellers,orwhatwewouldcallgenrefiction(Bortolussi&Dixon2015,p.534).
CritiquingGreen’sdefinitionoftransportation,Bortolussi(2015,pp.528-9)emphasisesthetextualfeatureswithinbooksthatdonotelicittransportation.
[Green’s]definitionoftransportationistoobroad,ontheotherhand,itisalsotoonarrow,inthatitdoesnotincorporatetheotherimportantprocessesthatwecouldreasonablyassumetobepresentduringanengagedreadingexperience.Goodliterature…makesusthink.Therefore,deepintellectualprocessingwouldseemtomakeforanintellectuallystimulatingreadingexperience.
WhileBortolussiseestheexclusionofintellectualprocessingasaweaknessinGreen’sdefinitionoftransportation,Green’sdefinitionclearlydelineatesbetweendifferenttypesofreadingandthepurposesbehindthem.ThebooksBortolussireferstothatelicitthisintellectualresponse:havecharactersthatarenotclearlylikableordislikable;usemultipleperspectives;featureunreliablenarrators;andraiseepistemologicalquestionsthwarting
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identification(p.532).Thesefeaturesparallelthosefoundinmodernisttextsandwillbediscussedinmoredetailbelow.
Ontheotherhand,habitualorpleasurereading,isseenbyBortolussi(2015)astheantithesisofdeepreading.Thisinvolvesthefeelingofbeinglostinabookresultinginhighlevelsoftransportation,identificationwithprotagonists,andempathyforprotagonists.TheconceptsdevelopedbyBortolussiandGreenwereusedindevelopingthecodingframefortheanalysisofparticipantjournalsfromthefieldworkphaseoftheresearch.‘Identification’and‘empathy’wereusedascodesforwhatItermshallowreading,alongwith‘comprehension’,whichIdefineasanunderstandingofstoryevents,and‘mechanics’,whichreferstosurfacelevelpunctuationissues.
Howdoesdeepreadingdevelop?
Thetexthasaroletoplayinfosteringdeepreadingbutdeepreadingisalsoreliantontheskillanddevelopmentofthereader.MaryanneWolf(2007)identifiesfourstagesofreaderdevelopment:thenovicereader,decodingreader,fluentcomprehendingreaderandexpertreader.LeveragingworkfromneuroscientistssuchasMichaelPosner,shedetailstheprogressionofcognitiveactivityindevelopingreaders.Withnovicereadersthereisactivityinbothhemispheresofthebrain,moreactivitythanisfoundintheexperiencedreader.Asreadinganddecodingskillsbecomemorepracticedandautomaticlesseffortisrequiredfromthebrain(Wolf&Stoodley2007,p.125).Thebrainlearnsshortcutssothatbythetimethenoviceisafluentcomprehendingreaderthebrainhasreplaced'bi-hemisphericactivationwithamoreefficientsysteminthelefthemisphere'(Wolf&Stoodley2007,p.128).Itisatthisstagethatdeepreadingcanbegintoemerge.Activitybecomesmoreconfinedtothelefthemisphereforbasicdecodingallowingthepartsofthebrainformerlyusedfordecodingtoworkonmeaningandcomprehensionprocesses.Asdecodingbecomesmoreautomaticthereadergainstime.Thistimeisusedto,'integratemoremetaphorical,inferential,analogical,affectivebackgroundand
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experientialknowledge'(Wolf&Stoodley2007,p.143).Theseskillsformthebasisofdeepreading.
Insummary,thebrainchangesitsprocessesandallowsmoresimultaneouscomplexthinkingskillsasitmastersreadingandisthenfurtherchallenged:the‘degreetowhichexpertreadingchangesoverthecourseofouradultlivesdependslargelyonwhatwereadandhowwereadit'(Wolf&Stoodley,2007,p.156).Thisfindingiscrucialtomyresearchproject.Higherorderthinkingskillsaredevelopedtoagreaterextentwhendeepreadingisexercised.Thisdevelopmentiscontingentnotonlyuponhowwereadbutthetextsthatareread.Textsinformedbymodernisttheory,asdemonstratedbelow,aremorelikelytoproduceadeepreadingresponse.
ThefindingofWolfthatbrainprocessesaredifferentdependingonthetypeofreadingundertakenissupportedbyresearchconductedbyPhillips(2015).ThirtyPhDstudentswereinstructedtoreadJaneAusteneitherforpleasureorasclosereading.WhilsttheywerereadingapassageanfMRI(FunctionalMagneticResonanceImaging)scanwasconducted.Theresultsshowedthatdifferentpartsofthebrainfireddependentuponthetypeofreadingundertaken.Closereadingstimulatedabroadsetofregionsinthebrainwhilstpleasurereadinghadamorelocalisedeffect.
Whyisdeepreadingimportant?
Asdiscussedpreviously,Wolfnotesthatdeepreadingislinkedtobraindevelopment.Higherorderthinkingskillsaredevelopedtoagreaterextentwhendeepreadingisexercised.Asdeepreadingispractisedreaders‘learntobuildknowledgeandgobeyondthewisdomoftheauthortothinktheirownthoughts’(Wolf&Barzillai2009,p.34).Inaninformationagecriticalthinkingskillsarepivotaltoevaluateinformationfromvarioussourcesforveracityandrelevance.‘They[students]mustbetaughtcriticalthinkingskillsthatwillhelpthemdeterminewhenandwheretofindinformationandthenhowtoidentify,access,evaluateandeffectivelyusethatinformation’(Breivik2005,p.22).
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Deepreadingnotonlydevelopscriticalthinkingskillsitalsohasthepowertochangethewaywerelatetoeachotherbyhelpingusunderstandhowpeopleandsocietyfunction.TheoryofMind(ToM)positsamechanismbywhichthisunderstandingisoperationalised.ToMistheextenttowhichwecaninferanotherperson’sthoughtsandemotionsbasedontheirlifecircumstancesandbeliefsandthereforeunderstandtheirbehaviour(Zunshine2006).TheoristsdifferentiatebetweenaffectiveandcognitiveToM.JonathanDvashandSimoneShamay-Tsoory(2014)definecognitiveToMas‘thinkingaboutthoughts,intentionsorbeliefswhereasaffectiveToMinvolvesthinkingaboutfeelings’(p.284).TheoreticallyaffectiveToMislinkedwithahighlevelofidentificationandempathyforacharacterwhereascognitiveToMutilisesdeepreadingskills.Thisistestedinthefieldworkphaseofthisresearch.NotdifferentiatingbetweenthetwotypesofToM,LisaZunshine(2006)arguesthatreadingfictionengagesandthereforeexercisesandstrengthensToM.
TheoryofMindisaclusterofcognitiveadaptationsthatallowsustonavigateoursocialworldandalsostructuresthatworld.Intenselysocialspeciesthatweare,wethusreadfictionbecauseitengages,inaparticularlyfocusedway,ourTheoryofMind.(Zunshine2006,p.162)
Oatley(2002)extendstheconceptofthesocialpurposeofreadingtodevelophisanalogyofreadingassimulation.Heexplainsthat'[a]swithothersimulations,aprincipalpurposeistounderstandcomplexmatters,inthiscasepeople,theiractions,andtheirinteractions'(p.40).Hethuscontendsthatreadinghelpsustounderstandotherpeopleandhowsocietyoperates.
TheconceptofcognitiveToMembracestheskillsthatwereidentifiedaboveinthediscussionofdeepreading:inferentialanddeductivereasoning,analogicalskills,criticalanalysis,reflectionandinsight.ThusdeepreadingutilisesanddevelopscognitiveToMallowingthereadertounderstandalternativeperspectivesandworldviewsandusethatunderstandingtopredictwhatcharactersthinkandwhytheycarryoutactions.Zunshinewouldargue,
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further,thatfiction’sdevelopmentofcriticalunderstandingofmotivationsandsocialstructuresistransferabletoareal-worldcontext.
Deepreadingencouragestheuseofhigherorderthinkingskills.Theseskillssuchasdeduction,inferenceandreflectionarerequiredtonegotiateepistemologicaluncertainty.Literaryhistorianspointoutthatsituationsofepistemologicaluncertaintyarethemainpreoccupationsofmodernisttexts.Thisuncertaintyiscreatedthroughtheuseofarangeoftextualstrategies.Mythesiscontentionisthatthesesametechniquescanbeusedtoprovokedeepreadinginanovelaimedatadolescentreaders.
Whatismodernism?
Modernistfictionisdifferentiatedfromotherfictionthroughitsforegroundingofepistemologicalquestions(McHale1989,p.9).Thesequestionsexaminethetransmissionandappearanceofknowledgeandtheeffectsofthisoncharacter,world,andreader.Faulkner(1977)seesthemainchangefromromanticismtomodernismasashiftfromtheworldofobjectstotheexaminationofthemindperceivingthem(p.36).Hence,wearegivenmoreinsightintocharacters’ownthoughtsandreflectionsratherthanlengthydescriptionofthesurroundingworld.Lodge(1977)alsonotesthispsychologicalelementasheexplains,‘Modernistfictionisconcernedwithconsciousness,andalsowiththesubconsciousandunconsciousworkingsofthehumanmind’(pp.45-46).Similarly,VirginiaWoolf(1966)labelsthemoderniststhe‘psychologists’.Whilethesenovelistsdetailthepsycheofthecharacterstheyalsoplaywiththepsycheofthereader,usingunreliablenarrationanddisjointedchronology.Thesefacetsofthemodernistnovelwillbeexaminedinmoredetailbelowastheyinformthewritingofmyownnovel,ToMyOtherSelf.
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Theeffectofmodernism.
Therepresentationofepistemologicaluncertaintychangesthewaythereaderconstructsthetextintheactofreading.VirginiaWoolf(1966)notesaboutreadingmodernisttexts,‘Weareatonceconsciousofusingfacultieshithertodormant,ingenuity,andskill,amentalnimblenessanddexteritysuchasservetosolveapuzzleingeniously’(p.81).Thisisnottheideaofbeing‘lostinabook’,rathercomplexcognitiveprocessesareactivatedasthebookis‘puzzled’out.Woolfsawthedevelopmentofthisnewtypeofnovelas‘anencouragementtoamorecreative,criticalconsciousnessinnovelistandreader’(p.35).ThiscriticalconsciousnessincludesmanyoftheskillsoutlinedinMaryanneWolf’sdefinitionofdeepreading:analogicalskills,deductivereasoning,criticalanalysis,reflection,andinsight.VirginiaWoolfgoesontotalkabout‘creativeresistances’beingactivated(p.36).Thiscreativeresistanceallowsdistancefromthenarrative,breakingtheeffectoftransportationandidentificationandallowingdeepreadingtooccur.Modernismproducesthetypeofcriticalthinkingassociatedwithdeepreading,thereforeanexaminationofitstextualstrategieswillprovidevaluableinsightastohowanovelforadolescentscanbeconstructedtoprovokedeepreading.
Textualfeaturesofmodernisttexts
Whilsttherearenosetrulesforwhatmodernistnovelsare,thereis,asLodge(1977)notes,a‘familyresemblance’betweenthem(p.45).Keytothisresemblance,accordingtoLodge,isthelackof‘objective’events.Thisomissionofnarrativecertaintyhastheeffectofencouraging‘introspection,analysis,reflectionandreverie’(p.45).Lodgegoesontooutlinehowthelackof‘objective’eventsisachieved.
Amodernistnovelhasnoreal‘beginning’,sinceitplungesusintoaflowingstreamofexperiencewithwhichwegraduallyfamiliarizeourselvesbyaprocessofinferenceandassociation;anditsendingisusually‘open’orambiguous,leavingthereaderindoubtastothefinaldestinyofthecharacters…Modernistfictioneschewsthestraightchronologicalorderingofitsmaterial,andtheuseofreliableomniscientandintrusivenarrator.Itemploys,
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instead,eitherasingle,limitedpointofview,oramethodofmultiplepointsofview,allmoreorlesslimitedandfallible:andittendstowardsafluid,orcomplexhandlingoftime,involvingmuchcross-referencebackwardsandforwardsacrossthechronologicalspanoftime.(Lodge1977,pp.45-6)
Inthequoteabove,Lodgedrawsattentiontoalackofcertaintythroughambiguousendings,unreliablenarration,andnon-chronologicalstructures.Thesefeaturescreateepistemologicalquestions:whoknowswhat,howdotheyknowit,whydotheythinktheyknowwhattheyknow?Theseepistemologicalquestionsaskedofthecharactersareparalleledinthereader,astheyassess:whoistellingthestory,whytheyaretellingit,thesignificanceofevents,andhowtheeventsfittogethertocreateunifiedmeaning.Whereasintraditionalnineteenth-centurynovelseventswerelaidoutchronologicallyandexplainedbyanarrator,inmodernismthesesupportsforthereaderareremoved.Thislackofsupport,therefore,hasadefamiliarisingeffectonthereader.
Defamiliarisationandmodernism
Defamiliarisationisageneraltermforachangeinperceptioninthereader.Stacydefinesdefamiliarisationsimplyas‘somethingordinary,commonplace,orfamiliar(anobject,event,situation,ortradition)is,inonewayoranother,madetoappearunfamiliar’(Stacy1977,p.8).Itencouragesthereadertoreassesswhattheyknowandhowtheyknowit.Shklovsky,whofirstcoinedthetermdefamiliarisation,notedthatas‘perceptionbecomeshabitual,itbecomesautomatic’(citedinStacy1977,p.32).InwritingfordeepreadingIamaimingforanon-automaticresponse,aresponsethatwillrequiremorecognitiveeffortthanbeing‘lostinabook’.Shklovskysawdefamiliarisationasthepurposeofart,andanecessarychallengetothegeneralpracticeofhabitualperception.‘Thetechniqueofartistomakeobjects“unfamiliar,”tomakeformsdifficult,toincreasethedifficultyandlengthofperception’(citedinStacy1977,p.34).Thisincreaseinthelengthofperceptionequatestotheemergenceofdeepreadingashigherorderthinkingskillsareutilisedtoreassessthefamiliar.Defamiliarisationisaneffectdemonstratedinthereaderandvarioustextualstrategiescanelicitthisresponse.
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VirginiaWoolf(1966)doesnotprescribeanyparticulartextualstrategiesforthemodernistnovel,however,theuseofdefamiliarisingstrategiesisevidentinherdiscussionofthemodernistsas‘psychologists’.ShecitesanexamplefromHenryJameswhowritesofacharacter;shewas‘areadyvesselforbitterness,adeeplittleporcelaincupinwhichbitingacidscouldbemixed’(p.81).HereJamesusesmetaphoricallanguagetodefamiliarisethereader.Boththecupandthecharacteraredefamiliarised.Ratherthantheprotagonistsimplybeingdescribedasbittershebecomesareceptacleforthepotentialofbitterness.Thecupinturnistransformedfromadaintyteacupintosomethingmoresinister.Woolfspeaksofthepleasurethistypeoftextelicits.
Besidesinthisfinenessandsweetnesswegetanotherpleasurewhichcomeswhenthemindisfreedfromtheperpetualdemandofthenovelistthatweshallfeelwithhischaracters.Bycuttingofftheresponseswhicharecalledoutintheactuallife,thenovelistfreesustotakedelight,aswedowhenillortravelling,inthingsinthemselves.Wecanseethestrangenessofthemonlywhenhabithasceasedtoimmerseusinthem,andwestandoutsidewatchingwhathasnopoweroverusonewayortheother.Thenweseethemindatwork;weareamusedbyitspowertomakepatterns;byitspowertobringoutrelationsinthingsanddisparitieswhicharecoveredoverwhenweareactingbyhabitordrivenonbytheordinaryimpulses.(Woolf1966,p.82)
Woolfnotestheincreasedcognitiveprocessesthatareatworkonceourhabitualperceptionshavebeensubverted.Sheacknowledgesthelackoftransportationandidentificationwithcharactersasempathyisnolongerdemanded.InshortshedemonstratestheshiftinthereaderfromaffectiveTheoryofMindtocognitiveTheoryofMind.ShegivestheexampleofProustwhose‘wholeuniverseissteepedinthelightofintelligence.Thecommonestobject,suchasthetelephone,losesitssimplicity,itssolidity,andbecomesapartoflifeandtransparent’(Woolf1966,p.83).Defamiliarisationseesthecommonrevisionedtodeepenperception.WhilstWoolfmentionstheuseofmetaphorbothinregardtopeopleandobjects,defamiliarisationcanbeextendedtoevents,situations,andtraditions.Subversionsoftraditionalnarrativestructuresaswellasnarrativescriptsdefamiliarisethereaderandcausethemtoreassesswhattheyknowandhowtheyknowit.
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PsychologistKeithOatley(2002)writesthatwhenweread'wetakeevents,phrases,movementsofastory,andassimilatethemtoaschemaofwhatwealreadyknow'(p.48).Wheneventsdon'tfitneatlyintoaschema,asoccurswhendefamiliarisationiselicited,weareforcedtoreassessourknowledgebasetopossiblyaccommodatenewinformationandideas.Thisreassessmentfostersinferentialanddeductivereasoning,analogicalskillsandcriticalthinking.Therearemanywaysthatthisresponse,whichleadstodeepreading,canbeprovokedthroughthetext.
Thetextualstrategiesofmodernism
Moral ambiguity
Oneofthekeyfeaturesofmodernismisitsmoralambiguity.VirginiaWoolfwrites,‘Wearenevertold…thatonewayisrightandtheotherwrong.Everywayisthrownopenwithoutreserveandwithoutprejudice’(Woolf1966,p.84).EmergingoutofVictorianliteratureandreactingtoitsculturallystrongbeliefinChristianity,modernismpresentsamoreuncertainandambiguousworld.‘Forthemodernwesternworldislesssureofitsvaluesthanmostpreviouscultureswithwhichwearefamiliar;relativismandsubjectivityarefactsofeverydayexperience’(Faulkner1977,p.15).Modernism’slackofcertaintyforcesthereadertoexercisetheirownjudgement,orsuspendtheirjudgement,ratherthanbeingdirectedtowardjudgementseitherbytheconsequencesofeventsorbythenarrator’svoice.Innottellingthereaderwhatisrightandwrongmodernisminvitesalevelofcomplexitywhichencouragesdeepthought.
Unreliable narration
Unreliablenarrationcausesthereadertoquestionboththetruthofeventsandtheideologiesimplicitinthetext.RobertBaah(2014)inhisworkoftheteleologyofunreliablenarrationidentifiesfourdistinctpurposesofunreliablenarrators;tosubverttheworldviewofthenarrator,toexaminethe
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consequenceofimagination,toreconceptualiseunderstandingoftruthandfalsehoodandtobeasourceofnarrativehumour.Thefirstthreeofthesepurposesinvolveprocessesofknowledgeacquisition.Knowledgeandthesolidityofknowledgeisquestionedfirstbytheprotagonistsandthenbythereader.Thisquestioningoftheveracityofknowledgeistypicalofmodernism.
