I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at arbejde med novellen "Leftovers". Vi giver dig først og fremmest gode råd til at analysere novellen. Du kan også få et overskueligt summary, samt inspiration til at diskutere tekstens hovedtema.
Eksamensspørgsmål
Denne novelle har været brugt til skriftlig eksamen i Engelsk B på HF den 4. december 2017. Opgaveformuleringen så sådan her ud:
1. Write a summary of “Leftovers” in about 150 words.
2. Write a short analytical essay (at least 300 words) about “Leftovers”. You must focus on the main character Mason. Include the following analytical terms in your essay: setting, point of view, conflict, main theme.
3. Taking your starting point in the short story, discuss when to end a relationship. Use at least two phrases from the following ones: though, secondly, however, alternatively, firstly, since, yet, whereas.
Præsentation af teksten
Titel: “Leftovers” (2015)
Forfatter: Nickolas Butler
Genre: Short story
Nickolas Butler er en amerikansk forfatter og digter, som har vundet flere litteraturpriser. Før han blev forfatter havde Butler en lang række forskellige jobs - fx har han været slagteriarbejder, hotdog-sælger, krovært og kafferister.
Denne novelle har været udgivet i Butlers novellesamling Underneath the Bonfire, samt i Narrative Magazine.
Summary af teksten
Mason and Renee are cleaning Mason’s mother’s house after the mother's death. Mason recalls how his wife and his mother always disliked each other. He thinks about how much he always liked his mother’s food, and he would come to dinner at her house alone or with Renee, who disliked the woman’s cooking.
Mason reflects on his relationship with Renee, thinking about how they have become estranged. They have developed different hobbies, they often argue, and they rarely do things together such as going to the movies. Mason also recalls how he had a heart attack and how Renee handled the situation calmly, but would not accompany him in the ambulance.
Renee proposes to leave and return to his mother’s house the next day. Mason decides he wants to stay and heats some food from his mother’s fridge. Renee says she will not eat the food, but Mason starts eating, thinking of his mother. He constantly says ‘I’m sorry’ to Renee and thinks about telling her that he wants a divorce.
Mere hjælp
Har du brug for yderligere hjælp til analyse af noveller? Se vores generelle guide:
Short story analysis
I denne vejledning får du Studienets hjælp til at analysere noveller (short stories) i engelsk.
Du kan også læse studienets guide til den digitale HF-B opgave.
