Microsoft Word Seminars on stylistics

Indirect method of 
characterization
The setting
Tone
Whatever leads us to enter the 
author's attitude to his subject matter

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Like the tone of voice, the tone of a story may communicate amusement, 
anger, affection, sorrow, contempt.
The author rarely gives a direct statement of the theme in a story. 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. 
The message depends on the writer's outlook, and the reader may either 
share it or not. 
There are no hard and fast rules about text interpretation but one is usually 
expected to sum up the contents and express his overall view of the story. The 
following questions will be useful in the analysis if a story. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The theme of a story
 
Like unifying general idea about life 
that the entire story reveals
The message
 
The most important generalization 
the author expresses
COMPOSITION AND PLOT; FOCUS; 
VOICE 
What are the bare facts of the story? What is the exposi-
tion, complication, climax and denouement? Are the 
elements of the plot ordered chronologically? How does 
the story begin? Is the action fast/slow moving? Which 
episodes have been given the greatest emphasis? Is the 
end clear-cut and conclusive or does it leave room for 
suggestion? On what note does the story end? Is the 
plot of major or minor importance? Does the author 
speak in his own voice or does he present the events 
from the point of view of one of the characters ? Has 
the narrator access to the thoughts and feelings of all 
the characters? — Only a few? Just one? Is the narrator 
reliable? Can we trust his judgement? Is there any 
change in the point of view? What effect does this 
change have? Is the narrative factual/dry/emotional? 

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