Методические рекомендации по аналитическому чтению для студентов 3-5 курсов факультета иностранных языков

1. Speak of the author (put it in a nutshell)

1. 
   What do you know about the author’s family and his life?
   

You can use the following phrases:

- to spring from a … family; to come of (from) a family;	- быть выходцем из … семьи;
- to show (to give) promise (at an early age);	- подавать надежды (в раннем возрасте);
- to earn (make) one’s living as a writer; to live by writing; to live by one’s pen.	- зарабатывать на жизнь творчеством.

2. 
   What do you know about the author’s literary career?
   

The following phrases will help you:

- to try one’s hand at drama (writing plays, short stories);	Пробовать писать для театра (пьесы, рассказы);
- to draw on one’s own experience;	Писать на основании собственного опыта;
- to choose the novel (the short story …) as one’s medium; to write in the genre of the short story (detective story);	Выбирать жанр романа (рассказа); писать в жанре рассказа (детективного рассказа);
- to gain (win) recognition (popularity);	Добиться признания, стать известным;
- recognition was slow to come (to him);	Он не сразу добился признания;
- to set out as a critic, …;	Начинать как критик;
- to be ( to have) a success;	Иметь успех;
- to be a failure;	Потерпеть провал;
- to be a critical and a commercial success (failure); to be critically and commercially a success (a failure);	Получить благоприятные (неблагоприятные) отзывы и принести большой доход (убытки);
- to be a writer of (outstanding, great) promise; to be a writer to watch;	Быть многообещающим писателем; быть писателем с будущим;
- to subject somebody, something to scathing (devastating, scorching) criticism;	Подвергнуть кого – либо, что – либо резкой (уничтожающей, суровой…) критике;
- to take somebody as one’s model;	Считать кого – либо образцом для подражания;
- to come to (literary, dramatic) prominence;	Выйти в число выдающихся писателей (драматургов);
- to be (make) a (smashing, crashing) hit;	Иметь огромный (колоссальный) успех;
- to be a best–seller;	Быть бестселлером, ходовой книгой; быть автором бестселлера;
- to make a stir; to be a sensation;	Произвести сенсацию;
- to draw one’s subject (characters) from everyday life; to turn to everyday life for one’s subject (characters);	Обращаться к повседневной жизни в поисках тем (героев);
- a prolific author;	Плодовитый писатель;
- to be at the height of one’s popularity (one’s creative powers);	Быть в расцвете славы (творчества);
- to be (now) at work on…	В настоящее время работать над…

NOTE!
В английском языке нет прилагательного «гениальный». Такое словосочетание как «гениальный поэт (писатель, драматург и т.д.)» переводится существительным genius (гений, гениальный человек, гениальная личность) или словосочетанием a poet (writer, playwright) of genius, где слово genius тоже является существительным. Можно использовать прилагательные: brilliant, outstanding. Например, a brilliant novel, writer, an outstanding play, story, writer.

Now that you are through with the basic facts about the author of the text, you can begin analysing the text proper.
2. Discuss the text
After the first reading of the text you are expected to share your (first) impressions.
2.1 Preliminary discussion.
What do you think of the story (text)? /What is your opinion of the story? What is your general impression of the text?
Who are the main characters?
Where and when does the story take place?
The following phrases will come useful:

- it is a very enjoyable text;	- чтение текста доставило удовольствие;
- it is a powerful story (extract);	- этот рассказ (отрывок) производит сильное впечатление;
- the power of the story;	- сила воздействия рассказа
- to be (make) good (easy, difficult, etc.) reading;	- читается с интересом (легко, с трудом);
- to hold the reader’s attention (interest); to keep the reader interested;	- завладеть вниманием читателя; удерживать интерес читателя;
- to keep the reader in suspense; to have (a sense of) suspense;	- держать читателя в напряжении;
- the greatness (merit) of the text lies (rests) in its profound satire;	- достоинством текста является глубина сатирического описания;
- to read a text with unflagging (with never slackening) interest;	- читать текст с неослабевающим интересом (вниманием);
- one’s interest (attention) (never) flags (dwindles);	- интерес (внимание) (не ослабевает) начинает ослабевать;
- to have great merits;	- иметь большие достоинства;
- to have some demerits;	- иметь недостатки;
- to rate a novel (story) among the best in …;	- относить роман (рассказ) к лучшим произведениям в …;
- of all times;	- когда–либо существовавших в истории;
- to deal with problems of topical interest;	- затрагивать злободневные, актуальные темы;
- the text is chiefly concerned with (chiefly deals with);	- содержанием текста является… ;
- it’s a novel (a story) (written, meant) for teenagers (adolescents, young people), etc.; the text is addressed to teenagers, etc.;	- роман (рассказ) (написан, предназначен) для подростков (взрослых, молодежи) и т.д.;
- some of the episodes are not quite satisfactory (didn’t come off);	- некоторые эпизоды не совсем удачны;
- the author is successful at (in)…;	- автору удается (удаются)…;
- (not) to be the author’s strong point (forte).	- (не) быть сильной стороной писателя.

