A Literature Process

One You Can Use and Adapt for Any Piece of Literature

5 Steps at a Glance

1. The Big Picture? Why?

The more challenging the piece of literature, the more important it is to get the big picture.

1. What Are Some Big Picture Questions?

• Who are these characters?

• Where are they?

• What are they doing?

• When was this written?

Hmmm, how do I go about

answering these

questions?

ON-LINE?

VS.

And don’t forget about BOOKS.

Step One Continued

NOW MAKE SOMETHING!

• Who? Start a CHARACTER CHART

• Where and When? Learn about the CONTEXT

• What? Make a PLOT MAP or TIMELINE

2. Find a Meaningful Connection

Between what and what

2. What CONNECTIONS are

Possible

• TEXT TO SELF, including character to self & reading as a writer

• TEXT TO TEXT, including books, films, and your own created texts

• TEXT TO WORLD, or maybe to the universe

Brainstorm LOTS of connections at the beginning-----then focus on a few------

2. About that Connection

Can you transform your connection into a QUESTION that matters to you?

2. Examples

• [pending our class discussion]

3. Read with a Pen

Read what with a pen? And what does that mean exactly?

3. Which Part? How?

It’s especially important to read the BEGINNING closely. Here’s a method for doing that:

A. Print or copy the opening

B. Paraphrase (We’ll talk more about this, but it’s essentially translating the text into your own words.)

C. Figure out how the opening relates to the big picture

D. Ask: Why did the author start here?

3. How Else Do You Choose What To Read

Closely

3. Close Reading

• Pivotal scenes or moments

• Interesting scenes or moments

• Character development

• Think of your angle: WHAT’S YOUR GUIDING QUESTION?

• How much time do you have?

3. Reading with a Pen Can Prepare You for Steps

4 & 5In addition to paraphrasing you can:

• Make note of literary elements such as imagery, themes, irony, symbolism, and interesting uses of language---ANALYSIS

• Make note of connections or ideas that could lead you toward a creative project---seeds of CREATION

4. Analysis

This is really just taking a closer look at certain elements of a text—or parts. Your guiding question from Step 2 can help determine what you’ll look at and how.

4. Analyze What?

What interests you most?

• The language?

• A particular character’s transformation?

• The imagery?

• The big issues or questions addressed?

• A connection to another text?

5. CREATE!

Finally. . .

The KEY here is to remember no one has ever read this literary work precisely the way you are and will and have. You have a unique contribution to make after you finish your reading. The question for you to figure out: What contribution is that?

5. About Creation

Questions to consider:

• What unique skills and interests and knowledge do you bring to the text?

• What interests you most about the text?

• What audience do you imagine being interested in what you might make? High school students? Children? Film-goers? Poetry readers? Game players? Comic-book fans? College lit teachers?

5. What Will You Make?