Bolivar, Lei Robin J.

Lopez, Annebianca D.
BSED – English 31
Contemporary, Popular, and Emergent Literature
Written Report

Interpreting and Evaluating Fiction

I. Introduction
Fiction creates imagined worlds and explores human emotions, experiences, and
possibilities. Through novels, short stories, or plays, writers craft characters,
settings, and events that can be fantastical or reality-based with a creative twist. So,
how do we interpret and evaluate fiction?
II. Discussion
Fiction: The Story and the Moral
Fiction is subjective and evocative. It is "made up," and indirect in its communication.
A work of fiction may evoke:
• the thrill of imagining impossible or unavailable experiences;
• intrigue with playing out "what if" or" if only" scenarios; and
• feelings and perceptions of another historical period, or simply observations on the
human condition.
We thus read fiction not to gain added information so much as to experience the
ideas and feelings a story inspires within us. Readers have different expectations
from fiction and nonfiction. Proof is a major issue with nonfiction; emotional
involvement is a major issue with fiction. We expect a story (fiction) to grab us, and
an essay (nonfiction) to convince us. We will suspend belief when reading a
romance novel or science fiction, but demand reason and evidence from nonfiction.
Simply reading the story can be satisfying and rewarding for passing time or sheer
enjoyment. We do not have to analyze everything we read. The point is to be able to
interpret when we want to or–must.
Analyzing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, for instance, we can recognize not only
remarks on the dedication of a cemetery but comparisons between images of the
living and dead, between what has been done and what must be done. We analyze
fictional works for recurring themes that reflect on the broader human experience.
People do not tell nursery rhymes so that children will know about a girl named
Cinderella or pigs who built houses. The stories have deeper, unstated meanings:
virtue rewarded (Cinderella) or the folly of a lack of industry (The Three Little Pigs).
We respond to both the story and an underlying message.
On the surface, Melville's Moby Dick, for instance, might be seen as an adventure
story about a man hunting a whale. On closer analysis and interpretation, the novel
might be seen as a depiction of man's battle to subdue nature or of a battle between
good and evil. Since fiction is indirect, fiction can require a significant degree of
analysis and interpretation if one is to get beyond simply following the story.
Fiction is Subjective
Fiction is, by definition, subjective. A novel, story, drama, or poem is the expression
of an author's imagination. The characters and situations are "made up." Readers
expect fiction to reflect the real world; they do not expect it to portray the real world.
And yet fiction can seem very real without being factual. Poems can capture feelings
or images to perfection. Events depicted in movies such as Schindler's List, Amistad,
or Titanic can appear just as they might have in real life.
Fiction can be true, however, only in the sense that the actions or behaviors "ring
true" with what we know of the world. The sentiment may be real, but the characters
and incidents are the fruits of the author's imagination. Author and directors as in the
movies referred to above often use "dramatic license" to distort history for dramatic
effect.

Fiction is Evocative: Images and Symbols

Fiction conveys meaning indirectly (other than, of course, through morals at the ends
of fables). The specifics are not significant. We draw meaning from the types of
actions. This principle lies behind the fact that television crime series follows
essentially the same plot line, week after week. It does not matter whether a crime
victim is a socialite, a prostitute, a drug dealer, or a politician, whether the crime is
murder, extortion, or robbery. The message that the police always catch the criminal
remains the same.
Fiction evokes ideas and feelings indirectly by triggering emotional responses and
mental pictures. Fiction commonly communicates through images and symbols.
Color is often symbolic, as with the red passion of the Scarlet Letter in the novel of
that title. Sunlight often conveys truth or reason. In Willa Cather's short story "Death
Comes to the Archbishop" the development of the Bishop's garden is a metaphor for
the expansion of Catholicism in the New World. And then there is the politically
incorrect use of white and black for good and bad, as in old Western movies.
Readers must be open to associations and reflection, and creative in their
understanding and interpretation. They must recognize the richness of figurative
language and the concomitant element of ambiguity. The more evocative a text, the
more the reader must do the work of finding meaning within the text.
Interpretation: A Personal Understanding

The meaning of fictional works is more personal than that of nonfiction texts. With
nonfiction texts, we assume any two readers will come away with pretty much the
same understanding of what the text states. While we may not agree with someone
else's interpretation, we should be able to follow their analysis. And in both cases,
part of understanding is understanding one's own interests, values, and desires and
how they affect what one looks for and how one thinks about what one finds.

Analyzing and Interpreting Fiction: Perspectives

The discussion of nonfiction texts focused on the analysis of choices of content,
language, and structure. The same focus is useful for the analysis of fiction with
some adjustments. The discussion examines:
● The general perspective on each of the three major genres: novels (stories),
drama, and poetry
● The application of the notions of content, language, and structure for each genre

Fiction, we saw above, is mostly about telling stories and expressing feelings. The
content of fiction may take the form of the events of a story, especially in novels and
short stories, spoken remarks, especially in drama, or images and symbols,
especially in poetry. All three elements appear to varying degrees in all forms of
fiction.

Commercial Fiction
Commercial fiction is a type of fiction that caters to a mass audience and has the
potential to sell a lot of copies, so it’s written in a way that it’s accessible, easily
understandable, and can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life. Often with an
emphasis on plot. Commercial fiction is typically thought of as including genres like
mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy, although more recently there are
more books considered literary in these genres.
 Intended solely to entertain.
 Legal thrillers, romance novels
 Escapist
 Formulaic

Popular commercial fiction writers include Nora Roberts, Alyssa Cole, and Colleen
Hoover.
Literary Fiction
The definition of literary fiction is a complex literary genre that includes a wide
array of other types of works. This is a complex type of fiction that has subtext
within the plot that alludes to a greater theme that ties into society, social, or human
conditions. The plot for literary fiction is often non-conventional.
The literary work represents a bigger picture than the role that the plot and
characters have within the work. It is understood to be a symbolic work that
represents a larger idea. There are clearly defined themes that are presented in this
type of literature.

 Written with serious artistic intentions by someone who hopes to enable

readers to broaden understanding of life and to empathize with others
 Literary writers are more like explorers who take us out into the midst of
life, show us the props and mirrors and seek to dispel the illusions.
 Provides keener awareness of our humanity in a friendly and hostile world.
 Usually need to read twice.
 Plot: the sequence of events through which an author constructs a story.
 Structure: usually chronological or cause/effect, however, a complex
structure is often required to convey complex meanings, so it may be
more experimental and unpredictable

Examples:
Some literary fiction examples include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Great
Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and A Tale of
Two Cities by Charles Dickens