What is metafiction? (one to two sentences) Thad: A piece of fiction in which the author makes the reader think about the elements of fiction used in the short story. (partial answer).
What are the formal elements of a short story? (list eight: plot, setting, character, style/tone, narrative point of view, theme, story, figurative language)
What is figurative language and how is it used in some of the stories we have read? (Chopin: a lot, e.g., symbolism (clouds, window)): similes, metaphors, personification, symbolism, metonymy, allegory. Thad: Figurative language is when a writer describes something by comparing it to something else. Flor: It is a tool that authors use to enrich and embellish their writing.)
What is fiction? (two to three sentences) (this will not be on the exam)
How do the authors we’ve read during this course utilize the elements of fiction in their work? (Use one element of fiction and discuss it across the stories that we’ve read.)
What similarities do you find amongst the characters that we’ve read about?
How does setting play a role in the interpretation of a story. Use specific examples from the stories that we’ve read to explain the significance of setting.
What is fiction? Why and how is it relevant?
How can you use fiction in everyday life? (we’ll discuss this)
What similarities and differences exist between the Gladman and Chopin short stories that we read?
Ben: Both leave a lot up to the reader for interpretation.
In “The Story of an Hour,” which scene was the climax? (not on the exam)
Is there a plot in Kincaids short story “Girl.” Please discuss.
What is the significance of the snake in Hurston’s short story “Sweat”? (high)
Which elements of fiction does Jamaica Kincaid use in “Girl.”
How does your interpretation of “Girl” change if you see it as a monologue versus a dialogue?
What role does setting play in Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”? (not on the exam)
What is Scholes’ definitions of myth and fable and how do they help us to interpret Gladman’s “Proportion Surviving”?
How does the narrative point of view effect/influence a story? Give two examples. (high)
What is the difference between plot and story? (this will not be on the exam)
Would setting help a reader understand a character’s dialogue?
Why is dialect important in Hurston’s “Sweat” and in Kincaid’s “Girl”? (medium)
What are some similarities between Delia Jones and Mrs. Mallard?
Please compare the role of the wife in Chopin’s story and in Poe’s “The Oblong Box”. (this will not be on the exam)
Professor, are we supposed to bring the texts with us?
(to the exam I mean)