b. Drama and Literature

This week serves as an introduction to our study of various short stories, poems, and extracts from larger novels. In particular, we will be looking at how authors establish setting and create a sense of intrigue in their readers, and how we can use these techniques ourselves to enrich our own writing.

Below you will find the three texts we will be studying this week:

1. She’s Crying by Libby Hathorn

2. Who Wins, Zadig? by Libby Hathorn

3. Perfume by Patrick Suskind (Chapter 1)

She’s Crying

Read She’s Crying in preparation for discussion in our first lesson. Pay close attention to the questions which the author raises, how a sense of intrigue is established, and the use of language and descriptions (especially references to water!).

• We aren’t told much about the girl who is crying: in fact we don’t even learn her name. However, by the end of this short story, we begin to get a clearer picture of this character. What impressions do you have of this girl, and what has led you to this conclusion?
• Read through the story carefully, and highlight any references to water (for example tears, rivers, tides, ripples, and so on). Consider what impact this imagery has on our understanding of the story and the character.
• Write your own backstory to She’s Crying in which you explain why the unnamed girl is crying in the middle of Martin Place. See if you can (1) base your response on the details given in Hathorn’s story, and (2) use some similar imagery or motifs.

Who Wins, Zadig?

Read Who Wins, Zadig? and think about how the concept of writing and the way we judge writing is being explored through this short story.

• Decide who you would award the prize to – Marty or Deidre – and why you prefer their story.
• Write your own entry into the competition: how would you describe your room? There will be no cash prizes, but we will see who can come up with the most interesting and original response in our class!

Perfume

Perfume is a fantastic novel, and if you can get your head around the writing (which can be a bit complex), you will find some fantastic descriptions and characters. If you feel like a challenge, try reading the first chapter (included in your reader) and reflect on the author’s use of descriptions revolving around the sense of smell, and how this is used to set the scene.

Most of the descriptions we write will revolve around one sense in particular: sight. However, one of the beauties of literature is that it is not a mere photograph – something that we merely see – but instead has the ability to construct an entire world that we can enter into: smells, sensations, sounds, tastes, and so on. The extract from Perfume is a fantastic example of how much richer a piece of writing can become when we move beyond our obsession with the visual, and explore our other senses.

• Complete the following writing activity, as discover the richness of the writing that lies waiting once you move beyond th purely visual: Exploring your Senses.
• Look back at the extract from Perfume and how it establishes the book’s setting without relying upon visual descriptions. Write a creative piece of your own, where you use a non-sight sense (smell, touch, taste, or sound) to describe a setting and begin a story.