Lecture-5-Book-Report--英语专业写作-教学ppt课件.ppt

Lecture 5：Book report,Outline1.What is a book report?2.What information should be included in a book report?3.Structure of a book report 4.How to write the setting?5.How to describe characters?6.How to describe the plot?7.Conflict 8.Incidents 9.Resolution 10.A sample book report,1.What is a book report?,A book report presents the content and structure of a book as objectively as possible,without comparison.It provides not only a summary of content but also an analysis of structure.The purpose of the report is to give enough information about a book to help decide whether it will be of use or interest to the reader.Book reports can help learners improve their reading comprehension and enhance their ability to analyze the story and the characters.,Reports are concerned mainly with the book presented,relying upon only a few standard reference works for brief and relevant comments on the author and on any special circumstances about the writing of the book.Book reports are not research papers.The research paper is based on material from as many sources as are needed to back up its topic.,2.What information should be included in a book report?,1)Bibliographical information:Give the authors name;full title of the book,including the subtitle;editor,if any;place,publisher and date of publication;edition,if necessary;and the number of pages-all these in bibliographical form under the title of the report.,2)Background information:Supply any information about the author which shows their credentials for writing in this field or which reveals any influences,which may have affected the authors point of view.Note any interesting circumstances that led to the writing of the book.,When giving the information about the writer,the learner writer should include some historical and social background to which the book is related.To make things clear,the learner writer should read some reference materials,such as biographies of the writer and histories of the period in which the book was written.,3)Classification on the basis of the kind of book:The books is non-fiction,but classify it further according to its subject area,such as history,philosophy,travel,biography,autobiography,psychology,anthropology,etc.Clues for this classification may be found in the title,subtitle,and table of contents,reviewers comments,authors preface,and introduction.,4)Classification on the basis of the authors intention:The authors intention may be apparent by the way the author treats the subject.Is the material meant for specialists,students,or the general public?Is it limited to a narrow area or is it a survey of the subject?Several areas may provide clues:appendices(appendix 的复数形式),bibliographies and general indexes usually accompany scholarly works;prefaces and introductions often contain an authors explicit statement of intention;the content and style of expression will be a good indication of the intended audience.,5)Subject and thesis statement:What is the book about?Tell your reader not only the main concern of the book in its entirety(subject)but also what the authors particular point of view is on that subject(thesis statement).If you cannot find an adequate statement in the authors own words or if you feel that the stated thesis statement is not that which the book actually develops(make sure you check for yourself),then you will have to compose a thesis statement that does cover all the material.This statement must be brief(a sentence or a paragraph),accurate and comprehensive.,6)Analysis of structure:The thesis statement will clearly indicate the major idea of the book,but you must also point out the organization of subsidiary ideas,and how they relate to the thesis statement and to one another.The chapter headings and sectional divisions will reveal most of the outline of the book;however,on reading the book,you may see another plan,with somewhat different divisions.If so,make your own plan,showing clearly the order and relation of the parts.Whether your own or the authors,it should include the thesis statement,major parts,their division into sections and the main points in these sections(summary of content).,7)Summary of content:The summary is based on your reading notes,follows the authors order,and is drastically(彻底地、果断地)reduced to the chief ideas which advance the authors argument.It may be presented with the analysis of structure or discussed separately.,A book report should contain a summary of the book under discussion.The summary should be concise,clear and easy to understand.The learner writer should make sure that the summary be subjective and center on the major theme of the book.As for the tense of the book report,it depends on the subject matter of the book.If it is a novel or a play or a science fiction,the present tense is more appropriate while the past tense is required for nonfiction such as history books.,8)Critical comments:Although the book report is mainly concerned with content and structure,it may contain some critical comment or your opinion about the book.,Critical comments should form the bulk（大部分）of the book review.State whether or not you feel the authors treatment of the subject matter is appropriate for the intended audience.Ask yourself:,Has the purpose of the book been achieved?What contribution does the book make to the field?Is the treatment of the subject matter objective?Are there facts and evidence that have been omitted?What kinds of data,if any,are used to support the authors thesis statement?Can the same data be interpreted to alternate ends?Is the writing style clear and effective?Does the book raise issues or topics for discussion?,Support your evaluation with evidence from the text.In conclusion,you may want to state whether you like or dislike the book.,3.Structure of a book report,1)Introduction2)Body:Summary of content3)The Conclusion,1)Introduction:,Give the name of the book you have read,the author,and the publishing details.Tell the reader how the book is organized.Tell the reader the main thesis or argument of the book.,2)Body:Summary of content:,Take each section of the book and summarize the important points in that section,and how it relates to the overall structure and content.,Give each section proportional weight in your summary.For example,if the book is divided into four sections of approximately equal length,you should devote the same amount of space in your summary for each section.If,however,section one is twice as long as the other three sections,you should devote more space to a discussion of this section than to the other three.,For fiction or other creative writing:1)Provide brief descriptions of the setting,the point of view(who tells the story),the protagonist,and other major characters.If there is a distinct mood or tone,discuss that as well.,2)Give a concise plot summary.Along with the sequence of major events,you may want to discuss the books climax and resolution,and/or literary devices such as foreshadowing（预示、暗示）.But,if you are writing a review,be careful not to give away important plot details or the ending.The