Responding to a Fiction Text

In an extended response essay to a fiction text

you can talk about character, setting, themes
and language. You should also explain the
effect that a text has on you.

How to analyse a fiction extract

An essay should be an argument that uses
evidence from the text to clearly make points.
Your essay should also draw a conclusion.
Essay questions might focus on:
characters

voice

themes and ideas

language form and structure

Whatever the focus of the task, you should aim

to include points about characters, themes and
the techniques the author has used to get
across their ideas.

* A good essay is a structured argument with a clear conclusion

Annotating
The key to planning an essay is to focus on the
question. What are you being asked to do?
The next stage is to annotate your extract, or find
evidence from your longer text to support your
answer. Keep the question in mind as you do
this. Highlight or underline key parts of the text
that you will be able to use in your response.
Think about:
the narrative voice

how characters are presented

what the main themes of the text are

what the structure or shape of the text is

what language devices are used

who the audience for the text is and how that

affects the way the text is written

If you are looking at an extract, read it more
than once. First read the entire text from
beginning to end and get a sense of its purpose
and meaning. On your next read-through
annotate important words and phrases.

Planning an essay response

When youve read the text carefully and
annotated it, make your essay plan. Start with
a bullet point list or a mind map with all the ideas you can
think of that relate to the question. Link your
ideas to specific parts of the text. Then pick the
points youre going to use. Aim for at
least four to five main points in an essay.
Finally arrange your points in a logical order.

Understanding the question

The key to a successful essay is to focus on the
question.

Example questions
Example question one
This extract is from a key moment in a
novel. How is the theme of conflict
presented here? Support your views with
detailed reference to the text.
This sort of question asks you to focus on
different examples of a theme throughout a
text. In this case you would ideally find four or
five examples of conflict to write about in your
essay. As well as picking obvious examples of
arguments between characters, you would also
seek out moments of internal conflict, conflict
in setting and conflict between appearance and
reality.
For each example, choose a few words or lines
from the text that demonstrate the theme.
Explore how language, literary devices and structure
work together to create effects. Think about
how important the theme is to the overall
message of the text.

Example question two

A student, having read this extract said:
The writer creates a sense of quiet
tension here. I feel like the scene is calm,
but theres also something unsettling.
Do you agree?
This question is asking for a more personal
response. Your main task is to explain the
extent to which you agree with the student and
to explain how the extract makes you feel.
However, you still need to use evidence for
each point you make. Look closely at the word
choices the author makes and explore how
these affect the reader. Remember to use
appropriate literary terminology and to look for
layers of meaning.

Example question three

How does the writer create tension and
suspense in this extract?
When youre looking at tension and suspense
in an extract remember to examine the
particular words and phrases used. What
patterns of words do you notice for example
are there lots of words connected with
darkness, time, fear?
Look at sentence structures and notice how the
writer is using these to create tension. Are
there lots of short sentences to build pace? Do
longer sentences keep us hanging on?
How do the characters behave and respond to
their situation? Noticedialogue as well as
descriptions.
Pick out four or five examples from the extract
that support your answer to the question.
Then, if possible, link to one or two other
examples of tension and suspense in other
parts of the text. As well as action, think about
how characters contribute to tension, how
setting is important and how ideas are
presented by the writer.

Example question 4
In the last twenty lines of this passage,
the writer makes the reader feel
sympathy for the main character. To what
extent do you agree with this view?
If youre asked to focus on a particular section
of an extract, then of course, this is where you
should begin! Decide how far you agree with
the statement and find evidence to support
your argument.
Remember to look at the rest of the extract as
well. Do you feel sympathy for the character in
the other sections as well? Compare the two
parts of the extract and use quotations to
support your answer.

Structuring an essay
It can be useful to think of your essay as a layered sandwich or burger to make sure you
include all the main parts

An essay should include:

. a brief introduction (which focuses on the
question)
. the main body (four or five paragraphs)

. a short conclusion (which focuses on the

question)

Structuring an essay - Writing an

introduction
Your essay should begin with an introduction.
The first sentence of your essay sums up your
answer to the question. Make a positive
statement that relates to the question. Use key
words from the question to demonstrate your
understanding.

