Her er vores study guide til novellen "Mid-Air" af Jennifer Allott, som var en del af eksamenssættet til skriftlig Engelsk B på STX fra 30. maj 2016. Opgaveformuleringen lød:
Write an analytical essay in which you analyse and interpret Jennifer Allott's short story "Mid-Air" (2014). Your essay must include the following points:
– the structure
– a characterisation of Alex
– the main theme
– the title
Præsentation af teksten
Titel: “Mid-Air”
Forfatter: Jennifer Allott
Udgivet i: Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology
Udgivelsesår: 2014
Genre: Novelle
Jennifer Allott is a British local government manager and a mother of two. Allott’s first published work was “Mid-Air”. The short story was part of a local literary competition, the British Short Story Prize.
Dette er et kort uddrag fra vores study guide til "Mid-Air":
Most of the story reads as if the narrator was inside Alex’s mind, following his thoughts and his flashback of the recent past: “Alex couldn’t remember what mum said exactly, but he could remember mum trying to pick Rosie off the carpet and then him running upstairs and hiding in his bed.” (ll. 54-55)
Given that the narrator uses Alex’s point of view to narrate the short story, it is suggested that his knowledge regarding the other characters is limited. He only knows and tells what Alex knows about them: “This is Paula from work,” said dad, when Alex and Rosie had first met her, the week before. They were on the swings in the park, and it seemed that Paula just happened to be out for a jog at the very same time.” (ll. 117-120)
Consider that choosing a child’s point of view on narrative events usually creates more pathos and is more likely for the readers to empathise with the character.