AnexampleoftheeffectunreliablenarrationhasonthereaderisfoundindeReuck’s(1993)analysisoftheworkofmodernistnovelistHenryJames.‘[Unreliablenarrators]provideadequateguidanceforthereceiveronlyuptoapoint…butwheretheirjudgementsaboutthemselvesareconcerned,wefindthemcruciallywanting,sothatwereinterprettheirutterancesatsuchjunctions,recastingthepresentedworldtoincorporateelementsoftheirinner(psychic)make-up’(pp.355-6).Thereader’sre-analysisinvolvesquestioningwhatisknownandhowitisknown.Theirthoughtprocessesinvolvededucingandthinkingcriticallywhicharebothdeepreadingskills.Moreexamplesofunreliablenarrationaregivenintheanalysisoftwoyoungadultnovelsinchapter3andthisconceptalsoinformshowmynovelwaswritten.
Complex characters
Lackofreliablenarrationandamoralcentreinmodernistliteratureresultsinmorecomplexcharacters.Thesecharactersevolveoverthecourseofthenovel.Charactersareneitherentirelygoodnorentirelybadrather,theyexistincontradiction(Woolf1966).WoolfusesDostoevsky’sStavroginasanexampleofthis:‘thatcontrastwhichmarkedStavrogin’sappearance,sothathewasatonce“aparagonofbeauty,yetatthesametimethereseemedsomethingrepellentabouthim”,isbutthecrudeoutersignoftheviceandvirtuewemeet,atfulltilt,inthesamebreast.’(Woolf1966,p.86).Thiscontradictiondeniesthereaderasettledreadingexperienceaseventsandperspectivesneedtobequestionedandconstantlysubjectedtoaprocessofre-evaluation.
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Complexcharactersrequiremorecognitiveeffortonthepartofthereader.WoolfdiscussesProust’scharacterization:‘itisthroughwhatpeoplethinkandwhatisthoughtaboutthem,throughtheknowledgeandthoughtsoftheauthorhimself,thatwecometounderstandthemveryslowlyandlaboriously,butwiththewholeofourminds’(Woolf1966,p.88).Thecomplexityofthecharacterisationmeansthatcharactersdonotfiteasilyintothereader’sexistingschemas,rather,eachaction,thoughtandresponseneedstobeassessed.Thisrefusalofcharacterstofitschemaresultsinanincreasedcognitiveloadonthereaderastheyformtheirownjudgementsratherthanrelyingonknownprototypes.Thisprocessrequiresmoretime,asalludedtobyWoolf,andinvolvesmultiplecognitiveprocesses.
Dislocated chronology or spatial form
McHale(1989)identifiesstrategiesofimpededforminmodernism.Theseincludedislocatedchronologyandwithheldorindirectlypresentedinformation.Thesestrategiesareusedforepistemologicaleffectasknowledgeisnotsimplyrevealedforthereader,ratheritneedstobeteasedoutasnarrativeislayereduponitselfquestioningcharacter,world,narrative,andreader.Frank(1945)takesthediscussionofdislocatedchronologyastepfurtherasheregardstimeinmodernistnovelsasspatialratherthanchronological.FrankusesProustasanexample.Proustbelievedtimewasexperiencedmorefully,orpurely,whenthepastandpresentwerejuxtaposed.Injuxtaposingpastandpresentaclarityisgiventotimewheredifferencesareaccentuatedasthereaderisimploredbytheverystructureofthenoveltomakecomparisonsandfindmeaninginthecontrast.‘Habit,thatuniversalsoporific,ordinarilyconcealsthepassageoftimefromthosewhohavegonetheiraccustomedways:asatanymomentoftimethechangesaresominuteastobeimperceptible’(p.238).Themanipulationoftimeintoaspatialratherthanchronologicalarrangementsdefamiliarisesnotonlytimebutthewayanovelisperceived.Injuxtaposingtime,allowingittocoexistinpast,present,andevenfuture,charactersinterrogatethemselvesasthe
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spatialdimensionoftimecreatesanewspacewheremeaningsabound.‘Proustforcesthereadertojuxtaposedisparateimagesofhischaractersspatially,inamomentoftime,sothattheexperienceoftime’spassagewillbefullycommunicatedtotheirsensibility’(p.239).Thisconceptoftimeexistingspatiallyratherthanchronologicallybecomesoneofthecornerstonesofmynovel.
Insummary,deepreadingasdefinedbyMaryanneWolfinvolvestheuseofhigherorderthinkingskillssuchasinferentialanddeductivereasoning,analogicalskills,criticalanalysis,reflectionandinsight(Wolf&Barzillai,2009,p.32).Thesesameskillsareidentifiedindescriptionsofstrategic,slow,andclosereading.ThedevelopmentofdeepreadingisimportantnotonlyfortheincreaseduseofhigherorderthinkingskillsbutalsobecauseoftherolethatdeepreadingplaysinthedevelopmentofcognitiveToMwhichhasrepercussionsforthewayweunderstandandinteractwitheachother.Thehigherorderthinkingskillsevidencedindeepreadingarealsoencouragedinmodernistwritings.Anunderstandingofthefeaturesofmodernismsuchasunreliablenarration,complexcharacters,lackofamoralcentre,andspatialforminformsthewritingofmynovelwhilethehigherorderthinkingskillsidentifiedbyWolfbecomesthecodefortheanalysisofparticipants’commentsintheempiricalresearchelementofthisthesis.Thefeaturesofmodernismhaveadefamiliarisingeffectonreaders.Similarly,deepreadingaimstodefamiliarisethereadingprocessascriticalratherthanhabitualthoughtisapplied.
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Chapter3:Themultiplefacesofdefamiliarisationanditsroleinproducingdeepreading.ThischapterexamineshowtworealistAustralianyoungadultnovelsutilisetextualstrategiesevidencedinmodernisttextstodefamiliarisethereader.ItthenexamineshowthesetextsinfluencedthewritingofToMyOtherSelf(TMOS).Thedefamiliarisationcausedbythesetextsincreasesthecognitiveloadontheirimpliedreaderresultingindeepreading.Somethingintheworldcalledlove(2008)bySueSalibaandTouchingearthlightly(1996)byMargoLanaganbothlookatthematurationoftheirfocalisingcharacter.Growthhaslongbeena‘dominantpattern’inYAliterature(Trites2014,p.54)astheadolescentprotagonistsseektounderstandthemselvesandthepowerstructureswithintheirsociety(Oziewicz2015,p.2).ThispatternarguablybeganwithJ.D.Salinger’sTheCatcherintheRye(1951)whichexploredtherelationship‘betweenthesubversiveadolescentandacritiqueofwidersociety.’(Hilton&Nikolajeva2012,p.7).TheprevalenceofthegrowthpatternwithinYAliteraturecanbeviewedasunderminingadolescentempowermentasempowermentcomesthroughgrowingupandmaturingratherthanbyothermeans(Trites2014,p.1).Despitethiscommonpatternofgrowth,YAliteraturehasevolvedbecominglessformulaicanddidactic.Tritesnotesthis,‘Justasadolescentsdonotgrowinaone-size-fits-allpattern,manynarrativeswrittenforyoungadultsdefythepredictablepatternofthebildungsroman-influencednovelaboutamaturingteenager’(2014,p.54).Thiswillingnesstostepbeyondthefamiliargrowthpatternhasresultedindiversityofsubjectmatterandexperimentationinstyle(Cart2016,p.81).This‘growingsophistication’oftheYAgenrehasalsobeenattributedtoitsincreasingadultreadership(Cart2016,p.x).ContemporaryYAnovels,forthemostpart,stillexplorethetransitionfromchildtoadultthroughgrowthandyetwiththebroadeningofthegenrethisisbeingexpressedthroughdifferentstylistictechniquesandwithincreasingdiversityofboththemeandcharacter.
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Thisdeviationfromacommonscript(growth)demandsmorefromthereaderinbothimaginationandattention(Nikolajeva2014,p.35).Asidentificationislessenedthroughthetext’sdeploymentofmorediversecharacters,unreliablenarration,andunpredictablestylisticelementsmorematurereadingisdevelopedleadingtoincreasedempathy(Nikolajeva2009,p.185-6).YAliteraturehasbeengraduallyincreasinginsophisticationwhichnecessarilyrequiresmorecognitiveeffortfromthereaderanddevelopsreadingmaturity.Thisincreaseinsophisticationhasseentheincorporationofsomeelementsofliterarymodernismastruthisbroughtintoquestion.WithinAustralianYAliteratureGaryCrew’sStrangeObjects(1990)isanearlyexampleofaYAnovelthatutilisesaspatialstructure.Morerecently,JustineLarbalestier’sMySisterRosa(2016)usesunreliablenarrationassheexaminestheprotagonist’spsychologyinasimilarwaytomodernistauthors.AmbiguityandtheuncertaintyoftruthisalsothefocusofIlluminae(2015)byAmieKaufmanandJayKristoffastheyusemultipleunreliablenarrators.ExperimentationwithstyleisbecomingmorecommonwithinYAfictionandmorenovelsareusingsomeelementsofmodernistwritingtechniques.WhilstwecanseethistrendemergingwithinYAfictionwhatisyetunknownistheeffectofthesetechniquesupontherealreader.Thenovelschosenforanalysisbelowutilisethecommongrowthpatternandyetreworkit,relyingonmoderniststrategiestocreateresonance.InnowayisthisresearchacomprehensivecoverofrecentAustralianYAfictionthatutilisesmodernisttechniques,ratheritisaclosereadingoftwotextsthathavenotpreviouslybeenapproachedthroughamodernistlens.Little has been written about Something in the world called love
(Something), and Touching earth lightly (TEL) has previously only been analysed
through a feminist lens (Harris 1999; James 2006; McCormack 2002).BothSomethingandTELarecomplexandyettheauthorshavemadedifferentnarrativechoicestoachievethiscomplexity.WhereSalibaexploresambiguityandtextualuncertaintythroughbinaries,unreliablenarration,andtypographicaloddity,Lanaganutilisesaspatialratherthanchronologicalform,metaphor,andcomplexcharacters.Bothtextsexplorethecomplexitiesoflife
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wherechoicesandjudgementsarerarelyblackandwhite,butareinsteadcontinuallychallenged.Asdiscussedinchapter2,defamiliarisationoccurswhenevents,charactersorlanguagearemadetoappearunfamiliar(Stacy1977,p.8).VirginiaWoolf’sdiscussionoftheworksofthe‘psychologists’,asshetermsmodernists,identifiesafeelingofdefamiliarisationascentraltothenovelsasthereadertakespleasureinseeingtheworlddifferently(1966).Defamiliarisationcausesapausewherethereaderisforcedtoreassesstheirknowledgebase.Thisplacesagreatercognitiveloadonthereaderastheythinkmorecritically,reflectandgaininsight.Bothofthesetextseffectdefamiliarisationbutthroughdifferentmeans.ThestrategiesusedbybothSalibaandLanagansuchascomplexcharacters,textualuncertainty,unreliablenarration,unconventionalgrammar,theuseofmetaphor,andtheuseofaspatialratherthanchronologicalform,worktocreatethisdisorientingpauseinthereader.Itisthisthataddscomplexityandprovokesdeepreading.
SomethingintheworldcalledloveSomethingintheworldcalledlove(Something)tellsthestoryofEsma,aneighteen-year-oldgirlwhomovesintoasharehousewithKaraandSimon.ItdetailsEsma’sjourneytofindagencyofherown.Theopeningpassagecontextualisesthenarrative,alludestoitsmainconcerns,andintroducesthetextualstrategiesthatcoalescetoplaceagreatercognitiveloadonthereader.Thenovelexemplifiesmodernistpoeticsthroughitsuseofunreliablenarration,ambiguity,defamiliarisingmetaphors,andcomplexcharacters.Thestoryopenswiththeselines:
Autumn‘it’strue,there’ssomethingintheworldcalledlove.esmafeltitwhenshemovedintothehousewiththebluestairsandthebrokenbalcony,carltongardensoppositesoshecouldseeallthewaytothesky.
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therewaskarabesideher,behindthewall,andsimonbelowwithhisroomthatlookedouttotheroad,tworoadsactuallysoyouhadachoiceasyouwereleavingorarriving,whichwaytotake,ornot.butanyway,esmaatthebeginningsawonlyoneway.(p.1)
FromtheoutsetthereaderiskeptfromempathisingwithEsmathroughthenarrativedistancecreatedbytheexternalnarrator.Thisnarrativedistanceeffectsdefamiliarisationthroughpreventingsurfaceidentificationwiththeprotagonist.AsdiscussedbyVirginiaWoolfthisdestabilisingofempathyencouragesapleasure‘whenthemindisfreedfromtheperpetualdemandofthenovelistthatweshallfeelwithhischaracters.Bycuttingofftheresponseswhicharecalledoutintheactuallife,thenovelistfreesustotakedelight…inthingsinthemselves’(Woolf1966,p.82).ThisapproachactivatescognitiveratherthanaffectiveTheoryofMind(ToM)asthereaderempathiseswiththeprotagonistlessandinsteadpondersontheirthoughts,intentions,andbeliefs(Dvash&Shamay-Tsoory2014).Narrativedistanceisachievedintheopeningpassagesthroughtheinsightgiventothereaderbytheexternalnarratorwhichishiddenfromthecharacter,inthiscaseitistheawarenessofchoice.Thereader,throughtheexternalnarrator,hasincreasedaccesstoinformationwhencomparedtoEsma.ThereaderisthereforeabletojudgeandseethesignificanceofeventsbeforeEsma.Thereader’sincreasedaccesstoknowledgecreatesadisparitybetweenthereaderandEsmathatpositionsthereaderasacriticalobserverratherthanparticipant.ThisstrategyemphasisesEsma’snaivetybutalsorequiresthereadertoholdintheirmindcompetingpiecesofinformation.AsseenintheopeningpassagethereadermustreconcilethatthereischoicebutatthisstageEsmaisunawareofit.ItrevealsEsma’scharacterasonewhoseeseventsasunfoldingratherthanhavinganyagencyofherown,andforetellsthejourneyleadingtoEsma’srealisationofherownidentityandagency.
Encouraging ambiguity through unreliable narration Thereader’sperceivedincreasedaccesstoknowledgeissoonbroughtintoquestionastheexternalnarratorprovestobeunreliable.Thisiswitnessedin
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thecompetinginformationaboutthe‘reality’ofEsma’sloveforKara.Esma’sloveforKaraisalludedtoearlyon,
foralthoughkarawasorderedandexact,shewasalsosomethingelse.andesmawillcometoexperiencethatsomethingelse,thatpartofkarathatwillmakeherfeelconnectedandspecial–thatwillgiveherflight.(p.11)
ThissuggeststhattherelationshipwithKarawillbesignificantintheformationofEsma’sidentity.ThenatureofthisrelationshipisimpliedasEsmarealisesforherself,‘andrightthen,thetruthrestedinfrontofher,pureandbold…yes,shewasinlovedeeply,awfullyinlovewithkara’(p.93).WhereearlierthenarratorforeshadowedthepaththatEsmawouldtake,herethenarratorisconspicuouslysilentallowingthereadertoacceptthe‘truth’ofEsma’sfeelings.However,theunreliabilityofthisnarratorialdirectionisborneoutintheclosingpages.ThistimeitisEsmaproclaimingtruth,
‘it’strue,thereissomethingintheworldcalledlove.’andsherememberedwhatshe’dfeltwhenshe’dfirstmovedintothehouse.afeelingoflove.yesshehadfeltthat.butshe’drealisednowthatshehadmisplaceditssource.ithadn’tbeeninkaraorthehouse,orevensimon.ithadn’tbeeninherconnectionwithkara,butinherself.(p.184)
Thenarrator,throughsilence,endorsescontradictorynotionsoflovecausingthereadertoreassesseventsandcharacters.ThenarratorialstylerepresentsforthereaderEsma’sfeelings,whicharetruebutalsofluid,denyingthereaderanynarrativecuestoguideinterpretationoftruthandfalsehood.RobertBaahinhisworkontheteleologyofunreliablenarratorsconceptualisesfourdistinctpurposesofunreliablenarrators;tosubverttheworldviewofthenarrator,toexaminetheconsequencesofimagination,toreconceptualiseunderstandingortruthandfalsehoodandtobeasourceofnarrativehumour(2014).HereSalibausesunreliablenarrationtobreakdownthebinaryoftrueandfalseandofferamiddleground.Esmaislearningtoseeandacceptambiguitiesinlife.TheunreliabilityofthenarratorparallelsforthereaderthedisorientationthatEsmaisexperiencingasherworld-viewischallenged.InthiswaySalibais‘transferringepistemologicaldifficultiesfromcharactertoreader’(McHale1989,p.9).ToMyOtherSelfalsoutilisesunreliablenarrationbuttoadifferent
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effectwhichisdiscussedbelow.TruthandfalsehoodisjustoneofthebinariesthatSalibadeconstructsinthefurtheringofhermaintheme–thethirdway.
Encouraging ambiguity thematically IntheopeningparagraphsSalibabeginstheexplorationofoneofthemainthemesofthebook;thatislifeisn’tfoundinbinariesbutinthein-between,inthethirdchoice.Thisthemeisintroducedbyambiguityandtextualindefiniteness.Ambiguityandtextualindefinitenessoperatenotmerelyasatextualdevicebutasathematicconcern.ThisuseofambiguitymirrorsWoolf’sviewofmodernisttextswhere,‘wearenevertoldastheEnglishnovelistssofrequentlytellus,thatonewayisrightandtheotherwrong.Everywayisthrownopenwithoutreserveandwithoutprejudice’(Woolf1966,p.84).Esmaundertakesthejourneytoembraceambiguityalongwiththereader.WewillseehowthisisencouragedbelowinthelexicalchoicesofSaliba.Esmaachievesalevelofmaturitythateschewssimplicityandratherthanacceptingthechoicesthatseemtobeinfrontofherrealisesherownagencyinfindinganotheroption.Thisthemeemergesinthebinariespresented,isfurtheredthroughthenon-useofcapitalletters,andisfinallyexplicitlystatedbyEsma.Thisoccursinthescenewheresheisfacedwiththepossibilityofmovingoutorsurrenderingthedog,Esmafinallyassertsherownagency,
andthenathirdwaypresenteditselftoher–somethingbetweenthedoghavingtoleaveandesmabeingforcedtofindsomewhereelsetolive.itwasmoresubtleandcomplexthateitherofthoseextremes…butitcamefromsomethingdefiniteandrealinsideesma.(p.181)
ThroughoutthenovelSalibainvitescontemplationofthecomplexandthenuancedthroughEsma’sdiscoveryofthe‘thirdway’.
