Mary E. Brown, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Information Science
Brown@SouthernCT.edu
Resources for Students:
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UNIT 16
UNIT 16 READING ASSIGNMENT
Read in Butler the four folktales found on pp. 273-292 and the literary folktale found on pp. 293-295
UNIT 16 LECTURE
Biography
Definition: Biography is a nonfictional work describing the life, or part of the life, of an individual. When the author is also the subject of the biography, the work is called an autobiography. Biography is considered literature.
Relationship to historical fiction:
Biography and historical fiction complement each other. Where biography portrays the individual, including mention of some of the features of the era; historical fiction portrays the era, including mention of some specific individuals. Biography enriches understanding of specific individuals; historical fiction enriches the context for biographies from the same time.
Approaches to biography (degree of authenticity):
- Authentic biography -- attempts to convey the factual information of a person's life; does not include any unsupported facts, facts supported by reliable research; rarely includes dialogue--unless taken from letters or diaries or reliable personal recollections.
- Fictionalized biography -- dramatizes events; creates dialogue and scenes to make the story more interesting; good fictionalized biography will not creates scenes that did not happen.
- Biographical fiction -- pure fanciful invention with only passing regard to the historical facts.
Forms of biography (coverage of a life):
- Complete biographies -- a personıs life from the cradle to the grave. These may be brief and simple or long and complex.
- Partial biographies -- focuses on a part or aspect of a person's life.
- Collective biographies -- may be 1) brief biographical sketches of several people with something in common; for example, scientists, First Ladies, sports figures, musicians or 2) the weaving the biographies of several people into one story.
Evaluating (elements of) biographical writing:
- Subject -- prior to the 20th century, biographical writings focused on and glorified saints and royalty. Today, biographical writings focus on--and depict rather realistically at times--any person the author chooses. The author chooses and relays facts in a way to make the person interesting. In addition to learning more about the person, a good biographical writing will allow you to learn more about people in general.
- Accuracy -- good biography is accurate and authentic; fictionalized biography conveys the essence of the character if not always the specific details of their life. There should be no glaring omissions from the person's life that would distort the readierıs view or understanding of that person. can document evidence and research upon which the writing is based. Endnotes, footnotes, bibliographies, and indexes can be added to books intended for readers older than second grade.
- Balance -- today, biographies are preferred which show the human side of people--their errors in judgment, personality flaws, eccentric habits, etc.--balanced with the glorious exploits.
- Style -- even the most interesting information and be written in such a way that it is dull and dry. Humor is utilized too little in biographical writings. Vocabulary and sentence structure must match the needs of the intended reader.
- Theme -- a biography without a theme is a loose collection of facts. Some biographies are didactic.
Special characteristics of autobiography:
- Autobiography is often much more informal than biography, for example, memoirs and reminiscences.
- Autobiographies often lack references and dates.
- Autobiographies can be quite biased in representation and coverage.
- Few autobiographies are written for children.
UNIT 16 QUIZ ON LECTURE
See WebCT
DUE IN UNITS 18 and 19 (but start on this today)
Type Three/Four:
Sex Roles
1. Assignment:
Now that we have finished reading an essay on the views of sex roles in children's stories as well as a number of rhymes and stories, your job is to put the information you have to use. This assignment requires you to imagine yourself as a guest speaker in a high school English class. Your assignment is to write a 300 to 350 word description of the views of sex roles represented in a group of children's story that you will select (from Butler). The classroom teacher has reminded you that the purpose of this talk is to give young people the emotional experiences that create the sex typing that takes place in the stories you have chosen; therefore, you must have vivid examples that are easy to understand and sense.
2. Purpose:
Descriptive. You are to write clearly, providing vivid description that will help an eleventh or twelfth grader experience the sex typing in the stories.
3. The Writer:
You will be writing as if you were an authoritative reader, guiding high school English classes through the emotional sex typing surrounding the stories you have chosen.
4. Audience:
Students in grades eleven and twelve.
5. Form:
Sensory/descriptive (the main intent is to create a dominant impression--so that the reader has the same impression as the writer/speaker), no more than 350 words for Type Three and no more than 500 words for Type Four.
6. FCAs:
- Describe the use of sex roles in stories and how it is used in the story you selected (40)
- Introduction draws reader into the work (20)
- All unrelated ideas have been edited out (20)
- Points of reflection, rest, assimilation are marked by a paragraph (20)
7. Procedure:
- Review your notes to determine if you feel you have enough information to describe, generally, sex typing in childrenıs stories. If you feel you need more information, you can interview classmates and/or do research in the instructor's website or in the library.
- Write a Type Three essay, DUE IN UNIT 18 THREADED DISCUSSION.
- After you have entered your Type Three writing, read the entry immediately before yours and make suggestions for improving the writing, based on the focus correction areas (FCAs). [First person will need to read the last entry.] The Type Four essay is DUE IN UNIT 19 THREADED DISCUSSION. Upload your writings to the Peer Editing / Threaded Discussion for the day due. Remember to make comments promptly on classmatesı writings so they can be used in rewriting to the Type Four assignment. Type Four writings are expected to be a substantial improvement over the Type Three assignment.
On this class site, every effort has been made to acknowledge the work of others. Any omission is unintentional. If anyone finds an oversight, please contact me at brown@southernct.edu immediately so that any error can be corrected.
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