【正文】 ehave as he / she does. The character is doi ng somet hi ng and the r eader whil e r eading f icti on wants t o know t he ―why‖ as wel l as t he ―what ‖ of the af air s. ( Som etim es a char act er ‘s m oti ve for an act i on i s not expl ai ned on acept abl e gr ounds, f or exam pl e, t he vi l ai n i n Adgar Al an Poe‘ st ory ―The Tel Tal e Hear t, ‖ and t hus t he r eader f els cheat ed. I n t hi s case, the wr it er of det ecti ve fi ct i on who makes t he crim i nal a m er e l unati c has cheat ed t he r eader by avoi ding t he problem of m oti ve. ) And gener al ly, the acti on it self i s hum anl y si gnif i cant and i t ends usual l y i n a shif t in or cl ar if icati on of hum an val ues, as di spl ayed i n John Updi ke‘ s ―A amp。 and how social concern i s i nvol ved i n a speci fi c f orm of human im agi nat i on. I n addi ti on, student s shoul d el evat e t o the l evel of cul ti vat ing a curi osi t y for t he unknown, t hinki ng cogent l y and l ogi cal l y, expr esi ng t hem sel ves cl earl y and conci sel y, and obser vi ng t he wor l d ar ound t hem cr it ical y and obj ect ively. But m ost st udents ar e st il l at a l oss as t o how t hey can ef fecti vel y anal yze a l it erar y wor k by them sel ves i n any of t hese respect s, even t hough t hey have r ead pl e nt y of excer pt s f rom repr esent at i ve wor ks i n the Br it ish and Am er ican li ter ar y canon. And t hey t end to have li t l e i dea what r ole t he begi nni ng par t plays i n t he whol e st or y, how t he pl ot devel ops and es t o r esoluti on, i n what way poi nt of vi ew determ i nes a r eader‘ s under st andi ng of t he stor y, and how t he i m ages and sym bol s ar e r el at ed t o the t hem e. Upon consi der at i on of t hese f act or s, we have such cour se wit h t he i ntenti on of cul ti vat ing bot h st udents ‘ li ter ar y sensi bi li ti es and t hei r /your cr it i cal power when r eadi ng Engl ish short stori es and novels. I. Int roduct ion about readi ng a story 1. What is St or y? ―Yes –oh, dear, yes—t he novel tel s a st or y. ‖ This i s Forster ‘s r em ar k, which i s wort h speci al at ent i on, f or he i s som eone i n the t rade and wit h r ich exper ience. I n his Aspect s of t he Novel he li st s ―st ory‖ as t he f ir st aspect. People r eadi ng novel s for st ori es usual y ask questi ons l ike ―what happened next ?‖ and ―and‖ what woul d he do next ?‖ These questi ons at t est to t he t wo basi c el em ent s of a stor y. The one is t he event and the ot her t he t im e. A st or y is a seri es of happeni ngs ar ranged in t he nat ural t em por al or der as t hey occur . Stor y is t he basi s of t he novel, and i ndeed t he basis of nar at i ve wor ks of al l kinds. 2. The st r uct ur e and f uncti ons of a st or y Pl ot 。 how writ ers, t hr ough t hei r creati ve i m pul ses, convey t o us t hei r insights i nt o human dest i ny and human l if e。 them e。 and how social concern is i nvolved i n a speci fi c for m of human i magination. I n addi ti on, student s shoul d elevat e to the l evel of cul ti vat ing a curi osi ty for the unknown, t hinking cogent ly and l ogi cal ly, expr esing themsel ves cl ear ly and conci sel y, and obser vi ng the wor l d around them cr it ical y and obj ect ively. But most st udents ar e st il l at a l oss as t o how they can ef ect ively analyze a li ter ar y wor k by t hemselves in any of t hese r espect s, even though they have read plenty of excerpts f r om r epr esentati ve works i n t he Bri ti sh and Am eri can l it er a ry canon. And they tend t o have l it tl e idea what rol e the beginning part pl ays i n the whol e story, how t he plot develops and es to r esol ut ion, in what way poi nt of view det er mi nes a reader ‘s understanding of the st or y, and how the i mages and symbols are relat ed to t he theme. Upon considerat ion of these factor s, we have such course wi th the i nt ent ion of cult ivati ng bot h students‘ li terar y sensibil it ies and their / your cr it ical power when r eading Engl ish shor t st ori es and novel s. II. Int roducti on about reading a st ory 1. What i s Stor y? ―Yes –oh, dear, yes—t he novel tel s a stor y. ‖ This i s Forster ‘s r emark, which i s wort h speci al at ent ion, for he i s someone in the t rade and wit h r ich exper ience. I n his Aspects of the Novel he li st s ―st ory‖ as the f ir st aspect . People r eadi ng novel s for stori es usual y ask questi ons l ike ―what happened next ?‖ and ―and‖ what woul d he do next ?‖ These quest ions at est to the two basi c el ements of a stor y. The one is the event and the ot her t he ti me. A story is a seri es of happeni ngs ar ranged in t he nat ural tempor al or der as they occur . Stor y is t he basis of t he novel, and i ndeed the basis of nar at ive wor ks of al l kinds. 2. The st ructur e and functi ons of a stor y Plot 。 styl e 3. What is Fict ion? Fict ion, the gener al t erm for i nvented stor ies, now usual y appl ied t o novel s, short stori es, novel la, rom ances, f abl es, and other nar rati ve works i n prose, even t hough most plays and nar rati ve poem s ar e also f icti onal . (P. 83. Concise Di cti onary of Liter ary Ter ms) 4. The St or y and t he Novel To r ead novels f or st ory i s nothing wr ong, but nothi ng pr ofessi onal eit her . ―One mark of a second rate mind i s to be al ways tel ing st or ies.‖ The r emark by the French wr it er j ean de La Bruyere (1645~1696) is also t rue of t he reader . If t he pur pose of the novel is only t o t el l st ori es, it could as wel l r emain unborn, f or newspaper s and histor y books ar e suf fi cient to sati sf y peopl e‘s desi re for stori es about bot h pr esent and past , and even about f uture. I n fact, many newapaper men have been dissat isfi ed wit h t hei r job of r epor ting and e i nto t he fi eld of novel wr it ing. Defoe, Dickens, Joyce, Heming