Encouraging ambiguity through ‘typographical oddities’ Fromtheoutsetthereaderisfacedwiththecognitivechallengeofunorthodoxpunctuationinthetext’savoidanceofcapitallettersanditsuseofunconventionalspacing.Thistypographyintroducesafurtherlevelof
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indefinitenesstothetext.Stacynotesinhisdiscussionofdefamilarisationthat,‘manyofthemodernists,especiallynovelists,haveresortedtosometimessignificant,sometimesmerelydisturbingtypographicalodditiesofonekindoranother’(Stacy1977,p.21).Disruptionoftypographicalconventionshastheeffectofslowingdownthereadingspeedasthereaderneedstogivegreaterattentionandefforttothetext.Thisslowerreadingspeedallowsthebrainmoretimefordeepreadingtooccur(Wolf&Barzillai2009,p.33).Thelackofcapitallettersandunconventionalspacingsillustratethemainthemeofthebookinthattheyrefusetoestablishhierarchiesofsignificance.Nowordisgivenpre-eminenceoveranother,rathertheunconventionalspacingsallowsentencestofloataswholeorasfragments,asintheintroduction.Theycausethereadertoreassesstheimportanceofeachindividualphrase.
therewaskarabesideher,behindthewall,andsimonbelowwithhisroomthatlookedouttotheroad,tworoadsactuallysoyouhadachoiceasyouwereleavingorarriving,whichwaytotake,ornot.(p.1)
Intheintroduction‘roadtotake,’and‘ornot’areondifferentlinesandyettheyformpartofthesamesentence.Theyarefragmentsandneedtobepiecedtogethertocreatethewhole.Inthiscase,thebelated‘ornot’addsadualityofmeaningtotheprecedingfragment.Doesthe‘ornot’refertothechoicetonotdosomething,ordoesthe‘ornot’cancelouttheoptionofchoice?Thetextisambiguousandbyseparatingthesephrasesapauseiscreatedforthereaderwherethefirstpartofthesentenceiscomprehendedandthenitissubsequentlyquestioned.Thispausebetweenlines,theslowingdownofreadingcanbeequatedtoastillnessthatKoopmandescribesas‘anemptyspaceortimethatiscreatedasaresultofreadingprocesses:theslowingdownofreaders’perceptionsofthefictionalworld,causedbydefamiliarisation’(Koopman&Hakemulder2015,p.80).Koopmanseesstillnessasapreconditionforreflection,adeepreadingskill.Unconventionalpunctuationleadstoaslowerreadingratewhichgivesgreatertimeforreflection.
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Encouraging ambiguity through binaries Salibabothintroducesambiguityandencouragesitsconsiderationthroughheruseofbinaries.Inthisopeningpassage,KaraandSimonaresetupinoppositiontoeachother.KaraisbesideEsmaandSimonisbelowher.ThesecharactersrepresentdifferentchoicesforEsmaanddifferentdirectionsEsmacouldtakeintheformationofheridentity.TheyarealternatechoicesforEsma,metaphoricallyrepresentedbythetworoadsleadingtothehouse.Whilsttheimpliedreaderisinitiallypositionedtoseetheseasromanticchoices,however,asthestoryprogressestheromanticschemaissubverted.Asinformationisprogressivelyrevealedthereaderfindsthechoiceisbetweenalternateformsoffriendship.WithKarathefriendshipmodelofferedisoneofdominanceandexclusionofothersofferingnospaceforEsma’sownagency.ThiscontrastswiththerelationshipwithSimonwhichallowsEsmaotherrelationshipsandopportunities,suchaspoliticalactivismrelatedtopuppyfarms.EsmaismanipulatedbyKaraintochoosingasingleloyalty.ThismanipulationisevidentinKara’sploytohavehersistermovein,necessitatingSimon’sevictionfromthehouse.ThisunacceptableultimatumistheimpetusforEsmatocontemplatethethirdway.
ican’tletchloemoveinandican’tspeakthepassionofwhy.therehastobeathirdway–that’sit!(p.85)
Thethirdwaypresentsitselfthroughthepotentialsolutionofanunusedsunroom.ThroughthethirdwayEsma‘glimpsedadifferentwaytobe’(p.90).Esmabeginstoassertherownagencyandseebeyondthesimplistictwochoicespresentedtoher.ThethemeofthethirdwayisextendednotonlythroughthechoicesrepresentedthroughbinariesbutthroughSaliba’suseofoxymorons.Salibarepeatedlysetsuptwocontradictoryideasandletsthemcoexistinuncomfortabletension.‘Wishingandfear’(p.7),‘breathwithsubstance,afterwithbefore,deadnesswiththewishingofayoung,hopefulgirl’(p.9),‘mother,sister,saviouranddread’(p.23),‘silenceandchaos,anumbnessandamadness,ashatteringapartandstayingsosostill’(p.30),‘happierandmoreterrified,
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excitedandmorefearful’(p.34),‘theworldwasburstingandfullandforeveroritwasblankanduselessanddead.eternalismandnihilism’(p.72).Asseenintheabovephrases,Somethingintheworldcalledloveoverflowswithbinaries.WhiletheyoftenreinforcethetwochoicesthatEsmafeelsforcedintoandsubsequentlyrebelsagainsttheyalsoadvocatefortimeswhentheseeminglydisparatecoincide.UponthisbackdropofbinariesSalibaexploresthein-betweenspaces,theambiguousanduncertain,thespacesthatcannotbeclearlyarticulatedbutliesomewherebetweenthetwoextremes.Lifeandchoiceandwhoweareisnotdefinedbyoneemotionorsensibilitybutacacophonyoffragments,aconcertoffloatingsentences.
Encouraging ambiguity through metaphor Salibafurtherprobesthisnotionthroughtheuseofmetaphor.LakoffandJohnson(1980)detailhowmetaphorisintrinsictooureverydaylifeanddefineourrealities(p.3).HereSalibausesanextendedmetaphortobothdefamiliarisethereaderandexploretheholisticnatureofidentity,addingcomplexitytohercharacter.
esmawillwonderattheleavesandbranchesandskyandgrass,howtheyallfittogetherindifferentwaysdependingonhowyoulookatthem.awholeworldofshiftingrelationsandforcesthatmakeyouthinkyoucouldre-maketheworldanywayyouliked.(p.13)
Theimageofthegardenandseasonsareintroducedintheopeningparagraphsandtheystandascontrasttothehousewithitsperfectlyspacedfence.Inthegardenstheseeminglydisparatecoexistinfluidity.Theimageofthegardenisfurtheremphasisedthroughthecomplexmetaphorofseasonsasastructuraldevicetodividethebook.Seasonseachhavetheirowncharacteristicsintermsofweather.Winterequateswithcoldness,whilesummerequateswithheat.Seasonsarenotliterallydefinedbyanemotion,however,Salibadrawsoncommonseasonalmetaphorstobothframethenarrativeandexplorethefragmentarynatureofhumanemotions.TraditionallySummerisassociatedwithfun,enjoymentandfrivolity,Autumnwithdecline,Winterwithsadnessanddesolation,andSpringwithhopeandrenewal.Esmalivesthroughallfour
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seasonsequatingthemwithdifferentemotionsandlettingthisemotionguideherdecisionsduringthisphase.
perhapsthereareseasonsinsideusall,happeningagainandagain.andit’simpossibletotrytobesummer–topretendtobesummerallthetime.(p.135)
ItisonlytowardtheendofthenovelthatEsmamergestheseasons,therebyacceptingallpartsofherself.
itwasimportantallofasudden,asithadneverbeenbefore,thatshedidnotdismissherself,allthebitofherselfshefeltwerewrongorundesirable.allthefailures.inthepastshewouldhaveembracedthisfeelingofspringandlockedherwinterselfintoshame.(p.146)
MetaphorbecomesthevehicleforSalibatofurtherthediscussionoftheholisticnatureofpersonalityandthehumanpsyche.Indoingthisshecreatesacomplexcharacterwhoisnotdefinedbyasingleattributebutadynamicmingling.ThisissimilartothewayinwhichWoolfdescribesthecontradictionsfoundinDostoevsky’sStavrogin(1966,p.86).ThisthemeoftheintegratedormingledselfisfurtheredthroughSaliba’suseofintertextuality.EsmaisstudyingtheworkofthePortuguesepoet,FernandoPessoa,whohadapproximately75heteronyms.Eachheteronymhasauniquecharacter,worldview,andwritingstyle.PessoaisintroducedearlyonwhenEsmaiswritinganessay.Simonasks,‘whichoneofyourpersonaswillwritetheconclusion?’(p.16).Later,inthescenewhereEsmaandAlaintaketheinjureddoghome,AlainquotesPessoa:‘eachofusismorethanoneperson,manypeople,aproliferationofouroneself’(p.168).Esmareflectsonthisastheyapproachthehouse,‘theplaceshe’dcomeandgonefrominsomanymoods,andassomanypeople’(p.169).TheuseofintertextualityallowsSalibatodelveintoadeeperdiscussionoftheselfthanwouldbepossiblesimplybyreportingEsma’sthoughts.Intertextualityalsobreaksdownthedistinctionbetweentheself-containednarrativeandreallife.Forthereader,ittransformsthediscussionoftheselffromthatwhichconcernsonlyEsma.ThispromotesanalogicalthinkinginthereaderastheyunderstandEsma’sstorytobeoneof
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universalresonance.Throughmetaphor,binaries,andcomplexcharacterisationSalibaencouragesandexploresambiguity.TheopeningpassageofSomethingintheworldcalledloveoutlinesthestrategiesthatareusedthroughoutthenarrativetoreconsiderthecommoncoming-of-agestory.Thestoryistoldwithanuanceandcomplexitythatallowsanexplorationofwhatitmeanstobeone’sselfandtheagencyandfreedomthatisrealisedwhenlifenolongerisseenthroughbinaries.
TouchingearthlightlySimilarlytoSaliba’snovel,MargoLanagan’s(1996)Touchingearthlightly(TEL)isacoming-of-agestory.WhereSalibausesanoftenwhimsicalvoice,Lanagan’sisgrittyanddark.Bothbooksexplorethethemeoffindingagency.TouchingearthlightlytellsthestoryofChloeandherfriendshipwithJaney.ChloetakesontheincreasinglyoverwhelmingroleasJaney’sprotector.WhenJaneydiesChloebeginsthejourneytofindoutwhosheiswithoutJaney.
The impact of spatial form LanaganseparatesTouchingearthlightlyintotwosection,‘now’and‘then’.‘Now’outlinesChloe’srelationshipwithJaneyandJaney’srelianceonChloe.ThissectionendswithJaney’sdeath.‘Then’continuesthestoryandexamineshowChloegrievesanddefinesherselfwithoutJaney’sphysicalpresence.Despitethisclearseparationoflifewith,andthenwithoutJaney,Janeykeepsseepingintothe‘then’sectionintheformofanalepses(flashbacks)1.TheseanalepsescreateacounterpointtoChloe’sgrief.Throughanalepses,Lanaganutilisesaspatialratherthanchronologicaltimeframe.JosephFrank(1945)detailstheadvantageofdeployingaspatialform:
1 Genette (1983) defines an analepsis as ‘any evocation after the fact of an event that took place earlier than the point in the story where we are at any given moment’ (p. 40). Other terms such as retroversion (Bal 1985, p.54) are sometimes used in literary criticism, however, for consistency the term analepsis will be used throughout this thesis for what is commonly referred to as the flashback.
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Bycomparingthesetwoimagesinamomentoftime,thepassageoftimecanbeexperiencedconcretely,intheimpactofitsvisibleeffectsonthesensibility,ratherthanasameregapcountedoffinnumbers.(p.238)
LanagangivesustheanalepsisaswellasthenarrativeofChloegrieving.Bothnarrativesarewritteninpresenttense,theonlydifferentiationistheitalicsofthetextsignallingtheanalepsis.Anexampleoftheimpactspatialformcanprovokeisevidencedinthejuxtapositionofthefollowingscenes.Thefirstisananalepsis.ItisfocalisedthroughChloeanddescribesJaneyandChloetakingatriptothesnow.Janey’sfeetareimaginedas‘looseinthesocks,tinklingtogetherlikecrystalsorchardsofcharcoal’(p.110).Chloeparticularlynoticesthespacearoundthem.Thenaturedescribedhereisominous:
Rocksandgroundwithlittleplantsshowdarkthroughthemeltingblue-whiteness,andthesunlitsnowburnsintheireyesandleavesweird-shapedprintsinthemlikeleopardskin.(p.110)
ThisiscontrastedwiththedescriptionofChloeinthepolicestationinawarmandoverbrightroom:‘shehardlyhasroominhermindtoevenacknowledgethatotherpeoplearethere’(p.110).Lanagansetsupajuxtapositionbetweenthesetwoscenes,onenaturalandoneartificial,Janeyisaliveinoneyetabsentthroughdeathinthesecond.ThefirstsymbolisesthestateofJaneyafterherdeath:cold,onewithnature,‘charcoal,earth,leopard’(p.110).ThisdescriptioncontrastswithChloewhoiswarminthestationintheartificialenvironmentoffluorescentlights.SimilartoJaney,however,Chloeisisolateddespitebeingsurroundedbypeople.Thejuxtapositionofthesetwonarrativesallowsa‘unifiedspatialapprehension’wherebothpresentandpastarebroughtintosharperfocusthroughtheproximityoftheother(Frank1945,p.235).Interpretationreliesonthereaderaccessinganalogicalskillsandintegratingthetwonarrativestocreatethemeaningsthatlie,notinonesceneortheother,butbetweenthescenes.TogetherthesescenesspeakofthedepthofChloe’sgrief,herclaustrophobia,herisolationbothfromJaneyandotherssurroundingher,andthecontrastbetweenChloebeingaliveandJaneydead.
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Complex characters created through the use of binaries This‘now’and‘then’binarystructureisparalleledinthecontrastsdrawnbetweenJaneyandChloe,asLanaganexploresherkeythemeoffindingtheself.Theinfluenceofthecharacters’relationshipontheiridentitiescreatescomplexitythatthwartshabitualreading.Asthecharactersmaturethroughthecourseofthenovelpredictionsarereassessedbythereader.Inthe‘now’sectionChloeandJaneyexistinaparasiticrelationshipwhereChloefindspassionandcreativityinJaneyandJaneyfindsprotectionandcommon-senseinChloe.Eachgirlfeedsofftheothertoremedyaperceivedlackintheirownidentity.Janeycomments,‘togetherwemakeuponegifted,gorgeousperson’(p.139).TheextricationofChloefromJaneyistheimpetusforthenarrative.LanagangivesbothChloeandJaneycomplexitybysituatingidentityasdynamicandrelationalratherthanstatic.Inthe‘now’sectionChloefeelsboththeburdenofresponsibilityforJaney,andalsointernalisestheideathatwithoutJaneysheisnondescript.
She’dbeengratefultoberescuedfromherowntimidity,herownsteadiness.She’dfeltherselfchange,gainingcourageandcuriosityandsomeofJaney’sweirdsenseofhumour.(p.43)
UponfindingJaney’sbodyChloestillfeelsasenseofonenesswithJaney:
Theredidn’tseemtobemuchdifferencebetweenherbodyandJaney’sexceptthatherswasboundtogetherandkeptwarmwithclothing(p.104).
OnewouldexpectthisdualitytodiscontinueuponJaney’sdeath,however,JaneyisstillpresentinthesecondhalfofthenovelasanactivecounterpointandindeedintegratedpartofChloe.
Shelooksfromtoptobottomofthememories,herownandJaney’sbodymergedwithinthem;shetoocarriescrushedboneinthebackofherhead,bruisesbandherupperarm(p.116).
Lanagandeniesasimplisticviewofaninnateidentity.Chloe’sidentityisformedbothrelationallyandthroughevents.Identityisthereforeafluidconstruct.DespiteJaney’sdeathandChloe’sgrowingself-reliance,Janeyremainsbothpart
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ofChloeandpartofthenarrative.ThememoriesofJaneycontinuetoshapeChloeasmemoriesinfesttheliving.Despitethis,Chloebeginstoact.Thisstartswithherphotographywhichfeelslikeherfirstindependentaction(p.204).ItisnoteworthythatJaney’sdeathisthecatalystforherphotographyprojectasChloeseekstodocumentJaney’slife.ThisassertivenesscontrastswithChloe’searlierlackofagencyasevidencedinherresponsetosexwithTheo:shenever‘wentafteranything’forherself(p.14).Chloeisthefocalisingcharacterthroughwhichthereaderidentifies.ThebinaryofJaneyandChloe,andtheimplicationsoftheirrelationshipforidentity,raisescomplexquestionsforthereader.IsChloebetteroffwithoutJaney?CouldChloeeverhavefoundherownagencywithJaney?DidJaneyseekherowndemisetofreeChloeoftheresponsibility?LikeSaliba,Lanaganusesandthendeconstructsbinaries.Lifeisn’tbeforeandafter.Itisfragmentaryandoverlapping.Identityisn’tfixedandindividual.Itisfluidandpiecemeal.Itisconstructedthroughtheeventsoflifeandtherelationshipswithinit.LikeSaliba,Lanagancreatescomplex,dynamiccharactersthatrefusetobedefinedbyasingleattribute.
Reaching the third way via metaphor ThebinaryofJaneyandChloeasoppositesandyetpartofeachotherisfurtheredthroughLanagan’suseofmetaphor.IsaacandNickrepeatedlydiscusshousearchitecture.Isaacpromoting‘touching-earth-lightly’typehouseswhileNicktakesmoreofapragmaticapproach(p.42).Isaactalksofapartmentsandthelivesofthepeoplewholiveinthemasconformingto‘prettifiedboxes….Youliveinthatkindofspace,youendupthinkingthat’stheonlyspaceyoudeserve’(p.35).ChloeismetaphoricallylinkedtotheapartmentswhilstJaneyrepresentsthe‘touch-earth-lightlyhouse’.Chloe’slifeisstuckina‘prettifiedbox’.Thisisamplifiedbyherroleinanoperawhereshedressesasaprincessandwalksacrossstageonlytosittherestillfortheentireshowwhilsttheactionoccursbelowher(p.94).ChloeseeshersalvationfrommundanityinJaney.ChloehasthelooksandJaneyhasthetalent.Asmentionedpreviously,Janeycomments,‘togetherwemakeuponegifted,gorgeousperson(p.139)’.JaneysuggeststhatChloe’sonlycontributionisherlookswhileJaneyhasthe‘gift’.
