Year 11 - English
Emulating Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'
Fiction: books that changed my world
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils read extracts from some impactful books to inpsire their own writing. Within each of the five extracts, they identify and analyse a key technique before emulating it in their own piece of writing. At the end of the unit, they craft the opening to an impactful narrative.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to emulate Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'.
Key Notes
- Dostoevsky uses facial expressions, body language, structure and punctuation to create effective dialogue.
- To emulate Dostoevsky, we might begin by asking what emotion our characters feel.
- Then we might consider how we can show those emotions through body language, structure and punctuation.
- When writing dialogue, often less is more when it comes to the actual exchange of words between characters.
Vocabulary To Learn
- emulate: match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation
- dialogue: a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film
- monosyllabic: using brief or few words to signify reluctance to engage in conversation
- realistic: a literary style which focuses on the accurate representation of life and its events
- reciprocate: respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That the only important part of writing a dialogue is thinking about which words the characters are going to use.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Dostoevsky uses facial expressions, body language, structure and punctuation to create effective dialogue. To emulate Dostoevsky, we might begin by asking what emotion our characters feel.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'emulate'
match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: That the only important part of writing a dialogue is thinking about which words the characters are going to use. Correction: When writing dialogue, you want to consider how you can show emotion through descriptions of facial expressions, body language, and your use of punctuation and structure.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'The Great Gatsby': analysing a writer's craft Study Guide
- 'The Great Gatsby': Developing a personal response Study Guide
- Analysing effective endings in Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' Study Guide
- Considering Chandler's use of similes in 'Trouble is My Business' Study Guide
- Considering the use of dialogue in Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' Study Guide
- Considering the use of motifs in Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights' Study Guide
- Emulating Chandler's use of similes in 'Trouble is My Business' Study Guide
- Emulating the opening to Orwell's '1984' Study Guide
- Emulating the use of motifs in Brontë's 'Wuthering Heights' Study Guide
- Exploring the importance of books and stories Study Guide
- Planning the opening to an impactful narrative Study Guide
- Reading the opening of Orwell's '1984' Study Guide
- Writing the opening to an impactful narrative Study Guide
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