Analyzing How a Story Works I. Rationale: So far, weve experienced, enjoyed, and studied a variety of short stories. Literary criticism begins with a feeling or aesthetic sensation, and then we work to understand why and how a story is good, enjoyable, or meaningful. We might ask ourselves such questions as Do I like this story? Does it resonate with me? What makes it good? What do I learn from it? To explore any of these questions precisely, we must return to the story and analyze the text itself as a deliberate creation by a literary artist. II. Assignment: Heres what I want you to do: Select ONE of the short stories on the semester list. Then select one of the list of common formal elements and trace how that element works in the chosen story to contribute to that storys meaning as a whole. Make an argument for the authors use of that element, analyzing each instance where the element plays a role in shaping the story and its meaning. Be sure to provide textual evidence in your analysis. In effect, you are addressing these questions: What does the story mean? How does it mean what it means? What literary element or device helps the story to make meaning? What is the textual evidence of the storys meaning-making? III. How to Get Started: The best (easiest) way to complete this assignment is to re-read the selected story several times, each time noting with a pencil or highlighter (or equivalent electronic tools if you are working with an electronic copy of the story) an instance in the story employing the literary device. Then, free-write for a twenty-minute block on how that device works specifically each time it is used. Complete three such free-write sessions, for a total of an hours worth of writing. Next, annotate your free-write, highlighting those ideas in your free-write that seem to you especially worthwhile. Transfer important ideas from your free-write into a list, then integrate the textual evidence from the story with your ideas.