2.2 Give the general definition of the text under study (under discussion/ consideration/ observation/ examination)

Any work of fiction consists of relatively independent elements – narration, description, dialogue, interior monologue, digression, etc.

Narration is dynamic, it gives a continuous account of events.
Description is static, it is a verbal portraiture of an object, person or scene. It may be detailed and direct or impressionistic, giving few but striking details.
Through the dialogue the characters are better portrayed, it also brings the action nearer to the reader, makes it seem swifter and more intense.
Interior monologue renders the thoughts and feelings of a character.
Digression consists of an insertion of material that has no immediate relation to the theme or action. It may be lyrical, philosophical, critical, psychological, etc.
Thus you should say if the text under analysis presents a piece of narration, namely a first-person narrative or a third-person narrative. To analyse the type of narrative, it is important to distinguish between the author (the person who wrote the story), and the narrator (the person or voice telling the story). The author may select a first-person narrative, when one of the characters tells of things that only he or she saw and felt. In a third-person narrative the omniscient (всеведущий) author moves in and out of people’s thoughts and comments freely on what the characters think, say, do.
According to its genre, the text may represent: a detective story or whodunnit (детектив), spy story, travelogue, fairy-tale story, ghost story, adventure story, myth, tear-jerker, story with social significance, folk-tale, thriller/ spine-chiller/ horror story, humorous story, science-fiction story, legend, crime story, romantic story, western, parable, joke, love story, etc). The text may be intercepted (interwoven, interlaced, intermingled) with a dialogue, a description, character drawing, an account of events, portraiture, a historical event, a satirical portrayal of society, a humorous episode, a psychological portrayal of personages, etc.
If the text contains various elements, name all of them and give examples from the text under study to prove your statements.

2.3 Give the summary of the text

A summary is the expression in a condensed form (сжатое выражение) of the principal content of any piece of writing. In other words the summarizer should briefly render the main idea in his own words.

A summary is a good test of your ability to understand what you have read. If you can pick out essential points and then find your own ways of expressing them, you have really understood the passage.
The procedure for preparing a summary consists of four steps: 1) reading; 2) selecting; 3) writing; 4) comparing.
First you should read the passage carefully to understand its meaning, then picking out the essentials, put the idea expressed into your own words. Having grasped the essentials you now reread the passage to see how well you have understood the details.
A very important point in summarizing is that you should omit examples and details where possible.
The last step in writing a summary is comparing the written summary with the original passage to make sure that the essence of the original has been reproduced in a distinctly different language, that no idea, which was not in the original, has been introduced in the summary.
As for the length, the summary should be shorter than the original piece of writing. How much shorter is determined by the purpose of summary. If it is to serve as a self-aid in reviewing, the summarizer has to give only a general statement of the essential thought of the original. As for the summary, supposed for analysis of the text, its length can vary from 1/10 to 1/4 of the length of the original.
How to write a summary:

1. 
   Read the passage that you will have to summarize carefully.
   
2. 
   Find the topic sentence of each paragraph. Write a list of points in a note form. Don’t include unnecessary facts.
   
3. 
   Connect your points to write a rough draft of the summary in your own words. Link all your sentences in a logical progressive or chronological arrangement. Refer to the passage only when you want to make sure of some points.
   
4. 
   Compare your summary with the original and cut out all non-essential points.
   
5. 
   Mind some of the ways used in cutting down the length of a passage:
   

• 
  illustrative details must be omitted;
  
• 
  ideas expressed in the figurative language must be put simply and directly;
  
• 
  change direct narration to indirect whenever it is possible;
  
• 
  use words instead of word combinations and word combinations instead of sentences;
  
• 
  omit figures of speech, repetitions and most examples;
  
• 
  do not use personal pronouns, use proper names;
  
• 
  do not introduce any extra material by way of opinion, interpretation or appreciation.
  

2.4 State (formulate, point out) the main idea (theme, the main line of thought, the author’s message, the main thread) that goes through the text

What is the theme(the idea) of the text?

Theme is a salient abstract idea that emerges from a literary work’s treatment of its subject-matter; or a topic recurring in a number of literary works. While the subject of a work is described concretely in terms of its action (e.g. “the adventure of a newcomer in a big city”), its theme or themes will be described in more abstract terms (e.g. love, war, revenge, betrayal, fate, etc.). The theme of a work may be announced explicitly, but more often it emerges indirectly. It is up to the reader to collect and combine all his observations and finally to try to formulate the idea illustrated by the story.

