The Plan of Interpretation

The Plan of Interpretation

1. Title. Comment on the title/heading and subheadings. Does the heading fit the overall topic? Does it reflect the author’s attitude? Does it arouse the reader’s interest? It it eye-catching?

2. Type of story. Is it a science fiction/crime/love/psychological story? Give evidence.

3. Message and theme. Identify the theme of the story. Is it about love/friendship/parents’ love for their children /a person’s quest for happiness/bullying/sense of life/trials of life/crime and punishment? What is the central idea of the story? What message does the author try to get across to the reader, in your opinion?

4. Give a brief account of events.

5. Plot. How are the events arranged? What conflict is there at the core of the story? What is the turning point? Is the ending predictable/tidy/troubling/thought-provoking/surprising? Define the exposition (introduction); the development of the plot (an account of events);the climax (the culminating point);the denouement (the outcome of the story).

6. Setting. Give examples of some elements and their function.

7. Narration. Give a general definition of the text under study:- a 3d person narration, - a 1st-person narration (an I-story). Characterize the narrator and the effect created.

8. Description. How effective is the author’s language? Does the writer employ any figures of speech/emotive words? What effect do they create?

9.Characters. Categorize the characters (major/minor/static/dynamic/complex/simple). Does the author employ implicit or explicit characterization? Give examples of some personality traits attributable to the characters and provide evidence from the text.

10. Speak about different language means (the use of lex., syntact., graphical figures of speech) employed in the text. What impact does figurative language have on the reader?

11. Tone. What tone/atmosphere is created in the story? Does it sound funny/amusing/sad/horrifying/lyrical/etc.? Does the emotive key change as the story progresses? In what way? How are the characters described/introduced in the story? Which characters are sympathetic to the author/the reader and which are not? Why?