Interpreting the Novel (Source: BBC AS Guru)

They rarely take into account the CONTEXT within which the novel was written.

You, however, are not just reading the novel.

YOU ARE STUDYING IT.

This means that you should not only be aware of your own response to the novel. You should also take account of other possible responses to it - both current and historical.

This can be difficult.

How do you find out?

Where to look.

If you are studying a recent novel, there is likely to be very little in print about it.

For example, Ian McEwan the contemporary prize winning writer for his book 'Amsterdam' wrote the novel Enduring Love, which was first published in 1998. There has scarcely been time for personal interpretations of it to be compared and for an overall opinion to form.

Luckily, Ian McEwan has added an Appendix giving some background information to help you understand his intentions. But this is unusual. Most authors leave their readers to form their own conclusions.

In the absence of any direct help from the author, evidence can be found in

Interpretations case study: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

When this novel first appeared in 1818, most readers assumed that the writer was a man.

(N.B. Women have long had to resort to devious strategies for their work to be accepted in what, to them, is still largely a man's world! Charlotte Bronte originally wrote under the masculine-sounding pen name Currer Bell, and Mary Ann Evans Cross found it wiser to write under the name of George Eliot.)

When the truth about the author's sex was discovered there was horror that a woman could contemplate writing such blasphemous ideas!

While admiring the author's expressive powers, reviewers disapproved of her using her undoubted talents to write such a tale and her refusal to take a moral stance on her hero's blasphemous act of creation.

From this response, we can judge that, in the early 19^th Century, the leaders of society were not yet ready for the idea that man might wish to usurp some of God's creative skills!

We can also see that novels were expected to reinforce current moral thinking.

What has happened since?

Whatever the reviewers might have thought, the reading public were interested enough to buy the book in sufficient numbers for Mary Shelley to prepare a second edition in 1831!

After almost disappearing from view, Mary Shelley's novel resurfaced in the 20^th Century, largely thanks to the film industry which was always searching for stories with strong pictorial images.

Other screen and stage versions followed - some serious and some humorous. The concept of the mad scientist creating an uncontrollable monster gripped the imagination of a public becoming alarmed by the power of scientific discovery.

Above all, in a culture increasingly guilty about its lack of belief in God, the idea that science could replace God created open and heated argument.

In the last quarter of the 20^th Century, feminism rediscovered Mary Wollstonecraft and thus her daughter Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley). Frankenstein was re-interpreted by feminists as a work by a woman writing from the point of view of a woman. Frankenstein's act of creation was interpreted as usurping the role of the woman in creating life.

Of course, many of these interpretations are flawed. They add features that are just not there in the original text. For example, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein there are:

Recap

You should now feel confident about explaining:

Short Stories/Novel

Theme--The idea or point of a story formulated as a generalization. In American literature, several themes are evident which reflect and define our society. The dominant ones might be innocence/experience, life/death, appearance/reality, free will/fate, madness/sanity, love/hate, society/individual, known/unknown. Themes may have a single, instead of a dual nature as well. The theme of a story may be a mid-life crisis, or imagination, or the duality of humankind (contradictions).

Character--Imaginary people created by the writer. Perhaps the most important element of literature.

Look for: Connections, links, and clues between and about characters. Ask yourself what the function and significance of each character is. Make this determination based upon the character's history, what the reader is told (and not told), and what other characters say about themselves and others.

Plot--The arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make up a story.
 

Structure--The design or form of the completed action. Often provides clues to character and action. Can even philosophically mirror the author's intentions, especially if it is unusual.

Look for: Repeated elements in action, gesture, dialogue, description, as well as shifts in direction, focus, time, place, etc.

Setting--The place or location of the action, the setting provides the historical and cultural context for characters. It often can symbolize the emotional state of characters.

Point of View--Again, the point of view can sometimes indirectly establish the author's intentions. Point of view pertains to who tells the story and how it is told.

Language and Style--Style is the verbal identity of a writer, oftentimes based on the author's use of diction (word choice) and syntax (the order of words in a sentence). A writer's use of language reveals his or her tone, or the attitude toward the subject matter.

Irony--A contrast or discrepancy between one thing and another.