Text Analysis of “The Cat in the Rain”
GUIDE FOR INTERPRETING LITERATURE
THE SCHEME OF STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF A LITERARY TEXT
I. Speak of the author in brief.
- the facts of his biography relevant for his creative activities;
- the epoch (historical and social background);
- the literary trend he belongs to;
- the main literary pieces (works);
II. Give a summary of the extract (or the story) under consideration (the gist, the content of the story in a nutshell).
III. State the problem raised (tackled) by the author.
IV. Formulate the main idea conveyed by the author (the main line of the thought, the author's message).
V. Give a general definition of the text under study: Types of narration (- a 3d person narration / the 1st-person narration (an I-story) / entrusted narration;
- narration interlaced with descriptive passages and dialogues of the personages;
- narration broken by digressions (philosophical, psychological, lyrical, etc.);
- an account of events interwoven with a humorous (ironical, satirical) portrayal of society, or the personage, etc.);
Compositional Forms: narration, description, argumentation.
VI. Define the prevailing mood (tone, slant,) of the extract (lyrical, dramatic, tragic, optimistic/pessimistic, melodramatic, sentimental, emotional/unemotional, pathetic, dry and matter-of-fact, gloomy, bitter, sarcastic, cheerful, etc.).
VII. The plot structure of the extract (or the story).
Divide the text into logically completed parts and entitle them. If possible choose the key-sentence (the topic sentence) in each part that reveals its essence. The compositional pattern of a complete story (chapter, episode) may be as follows:
1. exposition (introduction);
2. development of the plot (an account of events);
3 climax (the culminating point);
4. denouement (the outcome of the story).
VIII. Plot structure techniques (a straight line narrative presentation, a complex narrative structure, a circular pattern, a frame structure).
IX.
THE SCHEME OF STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF A LITERARY TEXT
I. Speak of the author in brief.
- the facts of his biography relevant for his creative activities;
- the epoch (historical and social background);
- the literary trend he belongs to;
- the main literary pieces (works);
II. Give a summary of the extract (or the story) under consideration (the gist, the content of the story in a nutshell).
III. State the problem raised (tackled) by the author.
IV. Formulate the main idea conveyed by the author (the main line of the thought, the author's message).
V. Give a general definition of the text under study: Types of narration (- a 3d person narration / the 1st-person narration (an I-story) / entrusted narration;
- narration interlaced with descriptive passages and dialogues of the personages;
- narration broken by digressions (philosophical, psychological, lyrical, etc.);
- an account of events interwoven with a humorous (ironical, satirical) portrayal of society, or the personage, etc.);
Compositional Forms: narration, description, argumentation.
VI. Define the prevailing mood (tone, slant,) of the extract (lyrical, dramatic, tragic, optimistic/pessimistic, melodramatic, sentimental, emotional/unemotional, pathetic, dry and matter-of-fact, gloomy, bitter, sarcastic, cheerful, etc.).
VII. The plot structure of the extract (or the story).
Divide the text into logically completed parts and entitle them. If possible choose the key-sentence (the topic sentence) in each part that reveals its essence. The compositional pattern of a complete story (chapter, episode) may be as follows:
1. exposition (introduction);
2. development of the plot (an account of events);
3 climax (the culminating point);
4. denouement (the outcome of the story).
VIII. Plot structure techniques (a straight line narrative presentation, a complex narrative structure, a circular pattern, a frame structure).
IX.