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Nick,ontheotherhand,proposesathirdwaywherethereisroominabalancedenterprisefor‘houses’ofbothkinds,forthepracticalandthevisionary.Apartmentsarenecessary‘justasameansofsupportingthosefewfantastictouch-earth-lightly-typecommissions’(p.35).Chloe’spurposepriortoJaney’sdeathistosupportJaney.ThisdiscussionisfurtherexploredinthescenewhereIsaacshowsJaneyabookoftheartworkofAndyGoldsworth,anartistwhotakesordinaryobjectsandstacksthemorrearrangesthembeforephotographingthem.Inthisway,hetransformstheordinaryintotheextraordinary(p.57).ThisisametaphorforthetransformationthatChloeisundergoing.LanaganalsousesmetaphortodescribeChloe’sgriefandherchangedperceptionsastheformerlyhabitualisrenderedstrange.Thisuseofmetaphorhasadefamiliarisingeffectonthereader.TheimageryrepresentstheforeignnessoftheworldasperceivedbyChloe.ThisuseoflanguageisakintothatdescribedbyVirginiaWoolf.
Wecanseethestrangenessofthemonlywhenhabithasceasedtoimmerseusinthem,andwestandoutsidewatchingwhathasnopoweroverusonewayortheother.Thenweseethemindatwork;weareamusedbyitspowertomakepatterns;byitspowertobringoutrelationsinthingsanddisparitieswhicharecoveredoverwhenweareactingbyhabitordrivenonbytheordinaryimpulses.(Woolf1972,p.82)
AsChloewitnessesIsaacgivingthenewsofJaney’sdeath,‘itbecomestrueagainandbludgeonsthemeach’(p.112).‘Chloefeelsskinned,flinchingfromthecrueltyoftheair.ShesitsheldinonepiecebyhermotherwhiletheblowsofwhatIsaacistellingfallagain’(p.112).Inthiskeypassagethereader,likeChloe,comprehendsfromadistance,throughafogofmetaphor,theviolenceofgrief.LanaganfurtherexploresdefamiliarisingthehabitualthroughmetaphorinthescenewhereChloeemergesfromherbedroomandgoestothekitchen.Thekitchenchairbecomesnolongersimplyachairbutasymbolforabsence.Chloecontemplatesthefridge:
Outlandishthingssitonalltheshelves:eggcartonslikeportedspaceships,asilverboxofcreamcheese(whysilver,forcheese?),arowofmagicpotsinthedoor-rack-mustards,capers,pestosauce,Tabasco.Trappedflavours–noneofitmakessense(p.135).
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Thisdescriptionmakescommonobjectsappearsurreal.Theuseofdefamiliarisationherecreatesspaceforgreaterreflectioninthereaderastheycontemplatehowgriefchangestheperceptionofevenmundaneobjects.Itgivesinsightintothe‘mindatwork’(Woolf1972,p.82)andtheeffectofgriefonperception.Insummary,bothofthesenovelstaketheclassicYAcoming-of-agescriptandreworkit.SalibaandLanagantakedifferentapproachesandyettheybothproducecomplextextsthroughtheuseofdefamiliarisingstrategiesthatincreasethecognitiveloadonthereader.Bothauthorsexploretheambiguityoflifenotonlythematicallythroughstoryevents,butalsothroughthestructure,metaphor,binariesandcomplexcharactersemployed.
ToMyOtherSelf
Multiple perspectives through the use of spatial form ToMyOtherSelf(TMOS)utilisessomeofthesesamedefamiliarisingtechniquesasittellsthestoryofColin’ssearchforidentity.SimilartoTouchingearthlightlyTMOSutilisesspatialformalternatingperspectivesandexperiencesoftwenty-one-year-oldColinandsixteen-year-oldColin.InthefirstchapterColinconfesses,‘butIcan’tleavemeandthat’sperhapsthepersonIwanttoleavemostofall’(p.1).Hedescribeswithironyhowhislifewasmeanttoturnout.Thechapter’sconcludingaphorism,‘Tomyyoungerself:Don’tbother’(p.15),isironicallyjuxtaposedwiththeyoungerColin’syouthfulcertaintyasherepeatsthedescriptionofthefuture,thistimeasavisionofhowlifewillturnout.Theabutmentofthesetwonarrativesbringsadifferentperspective,andsignificance,toeach.ThereaderintegratesolderandyoungerColintoforgemeaning.Thequestionscreatedinthisspacemayberelatedtothestory:WhyhasColin’slifegottentothispoint?HowhasColinchangedsomuch?Thesequestionscouldalsosuggestmoreuniversalthemes:canpeoplechange?Dopeoplehaveagencytocreatechoice?Thisstructureraisesepistemologicalquestionsasthereaderisrequiredtoengagetheirinferentialanddeductive
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reasoning,analogicalskills,andcriticalanalysistocreatemeaningsthatlieinthecontrastbetweenthenarratives.Thesearealldeepreadingskills.
The effect of unreliable narration on interpretation
Oneofthemainreasonsforthechosenstructurewastheimplicationsforinterpretation.Theconstructionandmodificationofbothstoryandmeaningisadeepreadingskill.TMOSchallengesthisability.TothisendneitheroftheColinsarereliablenarrators.WhereSalibautilisesanunreliablenarratortobreakdownthebinaryoftruthandfalsehoodTMOSusesanunreliablenarratorto‘subvertthemoraland/orepistemologicalworldviewofthenarrator’(Baah2014)YoungerColinhasanunambiguous,essentialistworldview.Hedoesnotbelievepeoplecanchange–circumstancesmay,butnotpersonality.
Ithinkthatwhoweareisembeddedinuswhenwe’reborn.Wedevelopandmatureandcanchangesurfacestuff,butoutbasicmake-upneverchanges.(p.235)
TheextensionofthisessentialistworldviewisfoundinhisresponsetohittingHannah.Hestates:
Guyswhohitgirlsarepower-obsessedidiotswhopreyonpeopleweakerthanthem.TodayI’vejoinedtheircohortandIdon’tknowifIcanliveknowingthat.(p.340)
YoungerColinresidesinaworldofabsoluteswhichallowsnooptionofredemption;hencethisbeliefleadshimtoattemptsuicide.OlderColinbeginshisstoryrecognisingthatHannahdeservestohaveabetterlifethanhe(p.5).ThiscertaintyissimilartotheessentialistworldviewofyoungerColin.Intheend,however,olderColinfindsthathecanstartlivingagainwithagency.
SohereIam,twenty-one,almosttwenty-two,withnopermanentjob,prettymuchbroke,nodegree,noacceptanceintouniyet,andmyfutureisacompletemystery.Andyet…lifeisbetterthanit’severbeen…WouldIchangethings?Definitely.DoIregretthings?Definitely.ButI’mstartingfromnow.(pp.337-8)
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OlderColinmoderatestheextremeworld-viewespousedbyyoungerColin.Themultipleworld-viewspresentedthroughtheunreliablenarrationprovideopportunityformorenegotiationandreflectiononthepartofthereader.Asthereaderprogressesthroughthenovel,Colin’sperceptionsofHannaharecalledintoquestionbythecompetingnarrativeinformationseededthroughoutthetext.ThereadermustinferanddeducetoformanaccuratepictureofbothHannahandColin.ColinvacillatesbetweentrustanddoubtinHannahandtheirrelationship.ThereaderisintroducedtothepossibilityofinfidelityonolderColin’sfirstvisitwithHannahinprison.
‘Ishedefinitelymine?’Shegivesmealookofpurerage.(p.84)
Whileitisimpliedthatthisquestionisansweredintheaffirmativeitisneverexplicitlystatedcreatingroomforepistemologicaluncertainty.Itintroducesearlyinthenovelthepossibilityofinfidelity.ThiscreatesacontrastwiththenarrativeofyoungerColinwho,atthisstage,idolisesHannah.
Shelaughsalot.Ilikepeoplewholaugh.Herlaughterismusicalandkind.It’shardtothinkoflaughterbeingkind,buthersis.Itmakesthepeoplearoundhersmile.(p.92)
HannahispossiblyunfaithfulandHannahisseeminglyperfect.Thereadermustsimultaneouslyholdthesecompetingpiecesofinformationandwaitformoreinformationtoassesstheirveracity.Thetext,thus,teachesthereadertodeployamorecriticalmind-framepredisposingthemtodetectcharacterbiasandtoformtheirownjudgements.
Deepreadinginvolvesconstantlypiecingtogetherevents,feelingsandmovementsandmeasuringwhatisknownagainstwhatisexpectedandalteringexpectationsaccordingly.Zunshinereferstothisprocessofgatheringinformationandmeasuringitagainstwhatisalreadyknownastakingevents'underadvisement'.Informationistaggedwiththesourceoftheinformation;whosepointofview,whosaidittowhom,whenitwassaidetc.Asmoreinformationcomestohandtheinformationcanbeconfirmedordiscarded(2006,p.48).Themoregapsandthemoresurprisingeventsthatoccurina
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narrativethemorecognitiveactivityisrequiredinordertoadjustexpectations.Thecontrastingnarrators’interpretationofHannah’smoralcharacterareevidentinthescenewhereyoungerColindefendsandcomfortsHannahafterhermumhascalledheraslut.HeisseeminglysurehereofHannah’scharacter.
‘It’snottrue,’Isay.‘Howdoyouknow?’‘Iknowyou.’Isaywithakisstoherbrow.‘Right.AndIsleptwithyoudidn’tI?’‘Thatdoesn’tmakeyouaslut.You’rethemostcaring,fun,amazingpersonIknow.’(p.277)
ThiscertaintyisagainsubvertedlaterinthenovelasColinisrackedwithdoubtfollowingafightwithHannah.
Icanseeheratthebedroomwindow.Danielisbehindherandshepullsdowntheblind.YesIrememberthegoodtimes,butIalsoremembertheguysthatalwayssurroundher,Irememberthephotosaroundhermirror,IrememberthestockofcondomsinhertopdrawerandIseethesilhouettesofherandDanielinherroom.TheblindisdrawnbutI’mnotanidiot.Icanseearmsreachingoutandbodiesentwined.(p.317)
Atboththeprimaryandsecondarynarratologicallevels2,thenovelneverprovidesadefinitiveanswerastowhethertherelationshipbetweenHannahandDanielissexual,leavingthereadertoeitherexperienceepistemologicaluncertaintyorformtheirownjudgementsthroughdeductionandinference.Theresponseofthereadertoepistemologicaluncertaintyisexploredinthefollowingchapterwhichanalysesresponsesofrealreaderstothetext.Thetwo,temporally-separatednarrativeincarnationsofColininhabitfundamentallydisparatepersonalitiesaffectingthenarrativevoiceandaddingtoitsunreliability.YoungerColinisoverlyoptimisticandobsessive.Thereaderisawareofthisfromthesecondchapterwherehemakeshislistofimprovementsandiscertainhewill‘win’Hannah.OlderColinisoverly 2 According to the work of Genette (1983) the primary narratological level is the level upon which the analepsis is embedded (p. 48). In the case of TMOS the narrative of older Colin is the primary level with younger Colin’s narrative the secondary level.
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pessimisticanddoubtfulofhisownabilitiesbothasaparentandasaperson(p.2).Theseviewscreateadisjunctionbetweenthestorylinesthatthereaderneedstoresolve.Eachnarratorisquestionedbytheother,raisingepistemologicalquestionsinthereaderastheyarerequiredtointegrateinformationfrombotholderandyoungerperspectivestoformjudgementsandcreatemeanings.
The epistemological challenge of withheld information Thenovel’splotiscircular:itbothfinishesandstartswithColin’ssuicideattempt.Fortheimpliedreader,thispromptsare-evaluationofthe‘gaps’presentedbyeventsnarratedearlier,andinducesthereadertopiecetogethertheexplicationofthestateofolderColin’slife.Armstrong(2013)talksaboutinterpretationbeingfuturalaspatternsandexpectationspredictwherethestorywillgoandthesearecontinuallymodifiedasthereaderlearnsmore.Inevitablyasreadersbecomemoreexperiencedtheirfuturalinterpretationsbecomemoreaccurateastheyaremorefamiliarwithtexttypeandgenrepatterns.Apredictablestoryrequireslimiteddeepreadingskillsfromreaders.Thestructureemployedwasabletochallengebothfuturalinterpretationthroughthedefamiliarisationofnarrativetradition(discussedbelow)butalsotoinciteretrospectiveinterpretation.TheplotcruxinwhichColinpunchesHannahandthenattemptssuicideencouragesthereadertoreassessallthattheyknowaboutolderColin.ThatsequenceofeventscreatesanewfiltertounderstandColinandhischoicesandthereaderthencanreinterpreteventsthroughthisnewinformation.ThewithheldinformationaboutthepunchprovokesepistemologicalquestionsthroughoutthereadingprocessasthereaderseekstofindreasonsforthechangeinColinandforhissuicideattempt.
Defamiliarisation through metaphor Defamiliarisationisalsoatplaythroughoutthenovelinitsuseofmetaphor.Wordsorphrasesareintroducedintoanunfamiliarcontextinordertobreakthefamiliarpatternsthebrainexpects.Thisforcesthebraintopauseasitreassessestherelationshipbetweenthewords.AsdiscussedaboveLanagan
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usesthistogreateffectinTouchingearthlightly.AnexampleofthisinTMOSiswhenColinkissesHannahontheswinginthepouringrainandhesays,‘Shetastesofrainbow’(p.202).Despiterainbownotbeingatastethisstatementaccessescommonschemasofrainbowsassymbolsofhappiness,joy,andhope.ColinseesallofthisinHannah.TheuseofmetaphorinthisinstancegivesthereadergreaterinsightastotheintensityofColin’sfeelings.WhereLanaganusesbuildingsinTELtorepresentChloeandJaneyIuseabridgetometaphoricallyrepresentColin.Inbothinstancesthemetaphorisusedtoaddanotherlevelofcomplexity,bothtothecharacterandthenarrative.Colinwantstobecomeanengineerandbuildbridges.HedescribeshisfavouritebridgetoHannah:
‘Sothisbridgeisprettyimpressivebutasyougooverityounoticeabigdipinthemiddlewheretheroadgoesdownandseemstoalmosttouchthewaterbeforerisingagain.Itdoesn’tmakesense…itturnsoutthattheengineermiscalculatedandastheybuiltthebridgefrombothsidesoftherivertheyrealizedthatsomethinghadgonewrongandthetwosidesweren’tgoingtomeetinthemiddle.’‘Sotheymadethedip?’‘Yepbutbeforethattheengineerkilledhimself.’‘Andthat’syourfavouritebridge?Withthatstory?’Shelooksskeptical.‘Yeah.’Isaydefensively,‘thebridgestillworksbutitisn’tperfectandbecauseit’snotperfectit’sinteresting.’(p.101)
Colinismetaphoricallyrepresentedbythebridge.Thetrajectoryofthebridgemirrorshislife.Hebeginsoptimisticallybeforealmosttouchingthewaterandbecomingobsolete.AftersurvivingthesuicideattemptColinfindsawaytoriseagainandapproachnewchallenges.ThepassageaboveforetellsColin’ssuicideattemptbutthisiscounterbalancedbythehopefoundinthefinalsentencewhereimperfectiondoesnotequalobsolescence.ThismetaphorisextendedneartheendofthenovelwhenColintakesSamtothebeachandgoesintothesurf.
Iwalkintotheoceananddiveunderawave.BubblesburstallaroundmeasIcomeupontheotherside.Idiveagainandcomeup.EachtimeI’mbuffetedalittlemore,butI’mokay.Iseethebiggestwaveofthesetcoming.Istandandwatchit.Idareittohitme.ItdoesandI’mpulledunder.Isomersaultoverandover.IalmostmakeittothesurfacebutI’mpulledbackdownagain.MybreathisalmostgoneandIstartfighting.IfightforSam;Ifightforthewastedyears;IfightforHannah;butmostofallIfightforme.Forthemethatdeservestolive.
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OxygenrushesinasIbreakthesurface.IgulpintheairasIfloatintheocean.IlookbackattheshoreandseethestillsleepingformofSam.AnotherwavecomesandIbodysurfitin.(pp301-2)
Thepurposeofmostbridgesistocrossbodiesofwater.Thegreatestthreattothesebridgesiswater.HereColinconfrontsthewateranddecidestofight.Thisshowshisemergingagencyasheacknowledgesthepastandstilldecidestomoveforward.Inbodysurfingheshowsamasteryoverthewaves.TheuseofmetaphorinTMOSbothdefamiliarisesthereaderandaddsdepthandcomplexitytocharacters.
The defamiliarisation of narrative tradition TMOSsubvertsthenarrativetraditionoftheyoungadult(YA)realismgenreaddingtothedefamiliarisationexperiencedbythereader.AllthetextsdiscussedinthischapterbroadlyfitintotheYArealismgenre.TheobviousfeaturesofYArealisminclude:theadolescentprotagonist,theadolescentnarrator,therealisticcontemporarysetting,anddifficultsubjectmatter(Ross,1985,p.175).RobertaSeelingerTritesgoesbeyondthesetextualelementstoidentifythedistinguishingfeatureofYAliteratureasaninterestinhowsocialpowerisdeployedandhowitshapestheprotagonist(2000,p.2).IncontrastRossnotesthekeyfeatureofYArealismtobethecoming-of-ageoftheadolescentprotagonist(Ross,p.175).BothSomewhereandTELshowthegrowthoftheirprotagonistastheyrecognisetheirownidentityleadingtoanincreaseinagency.TMOSdoesshowacoming-of-age,albeitadisturbingone,astheyoungerprotagonistrealisesthathisidentity(essentialistatthispoint)isnotonehedesires.ThisprovisionalityofidentitydifferstoSomethingintheworldcalledlove.ThestructureinTMOSencouragesthenotionthatidentityisanongoingjourneyratherthansomethingtobeachieved.Colin’scoming-of-age,ifcoming-of-ageisdefinedashavingagency,isfoundashereconcileshispastthroughhisrelationshipwithSam.TMOSreflectstheemergingsophisticationandunpredictabilitywithinYAliteratureasseenthroughtheworkofauthorssuchasSonyaHartnett,MarkusZusak,andWillKostakis.TMOSincludesanadultnarrator,multipleperspectives,andadelayedcoming-of-agestory.Ratherthanpromotingidentityasasolidplatformuponwhichtoarriveitisviewedas
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anever-changingentity.ThissubversiondoesnotmakeTMOSeasiertoreadasthereadercannotrelyonpredictionsbasedonpatternsinprevioustexts.WritingTMOSwasabalancingactbetweenkeepingthenovelreadableandengagingwhilealsochallengingthereader.TMOSiscraftedtochallengeavidreaderswhoalreadyhaveaknowledgeoffamiliargenrescriptsandsowillexperiencethepauseandreflectioninducedbythesubversionofthesescripts.Justaspatternsareevidentingenretheyarealsoevidentwithinsub-genres.TMOSexistswithinasub-genreofYAnovelsthatdealwithpartnerdomesticabuse.TMOSiswrittenfromColin’spointofviewasaperpetratorofdomesticabuse.Thiscontrastswithmostofthenovelsinthissub-genrethatwritefromthevictim’sperspective(BreathingUnderwater(Flinn2001)istheexceptiontothis).Someexamplesoftextsinthissub-genreare:BitterEnd(Brown2011),Dreamland(Dessen2004),andStay(Caletti2011).Thesetextsdehumanisetheperpetratorofferingnochanceforredemption.WhileTMOSdoesnotcondonedomesticviolenceitoffersanotherperspectivefromthatwhichiscommonlyused.Inthiswayitdefamiliarisesanarrativetraditionprovokingthereadertomorecriticalthought.Insummary,bothSomethingintheworldcalledloveandTouchingearthlightlyarecomplexexamplesofYArealism.Theyutilisevarioustechniquesthatareevidentinmodernismtoprovokedefamiliarisationanddeepreading.Somethingexplorestheambiguityoflifewhereabsolutesarerare.Thisambiguityiscreatedthroughunreliablenarration,typographicaloddities,themanipulationofbinaries,andmetaphor.Eachtechniqueaddsalayerofcomplexityandrichnesstothenovel.TELisstructuredinaspatialformasitusesbinaries,metaphor,andanalepsestoprobetheintersectionofidentity,relationship,andgrief.Thesetechniques,evidentinmanymodernisttexts,encouragedepthinperceptionashigherorderthinkingskillssuchasinferentialanddeductivereasoning,analogicalskills,reflection,insightandcriticalanalysisareactivated.Thesehigherorderthinkingskills,asdiscussedpreviously,arethebedrockofdeepreading.Bothbooksofferacomplexexplorationofidentityandagency.ToMyOtherSelfincludessomeofthetechniqueslistedabove.Inparticular,spatialform,unreliablenarration,withheldinformation,metaphor,
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andsubversionofnarrativetradition.ThefollowingchapterteststheefficaciesofthesestrategiesinTMOSthroughanempiricalstudyofrealreaders.
