Module B: A Home in Fiction 2011 Flashcards
’ A Home in Fiction’ when and what for
2011
Boyer Lectures
“I realised I had lived, until that moment, in an airlock… she was prising open the heavy door…”
‘airlock’ and ‘opening door’ metaphor for entering into unknown worlds. Creates an antithesis between ignorance and having negative expectations to engagement and the new insight that embracing one’s imagination can provide
‘airlock’ and ‘opening door’ metaphor for entering into unknown worlds. Creates an antithesis between ignorance and having negative expectations to engagement and the new insight that that embracing one’s imagination can provide
“I realised I had lived, until that moment, in an airlock… she was prising open the heavy door…”
“A world in which every object sang to her… delicate arpeggios and thundering chords”
musical imagery, scesis onomaton,
Effect “A world in which every object sang to her… delicate arpeggios and thundering chords”
Brooks’ analogy between the experiences of mathematics and literature conveys the notion of having a vision for the world and being able to impart through one’s chosen medium. She likens an author to a mathematician in their quest for meaning.
“Swimming in a sea of words”
extended metaphor, sibilance
Effect “Swimming in a sea of words”
conveys melodic power of writing and absolute but beautiful power of imagination
“You will recognise her- her anger, her sense of injustice, her awareness..”
Direct address through second person and high modality language
Effect “You will recognise her- her anger, her sense of injustice, her awareness..”
Brooks convinces her audience of the absolute power of imagination and fiction, emphasising the importance of having female characters in historical fiction that have been so often silenced by men (like Atwood). She conveys the power of language in exploring social issues and timeless human concerns and emotions.
By combining a direct address through second person and high modality language when describing that the characters she creates…
“You will recognise her- her anger, her sense of injustice, her awareness..”
“Some critics… [complain] my narrator’s voices are… too feminist. I urge them to read some court transcripts”
dirimens copulation of critics.
Effect “Some critics… [complain] my narrator’s voices are… too feminist. I urge them to read some court transcripts”
through dirimens copulation of critics, B uses evidential reasoning to justify her portrayal of female characters.
dirimens copulation of critics.
“Some critics… [complain] my narrator’s voices are… too feminist. I urge them to read some court transcripts”
“I believe fiction matters. I know it has power… jailers and the despots at so afraid of it”
anaphora, short, emphatic sentences
effect: “I believe fiction matters. I know it has power… jailers and the despots at so afraid of it”
asserts her purpose as she delves into the ethics of the writer and her understanding of the power they have.
This amplifies the theme of the political effect of literature, challenging those who would seek to silence the conscience and value it beholds to society.
“Like lighting a scrap of paper… dropping it into a well”
analogy, intertextuality of Ernst Hans Gombrich
Effect of intertextuality “Like lighting a scrap of paper… dropping it into a well”
intertextuality alludes to the array of figures which influence writers and their methods of producing literature.
Effect of analogy: “Like lighting a scrap of paper… dropping it into a well”
vastness of writing and the immense history from literature is based upon.
“This is what I know: they loved, as I love. And that is as good a staring point as any.”
parallelism between author and character in peroration.
effect: “This is what I know: they loved, as I love. And that is as good a staring point as any.”
reveals her belief that it is her duty to convey untold stories.
What does Brooks confiding and emotional tone in the speech’s peroratio do?
appeals to pathos and establishes the imaginatory and emotional connection necessary for powerful fiction.
Purpose of speech:
inform and entertain, convey her passion for fiction, exploring the role of fiction writers as contributors to society.
power of imagination
it can unlock a whole new world of experience
The importance of past experience,
whether positive or negative in shaping actions and perspectives.
fiction has its origins
in fact
A novelist can find a home in
the lives of other people and places and be able to imaginatively inhabit that space. Brooks imparts how she found her own home in fiction.
Audience
educated audience, focused on Australian society (listening to ABC radio National)
- Enduring value
b challenges reader to re-evaluate the importance of fiction. This speech is about perspective, how boring experiences can lead to profound insights about the craft of writing.
quote for : emphasises the speech`s enduring value of the importance of perspective, how boring experiences can lead to profound insights about the craft of writing.
“I realised I had lived, until that moment, in an airlock… she was prising open the heavy door…”
- Enduring value
Power and value of fiction. it connects us to our past. Speech explores relationship of literature to the past.
Enduring value for “Like lighting a scrap of paper… dropping it into a well”
Power and value of fiction. it connects us to our past. Speech explores relationship of literature to the past.
The topics of the power of literature and its importance in society …
are universal, transcending contextual boundaries.
Was a radio so,,,
it was harder for B to observe Kairos/decorum.
Due to her work as a foreign correspondent and living in US and America, Brooks has
an Australian context, yet the insight and outlook of a global citizen.
