Short Story Unit
Checklist of FANTASY ELEMENTS
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A magic system
·
Fantastic objects/ Talking animals
·
A well-developed setting, which may include an
“Otherworld” (Middle Earth, Narnia)
·
A cast of complex characters
·
A clear central conflict
·
Universal themes *
·
Heroism
*Change
versus tradition, Chaos and order, Circle of life, Coming of age, Desire to
escape, Destruction of beauty, Disillusionment and dreams, Heroism – real and
perceived, Hierarchy in nature, Illusion of
power, Immortality, Individual versus society, Power and corruption, Power of
tradition, Power of wealth, Power of words, Pride and downfall, Progress – real
or illusion, Quest for discovery, Quest for power, Temptation and destruction,
Vanity as downfall, Vulnerability of the meek, Vulnerability of the strong, War
– glory, necessity, pain, tragedy, Will to survive, Wisdom of experience,
Working class struggles
As you read the short stories for this unit, fill out
a chart for each one. Make sure you use
specific and relevant evidence; the stronger your work here, the easier the
assessment will be.
Short stories:
Ray Bradbury: “All Summer in a Day”
Ursela LeGuin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”
Kristine Ong Muslim: “Day of the Builders”
Gwedolyn Kiste: “All the Mermaid Wives”
LINK to the stories
Title of story:
Author:
Directions:
fill out one chart for EACH story in the unit.
Element
|
Specific, relevant evidence
|
A magic system
|
|
Fantastic objects/ Talking animals
|
|
A well-developed setting, which may include an
“Otherworld” (Middle Earth, Narnia)
|
|
A cast of complex characters
|
|
A clear central conflict
|
|
Universal theme(s)
|
|
Heroism
|
How does this story compare with the others you’ve
read for this unit?
This is from an interview with the author of "Day of the Builders"
ReplyDeleteWFR: Can you tell us something about either “Beautiful Curse” or “Day of the Builders” that might surprise us? We’re just as happy if you make something up.
WFR: The original “Beautiful Curse” wasn’t as appealing as the final version. Chris of Unnamed Press said that he might cut the story out of the collection. It was a reaction that was perfectly understandable that time and was something I’d be eternally grateful for. I rewrote the story in order to somehow whip it into shape. In the original version, the narrator’s source of torment wasn’t well defined and the ending was an awkward open ending. Now it just hit me that this new ending sounds like that of Matheson’s “Born of Man and Woman.”
“Day of the Builders,” on the other hand, is a composite of historical and pre-historic elements — the Russian Empire expansion, the Paleo-Indian civilization of Pre-Columbian America, and Incan religious cosmology as described in The Florentine Codex. I was intentionally vague with the “sickness from the outsiders” bit. I want it to simultaneously insinuate mass hysteria, lack of herd immunity, and the good old supernatural leering its ugly head. The indigenous tribe in that story was in a remote location and therefore would not have acquired immunity to fight off certain diseases common in heavily populated areas. Cultural assimilation, colonization, and industrialization-fueled environmental destruction all go hand in hand in “Day of the Builders.” Although I was fully aware of how the story should end (the more technologically advanced civilization always wins), I still thought these were important issues that should be tackled in fiction. So, I did, and I hoped how I did it worked.