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Chapter4:Astudyofthreereaders:thenatureofreadingandhowatextcanalterthatreading.Theimportanceandvalueofdeepreadingwasestablishedthroughtheliteraturereview.Ahypothesiswasthenmadeassertingthatthestrategiesofmodernisttextscouldstimulatethistypeofreading.Inordertotestthishypothesistwoyoungadultrealistnovelswereanalysedtakingnoteofthemodernistfeaturestheycontainedandtheeffectofthesefeaturesontheimpliedreader.Thesetechniqueswerethenutilisedtocraftanovelaimedatanadolescentaudience.Inchapter3thenovelwasanalysedandcomparedtotwoothercontemporaryrealistYAnovelsshowinghowthesefeatureswereused.Itwasalsoimportant,however,totestthenovelonrealreaders.Whatfollowsisanoutlineofthemethodologyemployedandthedatagatheredthroughthisempiricaltest.FindingsfromthedatareinforcedthelinkbetweendeepreadingandthedevelopmentofcognitiveToM.Thereaders’commentsconfirmedthatreadersarenothomogenousinthemeaningstheyproduceastheyread,rather,theirreadingisinfluencedbytheirworldview,experiences,andmentalacuity.Eachreaderisonanindividualcognitivejourney.Complexcharactersandtheuseofspatialstructurecontributedtodeepreadingasdidthedefamiliarisationofnarrativetraditions.Theefficacyofuntaggedanduninterrupteddialoguetoproducedeepreadingsuggeststheimportanceofwithheldinformation,lessnarratorialguidance,andmultipleperspectives.
Fieldworkdesign
Thefieldworkconsistedofthreeadolescentreaderskeepingareadingjournal.Readingjournalswerechosenasotherinstrumentsusedinthefieldtotestresponsestofictionalworkswereunabletoprovideimmediacyandallowforindividualresponse.
Withinthefieldofliterarystudiestherearevariedmeansofobtainingdata:surveys,analysesofonlinediscussions,analysesofliterature,and
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psychologicalexperiments.Inhisresearchintomemoryimageswhilstreading,MichaelBurkeadministeredquestionnairestouniversitystudents.Questionsincluded:'Didanyparticularwords/clauses/sentencesinthispassageemoteyou?'(2011,p.188.)Thelimitationtothistypeofsurveyquestionisthatthequestionitselfmayinvokereflectionthatdidnotoccurduringreading.Burkealsohasstudentsreadexcerptsratherthanentirenovels.Thisisproblematicasitisgenerallynothowrealreadersencounterfiction.AsJacobs(2015)notestherehavebeenfewstudiesthathaveutiliseduncondensedlong-formtexts.PeterStockwellanalysesonlinereadinggroupdiscussions.Heseesforumsas'offeringawealthofunmediateddata'(2009,p.12).DavidMiallreliesontheworkofpsychologistsinERP(EvokedResponsePotentials)studies.Thesestudiesmeasuretheresponse'generatedbytheelectricactivityofthebrainandaremeasuredatanumberoflocationsonthesurfaceofthescalp'(2011,p.327).OthertheoristssuchasMariaNikolajeva(2014)relyonanalysingliteraturetoprovidedata.
WithinthefieldofEducationinterviewsandsmallgroupresponsesseemtobethemostprevalentmethodofgainingreaderresponses(Blackford2004;Benton1986,Hubler1998).WhileBlackfordandHubleruseinterviewstogainageneralreactiontonovelsandreading,Bentonusessmallgroupstoexplorereactionstopoetry.
Readingjournalswerechosenasotherinstrumentsusedinthefieldtotestresponsestofictionalworkswereunabletoprovideimmediacyandallowforextendedindividualresponse.Diarystudieshavebeenusedextensivelyinthehealthandsocialsciencestoresearchareassuchasposttraumaticstress(Chun,2016),languageacquisition(Taguchietal.2012),andchronicpain(Fisheretal.2017).Theyarealsousedwithineducation,bothasalearninganddiagnostictool.Baugh(2016)notes,
Responsesreflectthedegreeofstudents’personalengagementwiththetext…Journalsalsoserveasavaluableformativeassessment,revealingmuchaboutstudents’basicunderstandingofthetextandhowwellstudentsapplyreadingstrategiesandliteracyvocabularytonewcontexts.(p.37)
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Bartlett(2015,p.91)identifiesseveraladvantagesofdiarymethods:theyprovidedata‘gatheredinrealtime(orasnearrealtimeaspossible)’;bycollectingdataovera‘definedperiodoftime’,diariesfacilitate‘theunfoldingofalongitudinalstory,relatedtothetopicofinterestthatisframedwithintheparticipants’ownwordsorpictures’.Inthisstudythejournalsfacilitatedrealtimeresponse,limitedtothetimereaderstooktoreadthenovel.Thenovelitselfwasthetopicofinterest,whilethediaryallowedpersonalisedresponses.Thediarywasabletochartreaders’changingviewsaboutaspectsofthenovel,suchascharacter,astheirreadingprogressed.
Thesamplesizeandmethodologywerechosentoprovideasnapshotintothreeteensreadingaspecifictext.Itisnotalargesamplesizeandstandsasacasestudyonly3.Neithergeneralisabilitynorrepresentativenessisclaimed,ratherthestudyprovidesinsightintothreespecificreaderswhilstprovidingamethodologythatcouldbeadoptedinalargerstudy.Ifthethesisconsistedonlyofreaderresponsethesamplesizewouldnecessarilybelarger.Themethodologywasselectedasameansofgainingimmediatefeedbackonanunpublishedlong-formtext.TherehavebeenotherstudiessuchasKoopman’s(2016),andKiddandCastano’s(2013)thatuseavarietyofshorteranddifferenttexttypes.Thiswasnottheaimhere.Theresearchwaslimitedbyboththerespondent’sabilitytoclearlyarticulatetheirthoughts,andtheirmotivationtowritedowncomments.
Method
TheprojectreceivedEthicsapprovalfromDeakinUniversity’sHigherResearchEthicsCommitteeonthe14thDecember2015.Allparticipantsreturnedconsentformssignedbythemselvesandtheirparents,orguardians,
3 A case study ‘consists of detailed investigation of one or more organizations … with a view to providing an analysis of the context and process involved in the phenomenon under study’ (Meyer 2001, p. 329). In this instance the reading of three teenagers was explored with analysis given both to the context, TMOS, and the cognitive processes involved in deep reading.
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givingpermissionforparticipationintheproject.Onreceiptofthepermissionformparticipantsweregiven:acopyofthenovel,anotepad,andaletterexplainingwhatwasrequiredinthejournal(appendix1).Hereisanexcerptfromtheletterexplainingwhatwasrequiredinthejournal.
Weareinterestedinyourthoughtprocessesasyouread.Tothatendwewouldlikeyoutojotdownsomebriefthoughtsasyouread,creatingareadingdiary.Thethoughtsdon’thavetobelong,singlesentencesarefine,alongwithapagenumber.Thekindsofthingsweareinterestedininclude:
• predictionsofwhatmighthappen• impressionsofcharacters/events,• howsomethingmakesyoufeel,• whatsomethingremindsyouof,• ifyoudon’tunderstandsomethingorsomethingsuddenlymakes
sense• iftherearelinksyou’remakingwithinthestoryorbetweenthe
storyandlife.
Thesearesomeideasbuteveryone’sthoughtsareuniqueandweareinterestedinyours.
Participantshadamonthtoreadthenovelandcompletethejournal.Themanuscriptwasprovidedinprintform,givenresearchthatsuggeststhatthedigitalformaddsanothervariablethatcouldaffectdeepreading(Wolf&Barzillai,2009).Asthedemandsoftheresearchrequiredthatparticipantsreadthenovelinunderamonthandkeepajournal,thisinevitablyself-selectedforavidreaders.Avidreadersaregenerallythemostwidelyreadandthereforeareabletocompareanddiscriminatemoreeffectively.Participantswereallseventeenyearsofageasthisisthetargetaudienceofthenovel.ParticipantsalllivedintheoutersuburbsofMelbourne.Thereweretwofemalereadersandonemale.
Analysis
Onreceiptofthejournalscommentsweretransposedintoasingledocumentwithidentifiersomittedandpseudonymsgiven.Athematic
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analysisoftheresponseswasthenundertakenusingacodingframeaccordingtothehigherorderthinkingskillsidentifiedbyWolfandBarzillai(2009)intheirdiscussionofdeepreading.Thesewereinferentialanddeductivereasoning;analogicalskills;criticalanalysis;reflectionandinsight(p.33).Codesforshallowreading,werethenadded:identification;affectiveempathy;comprehensionandmechanics.ThecodesforshallowreadingwerederivedfromGreen’sworkontransportation(2004).Green’sresearch,asmentionedinchapter2,foundthatreadingthatishighintransportationdiscouragescriticalthinkingwhilstencouragingidentificationandempathywithcharacters.
Figure1:Codesforanalysis
Toensureconsistencyinthecodingprocessacodesheetwasdeveloped,similartotheonedevelopedbyEvaKoopman(2016)inherstudyontheeffectofforegroundingonaffectiveresponses.Mycodesheetlinksthecodeswithadescriptionandanexampleofacommentthatexhibitedthecode(appendix2).Oncecommentswerecodedtheywerethenplacedintoaspreadsheetwhichallowedextrainformationtobeattachedforanalyticalpurposes.Thisspreadsheetcontained:thecomment,therespondent,thepageinthenovel,thecode,thecontext,thebroadnarratologicalelementsapparentonthatpage,aswellasassigningadeeporshallowdesignation(appendix3).Thenarratologicalelementswere
ShallowReading
identification
affectiveempathy
comprehension
mechanics
DeepReading
inferentialanddeductivereasoning
analogicalskills
criticalanalysis
reflection
insight
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codedaccordingtoemergentcoding.‘Withemergentcoding,categoriesareestablishedfollowingsomepreliminaryexaminationofthedata’(Stemler2001p.139).Aftersomerefinement,thecodesdecideduponwere:introspection,untaggeddialogue,description,hypothetical,list,action,andColinnarrateddialogue.Passagescouldalsobecodedwithacombinationofthesecodes,forexampleaction/dialogue.
Oncethedatawasenteredandcodedthemainfociineachreader’sresponseswasidentified.Thedatawasthenanalysedindifferentways.Firstly,thefrequencyofshallowanddeepresponsesforeachreaderwascalculated.SecondlythedatawasanalysedforreferencetothemodernisttextualstrategiesusedwithinTMOS,inparticular,complexcharacters,spatialstructureandasubvertingofnarrativetradition.Finally,theshallowanddeepcommentsforeachnarratologicalfeaturewerecompared.Ifacommentreferredtotwofeaturesitwasincludedtwice.Thisallowedcomparisonstobemadeaccordingtothetypeoftextfoundinthenovel.
ThelinkbetweendeepandshallowreadingandcognitiveandaffectiveToM.Thereaders’commentsconfirmedthataffectiveToMwaspresentinshallowreadingwhilstcognitiveToMwasactivatedindeepreading.AffectiveToMrelatestothinkingaboutanother’sfeelingsanddesireswhilstcognitiveToMrelatestothinkingaboutanother’sthoughtsorbeliefs(Dvash&Shamay-Tsoory2014).TheshiftfromaffectivetocognitiveToMisthetransitionthatWoolf(1966)speaksofinregardstomodernismwhere‘themindisfreedfromtheperpetualdemandsofthenovelistthatweshallfeelwithhischaracters’(p.82).Thetextsoughttoprogressthereaderfromidentifyingwiththefocalisingcharacter,toutiliseamore‘creative,criticalconsciousness’(Woolf1966,p.35).This‘criticalconsciousness’necessitatestheuseofhigherorderthinkingskills.ThataffectiveToMispresentinshallowreadingandcognitiveToMindeepreadingaffirmstheimportanceofdeepreading.
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ThefieldworkteststheefficacyofthetextindisruptingaffectiveToMtoprovokegreatercontemplation.AffectiveToMismostoftencodedasaffectiveempathywhichiscategorisedasshallowreading.AnexampleofthisiswhenEmmacommentedinresponsetoColinpunchingthewallaboveSam,
IfeelterribleforColinheisactuallyaverylonelypersonandhadalottodealwith.
EmmaunderstoodtheemotionsthatColinisfeelingasheisoverwhelmedbybeingafather.LukealsoexhibitedaffectiveToMwhenhestated,
thisemotionalhonestyfromColinissadanddifficulttoread.Luke’scommentrespondedtothesceneinwhichColinruminatesonhowhewisheshislifehadturnedoutdifferently,andthenpresentsaratherdiredescriptionofColin’sflat.LukedisplayedanunderstandingofColin’sstateofmind.ThesearebothexamplesofaffectiveToMwheretherespondentdisplaysempathyforthecharacter(forfurtherexamplesseeappendix3).CommentsthatshowcognitiveToM,anunderstandingofthethoughtsorbeliefsofanother,onlyoccurredinthecommentscodedasdeepreading.InresponsetoColingettingusedtoSamandadvisinghisyoungerselfto‘enjoyyourfreedom’(p88).Lukestated,
“enjoyyourfreedom”isinteresting,whenweareyoungwewanttomoveonwithlife;whenweareolderwithmoreresponsibility,welongforthefreedomofbeingyoung.
LukereflectedontheimplicationsofthestatementthatColinmadeinordertomakeassumptionsaboutauniversalsetofhumanfeelings,asdemonstratedbytheuseof‘we’inLuke’sdiscourse.Itisimportanttorememberherethatthereaderisseventeenandassuchwouldnothaveexperiencedtheresponsibilitiesthatheiscommentingabout;ratherheinferredbaseduponlearnedcontexts.Thiscommentwascodedasreflectionasitshowsanincreasedconsiderationorcontemplationofthetext.
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ThelinkingofToMtodeepandshallowreadingreinforcestheimportanceofdevelopingdeepreadingskillsand,byextension,theimportanceoftextsthatencouragethis.Fromapsychologicalperspective,AnthonyBatemanandPeterFonagy(2012),emphasisethesignificanceofToMintheirdiscussionofmentalizing.
Mentalizingliesattheverycoreofourhumanity-itreferstoourabilitytoattendtomentalstatesinourselvesandinothersasweattempttounderstandourownactionsandthoseofothersonthebasisofintentionalmentalstates.Withoutmentalizing,therecanbenorobustsenseofself,noconstructivesocialinteraction,nomutualityinrelationshipsandnosenseofpersonalsecurity.(p.xv)
TheconceptofmentalizingparallelsthatofToM(Zunshine2006,p.6).Muchofourlivesrevolvearoundrelationshipswithothersand,therefore,mentalizing,orToM,ispivotaltoanyhumaninteraction.BatemanandFonagy(2012)assertthataffectiveToMisdevelopedautomaticallywhilstcognitiveToMtakeslongerandmorepractisetodevelop(p.20).ThatcognitiveToMcanbedevelopedbyasmalldegreethroughthepracticeofdeepreadingarguesfortheimportanceandsignificanceofdeepreading.Forthoseinterestedintheliteracyofyoungpeople,itsuggeststheneedforcontinuedefforttoengagetheminreadingandcontinuallychallengingthemthroughthetextsthatarerecommended.
TheindividualityofreadersAlltheparticipantswerethesameage,wereallavidreaders,livedinsimilarareas,andreadthesametext.Despitethis,comments,emphases,andconclusionsvariedamongstrespondents.Allthreereadersrecordedcommentsthatdisplayedbothshallowanddeepreadinginvaryingratios.Eachreaderisonanindividualcognitivereadingjourney.Thisisevidencedbothinthetypeofreadingundertakenandintheemphasesoftheircomments.Wecannotexpectidenticalresponsesfromrespondentsandthereforethecommentsshowtheeffectsofthesestrategiesonaparticularreader.
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Reader ShallowComments DeepCommentsEmma 16 24Luke 14 16Lara 11 3Table1:Frequencyofshallowanddeepcommentsforeachreader
Readersinsertedtheirownmemoriesandexperiencesintothereadingofthetext.InresponsetoapassageofdialoguewhereHannahtellsColinthathismumofferedhermoneyforanabortionandthenaskedhertoleave,Emmacommented,
IguessIcanrelatemymumwas17withmeandwaskickedoutbyhermumandmygran.
Thisknowledge,whichwouldhaveshapedaspectsofEmma’slifeexperiences,alsohelpstoexplainherdislikeofColin’smumhere.Shegoesontostate,
IthinkI’monthevergeofhatingColin’smum.Iwasn’tfondofherbeforenow.Ireallydon’tlikeher.
Incomparisonneitheroftheothertworeadersfeltimpelledtocommentatthispoint.Emmaaccessedherownmemories,experiencesandfeelingstocreatemeaning.Similarly,responsesareshapedbytheworldviewofthereader.LukecommentedinresponsetothesceneinwhichColinfirstmeetsSamandthenaskshismotherforhelp,
WhydoeshestruggletocommunicatewithSam?Whydoesheconsistentlyhavetoaskhismumforhelpwiththingsthatseemobvious?
