READING/TRACKING SHEET FOR CLOSE READING (for …



HORROR READING/VIEWING TRACKING SHEET developed by M.Fernandez (ENH254):

I. BEFORE READING/VIEWING:

1) Read Author’s and/or Screenwriter/Director’s brief biographical information: Any Interesting points that you might expect to be important to a story by this author, just based on what you know or the title?

2) When was it written/released? Anything significant happening historically and locally (country, state, etc) when it was written?

3)Impression from title: what do you think it could be about?

4) Genre/Type of Horror for which it is being read/viewed for or classified under?

II. AFTER READING JUST 1st PAGE, BLURB or Review(eg from or or commentary from book or website)

1) Your expectation of what the story is about or will discuss, based only on reading the review, first page, or author’s reputation/biography?

2) Mood set by first page/first scene?

3) On first page/from 1st major scene, Quotes, words, or lines that (as you are reading/viewing) catch your eye/ear as strange, odd, interesting, memorable, bizarre or unique and leave an impression ?

4) On first page/first scene, What Characters seem important as the good guy, bad guy, major character, etc?

4B)Any genre expectations or clichés so far?

5) Summarize the exposition (if any) at the beginning:

6) By end of the first page/first scene, what is your impression of plot/what the story might be about?

III. AS YOU ARE READING/VIEWING: THE STORY (you should pause and answer this section after either

A)every chapter (novel),

B)every few major scenes

and write answers to 1 to 6 below. Include page #’s, paragraphs, a title for scene (eg ‘scene with the chase through mall) and/or partial quotes so you can find again:

0. Vocabulary to look up:

1. Any examples of the Grotesque?

2. As you are reading/viewing, what genre conventions and/or clichés do you note (at least 5 if possible), and during what scene? [For example: ‘Comical or witty sayings’ ( ‘Here’s Johnny’ scene in Shining

3. As you are reading/viewing, what genre clichés do you note (at least 5 if possible), and during what scene?

[eg, the teens who go to have sex will die next ( Friday the 13th, the naughty couple]

4. As you are reading/movie goes on, Quotes, dialogue, or lines that (as you are reading) catch your eye as strange, odd, interesting, bizarre, memorable or unique and leave an impression?

5. As you are reading/viewing, any Scenes or imagery that (as you are reading) catch your eye as strange, odd, interesting, bizarre, horrifying or unique and leave an impression?

6. As you are reading/viewing, any events or Actions by characters that (as you are reading) catch your eye as strange, odd, interesting, bizarre, unique, explain the heart of the story, and leave an impression?

7. As you are reading/viewing, Important settings or change of settings? List interesting examples of each of the 6 types of settings as present (cultural, historical, geographic, contrast by locale, local/physical setting, weather).

IV. AS YOU ARE READING?VIEWING: THE CHARACTERS (you should pause and answer this section after either A)every chapter (novel) OR B)every few major scenes

1. As you are reading, list Major Characters and your impressions, and how are the characters (or your impression of them) changing at the five stages of presentation (1.first impression ( 2.middle of story ( 3.when faced with a dilemma or choice ( 4.when doing their most important action in the story ( 5.at end)?

STAGE 1: first impression/who you thought would be the major characters/describe them in 5 or less words

STAGE 2: Changes to major characters in middle of story

STAGE 3:Your impression of major characters when faced with a dilemma or choice

STAGE 4: Your impression of major characters when doing their most important action in the story

STAGE 5: at end/who were they major characters? Describe in one sentence or less how each major character is changed by the story? WHY?

6A).Important character names/impression of those characters? Any names have symbolic value (Names like Faith, Angel, Evergreen, Mann may often have symbolic values)

6B)Any other characters that stick in your mind? Why?

6C)WHO ARE SOME STOCK Characters and their ‘stock’ quality (for example: The creepy janitor ( actually good guy)

6D) Any cases where the acting either helped or hurt the story? Which characters?

V. MOVIE CONVENTIONS:

1) How is the plot organized?

2) Any exceptional special effects?

3) Any moments of real surprise or shock or psychological affect on you, the audience member/reader?

4) Any cultural factors that stick out/catch your attention about the time or place the story takes place, or its culture of origin(eg, Something that is very ‘foreign’ about a J-horror movie/something refers to Japan?)

5)Any interesting/shocking actions/references to the treatment of the Human BODY?

6) How was the music involved? What type of music – did it help/hurt/enhance/detract from the movie?

6) Does the movie suffer or surprise in it’s look/budget?

7)What Categories of it’s type (categories of the types for World Gone Mad, Personal Madness, Monsters, Vampires) of horror are present? Explain.

For example: Battle Royale ( type of horror present = World Gone Mad.

Categories present ( temporary loss of civ & Unjust Law

8)Which characteristic scenes/setting/or ideas (what cultural signifiers) of each of those categories are present? Can you describe 1 scene that is an example of it?

[Sample for BR, temporary loss of Civilization = stranded setting and scenes of ‘war’]

V. POST-READING ANALYSIS:

1) What do you think the story is about, beyond the narrative (What is its message, or warning, if any?).

2)Did you experience the story/film as DIVERSION or IMMERSION? Why/what made it so (specifically) for you ?

3) What is the inciting incident (Freytag) of the A story?

4) Summarize the climax conflict and the resolution (Freytag) of the A story.

5)Is there/what is the Dénouement (Freytag)?

6) Any allusions/symbols/symbolic use of objects? What might they mean?

7) Describe your feeling as a reader at end of story. Are you satisfied with ending and why?

8)Why do you feel the story/film does/doesn’t have lasting significance and/or artistic value for its genre (eg Horror) and its subgenre (eg survival literature, or ‘World Gone Mad’)?

9)Which of the FIERCER characteristics does it satisfy? Briefly, why?

10)In which of the 11 Trends in Genre stages would you say this story/film Falls under?

11) What other writers, stories, movies, etc does this remind you of? Why?

12) Who would like this story, think it’s important, or make the perfect audience for it?

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download