KCRW’s Bookworm is a must listen to radio show for teachers of English and lovers of literature. The show's host, Michael Silverblatt, is a man who may have read more literature than any other living being. At any rate, he has read a whole lot more than this website writer. Silverblatt is erudite and insightful, but he also maintains an endearing fascination for the world that we often identify as a quality of younger children. His style of interview is quite distinctive.

In conversation with the memoir writer Mary Karr, Silverblatt highlights the way that, in his view, many literary talk show hosts tend frequently to ask writers of fiction ‘how much of this is true’, whilst non-fiction writers are asked ‘how much of this is made up’. Mr Silverblatt, who knows more than most, is perplexed by this line of questioning. Readers of this website may wish to ponder the issue further.

An earlier lesson idea on the Language and Literature website addressed the tricky question, what is this thing called literature? We may assume to know, but as soon as the question is posed all manner of claims, counter-claims, caveats, and objections surface – and this may cause some embarrassment to those of us who are teachers of literature (as the Marxist literary critic, Terry Eagleton, was quick to point out). This current lesson may usefully be used in conjunction with 'what is this thing called literature?'

This lesson idea offers a slightly alternative approach to preparing students for Paper 1 (HL), the comparative textual analysis. It begins, however, with a short activity that asks students to tease out the differences that may exist between so-called fictional (prose) texts and so-called non-fiction (prose) texts. Considering the differences – to the extent they exist in any kind of fixed fashion – can be a useful activity to prepare student for Paper 1, and may provoke - we can hope! - complex, intellectual debate.

Let's begin.

Match the titles to the texts

Put students into small groups. Provide each group with the eight texts (below) and their titles (also below). Ask the students to match the titles to their correct texts. This should be relatively straightforward, and students may be able to complete the activity, for the most part, through skimming and scanning. Follow-up with whole-class feedback: How did students decide which text fitted with each title?

Texts

Titles

Correct Answers

Fiction or non-fiction?

Moving on, ask students to read the eight texts more carefully, now complete with titles (see below). Tell the students that some of the texts are fictional (i.e. they are extracts from novels) and some of the texts are extracts from non-fictional works. Students should identify which works are fictional and which works are non-fictional. They should be able to express reasons for their choices. Whilst some of the examples are easy, some are less so. Give students the opportunity to debate in groups and then feedback to the class. Provide enough time for an involved discussion to develop. 

Texts

Correct Answers

Comparative textual analysis: considering setting

Students should choose two text extracts from the eight above – one fictional, the other non-fictional – to compare and contrast. Asking students to engage in this choice-making process replicates, to a significant degree, the selection students make for Paper 1, the comparative textual analysis.

Teachers will be familiar with the idea that Paper 1 comparative texts have, in each pairing, a similar theme. This is not the case here; rather all of the texts have been selected for their interesting depiction of setting. This is the commonality. Thus, in writing about the texts students should only focus on the depiction and significance of setting.

Now, teachers could throw students in at the deep end, leaving them to their own devices. That, obviously, is not a great idea. Instead, teachers may take following approach:

(i) Students select one of the fictional texts. Model with students an analysis of the text, concentrating on setting.

(ii) Students select one of the non-fictional texts. Allow students, working in pairs, to co-construct an analysis, again concentrating on setting. Elicit feedback.

(iii) Model a comparative commentary between the two texts.

(iv) Students choose two further texts – one fictional, the other non-fictional. Ask students, working in pairs, to co-construct, as homework, a comparative commentary. Elicit feedback upon returning to class.

(v) Students choose from the remaining texts to write their own independent comparative textual analysis. This may be done as homework or in class as time allows.