Dealingwithchildrenisonlyobviousifithasbeenpartofyourlifeexperience.Colinhasnoyoungersiblingsandhasisolatedhimselffromotherssincehisattemptedsuicide.Lukebroughttothetextanassumptionthatitisnormaltoknowhowtocommunicateandtodealwithchildren.InasimilarmannerLukecommentedthat,
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his[Colin’s]mumdoesnotseemlikearegularmum,doesnotseemsoftandgentleandcaringbutmorebrutal.
Embeddedinthiscommentareassumptionsaboutthecharacteristicsthatmotherspossess.Thisisaclearreflectionofthereader’sowninteractionswithhismother,othermothersthatheknows,andexposuretoaprominentsocialdiscourse.Lukeinthisinstance,perceived‘regular’assoft,caringandgentleand‘irregular’assomethingmorebrutal.TheseassumptionsshapedthewaythatLukeapproachedthetext.Literarytheorist,DavidMiall(2011,p.324),assertsthatreaderscannothelpbutinserttheirownmemories,experiencesandfeelingsintoatext,andthatsignificance,ormeaning,isfoundintextswhentheyengagethereaderinreflectingontheirownexperiences.Aspectsofselfareinsertedintothestoryresultinginemotion,meaningandthepossibilityoftransformingtheself.Authorscanusherinthistransformationbyofferingrawmaterialssuchasconnectablecharacters,dilemmasandambiguities.Fromthese,readerscanconstructtheirownversionofthestorysothestoryisnotjustexperiencedbutcreatedasthereader'sownthoughts,judgments,experiencesandfeelingsaremergedwiththetext.Theprocessofmergingchangesboththestoryandtheself(Oatley2002,p.43).Thissetsupasituationwherethereader’sworldviewcanbechallengedorreinforced.Despitebeinggivenidenticalinstructions,allthreerespondentsdisplayeddifferentemphasesintheircomments.Emmafocussedmuchofhercommentsoncharactersandherfeelingstowardsthem:
ColinmakesHannahseemlikeareallyinterestingperson.IthinkIlikeherandIhaven’tevenmether.
LukeexhibitedahighdegreeofempathyoraffectiveTheoryofMind:
thisemotionalhonestyfromColinissadanddifficulttoread.Lara,incontrast,lookedatthemechanicsofthenovel,pointingoutsentencesthatdidnotmakesense,aswellaspunctuationerrors.
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thesentence“youwanttolightthefireSam”doesn’tmakesense.
Shealsodiscussedthestructureofthenovel.
Ilikehowtheflashbackchapterandthepresentchapterrelatetogether,“don’tletdemonswin”and“thedemonscircle”.
Differencesininterpretationandapplicationwerealsoevidencedinthereaders’commentsoncompletionofthebook.Emmaidentifiedthemesandgeneralisedontheiruniversalsignificance.
Ittouchedonmanyideasthatarerelevanttoteensitalsorevealedhowourexpectationsforthefutureareboundtochange.Itdemonstratedhowmanyteensare,wegetsoconsumedwithinfatuationandlustwefallinlovewiththeideaofsomeone.
Lukesimplyconcludedthatthebookwas,‘verysadanddepressing.’Larawhosepreviouscommentsmostlyrelatedtothemechanicsofthebookwrote,
Whileitexploreddarkthemesandwassad,thehappytheme[s]balancednicely.Theideathathecould’veendeduphappy5yearslaterreallystoodouttomeandIthinkisagreatmessagetothereaders–nottogiveupbecausetherecanbehappinessandgreatthingsfoundlateron.
EmmaandLarabothmadethematicassessmentsastheyreflectedonthefuture,withEmmaalsocommentedonthenatureoflove,lustandinfatuation.Lukedidnotcommentonanyspecificthemesbutratherthefeelingselicitedthroughthetext.Noneofthereadersexhibitedanidenticalresponse.ThisreinforcestheworkofMiall(2011)andOatley(2002)mentionedabovewhereeachreadingvariesdependantonthereader.Thetextcanimplyaresponse,ormeaning,buttheresponseitselfistheuniquevoiceofthereader.Therecanbenoonesinglemeaningtoatextasalltextswillbeshapedbytheattitudesandexperiencesofthereader.
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Thisresearchsupportsthefindingthatreadersarenothomogenousandassuchtheyeachbringtheirownpersonalities,experiencesandworldviewtothereadingofthetext.Thiscontextshapesthenatureoftheirreadingandmeaningsproducedwhiletheyread.Theempiricalcasestudiesacknowledgethatreadersdiffer.Thisfieldworkseekstodocumenttheprocessofresponse,andthetextualfeaturesinthenovelthatpromptedmoredeepreadingresponsesinthesereaders.Whatfollowsisastudyofhowcomplexcharacters,spatialstructure,withheldinformation,andsubversionofnarrativetraditionaffectedthereadingofparticipants.
TheInfluenceofthetextonreadingDespitethereaderexercisinglargeinfluenceovermeaningsproduced,thewriterhasaroletoplayinthestrategiesutilisedwithinatextthatpromotedeepreading.Thecognitiveprocessesemployedwithindeepreadingsuchascriticalanalysis,reflectionandinsightareessentialforgreatermeaningproductionandthedevelopmentofcognitiveToM.InthesectionbelowIanalysetheefficacyofsomefeaturesofmodernismtoproducedeepreading.
Complex characters Emmaofferedaninterestingcasestudyinthewaythatcomplexcharactersinfluenceinterpretationandthought.Asdiscussedinchapters2and3complexcharactersarethosethatcontaincontradictions.InTMOSthesecontradictionsareemphasisedduetothespatialformofthenovelwhichjuxtaposestwotimelines.Thespatialformreinforcestheneedtoreassesscharactersasthereaderisimpelledtoviewandcontrastthesamecharacterinadifferenttime.ThethreemaincharactersspokenaboutbyEmmawereColin,Colin’smotherandHannah.Emmaformedjudgementsonthecharactersandyetherperceptionswereconstantlyunderminedbythetext.Thisunderminingmadeherreassessthecharactersandformnewopinions.Informingnewopinionscriticalanalysis,
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reflection,andinsightwerebeingactivated.ThetextpromptedthischangeinjudgementinregardstobothHannahandColin’smotherbutnotColin.ThecontinuingempathywithColinmaybearesultofthetextbeingwrittenfromColin’spointofview.EmmaseemedtoidentifystronglywithColin.Sheusedtermssuchas,‘Icanrelate’,‘it’ssad’,‘IfeelterribleforColin’,‘IwouldfeelrejectedifIwereColin’.ThemostnegativethingshesaidaboutColinwas,
hekeepstryingtopleaseher[Hannah]it’salmostannoying.WhileinwritingTMOSIwantedthereadertoinitiallyidentifywithColin.Iwashopingthisshallowresponsewouldtransitiontoincreasedreflectiononthetext.ThissimpleidentificationwithColinremaineddespitethescenewhereColinpunchesHannah.Forthisreaderthisstrategydidnothavethepredictedeffect.Forfuturework,itmaybeeffectivetoexplorewaystoproduceagreaternarrativedistancefromevents,similartostrategiesusedbySaliba(2008)inSomethingintheworldcalledlove.UnlikeEmma’srelationshipwithColinwhichwaslargelyidentificatoryandempathetic,herrelationshipwithHannahbeganpositivelybeforebecomingstrained.ItisimportanttorememberherethatTMOSiswrittenfromColin’spointofviewandthereforetheviewofHannahismediatedthroughColin.EmmabeganpositivelyinrespecttoHannah,usingtermslike,‘IthinkIlikeherandIhaven’tevenmether’and‘veryfunperson’.ShethenbegantoempathisewithHannah,‘IwouldbesofuriousifIwasHannah’and‘IfeelterribleforHannah’.TowardstheendtheidentificationbetweenEmmaandthecharacterofHannahbegantobreakdownasHannahargueswithColinandherfidelityisbroughtintoquestion.‘IcouldfeeltroublewithHannahfromthestart,younevertalktoanyonelikethat’,‘Prediction:HannahcheatsonhimwithDaniel.IhateHannahyoudon’tdothat’,‘Hannahhadthosecondomsforareason.ShewaslyingtoColin.’RememberingthattheviewofHannahismoderatedbyColin,EmmaclearlycameoutinsupportofColindespiteColinpunching
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Hannah.EmmalikedandempathisedwithHannahbeforechangingherjudgementduetonewinformation.SimilartoherrelationshipwithHannah,Emma’sperceptionofColin’smotherchangedduringthecourseofthenovel.Emma’simpressionofColin’smotherwaslargelynegativebeforechangingasEmmastruggledtointegratenewinformation.Allofthecommentsrelatedtothemotherwerenegativeuntilthelast,‘sheshouldbetryingtohelphim,‘I’msoannoyedwithhismum’,‘I’monthevergeofhatingColin’smum.Iwasn’tfondofherbeforenow.Ireallydon’tlikeher’,‘HismumshouldfeelguiltyandIthinksheisinthewrong.’Latershereappraised,
Colin’smumseemsfamiliars(sic).Hismumiscaring.’Thislastcommentseemsatoddswiththosethathavecomepreviouslyuntilthecontextistakenintoaccount.Thepreviouscommentsweremadeinreferencetotheolderstorylinewhilstthelastcommentreferredtotheyoungerstoryline.ContradictionandcomplexityisevidentinthecharacterisationofColin’smother.Intheolderstoryline,Colin’smotherisoverbearinginherconcernforColinandyetshedistancesherselfbothfromSamandHannah.Intheyoungerstoryline,Colin’smotherhashighexpectationsofColinbutissupportiveofhisrelationshipwithHannah.ThetwocontrastingfiguresofColin’smotherneedtobereconciledintooneimpressionasprogressivelymoreinformationisaddedallowinghermotivationstobecomeclearer.ThereaderisrequiredtousetheircognitiveToMtounderstandthemother’smotivationsthatunderpinheractions.TheverystructureofTMOSimpelsthereadertoreassessopinionsandjudgements.Eachtimeajudgementisreassesseddeepreadingoccursasthereadermeasuresupwhattheyknow,assessesitsveracity,andcomparesitwithcompetinginformation.Complexcharacters,aidedbythestructureofthetext,compelledEmmatoreassessherjudgementsandopinionsofcharacters.InTMOS,thenovel’srevelationofotheraspectsofHannah’scharacteranditsclosurewhichdenies
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herthehappyending,preventedEmmafromempathisingandprovideddistanceformorecriticalanalysis.ThedevelopmentofcriticalthinkingskillsaddressesconcernsraisedbyJohnStephensaboutidentificationcausingreaderstobe‘highlysusceptibletotheideologiesofthetext’(1992,p.68).InthecaseofEmma,usingcharactersthatcontainedcontradictionandcomplexityaidedinproducingdeepreadingassheappliedcriticalthinkingtothereadingprocess.Shehadahigherratioofdeepreadingcomments(0:6)inthefinalthirdthaninanyothersectionofthebook.ThiscoincidedwithmorecriticalthoughtaddressedtowardsHannah,asevidencedbyhercommentsthatexhibitedalossofidentificationwithHannah.
The effect of spatial structure ThespatialstructureofTMOSofferedadditionalcognitivechallengestothereadersastheywereforcedtorecontextualiseinformation.Laracommented,
Ilikehowtheflashbackchapterandthepresentchapterrelatetogether-“don’tletdemonswin“and“thedemonscircle”.
Thisrepetitionofwordswithindifferentcontextsencouragesanalogicalthinkingasthereaderstakewords,phrasesandmeaningsandareforcedtorecontextualisethem.Recontextualisationalsooccursasnewinformationisprogressivelyrevealed.AnexampleofthisiswhenLarastatedinresponsetoColinpunchingHannahandrunningawayonpage323,
IunderstandwhyhethinkshefailedsobadlywithHannahnow.Theuseoftheword‘now’alludestothefactthatthishadbeenanunansweredquestioninhermind.ShehadunderstoodpreviouslythatColinfelthefailedwithHannahbutthisactionoccurringneartheendofthebookcompletedthepictureasshewasnowawareofthemotivationbehindthefeelings.InformationbeingrevealedinalternatetimelinestriggeredLara’sinferentialanddeductivereasoningandclearlyexhibitedadevelopingToMasshegainedinsightintoothers’motivations.
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The effect of defamiliarising narrative traditions AsdiscussedinthepreviouschapterTMOSsoughttodefamiliarisenarrativetraditionthroughsubvertingcommongenrepatterns.Twoofthethreereaders(EmmaandLara)commentedonthebookbeingunlikeotherbooksthattheyhadbeenexposedto.‘Theideabehinditisgreatandit’sdifferent–anideaIhaven’tcomeacrossatall’(Lara).‘Ihaven’treadanovelwhichiswrittenlikethisyetitwasreallydifferenthowyoumixedthepastwiththepresent’(Emma)‘Ithinkmostteenswouldlovereadingthebookbecauseitisnotclichéd’(Emma).Lukecommentedinasimilarvein,
definitelynotwhatIwasexpectingandhadmeinshockforawhile.Abookthatseemsunfamiliarwillexertagreatercognitiveloadonthereaderastheywillneedtocontinuallyreassesscharactersandalterpredictionsasfurtherinformationisrevealed.Emmaalludedtothisconstantreassessment,
ThebookwasveryunpredictabletobehonesttheonlypredictionIgotcorrectwastheonethatMiaandColinwouldgettogether.
Thisdefamiliarisationseemstobebalancedwithengagementasallthreereadersrecordedapositivereadingexperience.‘Ilovedthebookitwassointeresting…Ireaditinoneweek,arealpageturner’(Emma).‘VerysadanddepressingbutthebookhadmehookedandIenjoyedreadingit’(Luke).‘Ilovedit’(Lara).Whenwritingforadolescentsitisimportantthattheaudienceiskeptinmindsothattheworkisnotincomprehensibleforthereader.TothisendwhileTMOSdoesutilisesomeoftheformsevidentinmodernismthesearecarefullybalancedwithconnectablecharactersandengagingplotlinesinorderforthereadertoengagewiththetext.
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Adolescentsneedtoreadawiderangeofdiversebooksinordertobeexposedtounpredictabletexts.DiversityrefersbothtothematicconcernsthatincreasecognitiveToM,butalsotostructureandthestoryitself.Inherstudyofnovelsthatelicithighlevelsoftransportation,whichcorrespondswithshallowreading,Green(2004)acknowledgesthatthesebooksmostoftenfallintothecategoryofbest-sellersandgenrefiction.Thiscasestudysuggeststhatexposuretolessformulaictextsmayprovokemorecriticalthoughtwhilereading.
The effect of withheld information Anexampleofhowwithheldinformationcontributestodeepreadingisfoundinreaderresponsestountaggeddialoguepassages.Incontrasttoactionordescriptivepassagesthesecontainedagreaterratioofdeeptoshallowcomments. Shallow DeepUntaggeddialogue 14 19Action 12 8Description 9 5Table2:Frequencyofshallowanddeepcommentsforthreetypesofnarrative
Whenthereadercommentswerecodedasdeeporshallowandthencross-matchedwiththetypeofnarrativeonthecorrespondingpageoftextsomeinterestingpatternsbegantoemerge.Unlikeothertypesofnarrativeuntaggeddialogueelicitedmoredeepcommentsthanshallow.Isurmisethatthisisduetoagreateramountofwithheldinformationwithinpassageswithstraightdialogueandreducednarratorialguidance.Thiswithheldinformationproducesgreaterlevelsofambiguityandenforcesahighercognitiveloadonthereader.Theresponsestoactionpassagescontained12shallowcommentsand8deep.AnexampleofthisiswhenColinkissesHannahaftertheirdate.Emmacommented,
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‘Oknowthatwasveryfasttheykissingalready,IfeelexcitedforColin.’Thiscommentshowsaffectiveempathyasshewasfeelinganemotionalongwiththecharacter.Empathyisashallowresponse.InresponsetoColinquittinghisjobafterhisbosstoldhimthatSamshouldn’tbethere,Emmastated,
‘Iwasn’texpectingthattohappenbutfinallywecansayColinwantsSam.’Emma’sfuturalinterpretation,thescriptshewastryingtofollow,wasthwartedbythisnarrativeevent,andthereforeneededtobereassessed.Shealsoutilisedherdeductivereasoning,adeepreadingskill,inordertoextrapolatethatColinstandingupforSamandgivingupajob,meantthatColinwantedSam.Actionpassageswerefoundthroughoutthetextandelicitedafairlyevensplitofshallowanddeepcommentsindicatingthatactionpassagesdonotnecessarilyencourageacertaintypeofreading.Descriptivepassagesalsoshowedatrendtowardshallowoverdeepcommentswith9shallowand5deep.DescriptivepassagesasdefinedbyBal(1985)are‘textualfragmentsinwhichfeaturesareattributedtoobjects’(p.130).Afragmentisconsidereddescriptionwhenthisfunctionisdominant.AnexampleofadescriptivepassagesinTMOSisColindescribinghisbedroom.
Igohome,grababowlofcereal,devourit,turnsomemusiconandlieonmybed.It'smyfavouritepartoftheday.MyparentsarestillatworkandmybrotherKevisn'thomefromuniyet.IcandowhateverIwantbutrightnowIdon'twanttodoanything.Mymindisfull.Istareupatmyposters:StarWars,AltJ,FooFighters.Ifeellikeadifferentpersonnowthantheonewhowalkedoutofherethismorning.Ifeelolder.Igetupandstartrippingdownposters.Thesepostersbelongtothepersonofyesterday,nottheoneoftoday.PostersinthebinItakeanotherlookaroundmyroom.MydeskisclutteredwitholdpapersandthingsIthoughtwereimportant;oldticketstoconcerts,photosofmeandmyfriendsbeingidiots,anythingwrittentomefromagirl.Fromaguyandtheywouldalmostimmediatelybethrownout.FromagirltheymeanpossibilityandsoIkeepthem.Untilnow.NowIpulloverthebinandstartthrowingthingsout.AnythingIdon'tabsolutelyneedisgone.It'stimetobeadifferentme,anoldermoreassuredme,ameHannahwillwant(p.25).
