Cultural Context, Vision and Viewpoint, Literary Genre, Theme or Issue
Comparing Texts
You must identify and focus on the key moments of each text when comparing them.
CULTURAL CONTEXT
The world created by the author.
- The role and status of men / women / children within society (power)
- Do main characters accept their role or rebel against it? (conflict)
- Society’s attitudes towards: religion, sex, class, race, family, marriage, and education.
- How is the setting created and how does it reflect the norms and values of society?
- Is there evidence of: institutional influence, materialism, corruption, repression, and fear
- What evidence is there of outside world influence and limitations of the society depicted?
- What attitudes are there to work, family relationships, and general communication
VISION AND VIEWPOINT
What particular vision of life is presented by the writer? This viewpoint is reflected through the themes / issues raised in the text. Compare / contrast different ways of looking at life, or to examine if there is coherence or a lack of coherence between viewpoints.
What is the general outlook of the author, main characters and reader: optimistic, pessimistic or realistic?
- What values are important to this society and how is this reflected in the behavior and artefacts presented in the text?
- What aspects do you, as a reader, find enjoyable, appealing, interesting, informative, entertaining, surprising or inspiring?
- Consider the general perception of some of the following: social class and snobbery, importance of education, relationship difficulties, perception of women, nature of escapisms, memories and dreams, problem of identity, changes in environment and characters’ reactions to them, and criticisms of social rituals and norms.
LITERARY GENRE
Essentially the way in which the author tells us the story, how they structure their work and what devices they use to express their viewpoints, themes or cultural norms and values of the text.
- What is the genre (i.e. novel, film or drama) of the text and how does this make it appealing.
- What aspects of good storytelling are evident in the text, and what effect do they have on the reader?
- Creation of characters: dialogue, relationships, clothing, setting, goals, body language, etc.
- Development of a key theme.
- How are suspense and conflict created?
- The setting and how it is depicted.
- Consider symbolism and the use of artefacts.
- Links between the main plot and sub plots.
- In film, watch out for techniques such as sound, lighting, camera angles, props (mise en scène), etc.
- Other aspects to consider: opening / ending, use of humour, language and imagery, stereotypes, hero / heroine / villain portrayal.
- How are the key moments handled by the author?
THEMES AND ISSUES
Outsiders and their search for identity
Hero's feelings / Isolation and Alienation / Expectations / Hopes and Dreams / Secrets and Lies / Influence of the past / Conflict – internal and external / Struggle for acceptance / Failures and successes / Frustration and Escapism / Education / Positive and Negative experiences / Love relationships / Relationship to parent(s) / Resolution