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AQA Aspects of Narrative, LITB1, 15th MAY 2015 OFFICIAL THREAD

Hey guys,

A thread for this exam has not yet been made, so I thought that I would make one.

The exam is on the 15th May 2015 (AM).

How are you all feeling for the exam?

What texts are you studying?

What are you predicting may come up?

Do you have any tips or advice for the exam that you want to share?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

crashMATHS

I'll start the thread off with my advice for the 'How does <author/poet> tell the story in...' question.

When I write my answers to these questions, I always open them with a very concise introduction about the story that is being told within the chapter. I mention some of the authorial methods that are used within this chapter (that I will later talk about), but also mention the significance of this chapter. So, for example, if I was writing about Chapter 2 in The Great Gatsby, my introduction would most definitely mention that this chapter comes after Chapter 1 and that it follows directly on from the enigmatic sighting of Gatsby, and why this is significant. I would also talk about how it comes before chapter three, and why it is significant in that respect.

It's a good idea to write about three/four paragraphs in addition to your introduction, discussing the authorial methods used, as well as how they help propel the plot.

I don't usually write a conclusion, per se - I just simply make it clear from my last sentence that I have finished my answer and that I have written a complete answer, rather than left it incomplete.

When you talk about how a story is being told, the distinction between a story and a narrative must be made. A story is what is being told and the narrative is the elements that make up a story, such as time, sequence, places, characterisation and so on.

Here, the question is clearly asking us to look at how the story is being told, so we need to consider the narrative blocks that the writer is choosing to propel their plot. You want to make sure you consider structure and voice, rather than just language, as language analysis on its own will not get you into the higher bands. Structure and voice can easily be covered by considering the placement of this extract in the whole of the text, the sequencing of events in this extract, the moments leading up to the introduction of a particular character and the narrative perspective, for example.

With narrative perspectives, many students lapse into a discussion solely about whether the narrator is reliable or unreliable. But they don't really say why the narrator is seemingly unreliable/reliable, and, most importantly, how this develops the plot. As an example, when talking about the narrative perspective in Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, you could say:

It's also rather significant that Fitzgerald manipulates the sequencing of the narrative, and brings his novel into the present tense, as Nick "reads over what he has written so far". Not only is the metafictional form of the novel accentuated through this, but we are able to learn about one of Nick's "cardinal virtues": he is "one of the most honest people [he has] ever known". <and then I do a bit of structural analysis, blah...> As a result, Fitzgerald's significant reference to honesty at the end of chapter three is not designed to add credibility to the narrative voice, per se; instead, it's simply used to remind us that the tragedy of Gatsby that is about to unveil in the upcoming chapters is not told omnisciently - only through the intradiegetic and biased perspective of Nick.

It's the last part which will gain you the marks, because you are talking about how this authorial method helps to develop the plot of the story and help Fitzgerald 'tell his story', which is what you should try to do for all the authorial methods you write about - whether it be setting, characterisation or narrative perspective.

Hope it helps! If any of you have advice, please do share it too!

Reply 2

lydie1402

Would anyone be able to say what questions they think might come up for this exam in the Great Gatsby. Question 29 and 30. Would be soooo much help!

Thank you :smile:

Reply 3

crashMATHS

Original post by lydie1402

Would anyone be able to say what questions they think might come up for this exam in the Great Gatsby. Question 29 and 30. Would be soooo much help!

Thank you :smile:

Chapter 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 9 for the telling of the story, I think.

An argumentative question about Daisy perhaps.

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Reply 4

lydia.290

Does anyone have any predictions for "How does Housseini tell the story in chapter..?"

Reply 5

Hortonn

have you done this exam before?

i dont understand what you mean by nick interrupting the 'sequencing'

could you explain?

Reply 6

crashMATHS

Original post by Hortonn

have you done this exam before?

i dont understand what you mean by nick interrupting the 'sequencing'

could you explain?

I'm doing it for the first time in May, but I've done mocks.

Sequencing is the order of events. Nick manipulates this, as he brings us into the present.

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Reply 7

Hortonn

Original post by kingaaran

I'm doing it for the first time in May, but I've done mocks.

Sequencing is the order of events. Nick manipulates this, as he brings us into the present.

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Thank you, very helpful. What did you get in your mock?

Reply 8

crashMATHS

Original post by Hortonn

Thank you, very helpful. What did you get in your mock?

In the mock I did on Monday, I don't know - I'll get my results back after the holidays.

In the mock I did on Gatsby alone in January (Section A), I got 21/21 and 16/21.

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Reply 9

Hortonn

How are you going to revise for this paper

Reply 10

SarahAC

Original post by lydia.290

Does anyone have any predictions for "How does Housseini tell the story in chapter..?"

Maybe chapter 1, at least that's what we predicted

Reply 11

sumaya.ali

Original post by SarahAC

Maybe chapter 1, at least that's what we predicted

on this forum is any one doing Auden poetry , Kite runner , The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Gatsby . ALL FOUR TEXTS PLEASE LET ME KNOW

Reply 12

Arkasia

If anyone is curious about anything pertaining to women in The Great Gatsby, as well as other areas, then just ask, because I just did my A2 coursework on it :biggrin:

Reply 13

crashMATHS

Original post by SarahAC

Maybe chapter 1, at least that's what we predicted

If chapter one comes up, it will just be awesome! :tongue:

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Reply 14

SarahAC

Has anyone got any predictions for section b question for Auden ?

Reply 15

sumaya.ali

Original post by SarahAC

Has anyone got any predictions for section b question for Auden ?

I'm doing auden too
what other texts you doing

Reply 16

SarahAC

Original post by sumaya.ali

I'm doing auden too
what other texts you doing

Kite runner, Lawrence and Tennyson

Reply 17

thefreakoffreaks

Does anyone know what Last year's chapter question on The Great Gatsby is?

Reply 18

crashMATHS

Original post by thefreakoffreaks

Does anyone know what Last year's chapter question on The Great Gatsby is?

Chapter 1

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Reply 19

rebeccar16

Original post by kingaaran

I have an awful teacher and I'm really struggling to revise for this exam :frown:

I'm studying The Road, The Great Gatsby, Tennyson and Robert Frost. Do you have any tips on how to revise? In my January mock I got 13/21 on The Road (Section A), I really don't understand how to answer Section A questions, my teacher didn't give me any helpful feedback either. How do you revise? What texts are you doing?