Balarguesthatdescriptioninsertedintoatextrequiresmotivationfromtheactor.Thismotivationcanbebroughtaboutthroughspeaking,looking,oracting(p.130)Inthispassagetheactor,Colin,ismotivatedbyactionashecleanshis
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room.Thisallowstheopportunitytoascribefeaturestotheroom(theme)and,wallsanddesk(sub-themes).Thepostersdescribethewallswhilethedeskis‘clutteredwitholdpapers’.Thesefeaturesgiventothesub-themescombinetodescribethemaintheme.Motivationthroughactionalsointroducesnarrativeintothedescription,however,inthiscase,thedescriptivefeaturesarestilldominant.Thispassagewhiledescribingtheroom,alsostandsasametaphorforthechangethatColinisundergoingasaresultofmeetingHannah.Theresponsestothispassageincludedcommentssuchas,‘Iknowthefeels–haha.Justenjoyingbeingalone(Emma)’and‘Ilovethebandalt-J’(Luke).BothofthesecommentsshowedsomeidentificationandempathywithColinbutdidnotengagehigherorderthinkingskills.Wheredescriptivepassagesshowedevidenceofmoreshallowthandeepreading,passageswithuntaggeddialogueengagedthereadersinmoredeepthanshallowreading.Therewere14shallowcommentsand19deep.Belowisanextractfromoneofthesepassages:
IringMum.Shepicksuponthesecondring,efficientasalways.'Mum.Ineedyou.'Ilaunchstraightin,scaringtheshitoutofher.Thereisn't
timeforapreludethistime.Areyouokayrightnow?I'llcallyourpsychologist.''Mum!Stopandlisten.''Okay.'Shesaysquietly.Ihateyellingather.'SoIjustgotacallfromDHS.''DHS?''TheytoldmethatHannahhasason,myson.He'sfourandhe'sonhiswayto
myplacenow.Idon'tknowwhattodo.''Buthowdidthishappen?Idon'tunderstand.ImeanIthought...''MumIhadnoideaaboutthis.''Areyousure.Isthiswhy...?'Andlikethatwe'rebackwhereeveryconversation
overthepastfiveyearshasinevitablyled.'NoMum,'Isayemphatically.'BecauseIneverreallyunderstood.'(p.34)
Thewithheldinformation,thelackofnarratorialguidance,andthemultipleperspectivesfoundinapassagesuchasthisoneleadtomoreinstancesofdeepreading.Firstly,thereisverylittlemediationfromColinasourfirstpersonnarrator.InthispageoftexttherearetwoinstanceswhereColinhelpstounpackorshapethestorythroughhisowncommentary;‘efficientasalways’
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and‘Andlikethatwe'rebackwhereeveryconversationoverthepastfiveyearshasinevitablyled’(p.34).Therestofthetextisalmostpurelydialoguewithjustafewindicatorsoftonesuchas‘quietly’and‘emphatically’.Thesparsenessofcommentaryallowsthereaderanunmediatedviewoftheaction,allowingthereadertoformtheirownopinions.Cognitivelyinapassagesuchasthisthereaderissimultaneouslyengagingmultiplethoughtprocesses.Firstly,theyaremonitoringeventsaswellaswhoisspeakingandtowhom.Thisensuresthatcomprehensionisaccurate.Theythenneedtoreadbetweenthelinesandlookforwhatisnotspoken,thesubtext.ThispassageaddstowhatisalreadyknownaboutColin’smum,principallythatsheisover-protective,efficientandpronetopanic.Theintrigueinthispassageisfoundinmum’sresponsetoColin’snews.
'Buthowdidthishappen?Idon'tunderstand.ImeanIthought...'Thereaderisnevergiventheendofthatsentencenorfortheonethatfollows,
‘Isthiswhy…?’ThereaderisbeginningtounderstandhowColin’smotherreactstoeventsbutisunabletoclearlygrasphermotivationsatthispointinthenarrative.Thesegapsinthenarrativeinvitethereadertoquestion,surmise,andengagetheirdeductivereasoning.ToMisdevelopedasthesequestionsareasked.Emmacommentedregardingthispassage,
‘Whydoeshismumkeepsayingthatshewillcallapsychologist?Sheshouldbetryingtohelphimherself.’
Lukenotedofthecontinuationofthisconversationonthefollowingpage,
‘whycan’thismumhelpmore?’ThefullcontextofthispassageisnotrealiseduntilthereaderfindsoutthatColin’smumofferedtopayforanabortion(p.155)andthatColinattemptedsuicide(p.345).Oncetheseeventsareknownitislikelytocausearetrospectivereassessmentofthispassage.Isuggestthatdialogueengagesdeepreadingskills
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forafewdifferentreasons.Firstly,itislargelyunmediatedbyanarrator.Secondly,thereaderhasmoretomonitorastheyconstantlyalterperspectives,therebyexercisingToMtoagreaterextent.Thirdly,dialoguebyitsverynaturecontainsmoregapsthatthereadermustfillwiththeirowndeductiveandinferentialreasoning.Astheliteratureonmodernismsuggests,withholdinginformationencouragesambiguity.Insummary,itwasnecessarytoanalyserealreaders’responsestoTMOStotesttheefficacyoftextualstrategies,thatthisresearchhasarguediscommoninmodernisttexts,toproducedeepreading.Readingjournalswerechosenastheyofferedimmediacyandallowedforindividualresponses.ThecommentsrevealedacorrelationbetweendeepreadingandthedevelopmentofcognitiveToM,andbetweenshallowreadingandaffectiveToM.ThisfindingreinforcestheimportanceofdeepreadingsincethedevelopmentofcognitiveToMispivotaltohumaninteraction.Despitesimilaritiesbetweenthereaders,andthefactthattheyallreadthesametext,eachreaderprovideddifferingemphasesintheircomments.Thereader’scommentswereshapedbytheirworldview,experiences,andtheirlevelofacuity.Eachreaderisonanindividualcognitivejourneyanditisthereforeimpossibletopredictageneralisedresponsetoatext.Inthecontextofthisresearch,theseresponsesexhibittheeffectofthenovel’stextualstrategiesonthesespecificreaders.TMOSwassuccessfulatbothengagingadolescentreadersandprovokingdeepreading.Thereaders’commentssuggestedthatboththecomplexcharactersandspatialstructurecontributedtodeepreadingastheyencouragedambiguityandforcedthereassessmentofjudgements.Passagesofuntaggeddialogueprovokeddeepreading,arguablyduetothelackofnarratorialguidance,theamountofwithheldinformation,andthealternatingperspectivesofthedifferentcharacterspeakers.Defamiliarisingnarrativetraditionsalsoproduceddeepreadingasreaderswereforcedtoreassessjudgementsandpredictions.Anawarenessoftheimportanceofdeepreading,andtheelementswithintextsthataremorelikelytoprovokedeepreadinghaveapplicationforliteracy
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practitionersastheyrecommendbooksforadolescents.Booksshouldsometimesberecommendedonthebasisofthecognitivestretchtheycangivetotheindividualreader.MaryanneWoolfarguesthat,
Thedegreetowhichexpertreadingchangesoverthecourseofouradultlivesdependslargelyonwhatwereadandhowwereadit(Wolf&Stoodley2007,p.156).
WithinmodernisttextsVirginiaWoolf(1966)asserts,
Weareatonceconsciousofusingfacultieshithertodormant,ingenuity,andskill,amentalnimblenessanddexteritysuchasservetosolveapuzzleingeniously(p.81).
Adolescentswouldbenefitfromthissameopportunity.Writersneedtoembracecomplexity,ambiguity,anddiversityastheycrafttextsforteenagers.Educatorsandlibrariansneedtosupporttheseendeavoursbyrecommendingnovelsthatstretchcognitiveskillsandexpand,ormodify,theworldviewoftheadolescent.
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Chapter5:ConclusionThisthesisbeganwiththeaimofidentifyingstrategiesthatpromotedeep,ratherthanhabitual,reading,inordertoinformthewritingofanoveltopromotedeepreadinginayouthreadership.Theresearchaimspursuedwereasfollows:- Firstly,toidentifymoderniststrategiesthatprovokedeepreadingAcomprehensiveliteraturereviewidentifiedthedevelopmentofTheoryofMindandhigherorderthinkingskillsaskeybenefitsofthepracticeofdeepreading.Whilethisthesisdidnotexplicitlyaimtoaddresseducationalgoals,thistheorybringsanewdimensiontoexistingdebateswithincriticalliteracystudies.TheliteraturereviewalsoconfirmedtheplaceofmodernistnovelsasakeysiteforunderstandingtextualpracticesthatleadtodefamiliarisationandincreasedTheoryofMind.Theuseofdefamiliarisationwithinmodernisttextshasbeenassociatedwithchangesofperceptionsinthereaderastheyarechallengedwithepistemologicaluncertainty.Informedbytheseinsights,aliteraryanalysisoftwosymptomaticyoungadulttextswasundertakentodemonstratehowtextualstrategies,suggestiveofmodernism,positionimpliedreaderstoengageindeepreading.Thisthesismakesanewcontributiontochildren’sliteraturescholarshipbybringingtheframeworkofmodernism,ratherthanpostmodernismtoananalysisofAustralianyoungadultfiction.Together,thisinitialresearchfoundthatmodernisttextsdefamiliarisethereaderandintroduceambiguityastheyraiseepistemologicalquestionsthroughtheuseofmoralambiguity,unreliablenarration,complexcharacters,andaspatialratherthanchronologicalapproachtotime.Whilethethesisdidnotconsiderotherpre-orpostmodernistliterature,furtherresearchmightusefullyexaminethetextualstrategiesoftheseliterarymovementstocontrastthefindingsrelatedhere.
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Thesecondresearchaimwas- TocreateanovelthatwillincreasecognitiveloadonthereaderThemodernisttextualstrategiesidentifiedintheliteraturereviewandcriticalanalysisofyoungadultexemplarswereleveragedtoinformthewritingofmycreativeartefact,ToMyOtherSelf.Thenovelwascraftedtoemployvariousdefamiliarisingtechniquessuchas:spatialstructure,unreliablenarration,subversionofnarrativetraditions,withheldinformation,andmetaphor.Thesestructuresincreasedthecomplexityofinterpretationdemandedoftheimpliedreader.Theypositionreaderstoactiondeepresponseascommonstructuressuchasgenrepatternsweresubverted.Thethirdresearchaimwas- Toeffectivelygatherdatathatdisplaysreaders’thoughtsastheyreadOncemynovelwascompletedtothirddraftstage,itwasprintedandgiventothreeteenagereaderswhokeptareadingjournal.Theircommentswerethenanalysedtogiveasnapshotintoboththenatureofreadingandthestrategiesthattendtoresultindeepreading.Allofthereaderscommentedthattheyenjoyedthebookandalsothatitwasunpredictableanddifferenttootherbookstheyhadread.Thissuggeststhatabalancewasstruckbetweencomplexityandreadabilityforthetargetreadershipofadolescents.AsreportssuchasChildren,teensandreading(2014)andKeepingyoungAustraliansreading(2009)showthattheamountofreadingdeclinesfromtheageof12itwasimportantthatreadersbebothengagedandchallenged.Indevelopingaworkablemethodologytoempiricallytestthetheorywithrealreaders,acontributionwasmadetothefieldofreaderresponsewithinliterarystudies.Thereadingjournalsprovidedimmediacyandallowedalong-formtexttobeused,provingtobealegitimatemethodofgainingvaluableinsightintoreaders’thoughtswhilstreading.Theuseoflong-formtextisnoteworthyastherehavebeenfewstudiesthathaveutiliseduncondensedlong-formtexts
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(Jacobs2015).Thisisanareathatneedstobefurtherexploredasnovelsaregenerallyreadintheirentirety,bothinschoolsandforpleasure.Whilstthesamplesizelimitstheproject’sexternalvaliditytheinsightsgivenofferauniqueperspectiveontheindividual’sownreadingprocessandprovideamethodologythatcouldbeadoptedinalargerstudy.Thefourthresearchaimwas- TogaininsightintothenatureofreadingTheparticipants’responsesconfirmedthataffectiveToMispresentinshallowreadingandcognitiveToMindeepreadingreinforcingtheimportanceandvalueofdeepreading.Theresponsesalsodemonstratedthatreadersarenothomogenousastheyinserttheirownmemories,experiencesandworldviewsintothereadingofthetext.Furtherresearchcouldexploretheresponseofonereadertodifferenttypesoftext.Thiswouldemphasisemorestronglythechangesbroughtaboutbythetext.Thefifthresearchaimwas- Toassesstheefficaciesofthestrategiesemployedinthecreationofthe
novelThefieldworktestedtheeffectsofthetextualstrategiesemployedinToMyOtherSelf.Itfoundthatcomplexcharactersaidindeepreading,asdoesamorecomplexstructure.Thesestrategiesincreasetheinterpretivechallengesforthereader,creatingmoreopportunitytoengageindeepreadingskillssuchasinferentialanddeductivereasoning.Similarly,deepreadingwasactivatedinpassagesofuntaggeddialogue.Thesepassagescontainmoreinstancesofwithheldinformation,lessscaffoldingbythenarrator,andshowmultipleperspectives.Thiswasparticularlyevidentwhencomparedtotheshallowresponsetodescriptivepassages.
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Thisresearchhasapplicationforwritersandliteracyspecialists.Ifthegoalofthewriteristobeprovocative,creatingmoreopportunityfordepthinmeaningproduction,thentheirworkwouldbeaidedbytheuseofdynamiccharacters,extensiveuseofdialogue,metaphor,andamorecomplexstructure.Thesestrategieswillaidinsubvertinghabitualreadingthroughdefamiliarisingnarrativetraditions,therebyincreasingthecognitiveloadandtheopportunityfordeepreading.Foreducators,theknowledgethatreadersarenothomogenousreinforcestheneedfordifferentiationwithintheclassroom.Studentsareunlikelytoproducethesamemeaningsinresponsetoatext;thisvarietyshouldbeencouraged,asshouldanyreflectionsthatseestudentsbringtogethermeaningscreatedthroughbothatextandtheirlifeexperiences.Forliteracyspecialists,thealignmentofcognitiveToMwithdeepreadingrevealstheimportanceofencouragingdeepreadinginstudents.Readingisacognitivejourneyandassuchbookselectionisbothvitalandanongoingchallenge.IdeallybooksshouldincrementallyincreasethecognitivechallengeonthereadertherebyfurtherdevelopingtheircognitiveToMandhigherorderthinkingskills.Anawarenessofthestrategieswithinbooksthataremoreefficientinproducingdeepreadingsuchascomplexstructures,dynamiccharacters,dialogue,andambiguitymightaideducatorsinrecommendingbookstoindividualreaders.Buildingontherecognitionofreadingasacognitivedevelopmentalprocess,furtherresearchcoulddocumentthebooksreadbyparticularteenagers.Thiswouldevaluateifreadersvoluntarilyincreasethecomplexityoftheirreadingmaterialastheymatureorwhetherthisrequiresinterventionbyanenablingadult,suchasateacher,parent,orlibrarian.Insummary,thisresearch,Textualstrategiesforpromotingdeepreadingissignificantandoriginalinbothitsmethodologiesanditsfindings.ToMyOtherSelfisitselfanoriginalcreativeworkasittranslatesmodernisttechniquesintoacontemporaryyoungadultnovelthataddressesthefluidityofidentity.
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Themethodologyemployed,writingthenovelpriortotestingonrealreadersastheykeptareadingjournal,contributestopracticeinreaderresponse.Thereadersprovidedindividualiseddataontheirthoughtprocesseswhilstreading.Thisgaveinsightintobothhowyoungpeoplereadandtheroleofthetextinprovokingdeepreading.Thisresearchprojecthasapplicationsforwriters,literarytheorists,andliteracyspecialists.
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77
AppendicesAppendix1:Lettertoparticipants Thankyou for volunteering to participate in this project. In this pack you will find a novel, To My Other Self, a notepad, some pens and a stamped addressed envelope. We are interested in your thought processes as you read. To that end we would like you to jot down some brief thoughts as you read, creating a reading diary. The thoughts don’t have to be long, single sentences are fine, along with a page number. The kinds of things we are interested in include:
• predictions of what might happen • impressions of characters/events, • how something makes you feel, • what something reminds you of, • if you don’t understand something or something suddenly makes sense • if there are links you’re making within the story or between the story and
life. These are some ideas but everyone’s thoughts are unique and we are interested in yours. Here is an example of what your diary may look like: p. 22 I don’t understand why Colin is fascinated with Hannah. p. 30 This reminds me of someone I know p. 45 I had to take a break here. It was too awkward. I have included a notepad and some pens for your diary but if you feel more comfortable typing the diary, that’s fine, when you have finished just email it to me. If you use the notepad then just put it into the stamped addressed envelope and send it back to me once you have completed the novel. If you have any questions you can email or call me using the details below. If you could get this done before the 15th September that would be great. If you decide that you no longer want to participate please let me know. Thank you again for your participation. Regards, Michelle McRae Deakin University [email protected] 0417 335 817
78
Appendix2:Codesheet Category Main Code Description Example
Shallow reading Identification Comments where the reader
recognises aspects of themselves
in the protagonist.
‘I know the feels- ha ha. Just
enjoying being alone’ (Emma, p.
25).
Affective Empathy Comments where the reader feels
an emotion on behalf of the
protagonist.
‘I feel kind of bad for Colin it
sounds like he is alone’ (Emma,
p.1).
Comprehension The reader shows an
understanding of plot points.
‘A lot of my confusion is cleared
I thought that Hannah had been
run over. Colin sounds like he
had feelings for Hannah’ (Emma,
p. 9).
Mechanics Comments regarding
punctuation, style, and the form
of the writing.
‘Thesentence“youwanttolightthefireSam”doesn’tmakesense’(Lara,p.303).
Deep reading Inferential and deductive
reasoning
Comments where the reader is
extending meaning beyond what
is found in the literal text.
‘deep imagination means Hannah
is clearly important to Colin’
(Luke, p. 10).
Analogical skills Comments that show that ‘I’m not sure what someone can
79
similarities are perceived in
different situations.
do that can make you reject a
pregnant 15 year-old girl…I
guess I can relate my mum was
17 with me and was kicked out
by her mum and my gran’
(Emma, p. 155).
Critical analysis Comments where a judgement,
opinion or argument is expressed
by the reader.
‘Colin talks himself up but he is
not really that ‘tough’ when
meeting Hannah’s guy friends’
(Luke, p. 128).
Reflection Comments that show that there is
increased consideration or
contemplation of a part of the
text.
‘enjoy your freedom’ is
interesting- when we are young
we want to move on with life;
when we are older with more
responsibility, we long for the
freedom of being young’ (Luke,
p. 88).
Insight A deep understanding of the
internal nature of things.
‘It touched on many ideas that are
relevant to teens it also revealed
how our expectations for the
future are bound to change. It
80
demonstrated how many teens
are, we get so consumed with
infatuation and lust we fall in
love with the idea of someone’
(Emma, end).
81
Appendix3:Spreadsheetofparticipants’comments Comment Reader Page Code Context Typeofnarrative Shallow/Deep
IfeelkindofbadforColinit
soundslikeheisalone.I’mvery
curiousaboutthebulletmarkin
hischest.Heseemsextremely
negativeabouthimself.Thewhole
‘dorks’thingisreallyfunnyabout
howtheygetteasedthen
succeed.
