Author's Craft
GENRE:
What is genre? What is the genre of the novel "Out of the Dust"? How do you know? Give examples.
A genre is a category that determines what kind of work the composition is. A genre in literature determines the type of a literary work, for example, it could be a poem, a fiction story, a non-fiction, or a fantasy. The "Out of the Dust" novel has the genre of historical fiction, meaning the story gives references to real life historical events (allusions), but also contains a fictional story. For example, the novel references the historical period in America, the "Dust Bowl," but also tells the life of a made up person during the Dust Bowl, Billy Jo. Another example of why "Out of the Dust" is historical fiction is when the novel points out the year when the dust storms, but describes how the made up characters feel about it and what they do, which is fictional.
ANALYZING THE AUTHOR'S STYLE:
How is the novel organized? What is unusual about the style that the author used to write this novel?
The novel is organized into seasons rather than the typical chapters like, "Winter 1934." The style that the author used to write this novel was in a poem form and was unusual because a lot of novels are usually written without a special form and just tell a story, whereas this novel tells the story in the style of a poem.
What is free verse? How does author's craft and structure play a role in the format of the book, how it is read and understood?
A free verse is poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular pattern in the poem. The author's craft and structure rearranges the letters and the words to make some kind of shape. This is called a shape poem. It appears occasionally in the book, like when the poem was in the shape of piano keys. The story is organized into seasons in place of chapters, and the pages are organized into lines and stanzas rather than paragraphs.
Does this format help you as a reader get into the story and understand the main character? Why or why not? How?
When the poem takes shape of an object, it can help to emphasize a certain point, but only if the picture/shape of the poem is clear to the reader. Sometimes it was unclear what the shape was, which did not help me understand the topic of the stanza. The fact that the story is organized into seasons is a different way to organize the story, but help the same amount as chapters would.
ANALYZING POINT OF VIEW:
What is the point of view of this novel?
In the "Out of the Dust" novel, the point of view is written from Billy Jo's point of view. The novel describes her feelings about things, what she thinks, and what she does throughout the story, like we're seeing through her eyes.
How would the novel have been different if the father had narrated it?
The story would portray the feelings and thoughts of the father, like how he felt when his wife died and maybe who he blamed, rather than from Billy Jo's perspective, where she can only guess what her father is thinking and read his expressions.
What is genre? What is the genre of the novel "Out of the Dust"? How do you know? Give examples.
A genre is a category that determines what kind of work the composition is. A genre in literature determines the type of a literary work, for example, it could be a poem, a fiction story, a non-fiction, or a fantasy. The "Out of the Dust" novel has the genre of historical fiction, meaning the story gives references to real life historical events (allusions), but also contains a fictional story. For example, the novel references the historical period in America, the "Dust Bowl," but also tells the life of a made up person during the Dust Bowl, Billy Jo. Another example of why "Out of the Dust" is historical fiction is when the novel points out the year when the dust storms, but describes how the made up characters feel about it and what they do, which is fictional.
ANALYZING THE AUTHOR'S STYLE:
How is the novel organized? What is unusual about the style that the author used to write this novel?
The novel is organized into seasons rather than the typical chapters like, "Winter 1934." The style that the author used to write this novel was in a poem form and was unusual because a lot of novels are usually written without a special form and just tell a story, whereas this novel tells the story in the style of a poem.
What is free verse? How does author's craft and structure play a role in the format of the book, how it is read and understood?
A free verse is poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular pattern in the poem. The author's craft and structure rearranges the letters and the words to make some kind of shape. This is called a shape poem. It appears occasionally in the book, like when the poem was in the shape of piano keys. The story is organized into seasons in place of chapters, and the pages are organized into lines and stanzas rather than paragraphs.
Does this format help you as a reader get into the story and understand the main character? Why or why not? How?
When the poem takes shape of an object, it can help to emphasize a certain point, but only if the picture/shape of the poem is clear to the reader. Sometimes it was unclear what the shape was, which did not help me understand the topic of the stanza. The fact that the story is organized into seasons is a different way to organize the story, but help the same amount as chapters would.
ANALYZING POINT OF VIEW:
What is the point of view of this novel?
In the "Out of the Dust" novel, the point of view is written from Billy Jo's point of view. The novel describes her feelings about things, what she thinks, and what she does throughout the story, like we're seeing through her eyes.
How would the novel have been different if the father had narrated it?
The story would portray the feelings and thoughts of the father, like how he felt when his wife died and maybe who he blamed, rather than from Billy Jo's perspective, where she can only guess what her father is thinking and read his expressions.