英语记叙文写作要素.doc

Narration 1. Description 2. Narration 3.Expostion 4. Argumentation Narration: To narrate is to give an account of an event or a series of events. In its broadest sense, narrative writing includes stories, real or imaginary, biographies, histories, news items, and narrative poems. Narration often goes hand in hand with description. When one tells a story, one describes its setting and characters. On the other hand, accounts of actions may be necessary to the description of a person or a scene. Reading 1: It may not have been love at first sight, but the first time Dave laid eyes on a giant Chinese elm tree in New York Citys Central Park, he knew he was looking at something special. Topics for critical thinking and writing: Who was involved in the event? What is the focus of the story? When did the event occur? Where did the event happen?The Beginning:The beginning of a narrative sets the scene or the settingthe time and place where the events unfold, and sometimes atmosphere. In this part characters in the story are introduced and clues are set in place for further development.We usually give answers to Who, what, when, where at the beginning;At the same time, we have to find a way to grab the reader. Sometimes, we do not need to give answers to all the questions in the beginning part. We may provide some of the answers in the middle part in which we develop the beginning. Reading 2: Salvation Topics for critical thinking and writing: (1) Who was involved in the event? What is the focus of the story? When did the event occur? Where did the event happen? (2) What details are selected? Are those details selected useful and effective? (3) What is the sequence of the events? (4) What is the purpose of the narrative? (5) Whats the advantage of the first-person narrative? Selection of details: A narrative is made up of details. There should be enough details so that the reader knows what is happening, but there should not be too many of them, or the reader will be confused and lose interest in the story. Only relevant details, or things that contribute to bringing out the main ideas of the narrative, are useful and effective. When selecting details, therefore, the writer should bear in mind his purpose in writing the narrative. Organization: Narrative writing usually tells a story in a chronological order. The reader will find it easy to follow the sequence of events that are arranged according to the time when they occur. A narrative generally has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The setting may be given in the beginning. The middle (the body) tells the story itself. When the story is clearly told, the narrative comes to a natural end; then there is no need for a superfluous concluding paragraph. But sometimes it may be necessary to add one or two paragraphs about the significance of the story or about things that happen afterwards. Point of view: The first person The stories are told from the viewpoint of one of the characters in the story. The narrator is in the story and explains the events through his or her own eyes. The advantage of first-person narrative is that the reader sees the occurrence of the events according to what the narrator sees, or comes to understand. As a result, the first-person narration allows an immediacy and intimacy. Purpose: There must be a purpose in telling a story. The writer may want to prove a theory, to illustrate a concept, to praise a virtue, to condemn a vice, etc. He should make sure that the total effect of his narrative, or the final impression it leaves on the reader, is in agreement with his purpose. He should stick to the story he is telling and avoid straying or going off on/at a tangent(突然转换话题）. Five aspects to be considered in a narrative: Context: when, where, and to whom at the beginning; Selection of details: enough but not too many; relevant; Organization: chronological order and flashback; Point of view: first-person and third-person Purpose Reading 3: Happy Birthday, Sean “As I sat in the wooden pew(教堂长椅), my mind wandered back to the previous autumn. It had been Seans nineteenth birthday.” 1. Attending the funeral 2. Flashback to the characters in the story and their relationship 3. Celebrating Seans birthday 4. Coming back to the funeral 5. Flash back to the car accident that caused Seans death 6. Coming back to the funeral Organization: Sometimes the chronological structure varies. It may take the form of flashback which refers to an event occurring earlier than the narrative time. The story starts at the end and then goes back to satisfy the readers curiosity as to how and why something happened. Reading 4: Is this narrative told in the first person? If not, what is it then? And whats the advantage of narrating in this point of view? Point of view: Narratives can be written in the third person as well, that is, the events are presented from the viewpoint of the writer as if he were watching the story. The third-person narrative allows the writer to comment on characters and events, and thus achieve distance and some objectivity. Questions for discussion: 1.Does the beginning supply the information about who, when, where and how of the story? 2. Does the writer grab readers attention at the beginning? If does, how does the writer make it? 3. Does the writer select enough details?