Example
How does Jane Austen present the character of Miss Bingley in this extract?
When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Bingley began abusing
her as soon as she was out of the room. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad
indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no taste,
no beauty. Mrs. Hurst thought the same, and added,
"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never
forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild."
"She did indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come
at all! Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her
hair so untidy, so blowsy!"
"Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am
absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it, not doing its office."
 "Your picture may be very exact, Louisa," said Bingley; "but this was all lost upon me. I
thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well, when she came into the room
this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice."
"You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure," said Miss Bingley; "and I am inclined to think
that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition."
"Certainly not."
"To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in
dirt, and alone, quite alone! what could she mean by it? It seems to me to shew an
abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country town indifference to
decorum."
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, Chapter 8

Suggested introduction
Austen uses a variety of techniques to present the character of Miss Bingley in this
extract. She uses language and structural devices to create humour and creates a
character that the reader will not necessarily like.
This:
specifically answers the question rather than just rephrasing it
says what the text is effective in doing (by creating an amusing description)
says in general how that effect is created (using structural and language devices)

Structuring an essay Writing the

main body
Use each paragraph to make one main point. A
paragraph should contain:
a link to the previous idea

a statement of the main point in this

paragraph
some evidence from the text to support what

you think - this will probably include

something on language or structure
 a discussion of the evidence, and links to
any other possible evidence
a link back to the question, or to the next

point
Start each paragraph with a link to the essay
as a whole, and the part which came
immediately before. This way you are able to
make a chain of your different
paragraphs. Connectives help to show the
relationship between them:
Firstly....

Secondly....

On the one hand....

On the other hand...

Similarly...

In contrast...

However...

Alternatively

Finally.

Using quotations and close analysis

To support your points you need to use
quotations and examples. Quotations should be
kept short and to the point. Using just a few
words is more powerful than copying out
chunks of text: it shows you are being selective
in what you say. You should also be careful to
copy accurately. Put the quotation inside your
own sentence, rather than putting it in the
middle of a page and then commenting on it.
This is called embedding a quotation.

So rather than:
He flew like a butterfly. This is an example of
a simile, which shows that he was light and
graceful.
Or:
The author uses similes, eg he flew like a
butterfly.
You would write:
The author uses the simile of the boy flying
like a butterfly to convey the impression that
he is light and graceful.
The words from the text are embedded as part
of your sentence they make sense as a
whole.
 Making the most of quotations
You should make a close analysis of the language in the quotation and use that to support
your point.
There are several ways you can do this:
Pickout a word from the quotation and think about what the choice of that word means.
Theconnotations of a word are the things or ideas it reminds you of, rather than its
meaning. Some words might have connotations which are important to the point you
are making, eg the word scythe has connotations of death and it might be being used
to create an ominousatmosphere.
The quotationmay have a metaphor, simile, or other devices in it what is the effect of
that technique? Make sure that if you use a quotation with a literary technique in it, you
name the technique in whatever comment you make about it.
Linkthe quotation to another example in the extract, if there is one. Or show how it is
similar to another point youve made. This shows an overview of the text, rather than
being focused on individual examples.

Structuring an essay Writing the

conclusion
To conclude, sum up the points you have made
so far. Finally, write a single sentence which
answers the question again it will be quite
like your opening sentence, but dont repeat
the same words.

Example
If the question is:
How does Jane Austen present the
character of Miss Bingley in this extract?
The conclusion could be:
In conclusion, Miss Bingley is presented as a
proud and arrogant character. The writer uses
narration and dialogue to show that Miss
Bingley is unkind to Elizabeth Bennet, the main
character. As readers, our sympathies are with
Elizabeth and the structural device of dialogue
here adds to our dislike of Miss Bingley.