Week 4 SS - Character - 18&19 March

·        Study the handout for Week 4.
·        Read Chapter 8 form Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations and ‘Clay’ from James Joyce’s Dubliners.
·        Make notes when answering the questions below!

Answer these questions using the terminology and methodologies explained in the handout. Conduct any necessary research on your own to be able to provide the answers:

1.      How many distinguishable individuals are there in Joyce’s ‘Clay’? Name them.

2.      Which of these are minor and which are major characters?

3.      Which of the characters are described implicitly and which of them explicitly in Joyce’s ‘Clay’?

4.      Find (and mark/copy) examples of block characterisation in each of the texts (Dickens and Joyce).

5.      Find an example of self-characterisation in either of the texts. Indicate the passage and explain whether the character can be considered to be a reliable source of information about themselves. Write down the answer.

6.      In which of the texts do we learn more about the inner life of the protagonist? Explain your opinion. Write down your answer.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS to be addressed in class:

Consider the role of the TITLE in Joyce.

Considred how SETTING is described in Dickens and think about its role in characterization.

Consider the role of OBJECTS in each text.

Could any of the characters in either of the texts be described as a confidant? Why? What is their function in the narrative?

Name two examples of minor characters who function as ‘foils’ in either of the texts. Explain.

Would you describe any of the minor characters in either of the texts as ‘flat’? Why

Would you consider any of the major characters in either of the texts as static or and monodimensional? Why?