Emma 1 Emp Openingpage-older introspection shallow
Colin’srelationshipseemsvery
harshtowardshismother.Iwould
liketoknowwhyherejectsher.I
thinktherearemanyofthose
kindsofrelationshipsbetween
parentandchildren.
Emma 7 Crit/A.
skills
Older-Convobetween
ColinandMum.Mum
probingtomakesure
Colinisokay.
untaggeddialogue deep
Thescarismentionedagain,I’m
morecurious.IcanrelatetoColin
whenhesayshedonesmall
thingsaftereachother,justdoing
thosethingstodistractyoufrom
thebigcatastropheyoufacing.
Emma 8 Id Older-Descriptionof
Colin'sflatashedoes
smalltaskstoavoid
thinking-depressing
descriptive/introspection shallow
AlotofmyconfusionisclearedI
thoughtthatHannahhadbeen
runover.Colinsoundslikehehad
feelingsforHannah.It’ssadhow
heisimaginingallthesethingslike
heobviouslylostallcontactwith
heranddoesn’tknowabouther
Emma 9 Comp/Emp Older-Descriptionof
accident,imagining
Hannah'slife
descriptive/hypothetical shallow
82
life.
ColinmakesHannahseemlikea
reallyinterestingperson.IthinkI
likeherandIhaven’tevenmet
her.
Emma 10 Id Older-Colinimagining
Hannah'slife
hypothetical shallow
Iknowthefeels-haha.Just
enjoyingbeingalone
Emma 25 Id Younger-transforming
bedroom
descriptive shallow
Colinshouldn’thavetochange
thingsabouthimselfforher
Emma 26 Crit Younger-end
transformingbedroom,
listsofthingstoimprove
list deep
Whydoeshismumkeepsaying
thatshewillcallapsychologist?
Sheshouldbetryingtohelphim
herself.
Emma 34 Crit Older-Convobetween
ColinandMum.Colin
tellingheraboutDHS,
Hannahandson
untaggeddialogue deep
I’msoannoyedwithhismum.She
shouldtryandhelphim.
Prediction:AtfirstSamandColin
can’tconnectbutthenlateron
theybondandnothingcan
separatethem.
Emma 35 Crit Older-Convobetween
ColinandMum.Colinasks
forhelpwithSamMum
refuses
untaggeddialogue deep
IlikeJakeheseemslikeacaring
friendtowardsColin,likeareal
friend.
Emma 48 Inf Older-Jamescomesover
andconnectswithSam
untaggeddialogue deep
83
WherewasColinwhenHannah
waspregnant?Colinneedstostop
givingheyoungerselftips
becausehecan’tchangethepast
Emma 51 Crit Older-Convobetween
ColinandJames-Did
anybodyknowHannah
waspregnant
untaggeddialogue/advice deep
RightnowI’mdying Emma 54 Emp Younger-Buyingcondoms Actiondescription shallow
Thatwasabigjumpeitherheis
buyingcondomspreparingfor
whenhedatesHannahorwehad
asmalljumpintime.Kinda
confused.
Emma 58 Comp Younger-Flirtingwith
Hannahinshoeshop
Colinnarrateddialogue shallow
WowIloveColinevenmore,
that’stheattituderightthere.
Emma 62 Crit Younger-Colininternal
dialogue-confident-why
shouldn'theachieve
everythinghesetsoutto?
introspection deep
IalmostcriedwhenIreadthatit
wassosad.Prediction:Idon’t
actuallyhaveapredictiononwhat
willhappentoHannah.Maybe
shewillendupstayinginjail.
Emma 86 Emp Older-Colintalking
Hannahinjail.Hannah
passingondetailsabout
Sam
Colinnarrateddialogue shallow
OkColinismaybejustalittle
creepyfollowingherbutit’sreally
cute.
Emma 92 Ref Younger-Colinwatching
anddescribingHannah
description deep
Don’tneedEnglishHaHaOMG Emma 96 A.skills Younger-Colinfighting
withMumover
homework
untaggeddialogue/prose deep
Wow,IwouldfeelrejectedifI
wereColin.Hehasanegoof
steel!
Emma 100 Id Younger-@McDonalds
w/Hannah.Putshishand
onhers,shepullsback-
talkoverfuture
untaggeddialogue/prose shallow
84
aspirations
Anypersonwholiveswithsmall
kidsknowsthatscreamingistheir
soundtrack.
Emma 110 A.skills Older-Colinclearingout
Sam'sroominHannah's
apartment.Samiscrying.
'Itseemsscreamingisthe
newsoundtracktomy
life.'
actionprose/defamin
sent.
deep
IfeelterribleforColinheis
actuallyaverylonelypersonand
hasalottodealwith.Colinand
Miaseemreallyfriendly.
Prediction:eitherMiaandColin
startathingorHannahandColin
somehowworkitoutwithhelp
fromMia.
Emma 117 Emp Older-Colinhitswall
aboveSam,callsMiato
tellherhe'can'tdothis'.
action/
introspection/dialogue
shallow
IlikeMiasheseemslikeavery
caringperson.
Emma 118 Comp Older-Convobetween
ColinandMia.Mialistens
andsayssheiscoming
over
Untaggeddialogue shallow
Hannahseemslikeaveryfun
person
Emma 133 Comp Younger-Colinwatching
Hannahwaterski
actionprose shallow
Colinissuchasweetpersonand
hereallydoesseemtocareabout
Hannah
Emma 134 Comp Younger-Colinwatching
Hannahwaterski
description shallow
Colinisreallytryingtoimpress
Hannah.Itisgoodbutcould
potentiallybebad.Hekeeps
tryingtopleaseherit’salmost
Emma 140 Crit/Inf Younger-Colintryingto
waterski
self-deprecatingaction deep
85
annoying.
I’mnotsurehowIfeelIwouldbe
sofuriousifIwasHannah.I’mnot
surewhatsomeonecandothat
canmakeyourejectapregnant
15year-oldgirl.That’sverybad.I
guessIcanrelatemymumwas17
withmeandwaskickedoutby
hermumandmygran.IthinkI’m
onthevergeofhatingColin’s
mum.Iwasn’tfondofherbefore
now.Ireallydon’tlikeher.
Emma 155 Crit/A.
skills
Older-Convobetween
ColinandHannah.
HannahtellsColinshe
toldhismumshewas
pregnantandwasgiven
$500forabortion
Untaggeddialogue deep
HismumshouldfeelguiltyandI
thinksheisinthewrong.
Emma 159 Crit Older-Convob/wColin
andMum.Colin
confrontingMumabout
nottellinghimabout
Hannah'spregnancy
dialoguenarratedbyColin deep
Prediction-Colindoessomething
nicewithHannahbut
embarrasseshimselfterribly.
Emma 163 Inf Younger-Colinistaking
Hannahonadate
Untaggeddialogue deep
Colin’sMumseemsfamiliars.His
mumiscaring
Emma 164 Inf/Ded. Younger-Convob/w
Colin,hannah,mum-
MumgivingColinasthma
pufferandconnecting
withHannah,Colin
embarrassed
dialoguenarratedbyColin deep
86
Colinissoconfident.Ifeelterrible
forHannah
Emma 172 Emp Younger-Convob/wColin
andHannah-Ontrainto
date.Hannahtellsabout
parentsbreak-up.Colin
listensandflirts
Untaggeddialogue shallow
Ican’tbelievethey’reholding
handssoeasilylikealmostseems
veryunrealistic.
Emma 174 Crit Younger-Colingrabs
Hannah'shandontheir
waytothesalsadancing
date
action/untaggeddialogue deep
Oknowthatwasveryfastthey
kissingalready,Ifeelexcitedfor
Colin
Emma 179 Emp Younger-Outside
Hannah'shouseColin
kissesHannah.
action shallow
WhydoesHannahhavecondoms
inherroom,that’sworrying-she
isonly15.
Emma 210 Crit Younger-Colinand
Hannahhavesex.Hannah
getscondomoutofstash
inherdrawer
action/introspection deep
Notlove-infatuationandmaybe
lust
Emma 211 Ins/Ref Younger-Colinproclaims
hisloveaftersex
Untaggeddialogue deep
Myfavouritepartofthebook,
seemslikeColinisenjoyingSam.
Emma 227 Comp Older-ColinhasSamat
workwithhimaftertaking
himtoMcDonaldsfor
lunch
action shallow
Iwasn’texpectingthattohappen
butfinallywecansayColinwants
Sam.
Emma 231 DedR Older-Colinquitshisjob
afterbosstellshimSam
shouldn'tbethere
deep
IcouldfeeltroublewithHannah
fromthestart,younevertalkto
anyonelikethat.
Emma 313 Crit Younger-@shopping
centre,Colinapproaches
Hannah,whoiswith
friends,shetellshimto
fuckoff.
dialoguenarratedbyColin deep
87
Prediction-Hannahcheatsonhim
withDaniel.IhateHannahyou
don’tdothat
Emma 316 Crit Younger-Colinwatching
HannahandDanielfrom
outsideHannah'shouse
description/introspection deep
Hannahhadthosecondomsfora
reason.ShewaslyingtoColin.
Emma 317 Crit/Ded Younger-Colinimagining
lifewithHannah,
watchingDanieland
Hannahinherroom
hypothetical/subjective
description
deep
Hedoesonlylovetheideaofher. Emma 320 Crit Younger-Colinand
Hannaharguing,hesays
heloveshershesayshe
onlylovestheideaofher
Untaggeddialogue deep
88
Ilovedthebookitwasso
interesting.Ihaven’treadanovel
whichiswrittenlikethisyetitwas
reallydifferenthowyoumixed
thepastwiththepresentlikeone
chapterispresentwhileother
chapterispast.Thebookwasvery
unpredictabletobehonestthe
onlypredictionIgotcorrectwas
theonethatMiaandColinwould
gettogether.Ilovehowthe
advicethatColingavehimself
whenhewasyoungerwas
completelydifferenttowhathis
presentselfneeded.‘ToMyOther
Self’wasagreatread.Ittouched
onmanyideasthatarerelevantto
teensitalsorevealedhowour
expectationsforthefutureare
boundtochange.Itdemonstrated
howmanyteensare,wegetso
consumedwithinfatuationand
lustwefallinlovewiththeideaof
someone.Thankyouforgivingme
theprivilegetoreadyourbookI
trulyenjoyedit.Ireaditinone
week,arealpageturnerIstayed
uplatetnightreadingitand
gettingsofrustratedwithsome
characters.Ithinkmostteens
Emma Ins Aftercompletion deep
89
wouldlovereadingthebook
becauseitisnotcliched
remindsmeof‘IforIsobel’by
AmyWitting;abookIamstudying
foryear12English.
Luke 1 A.skills Older-firstpage introspection deep
90
veryintenseandmakesmefeel
uncomfortablereadingit.
Luke 5 Emp Older-Colinseeingphoto
onnewsofHannah
Action shallow
thistypeofconversationis
relatable
Luke 7 Id Older-Convobetween
ColinandMum.Mum
probingtomakesure
Colinisokay.
untaggeddialogue shallow
thisemotionalhonestyfromColin
issadanddifficulttoread
Luke 8 Emp Older-Descriptionof
Colin'sflatashedoes
smalltaskstoavoid
thinking-depressing
descriptive/introspection shallow
whydoeshecaresomuchifsheis
notinhislifeanymore?
Luke 9 Comp/Crit Older-Descriptionof
accident,imagining
Hannah'slife
descriptive/hypothetical shallow/deep
deepimaginationmeansHannah
isclearlyimportanttoColin
Luke 10 Inf Older-Colinimagining
Hannah'slife
hypothetical deep
verydepressiveaccountof
friendship
Luke 14 Ins Older-Colinwantingto
forgetandbeforgotten
byhispast,startssleeping
andrememberingHannah
introspection deep
veryinterestingendtochapter
(whenheistalkingaboutHannah,
itmakesmefeelhappy)
Luke 15 Emp Older-Colinstartingto
rememberHannahbefore
fallingasleep
introspection shallow
Ilovethebandalt-J!! Luke 25 Id Younger-transforming
bedroom
descriptive shallow
interestingclosingsentence;
chapter2gotmehooked.
Luke 28 mech Younger-ch.Details
Colin'sthreesightsof
Hannahandhisplansto
winher.Closingsentence
TMOS:Iacceptyour
list/internalplans shallow
91
gratitude
whycan’thismumhelpmore? Luke 35 Comp/Crit Older-Convobetween
ColinandMum.Colinasks
forhelpwithSamMum
refuses
untaggeddialogue shallow/deep
whyishesomean?Doeshehave
noideaaboutkids?
Luke 43 Crit Older-ColinwithSamat
park,Samhastantrum
untaggeddialogue/
description
deep
CHAPTER3–Iamhooked;Iwant
tofindoutmoreaboutHannah
andherbackground
Luke mech
shallow
whydoeshestruggleto
communicatewithSam?Why
doesheconsistentlyhavetoask
hismumforhelpwiththingsthat
seemobvious?
Luke 73 Crit Older-Convob/wColin
andMum.Colinaskingfor
helpwithSam
untaggeddialogue deep
hismumdoesnotseemlikea
regularmum–doesnotseemsoft
andgentleandcaringbutmore
brutal
Luke 78 Inf Older-ColindropsSamoff
atMum's.Shetakes
chargewhileColin
escapes
actiondescription deep
“enjoyyourfreedom”is
interesting–whenweareyoung
wewanttomoveonwithlife;
whenweareolderwithmore
responsibility,welongforthe
freedomofbeingyoung.
Luke 88 Ref Older-Samrushesto
Colinafterhereturns
fromseeingHannah
action deep
92
Colintalkshimselfupbutheis
reallynotthat‘tough’when
meetingHannah’sguyfriends.
Luke 128 Crit Younger-Colinmeets
Hannah'solderfriendson
thewaytogowaterskiing
untaggeddialogue/social
commentary
deep
isasadparagraphandisscaryasI
donotwantthattohappento
me!
Luke 146 Id/Emp/Ref Older-Colinwondering
wheretheconfident
personofhisyouthwent
introspection shallow/deep
ColinandHannah’sconversations
areverydeepandinterestingand
thoughtprovoking
Luke 168 Ref Younger-convob/wColin
andHannahondate-
suburbsandhowwhere
youliveshapesyou
Untaggeddialogue deep
Colin’sdecisionstostartmaking
thingshappenissomewhat
inspiring
Luke 191-
192
Ref Older-Colincontemplates
makingchangestobring
himclosertowhohe
thoughthewouldbe
introspection deep
ItmakesmehappytoseeColin
gettingbetterwithSam
Luke 216 Emp Older-ColinandSam
makingpancakestogether
action shallow
itisnicethatColinisstandingup
forSam,althoughitsclearhe
makesalotofimpulsivedecisions
Luke 230 Ins Older-Colinquitshisjob
afterbosstellshimSam
shouldn'tbethere
untaggeddialogue/action deep
thatisaverynicebutidealistic
future
Luke 272 Crit Younger-Colinimagining
hisfuturelifewith
Hannah
hypotheticals deep
verysadanddifficulttoread Luke 288 Emp Younger-Argumentb/w
ColinandHannahafter
Colinseesphotoofguys
inherroom
untaggeddialogue shallow
itisnicethattheyarebothhonest
andhappy
Luke 305 Ref Older-convob/wColin
andMia.Theytalkabout
Hannahgettingoutof
untaggeddialogue deep
93
prison,Samandafuture
date
ItisnicethatColin’slifeisstarting
toimprove
Luke 325 Comp Older-convob/wColin
andMia,flirting
untaggeddialogue shallow
verydepressing,shockingandsad
ending.DefinitelynotwhatIwas
expectingandhadmeinshockfor
awhile.Verysadanddepressing
butthebookhadmehookedandI
enjoyedreadingit!
Luke 344-
5
Emp/Form Younger-leaduptoColin
shootinghimself
innerthoughts shallow
I like how it took a while for an explanation about Hannah to come. the last sentence on the page drags on really long
Lara 16 mech Younger-thefirstsightof
Hannah
commentary shallow
the line "I make myself study myself' didn't really read right although I got the point you were trying to get across
Lara 26 mech Younger-self-appraisal
withlists
lists/prose shallow
the line 'I am not grateful' sort of feels random since we don't know it's his mum yet and didn't really make sense until I re read it In general - I like how each chapter finishes with a 'to my older self' or 'to my younger self'
Lara 29 comp/mech Older-Colinwakesupto
phonecallfromDHS
convob/wMiaandColin
untaggeddialogueafter
openingsentence
shallow
94
the sentence "James is smirking I turn the footy up even louder" doesn't really flow. Maybe something like James is smirking as I turn the footy up even louder or a comma after smirking?
Lara 51 Form Older-Convobetween
ColinandJames-Did
anybodyknowHannah
waspregnant
untaggeddialogue/Advice shallow
"...she's going to be amazing" starts with no quotation mark and I got lost
Lara 130 comp/mech Younger-Thedriveto
waterskiing
untagged
dialogue/action/description
shallow
"an impossible rubric cube" Rubix cube?
Lara 142 comp/mech Younger-Colinsucceeds
atskiingandwinsdate
innerthoughts/dialogue
narratedbyColin/action
shallow
I like how more intimate and sweet scenes between Colin and Sam sort of flow into the novel naturally
Lara 186 mech Older-ColinandSam
buildbridgeswithboxes
untaggeddialogue/action shallow
I like how the flashback chapter and the present chapter relate together - "don't let demons win" and "the demons circle"
Lara 250 Mech/An
skills
Connections-Y.Colnot
wantingtobeanxiousand
possessiveO.Colnot
wantingtopanicoverlife
situation
linkingsentences shallow/deep
I feel like it's really rushed how Hannah suddenly is out of jail
Lara 289 Comp Older-Hannahknockson
doorsurprisingColin.
action/untaggeddialogue shallow
I got a bit confused at why Colin started swimming and left Sam behind
Lara 301 Comp Older-ColinandSam
exploringincaves.Colin
decidestoswimwhilst
Samsleeps.
action/metaphor shallow
the sentence "you want to like to light the fire Sam" doesn't make sense
Lara 303 Mech Older-ColinandSamat
thebeach.Theylighta
firetogether
untaggeddialogue/action shallow
95
I understand why he thinks he failed so badly with Hannah now
Lara 323 Inf/DedR Younger-Colinpunches
Hannahandthenruns
action deep
Before I get into my feedback, I'd like to say I loved it! The idea behind it is great and it's different - an idea I haven't come across at all - and I loved how you explored it. The twist at the end definitely got me thinking and while it explored dark themes and was sad, the happy themed balanced nicely. The idea that he could've ended up happy 5 years later really stood out to me and I think is a great message to the readers - not to give up because there can be happiness and great things found later on.
Lara Inf/DedR/
Ins
Aftercompletion deep