ALG Week Four: Scene versus Narrative.

Dialogue and
Stage Business. The Lottery
When first published, in 1948, Shirley Jacksons The Lottery
provoked a response unlike any The New Yorker had received
previously. Over three hundred letters were written in response to the
short story, of which Shirley Jackson claims only thirteen were
positive, and they were all from friends. (You can read the full
account of The Lottery Letters in this highly amusing New Yorker
article:
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-lotteryletters).
Despite having provoked somewhat ironically such a strong
backlash, the story has remained in the collective consciousness,
having been adapted several times for film and television, and is still
frequently taught in schools. Could it be that whatever aspects
shocked or horrified those initial readers are exactly what have held
the work in the popular imagination? An excellent balance between
dialogue and action.
Q1: Notice the balance between speech and scene on the page.
Where is the speech taking place, and where is it not?
In the places where dialogue is rare, consider why Jackson might have
written it this way.
From the third paragraph on 468, what do you notice about the way
that the villagers conversation is represented?
How does this balance between speech and scene shift as the story
progresses, and why?
Q2: Go through the text and note all the adverbs. Adverbs can be
unpopular with a lot of fiction writers, and Creative Writing classes
will often discourage new writers from using them. Shirley Jackson
has used a lot in this piece. Why do you think that is? Is it justified?
Q3: Even in the passages heavy with speech, key to the success of
Jacksons story is just how much remains unsaid. Read again, from
After that on page 472. Consider:

How do we infer what is unsaid in these conversations?

How does the narrative give you the additional clues that you need to
determine what is going on between the characters? Be specific.
Q4: The speech and behaviour of the characters in advance of the
climactic twist contribute greatly to the final effect.

* Give several examples of the ways in which both dialogue and

scene generate expectations of the villagers that are starkly at odds
with their final behaviour.
* What foreshadowing is there in the words or actions of the
villagers, and what difference do you think it makes to the conclusion
of the piece?