‘Longed for him. Got him. Shit.’

Margaret Atwood

In what context would this utterance be made or written? What do you think happened to this person? Write three more sentences after every full stop to add

information to the story. Find a title for your story.

[10 minutes]

How would you describe this story?

‘Longed for him. Got him. Shit.’

Introduction to the Short Story

‘There is a distinct limit to all works of literary art – the limit of a single sitting.’

Edgar Allan Poe

Origins: the oral tradition Main features• Brevity• Excitement• Suspense• Focus on a single incident• Immediate action• Epiphany (moment of illumination in which

something hidden becomes clear)

Defining the short story

Ernest Hemingway

(1898-1961)

‘All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they

had really happened.’

Born on 21st July 1898 in Oak Park, Illinois. Began his writing career as a reporter for the Kansas Ciry Star. In World War I he worked as a volunteer ambulance driver, before

he was severely wounded. In 1954 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the summer of 1961 he commited suicide. Publications:• A Farewell to Arms• The Sun Also Rises• For Whom The Bell Tolls• The Old Man and the Sea• ‘Hills Like White Elephants’• ‘The Killers’

Biography

‘The Killers’

Write down three questions about the title. Make three predictions about the story.

[5 minutes]

‘Talk to me bright boy. What do you think is going to happen?’

In groups of 5 finish the story:

What’s going to happen next? (Description)

What are the characters going to say? (Dialogues)

Assign each person a role and act out your scene in front of the class.

[Preparation: 15 minutes][Scene length: 2 minutes per group]

Watch Goodfellas, The Godfather, Casino, Pulp

Fiction, Reservoir Dogs (etc…) trailers to get into the mood of the story.

HOMEWORK

Role play

Narrative Symbols & Images

Today’s lesson

Who tells the story?

- “I’m going back to the kitchen with the nigger and bright boy,” he said. “Go on back to the kitchen, nigger. You go with him, bright boy.” The little man walked after Nick and Sam, the cook, back in to the kitchen. The door shut after them. -

How might a different point of view change the story?

Narrative

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the third person objective point of view?

advantages disadvantages

What do these symbols and images suggest?

Symbols and Images

In literature a symbol or an image can be:

a person an object a place an event in the story with a more complex and deeper meaning.

When do these simple things become symbols in a story? Repetition Detailed description Location …

Symbols and Images

Bert & Ernie

The Muppet Show

Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci

Goodfellas