GLOSARY:
Espionage spying
Covert under cover
Androgynous looking like a girl and a boy (nothing to do with being gay)
Ellipsis (…) a pause, something will follow. Creates anticipation
Cohesion sticking to the rules
Textual Integrity making sure that there are no strange elements in each text or that any adaptation remains true to the original text
Ambiguous unclear, could have more than one meaning
CONVENTIONS OF CRIME FICTION:
Detective - The investigator of the case, a problem solver
Side-kick - The assistant to the detective (often with lesser knowledge)
Police officer - Represents the police force as being less effective than the private detective
Decoy - Something set up to lure someone into a trap
Femme fatale - A dangerous woman who leads a man to his death
Gumshoe - Slang for detective as they creep around quietly
Stooge - Someone who does somebody else's dirtywork
Culprit - The person guilty of the crime
Red herring - A false or misleading clue deliberately set to distract the reader from the actual criminal
Accomplice - Someone who willingly helps a law-breaker
Espionage spying
Covert under cover
Androgynous looking like a girl and a boy (nothing to do with being gay)
Ellipsis (…) a pause, something will follow. Creates anticipation
Cohesion sticking to the rules
Textual Integrity making sure that there are no strange elements in each text or that any adaptation remains true to the original text
Ambiguous unclear, could have more than one meaning
CONVENTIONS OF CRIME FICTION:
Detective - The investigator of the case, a problem solver
Side-kick - The assistant to the detective (often with lesser knowledge)
Police officer - Represents the police force as being less effective than the private detective
Decoy - Something set up to lure someone into a trap
Femme fatale - A dangerous woman who leads a man to his death
Gumshoe - Slang for detective as they creep around quietly
Stooge - Someone who does somebody else's dirtywork
Culprit - The person guilty of the crime
Red herring - A false or misleading clue deliberately set to distract the reader from the actual criminal
Accomplice - Someone who willingly helps a law-breaker
Visit the website Click on the following link to visit the web site of author Ally Carter. She has written a number of series in the teen crime fiction genre. |
ACTIVITIES:
Pre reading activities
Reading the novel I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have to Kill You, by Ally Carter
Further discussion of the conventions of the genre and the novel’s cohesion to the genre
Characterisation and other activities for the novel
Discussion of narrative structure and the hero’s quest
Pre-reading activities
Look at the front and back covers then answer the questions.
Complete all questions in your exercise books as you read the novel
The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is an all-girls private school.
my "permanent record" (which I'm assuming at the Gallagher Academy is a little
more detailed than what they keep at Roseville High), you might want to stop
reading. Seriously. Go ahead and skip the next hundred pages. It won't hurt my
feelings at all.
In other words, I'm not proud of what comes next, but I'm not exactly ashamed of
it either, if that makes any sense. Sometimes I think my whole life has been that
kind of contradiction’. (pg103)
What affect does talking directly to the reader have on the reader? Find another example from the text.
4. Explain what Cammie means by ‘Sometimes I think my whole life has been that kind of contradiction’.
5. The lead character is female and she is also a strong-minded character who accomplishes many tasks in her training. List her accomplishments using quotes and explain them in your own words.
6. The novel explores friendship and how it changes and grows through events and conflict. List 4 events that show the development of friendship. E.g. Macey and Cammie become friends. Liz becomes upset with Cammie etc.
7. Pretend you are Josh and you are being interviewed by Rachel Morgan (Cammies Mum). Tell your side of the story. Include details about your life (300 words)
8. The ending is ambiguous as we don’t know what happens with Josh and Cammies relationship. How would you end the novel? Write a final 2 -3 paragraphs that tell the reader whether or not Josh got the memory wiping tea and if he talks to her again. Include dialogue and direct speech.
Conventions of the Teen Crime Fiction Genre
Protagonist Teenager, at least 2 – 5 years older than target audience
Antagonist Adult – can be outsmarted by teens
Usually not as smart, bumbling
Can be seen as intelligent, but not always trusted with secrets
Some adults recruited by teens to help, fun, not that bright
Protagonist’s companion best friend/s – can be love interest
Animal companion
This character is used to portray the emotional depth of the character and to create empathy in the reader
Love interest This person can be the object needing saving
Can cause conflict that puts the protagonist in danger
Can be working with the “bad guys”
Creates tension, drama and often a happy ending.