You can find the following phrases useful when formulating the main idea of the text:

- the main point the author is trying to make clear (to put across is …); the main idea he is trying to convey (to express) is …;	- главная мысль автора заключается в …
- to carry (have) a deep social (psychological) message;	- нести (содержать) глубокую социальную (психологическую) направленность.
- to expose the vices (evils, faults) of society;	- изобличать пороки (недостатки) общества.
- to preach retreat (escape) from reality;	- проповедовать уход от действительности.
(not) to cut oneself off from the outside world the text is impregnated (penetrated) throughout with the ideals of (+gerund);	(не) изолироваться от окружающего мира. текст пронизан идеей(ями)…
- the hero’s outlook (ideals);	- мировоззрение (духовный мир) героя.
- the idea the author carries to the mind of the reader can be formulated by a proverb …	- мысль, которую автор старается донести до читателя, может быть выражена пословицей…

Point out the problem(s) that the author touches upon in the text under study.

Some texts are problematic, but some are more informative. In the text analysed you should single out the problems raised by the writer. Usually there are several problems in the text. Sometimes the central problem concerns the main idea of the text.
You should always remember that to formulate the problem, you should first of all single out the existing contradictions in the subject matter of a story, which can serve the ground for the problem.
The problem(s) may be of psychological, social, philosophical, etc. character (e.g. the problem of incomplete family, or of imperfection of the system of education, or of racial discrimination, etc.). They may concern educational, medical, cultural, economic, political, etc. spheres of men’s activity. Mind that the author doesn’t always suggest the solution of the problems but just touches upon them.


2.5 Enlarge on the general mood (slant, tenor, tone, key) of the text

The author’s choice of characters, events, situations, details and his choice of words are by no means accidental. Whatever leads us to grasp the author’s attitude to his/her subject matter is called mood (настроение) of the text.

So, the general mood of the text is the emotional atmosphere of the text (or of any piece of writing), as it impresses the reader.
The general mood of the text, concerning its subject-matter, may be satirical, humorous, pathetic, (un) emotional, cheerful, light, solemn, nervous, gloomy, optimistic, pessimistic, lyrical, dramatic, melodramatic, matter-of-fact, dry, ironic(al), sentimental, business-like, depressing, etc.
Mind that in this point of stylistic analysis you should just characterize the mood in general, without examples, explanation and without details, but pay attention to any change of the mood as the events unfold (You’ll analyse the atmosphere of the text in detail when analysing each logically complete part of it, see point 5).
3. Analyse the plot of the text (extract, story) and point out the compositional pattern of the text (постройте сюжетную линию текста)

Plot (фабула) is the plan of a literary composition comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded. As every plot is the selected version of events and situations presented to the reader in a certain order, you should follow and name the exact events from the text (without describing them), when analysing the compositional pattern of the text.

Do not try to read, count and list sentences or paragraphs. Point out only the events. No matter how insignificant or deceptively casual, the events of the story are meant to suggest the character’s morals and motives. Sometimes the events in the plot are organized chronologically. At other times there are flashbacks (воспоминания) and foreshadowing (предвосхищение) – jumps back and forth in time.
The four structural components of the plot are: exposition (the beginning of the plot), complication (the rising action), climax (the culmination) and denouement (the falling action).
Thus you should point out:

1. 
   Exposition (завязка). It contains a short presentation of time, place and characters of the story. It is usually to be found at the beginning of the text, but may also be interwoven in the narrative by means of flashbacks. There are stories in which something has already happened before the extract begins – then it is impossible to name the beginning of the plot. But often it is possible to identify the exact event, which serves as the beginning of the plot itself.
   
2. 
   Complication (развитие сюжета). It is a series of separate incidents, helping to unfold the action, and might involve thoughts and feelings as well. Say exactly what events the complication includes.
   
3. 
   Climax (кульминация). It is a decisive moment on which the fate of the characters and the final action depends. It is the highest point of an action in a story, the moment of the greatest intensity. Try to indicate this moment. Sometimes climax is manifested in one phrase or even a powerful word.
   

There is also a subtype of climax – anticlimax. Anticlimax is an abrupt lapse from growing intensity to triviality with the effect of disappointed expectation or deflated suspense. Usually the author gradually leads the reader to the only logical outcome of the story – the climax. And when this expected outcome is completely defeated (usually by one phrase at the end of the text), thus breaking the readers expectations, we observe not climax, but anticlimax (e.g. “Art’s nothing,” snapped the old man. “I bought the Lathrop Gallery last month...” in the text “Art for Heart’s Sake” by R.Goldberg).

4. 
   Denouement [dai´nu:maη] (развязка). It is the unwinding of the action. Usually it is a final scene or events in a story or a play immediately following the climax, in which mysteries, confusions and doubtful destinies are clarified, and which bring the action to an end.
   

Not all stories have a denouement. Some texts end right with the climax (or anticlimax), leaving it up to the reader to judge what will be the outcome of the conflict.
The following questions will help you to sum up your observations of the plot:
What are the bare facts of the story?
What are the exposition, complication, climax and denouement?
Are the events of the plot ordered chronologically?