following items are the basic elements of a novel:,1.setting:when and where the story took place.2.characters:the people in the story.At least one character will have a problem that needs to be solved.3.plot:what happened.4.conflict:the main problem of the story.5.incident:an event that affected the conflict resolution of the conflict:how the conflict is resolved.,For non-fiction:1)Provide a general overview of the authors topic,main points,and argument.What is the thesis?What are the important conclusions?2)Dont try to summarize each chapter or every angle.Choose the ones that are most significant and interesting to you.,3)The Conclusion:,In this part,the learner writers job is to evaluate the book according to his or her own personal interpretation and discuss the merits and demerits of the book,the social and/or historical significance of the book.If the learner writer is competent enough to discuss the writing style of the author,he or she should feel free to do so.,4.How to write the setting?,When you report on the setting of a novel,you must describe when and where the story took place.These elements are important because they affect how the story is told.For example,imagine a story about a bank robbery set in the West in 1850.Now imagine a bank robbery story set in modern New York City.They would probably be very different stories.,Sometimes,an author will tell you exactly when and where the story took place.Somewhere in early pages,he or she might mention,for example,the city of Tombstone,Arizona,and the year 1890.Then,it is easy to describe the setting in your report.However,sometimes,you may not be able to give the place a specific name.In such cases,you must look for clues,which are usually easy to find,for example,from the way people dress themselves,the way they talk and so on.Even if you may not be able to give the place a specific name,you should be able to say something to identify the place:a small American town,a big city in the East,a tropical island,and so on.Likewise,you should be able to identify the time,even if you cannot give a specific date:modern times,long ago,the days of the colonial days,and so on.,5.How to describe characters,It is better to give a clear description of one main character in a story or novel than to merely list all of the characters.Choose a main character that you really especially like or dislike and then write a paragraph or two describing that character.Remember the following tips and questions when describing a main character:,1.Describe the characters physical appearance.2.Describe the characters personality.3.Tell about one thing the character did that made you like or dislike him or her.4.Tell about any difficulties or hardships the main character overcomes.5.Tell about any changes in the main character.6.Describe the problem or conflict the main character faced.,6.How to describe the plot?,When students start describing the plot of a story or novel,they often run into trouble.They find themselves telling many little details and soon discover they cannot include everything.Their discussion can become confusing.It is best to begin by looking at the separate elements that make up the plot.Then you can briefly describe how they were handled in the book.,7.Conflict,Every story must have a conflict.The conflict makes a story.It is what makes people want to read to the end.They want to find out how the conflict is resolved.The conflict is simply a problem.Will the detective find the person who murdered her partner?Will the family be able to explain the creature from another planet living in their house?A story could be written around each of those conflicts.,8.Incidents,Stories are made up of many incidents that work toward a resolution of the conflict.In certain stories,the incidents may lead to the solution of the problem.In other stories,the incidents may make matters worse,increase the problem and heighten the suspense.The incident described in the book report takes the conflict one step closer to a resolution.It is very difficult to describe everything that happens in a story or novel.It is better to describe the major elements very clearly.,9.Resolution,For every conflict,there is a resolution.The events of a story take the readers toward that resolution.The plot of a story is built around that conflict and its resolution.Your book report should answer the question How is the conflict resolved?,After you have finished a book report,you can ask yourself the following questions to see whether you have covered all the necessary parts.,Have I included all the important publication details of the book in my report?Have I organized my summary in a way that is easy to follow and reflects the organization of the book?Have I used headings to indicate major divisions within the book and within my summary?Have I accurately represented the point of view of the author of the book?Have I accurately represented the structure of the argument presented in the book?Have I avoided inserting my opinion of the subject matter dealt with in the book?Have I indicated at the end of the report whether or not I liked the book and why?,10.A sample book report,Sons and Lovers is a novel written by David Herbert Lawrence and it was first published in 1913 in London by Wyman&Sons.D.H.Lawrence was born at Eastwood,Notts,on September 11,1885,the fourth child of a miner who had been employed at Brinsley Colliery since he was 7 years old.In 1911,his first novel The White Peacock was published.,Sons and Lovers is divided into two parts and is composed of 15 chapters altogether.The story,set in England,can be interpreted as an autobiographical novel of Lawrence.The hero of the book,Paul Morel,is the second son of a miners family.His mother,Mrs.Morel,is a daughter of a mid-class family.Because of the differences in family background and education,a shadow is soon cast upon the married life of Mrs.Morel.And this shadow is darkened by Mr.Morels laziness and alcoholism.,By misfortune or bad luck,Mr.Morel has an accident and becomes a cripple,which changes him into a man of bad temper.As a result,the couple shares less and less the things in common and is driven farther and farther apart from each other.Little by little,Mrs.Morel transports her attention and love to her children,especially her two sons,William and Paul.,She encourages them to leave the small mining region for a big city to find opportunities for a better life.After the death of her first son,William,because of hard work and pneumonia,Mrs.Morels divided attention and love is poured completely upon Paul.The mothers abnormal love robs Paul of his normal love for his girl friend.,Sons and Lovers has always been claimed since its publication to be another version of Oedipus complex.But D.H.Lawrence is in no sense an imitator.Sons and Lovers is truly an autobiographical novel.It describes an ordinary life of a coal miners family.The abnormal love from the mother deprives Paul of his independent personality and mental health.It is perhaps because of this true picture of life that the novel has won Lawrence everlasting reputation.,