Welcome to ENGL 101W: Introduction to Fiction

Week #10:The English PatientProfessor Poyner-Del Vento

1Kindly turn offAll cell phonesThe wireless component of any laptop computers

2Overview of lecturePostmodernismFragmented narrativeMemory, trauma, and narrativeOutline

3Postmodernism4Postmodern novelpostmodernism(complicated term)reaction against modernismdisbelief in overarching, coherent, rational narrative

5Definition from Merriam-Websterpostmodern: of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, or language

Quoted from Merriam-Webster Online: www.m-w.com 6Definition of Postmodern novelPostmodernist fiction is defined by its temporal disorder, its disregard of linear narrative, its mingling of fictional forms and its experiments with language. --Barry Lewis,professor of English literature

Quoted from Barry Lewiss book Kazuo Ishiguro 7Structure in The English Patienttemporal disorder disregard of linear narrative

8Traditional Structure of a Novel9The English Patient?10Fragmented Narrative11Fragmented narrativeA story broken into separate pieces which do not fully make a coherent whole12Scraps of storiesWe find jars at Abu Ballas with the classic Greek amphora shape. Herodotus speaks of such jars. (Ondaatje 140)13Scraps of storiesA postcard. Neat handwriting fills the rectangle.Half my days I cannot bear not to touch you.The rest of the time I feel it doesnt matterif I every see you again. It isnt the morality,it is how much you can bear.No date, no name attached. (Ondaatje 39)14Flashbackscene from past inserted into present storyline15Hallucinations and dreamsPage 22the English patients memories/dreams of the desert16Other disorienting featuresNo chapter names or numbersCharacters often arent namedMissing page numbersSudden shifts between passages

17Memory, trauma, and narrative18TraumaThe English patient: has been burned beyond recognition, is partially responsible for the death of his loverHana: has witnessed death and dismemberment as a nurse, has lost her father in World War II, has lost her lover in World War II, has aborted her unborn childDavid Caravaggio: has been tortured for information by the enemy, has had his thumbs removedKip (Kirpal Singh): has lost his mentor and companions due to explosions, is constantly in danger of dying himself

19Solace through booksThis was the time in her life that she fell upon books as the only door out of her cell. They became half her world (Ondaatje 7).20Books as way out of ruinsThe staircase had lost its lower steps during the fire that was set before the soldiers left. She had gone into the library, removed twenty books and nailed them to the floor and then onto each other, in this way rebuilding the two lowest steps. (Ondaatje 13)21Narrative as way out of traumaCaravaggio tells Hana about his tortureHana tells Caravaggio about her lossesThe English patient tells Hana and Caravaggio about his past22Narrative as fragmented and imperfectStories are jumbled, confused, fragmentedStories are sometimes incoherentCharacters withhold information

23Fragmented booksShe was not concerned about the Englishman as far as the gaps in plot were concerned. She gave no summary of the missing chapters. She simply brought out the book and said page ninety-six or page one hundred and eleven. That was the only locator. (Ondaatje 8)24Fragmented HistoriesShe picks up the notebook that lies on the small table beside the bed. It is the book be brought with him through the firea copy of The Histories by Herodotus that he has added to, cutting and cluing in pages from other books or writing in his own observationso that they are all cradled within the text of Herodotus.She begins to read his small gnarled handwriting. (Ondaatje 16)25The Histories by HerodotusCanonical work of Western literatureGreek, circa 450 B.C.E.Recorded culture and history of Mediterranean and parts of AsiaForerunner of historical genre

26Fragmented HistoriesOfficial history (Herodotus) is supplemented and overwritten by English patients personal history27Hanas fragmentsPage 61Page 11828Outline29Two kinds of revisionHigher Order Concernsbig picture issuesDo you have a debatable thesis?Is your essay well organized?Are your ideas developed enough?Lower Order Concernssmall detailsAre you writing grammatical sentences?Are you using punctuation correctly?Are you using proper MLA Style?adapted from OWL Website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/690/01/ 30Format for OutlineThesis Statement: ______________________________________________________________________Topic Sentence for Paragraph #1: ____________________________________________________________________Supporting evidence: _________________________________Supporting evidence: __________________________________Topic Sentence for Paragraph #2: ___________________________________________________________________Supporting evidence: _________________________________Supporting evidence: _________________________________Topic Sentence for . . . repeat for remaining paragraphs31Visualization of OutlineThesisTopic sentence for Paragraph #1Supporting evidenceSupporting evidenceSupporting evidenceTopic sentence for Paragraph #2Topic sentence for Paragraph #3Supporting evidenceSupporting evidenceSupporting evidenceSupporting evidenceSupporting evidenceSupporting evidence32Elements of Outline:Thesis StatementMost important aspect of essay / outlineMake sure you have a strong thesisIf you revise your thesis, you must revise all other elements of outline33Elements of Outline:Topic sentences of paragraphsThere should be 5-10 topic sentences, depending on how many paragraphs you havePossible revisions:Cut weak paragraphsAdd new paragraphsReorder paragraphsCombine/split paragraphsSignificantly revise paragraphsWork on unity within each paragraphIf you revise a topic sentence, you will need to revise some surrounding elements e.g., definitely the supporting evidence, often the surrounding topic sentences, possibly the thesis statement34Elements of Outline:Supporting evidenceEach topic sentence needs 1-4 pieces of supporting evidenceSupporting evidence= reasons why topic sentence is truePossible revisionsCut weak evidence (especially plot summary)Find new evidence (either new citations or analyses)Improve coherenceImprove developmentIf you revise supporting evidence, you will likely only need to revise elements that are within the same paragraph or close by

35Advantage of OutlineAllows you to see essay as wholeAllows you to focus on HOCs, not LOCs

Resources available on WebCT36Format for OutlineSeveral pages, using point formWorks Cited page, using MLA styleOptional: Acknowledgements page

Will be graded according to rubric

Due dates are based on your tutorial datesMon, July 18th Tue, July 19th Also turn in via WebCT

37The English PatientRead until end by next lecture

Good luck with your outline!

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