Mentor Helps protagonist with the quest
Gives advice, supports the protagonist
Confidant - someone who keeps their confidence
Quest The protagonist must do something, overcome obstacles and return home with “the elixir”
Issues / Themes Teen issues - love }
School problems } relevant tot he teens of the time
Family problems } can become dated and irrelevant
Peer pressure }
Bullying }
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
Orientation Introduces protagonist in their ordinary world
Complication Something happens to make the protagonist step out of their ordinary world, there are also obstacles that the protagonist needs to overcome
Temporary Resolution A red herring – something that puts the protagonist off track, making them think that the problem is resolved.
Climax The problem comes to a head, everything builds to this point. This is the most exciting point in the narrative
Resolution The problem is eventually resolved and everything goes back to its normal stage, or a new version of the ordinary world
The Hero's Journey Outline
The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.
Its stages are:
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD. The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma. The hero is shown against a background of environment, heredity, and personal history. Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different directions and causing stress.
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change.
3. REFUSAL OF THE CALL. The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly. Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead.
4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR. The hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey. Or the hero reaches within to a source of courage and wisdom.
5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD. At the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition with unfamiliar rules and values.
6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES. The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the Special World.
7. APPROACH. The hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the Special world.
8. THE ORDEAL. Near the middle of the story, the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new life.
9. THE REWARD. The hero takes possession of the treasure won by facing death. There may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing the treasure again.
10. THE ROAD BACK. About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home. Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission.
11. THE RESURRECTION. At the climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the threshold of home. He or she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level. By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved.
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. The hero returns home or continues the journey, bearing some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.
In your work books, create a table using the following points as headings. Under each heading, write an example from the novel which best fits the convention.
Writing your own Teen Crime Fiction
REMEMBER TO PUT EVENTS IN A PARTICULAR ORDER
Events in a narrative occur in a particular order. The storyteller has to decide what order to put the e4vents in and this order must make sense to the reader. Some storytellers simply write events in a time sequence or in chronological order. Some writers and film makers use a flash back technique, which takes the audience out of the time sequence and back to an earlier event. They then usually bring the audience back into normal time sequences.
A film maker will some times use slow motion to build suspense, or there will be a break in the action and the characters will have a chance to reflect on what is happening. In written narratives, the writer does the same thing by changing the language in the evaluation stage. The writer moves from the action words of the complication and resolution stages to other words which slow the action down and comment on the events. In this stage, the writer often tells us what the characters are feeling, thinking or saying.
NARRATIVES WITH ATTITUDE
Writers always have a point of view about the characters and events in their narratives but sometimes their point of view is cleverly hidden in the writing. When you read a narrative, you usually want to:
Pre reading activities
Reading the novel I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have to Kill You, by Ally Carter
Further discussion of the conventions of the genre and the novel’s cohesion to the genre
Characterisation and other activities for the novel
Discussion of narrative structure and the hero’s quest
Pre-reading activities
Look at the front and back covers then answer the questions.
- What does the title tell you the novel is about?
- What does the picture on the front cover tell you? Does it add to your understanding of what the novel may be about.
- Read the blurb at the back. Is it persuasive? List the techniques used by the author to persuade you to read it.
Complete all questions in your exercise books as you read the novel
The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is an all-girls private school.
- Explain the effect of having Cammie as the narrator on the reader.
- Cammie uses sarcasm as a communication technique. For an author, this can be a difficult task because you don't want your character to appear rude or offensive. Find examples of sarcasm from at least 3 characters in the text.
- Another technique Carter uses is allowing the main character to talk directly to the reader. This can give the reader the feeling that he is in the story with the character. The following quote is just such an example.
my "permanent record" (which I'm assuming at the Gallagher Academy is a little
more detailed than what they keep at Roseville High), you might want to stop
reading. Seriously. Go ahead and skip the next hundred pages. It won't hurt my
feelings at all.
In other words, I'm not proud of what comes next, but I'm not exactly ashamed of
it either, if that makes any sense. Sometimes I think my whole life has been that
kind of contradiction’. (pg103)
What affect does talking directly to the reader have on the reader? Find another example from the text.
