Short Story – Activity in Class 18-04-201

Short Story – Activity in Class 18-04-201

IN PAIRS

Egan, Kieran. “What is a PLOT?” New Literary History, Vol. 9, No. 3, Rhetoric I: Rhetorical Analyses (Spring, 1978), pp. 455-473

Names: ______________________________________________________________________

1.       Read the excerpt by Kieran Egan: “the term plot is used variously in poetics and critical literature. Perhaps most commonly it is used to mean an "outline of events,"' a scenario, an "articulation of the skeleton of narrative." Thus, to answer "What is the plot of X?" is to give an account of the main incidents. Other common uses differ from this primarily in their degree of abstraction from the narrative, leading to a more or less pronounced form/content distinction. At an inter-mediate stage of abstraction, "plot" is seen as the arrangement of the incidents, or as the relationship both among incidents and between each incident or element and the whole. In this view, it is the "pattern" or "geometry" of the narrative.” (455) Answer: Taking into consideration the idea of “outline of events” how are they developed in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” short story? How is this outline different from the movie? How is it different from “News of Paris” (S. Fitzgerald), “The Storm” (Kate Chopin) and “A little cloud” (James Joyce)

2.       “Seen with a diachronic… emphasis, "plot" is the "dynamic, sequential element in narratives." As a process of causal completion, it is the source of movement from beginnings in which anything can happen, through middles where things become probable, to ends where everything is necessary. Leading again to an increasingly pronounced form/content distinction, the narrative is seen as a mass of subject matter that cannot move till its destination is known-"Plot is the knowing of destination." Returning from here to our beginning, Bowen adds, "Plot is story," suggesting that the same answer is called for by the questions, "What is the plot of X?" and "What is the story of X?" Though "plot" and "story" are sometimes used synonymously, it is more common to attempt distinctions between them: "Both include the same events, but in the plot the events are arranged and connected according to the orderly sequence in which they are presented in the work.... In brief, the story is 'the action itself,' the plot, 'how the reader learns of the action.' " Or alternatively, story is "a general term for character and action in narrative form," and plot is "a more specific term intended to refer to action alone." Or further: "A story already represents items selected according to some elementary law of narrative logic which eliminates irrelevancies” (456). Based on the definitions of plot, which one would be more suitable for “A Curious Case of Benjamin Button”? And for “News of Paris” (S. Fitzgerald), “The Storm” (Kate Chopin) and “A little cloud” (James Joyce)

3.       “Plot" is used to mean a synthesis, structure, mythos, which is open to a kind of static analysis; towards the diachrony end, it is used to mean causal or motivational processes whose dynamic provides the focus of attention. The content/emotion axis represents "plot" as meaning, at one end, patterns of narrative and at the other, patterns of emotion. Towards one end of the particular/abstract axis, "plot" is used to mean a relatively detailed descrip-tion very close to the narrative, and at the other end a small number of classificatory categories;” (457). Based on the diagram the author proposes, how does the structure of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” convey emotion (if it conveys emotion in your opinion).  How is the same thing done in “News of Paris” (S. Fitzgerald), “The Storm” (Kate Chopin) and “A little cloud” (James Joyce)