STORY ELEMENT WORKSHEET - Ms. Miller's English Class



Miller/Short Lit – “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton Name_____________________________________

Please briefly but brilliantly complete these worksheets to prep you for our discussion tomorrow!

CHARACTERS

|Characters |Cite quotes that characterize each character throughout the |What do we learn about the characters from this evidence? (Mental, |

| |story |physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual traits) |

| | |Dynamic – Mrs. Slade’s internal conflict has been tormenting her for |

| | |years. The memory of Rome and the parallel scenarios are too much for |

| | |her. |

|Mrs. Alida Slade | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | |Dynamic – Grace is thought of as static throughout the story, until we |

| | |find out her secret. And then – she surprises us even more! |

| | | |

|Mrs. Grace Ansley | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | |Static |

| | | |

|Jenny Slade | | |

|Daughter of Mrs. Slade | | |

| | | |

| | | |

|Barbara “Babs” | |Static |

|Ansley | | |

|Daughter of Mrs. Ansley | | |

| | | |

| | |Up for discussion, based on narrative structure |

| | | |

|Delphin Slade | | |

|Mr. Slade | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | |Static |

|Mr. Horace Ansley | | |

| | | |

1. Which characters are static and which are dynamic?

2. How do the dynamic characters develop? Because the story has two plotlines, the past and the present.. we will look at both

3. What main conflicts exist?

External:

• Friend vs. friend – external conflict of the envy and competition that the two women have:

• Comparing their daughters

• Competition for Mr. Slade

Internal: Moms’ acceptance of the new age

• Mrs. Slade’s envy, and at the same time, her attempt to subdue her envy

• Mrs. Slade’s secret that she wrote the letter and desire to hurt Mrs. Ansley and show face that “she won the man”

• Mrs. Ansley’s obvious secret that has influenced her silence

• Mrs. Slade’s evolution into a new societal role

4. What can you say about the plot/narrative structure?

A simple conversation between two friends. But is it?

• relatively straightforward

• buries one narrative within another (crafty)

• The complicated history of the friends is masked in simple, frank language (language)

• There is an underlying, subtext existing that comes to the surface at the end of the story.

• The inner thoughts in the women’s heads add a whole new plotline to the story. A new perspective.

• In addition to the inner thoughts and outward dialogue, there is a past and present.

• Genius! (MM)

Armine Kotin Mortimer writes that "Roman Fever" is like the tip of an iceberg, and the massive bulk of subtext is submerged below the surface of the primary narrative.

"Grace Ansley was always old-fashioned," she thought; and added aloud, with a retrospective smile: "It's a view we've both been familiar with for a good many years. When we first met here we were younger than our girls are now. You remember!"

5. What parallels of paired opposites do you see Wharton using in the narrative structure?

• Two women

• Two daughters

• American propriety and Roman passion

• Past generations and present

• Rome then and now: Whereas the city is now safe and romantic, it was once filled with danger and hidden but feverish sexuality..

Why does Wharton do this? What effect does it have?

They all illuminate the tensions in the narrative construction between the staid, correct first story and the feverish, illegitimate second story.

Now let’s go deeper...

The relation of the first story to the second parallels the relation between the middle-aged widows and their modern young daughters, a comparison that also extends backward to the mothers and grandmothers of the two protagonists.

6. What is the point of view of the story?

3rd person omniscient objective. We have access to the thoughts of both protagonists. (objective)

How does this add meaning to the story?

7. What are the two settings of the story (hint: one is in flashback)

• A hotel in Rome overlooking the ruins - 1930’s (present)

• High society New York City, turn of the century (flashback)

Culture: High society women would hesitate to share intimate secrets with one another

Their conversation would be simple and neat

8. What is the mood at the beginning of the story and how does it change throughout?

1. Fun and light, relaxed

2. Uncomfortable, awkward, silent

3. Hostile, forbidden, shocking

What happens as the facade of politeness breaks down as the reminiscing focuses on one particular incident?

9. Wharton’s story contains several tone shifts throughout different points. How can her tone be described?

1. At the beginning of "Roman Fever," Wharton is reminiscent. She might even imagine herself as Mrs. Slade or Mrs. Ansley. The two women enjoy their vacation remembering back to when they were their daughter's age, attracting suitors and commanding attention.

2. Throughout the whole story, Wharton is critical of Old New York society. As she describes the two middle-aged women, she provides their thoughts about one another and, in doing so, illustrates their condescending, self-righteous attitudes toward one another even though they proclaim themselves "friends." Wharton's description of the widows' plights following their husbands' deaths adds to her social critique. The author stresses that the women feel lost in society without their husbands and struggle to find a purpose in life.

3. Finally, at the story's end, Wharton's tone is revealing. In having Mrs. Slade expose her plot against Mrs. Ansley all those years ago, the author depicts the lengths that women will go to in order "to keep their man." However, the story's end is full of revelations, the most shocking of which is that Mrs. Ansley did meet Mrs. Slade's future husband all those years ago and had a child with him--Barbara.

All of Wharton's various tones contribute to her purpose in exposing the underbelly of "aristocratic" Old New York.

The seething emotions under the starched and corseted members of her society eventually surface and reveal their true character.

10. How are the following thematic concepts portrayed?:

a. Marriage

b. female friendship

Influenced by the time period.

As women were forced to compete and to conform to the conventions of their society (high society NY),

c. generational differences

d. hypocrisy: Appearance vs. Reality

• Daughters don’t really know their mothers

• Each of the friends have no idea who the other really is

e. gender differences

In a patriarchal society, there are many

11. Analyze the author’s craft. What literary tools does Wharton use to develop the story and portray her message? (ex.) foreshadowing? irony? imagery? flashback?, etc.)

Wharton’s language is direct and simple. Look for hidden subtleties. Pay attention to details.

Wharton uses many subtle episodes of foreshadowing that even the talented reader can miss until a second reading. (I love these kinds of stories!) MM

A note on Wharton’s Style…

In going over the story again and finding unnoticed indications of what happened (the old story that the current story bring out) we, as readers, are in the same position as the characters. They are in a process of reinterpretation and reconstruction as they go back over events of 25 years before, as well as over their views of each other.

“So these two ladies visualized each other, each through the wrong end of her little telescope.”

Each has partial or hidden knowledge of each other (just as the reader does) and the present conversation brings out what had previously been hidden from both.

This happens indirectly and vaguely throughout the story, so a second reading is revealing and rewarding in terms of meaning and appreciating Wharton’s style! (Think your own short stories!)

Example:

Both the protagonists and the reader, alike, are affected by this style of indirectness.

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LITERARY THEORY: Take notes looking at the story from each of the following lenses:

a. Feminist Theory

b. Historical Theory

c. Ericson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development (look at the stages)

d. New Criticism (language and structure)

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