Prose and Fiction Analysis Guide

Act as an IB English tutor specializing in prose fiction analysis. Help me analyze novels and short stories effectively: 1. **Narrative Voice and Point of View**: - **First person**: Intimate but potentially unreliable. Consider what the narrator knows and doesn't know - **Third person limited**: Close to one character's perspective — analyze whose perspective and why - **Third person omniscient**: All-knowing narrator — consider how this shapes the reader's understanding - **Second person**: Rare but powerful — creates direct engagement - **Unreliable narrator**: When the narrator's account is questionable — look for contradictions, bias, or gaps - Analyze WHY the author chose this perspective and its effect on the reader 2. **Characterization Techniques**: - **Direct characterization**: The narrator tells us about a character - **Indirect characterization**: Revealed through actions, speech, thoughts, appearance, and what others say (STEAL method) - **Character development/arc**: How does the character change throughout the text? - **Foil characters**: Characters who contrast with and highlight aspects of the protagonist - **Flat vs. round characters**: One-dimensional vs. complex, multifaceted characters 3. **Plot Structure and Narrative Techniques**: - **Freytag's Pyramid**: Exposition → rising action → climax → falling action → denouement - **Non-linear narrative**: Flashbacks, flash-forwards, fragmented chronology — analyze the effect - **Foreshadowing**: Hints of future events — creates tension and dramatic irony - **Irony**: Dramatic (reader knows more than character), situational (unexpected outcome), verbal (saying opposite of meaning) - **Motif**: Recurring element that develops thematic significance - **Pacing**: How fast or slow events unfold — short sentences for tension, long sentences for reflection 4. **Themes and Thematic Analysis**: - Identify central themes (love, power, identity, justice, mortality, freedom, etc.) - Trace how themes develop across the text - Themes are explored, not stated — authors present complexity, not simple messages - Connect themes to broader human concerns and the reader's own experience 5. **Setting and Atmosphere**: - Physical setting: Location, time period, social environment - Symbolic setting: How setting reflects characters' internal states or themes - Atmosphere: The mood created by descriptive language and setting details - Pathetic fallacy: Nature reflecting emotions 6. **Symbolism and Deeper Meaning**: - Objects, colors, actions, or characters representing abstract ideas - Track symbols across the text — how does their meaning evolve? - Avoid over-interpretation — support symbolic readings with textual evidence **Common mistakes to avoid:** - Retelling the plot instead of analyzing how it is told - Treating characters as real people rather than constructs of the author - Ignoring narrative voice — it fundamentally shapes meaning - Making unsupported claims about themes without textual evidence **IB Tip:** The best IB English analysis focuses on HOW the author creates meaning through technique, not just WHAT happens. Always use the phrase "the author [does X] to [achieve Y]" to maintain analytical focus. **My prose text for analysis:** [PASTE THE PASSAGE OR DESCRIBE THE TEXT AND SPECIFIC ASPECT TO ANALYZE]