The Voice of the Narrator in Children's Literature: Insights from Writers and CriticsCharlott Otten, Gary D. Schmidt As Otten and Schmidt note in their preface, voice is a broad metaphor. Thus the 41 essays in this collection provide varied approaches, examining point of view, focus, selection of details, tone, and even illustrations as part of the narrative identity. Eight genres, including picture books, fantasy, realism, and biography, receive separate study in generally brief articles by writers and more substantial analyses by critics. . . . In her contribution, Jill Paton Walsh describes contemporary criticism as an `impenetrable thicket of technical terms.' In most cases, the critics here avoid jargon. They speak clearly, offering practical criticsm accessible to anyone seriously concerned about narrative technique in children's literature. Choice |
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... hear it . I use the word " hear " deliberately , for we hear literature as clearly as we hear music . The narrative voice , unique and personal , is an audible fingerprint . Some quick and random samples : Hast thou given the horse ...
... hear or recite a poem I prefer to stand rather than sit because a dance is involved . It may be a stately waltz or a hopping limerick ; langorous or lively , the rhythms are there to embrace . Please notice that I say when I hear and ...
... hear it is the prelude to seeing it ; in fact , to hear is to see and to see in this sense is to understand . Writing that can be heard offers us " language lined with flesh , " as Roland Barthes puts it . " Writing aloud " is Barthes ...
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
Narrating Chaucer Grimm New England | 25 |
Finding the Narrative Voice through Dramatically | 32 |
Copyright | |
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