英语专业写作王星主编 Unit_3__Narrative_Essays__(I).pptVIP

Unit 3 Narrative Essays Ⅰ. Definition of narration A. Narrative 是关于某事的故事或叙说。它可以是一则真实的故事，如你关于丛林之行所见所闻的描述；或是你讲述一则你所听到的“四月一日愚人节”的笑话。它同样还可以是一则关于虚构人物乃事件的故事像一部长篇小说，一个短篇小说或一则民间故事。 B. Narration is extensively used in present-day writing to relate imaginary events, record the happenings of personal and collective histories, and illustrate or explain ideas. C. Narration is a kind of writing which tells a story, and all stories, whether they are a personal experience, or novels, histories, have the same essential ingredients: a series of events arranged in an order and told by a narrator for some particular purpose. D. To narrate is to give a detailed account of what happened, happens, or will happen to something or somebody. II. Basic points about a narrative essay When planning a narrative, the writer should consider the following five basic points: A. Context When, where, and to whom the action in a narrative happened is often made clear at the beginning of the narrative. This will provide the reader with a context, or circumstances, to help him understand the whole narrative. B. Selection of details A narrative is made up of details. There should be enough details so that the reader knows what is happening, but there should not be too many of them, or the reader will be confused and lose interest in the story. Only relevant details, or things that contribute to bringing out the main ideas of the narrative, are useful and effective. When selecting details, therefore, the writer should bear in mind his purpose in writing the narrative. C. Organization Events in a narrative are usually related in chronological order, that is, in the order in which they occur. But it is also possible, and sometimes preferable, to start from the Middle or even the end of the story with the event that is most important or most likely to arouse the reader’s interest, and then go back to the beginning by using flashbacks. A narrative generally has a be