Re: [Teacher-talknovel] In Search of the Novel #3g

Are Novels Real? From the moment the humanoid began to etch on cave walls, others have read stories and gleaned information and lessons from them. I was telling. College-aged son that there are many ways to learn lessons about life and the way we live it. The primary way is to make mistakes. This is very direct and effective, but can also come at great cost Another way is by learning from the experiences of others. Watching the consequences, good and bad, that come to others around us can be instructive and life-altering without impacting us personally. Yet, humans aren't limited to the experiences of those in our immediate environments. We can also learn from the creativity and collective wisdom passed through the generations in the form of stories. As was pointed out in video4, authors write about real life, even in fiction. Whether fantasy, science fiction or realistic fiction, stories are populated by characters, who are based upon the characteristics of real people. T!
 hese characters are placed in settings which provide a backdrop and context for their actions. Humans live in a variety of places the world over, yet experience the same challenges and rewards. Charactera experience parallel challenges and rewards. Writers tell stories to work through their own emotions, to guide others, to change a disappointing outcome into a desirable one or for a host of other reasons. But good storytelling is about finding those fundamental truths with which all of us can relate. This being said, when add read a novel, seeking the fundamental truth, it can affect or emotions, change or course of action, please or senses and waken or curiosity. J.K. Rowling created a world so real she had children asking complex questions about the rules of Quidditch. The author of "A Bridge to Terabithia" wrote a story in order to contend with three death of her son's best friend. If a story can make a real impact on us, as a writer or reader, it must be real.

Sent from my Droid Charge on Verizon 4G LTE

------Original Message------
From: Lindsay Ball <brynnsmom21_at_gmail.com>
To: <teacher-talknovel_at_learner.org>
Date: Monday, February 20, 2012 8:50:53 AM GMT-0700
Subject: [Teacher-talknovel] In Search of the Novel #3g

Are novels real? I think one of the most interesting things is finding out
where the idea for a novel comes from. I always want to ask an author
where he got the idea for the story he wrote. We often find out that the
story has been taken from real life. I remember when I was introduced to
the poem "Out Out" by Robert Frost and learned that he wrote the poem years
after learning about a young man's death in a similar situation. It was
that moment I learned how often authors and poets turned to real life for
inspiration.

I wonder how often we read a novel that is based on the author's life,
personality, or actions in some way. I believe that it is often. I also
believe that if the story is not about the author, it is about something
the author has seen, heard about, or read somewhere. This is one way that
show how novels are real. Even when we read a story about a far off
imaginary place in a time we have never experienced, there is always some
point of reality in it. Authors live in reality, and they can only right
what they know. The *Harry Potter* series is full of magic, spells, and
wizards. Things that we never experience, but J.K. Rowling has put reality
in it. She writes about friendship, love, decisions, and good vs. evil.
 These are all part of life and based in reality. Therefore, her novels
are real.

The characters in novels also make the stories real. The characters face
problems. They must make decisions. This is real. Readers can connect
with this, and the novel becomes even more real.

I also believe that novels are as real as a reader makes them. When a
reader puts a lot of time and emotion into a novel, it becomes so real. I
remember working in a shoe store and thinking about a novel I was reading
at the time. It consumed me. I wondered what was going to happen next. I
put myself in the characters' shoes and decided what I would do in the
situations. The novel was real to me. If readers devote themselves to a
novel, it becomes very real to them.

A setting can also add a sense of reality to a novel. When a story is set
in a real place, readers can add understanding to it. The reader can make
vivid connections with the setting and make the novel come to life.

--
-- 
Lindsay
_______________________________________________
Teacher-talknovel mailing list
Teacher-talknovel_at_learner.org
http://www.learner.org/mailman/listinfo/teacher-talknovel
You may un-subscribe from this email list at any time by using the online form at the above URL. If you have difficulty using this form, please send email to Teacher-talknovel-admin@learner.org and our mailing list administrator will assist you. Our privacy policy is posted online at: http://www.learner.org/about/privacy_policy.html
_______________________________________________
Teacher-talknovel mailing list
Teacher-talknovel_at_learner.org
http://www.learner.org/mailman/listinfo/teacher-talknovel
You may un-subscribe from this email list at any time by using the online form at the above URL. If you have difficulty using this form, please send email to Teacher-talknovel-admin@learner.org and our mailing list administrator will assist you. Our privacy policy is posted online at: http://www.learner.org/about/privacy_policy.html