HOMEWORK

Having spent some time last week studying and writing about short fiction, we’ve practiced our
critical reading and analysis skills, focusing on the development of patterns in Mary Hood’s
“How Far She Went.”  Fiction tends to work well as an introduction to critical reading and the
study of literature for a few reasons: first, the language is usually accessible; we’re within a
relatively familiar linguistic form: full sentences; dialogue; well-developed ideas, etc.  Second,
we have a good grasp of basic narrative structure, so fiction allows us to focus on pattern,
metaphor, etc.  Most of us have, from our earliest memories and experiences, a basic recognition
of how stories work.  Almost everything we’re exposed to as children incorporates some
narrative structure – nursery rhymes, children’s songs and books, cartoons, etc.  There is a sort of
comfort offered by a narrative structure.