4. Explain what Cammie means by ‘Sometimes I think my whole life has been that kind of contradiction’.
5. The lead character is female and she is also a strong-minded character who accomplishes many tasks in her training. List her accomplishments using quotes and explain them in your own words.
6. The novel explores friendship and how it changes and grows through events and conflict. List 4 events that show the development of friendship. E.g. Macey and Cammie become friends. Liz becomes upset with Cammie etc.
7. Pretend you are Josh and you are being interviewed by Rachel Morgan (Cammies Mum). Tell your side of the story. Include details about your life (300 words)
8. The ending is ambiguous as we don’t know what happens with Josh and Cammies relationship. How would you end the novel? Write a final 2 -3 paragraphs that tell the reader whether or not Josh got the memory wiping tea and if he talks to her again. Include dialogue and direct speech.
Conventions of the Teen Crime Fiction Genre
Protagonist Teenager, at least 2 – 5 years older than target audience
Antagonist Adult – can be outsmarted by teens
Usually not as smart, bumbling
Can be seen as intelligent, but not always trusted with secrets
Some adults recruited by teens to help, fun, not that bright
Protagonist’s companion best friend/s – can be love interest
Animal companion
This character is used to portray the emotional depth of the character and to create empathy in the reader
Love interest This person can be the object needing saving
Can cause conflict that puts the protagonist in danger
Can be working with the “bad guys”
Creates tension, drama and often a happy ending.
Mentor Helps protagonist with the quest
Gives advice, supports the protagonist
Confidant - someone who keeps their confidence
Quest The protagonist must do something, overcome obstacles and return home with “the elixir”
Issues / Themes Teen issues - love }
School problems } relevant tot he teens of the time
Family problems } can become dated and irrelevant
Peer pressure }
Bullying }
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
Orientation Introduces protagonist in their ordinary world
Complication Something happens to make the protagonist step out of their ordinary world, there are also obstacles that the protagonist needs to overcome
Temporary Resolution A red herring – something that puts the protagonist off track, making them think that the problem is resolved.
Climax The problem comes to a head, everything builds to this point. This is the most exciting point in the narrative
Resolution The problem is eventually resolved and everything goes back to its normal stage, or a new version of the ordinary world
The Hero's Journey Outline
The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.
Its stages are:
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD. The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma. The hero is shown against a background of environment, heredity, and personal history. Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different directions and causing stress.
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change.
3. REFUSAL OF THE CALL. The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly. Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead.
4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR. The hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey. Or the hero reaches within to a source of courage and wisdom.
5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD. At the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition with unfamiliar rules and values.
6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES. The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the Special World.
7. APPROACH. The hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the Special world.
8. THE ORDEAL. Near the middle of the story, the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new life.
9. THE REWARD. The hero takes possession of the treasure won by facing death. There may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing the treasure again.
10. THE ROAD BACK. About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home. Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission.
11. THE RESURRECTION. At the climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the threshold of home. He or she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level. By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved.
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. The hero returns home or continues the journey, bearing some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.
In your work books, create a table using the following points as headings. Under each heading, write an example from the novel which best fits the convention.
Writing your own Teen Crime Fiction
REMEMBER TO PUT EVENTS IN A PARTICULAR ORDER
Events in a narrative occur in a particular order. The storyteller has to decide what order to put the e4vents in and this order must make sense to the reader. Some storytellers simply write events in a time sequence or in chronological order. Some writers and film makers use a flash back technique, which takes the audience out of the time sequence and back to an earlier event. They then usually bring the audience back into normal time sequences.
A film maker will some times use slow motion to build suspense, or there will be a break in the action and the characters will have a chance to reflect on what is happening. In written narratives, the writer does the same thing by changing the language in the evaluation stage. The writer moves from the action words of the complication and resolution stages to other words which slow the action down and comment on the events. In this stage, the writer often tells us what the characters are feeling, thinking or saying.
NARRATIVES WITH ATTITUDE
Writers always have a point of view about the characters and events in their narratives but sometimes their point of view is cleverly hidden in the writing. When you read a narrative, you usually want to:
- work out the writer’s point of view
- decide whether you agree or not
- persuade your reader to share your point of view
- weave your point of view cleverly into the story so that the reader is not aware of how you did it
- goodies or baddies
- interesting or boring
- cool or uncool
- complex or simple