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QW #13 - “I Need a Hero!”. Prompt : Begin your own short story where YOU are the hero! What makes you special? Do you have a name? What makes you a hero? Who do you battle? Who do you save? Your epic starts now…. DON’T FORGET TO WRITE DOWN YOUR HOMEWORK!. Let’s review for a quick second….
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QW #13 - “I Need a Hero!” • Prompt: Begin your own short story where YOU are the hero! • What makes you special? Do you have a name? • What makes you a hero? • Who do you battle? • Who do you save? Your epic starts now… DON’T FORGET TO WRITE DOWN YOUR HOMEWORK!
Let’s review for a quick second… Climax Rising Action Falling Action Resolution Exposition PLOT
I Have a… Setting!
There are a few… Characters
There’s Always a Different… Third Person 1st Person 2nd Person Point of View!
There’s Always at Least One… Truth Coming of Age THEME Ambition Jealousy Love Culture Prejudice Freedom Loyalty Duty Friendship
They Come In… Novels Poems Short Stories
What is Fiction? • A story from the author’s imagination. • Maybe finds its basis in reality, but ultimately made up. • Realistic and Relatable.
When was it written? • For a long time, Beowulf was not a piece of literature. It was an oral tradition, passed along through song for probably hundreds of years. • Between 521 AD and 900 AD, it was finally written down. Hygelac, the only confirmed real-life character, died in 521 AD and the story states that.
So who wrote it? • It is believed to have been written down by Christian monks, who were among the most educated members of society at the time. This theory also helps explain why there are many Christian references in Beowulf.
What does it look like? What language was it written in? • (It was written in English! … Old English!) • Faeder ur pu pe eart on heofonum, si pin nama gehalgod. To becume pin rice. Gewurpe pin willa on eorcan swa swa on heofonum. Urne gedaeghwamli can hlaf syle us to daeg…
Thankfully, we’ll read it in Modern English! • The original story is written in unrhymed, heavily alliterative verse in Old English. It was written on parchment, which is a writing sheet made from finely tanned sheepskin. The original is 5x8 inches big.
Beowulf was a hero, but there were others who helped save the original so we can read it today! • The scribes/monks who FINALLY thought to write the story down! • Thomas Novell - he owned it and wrote his name in it in 1563. He saved it from being destroyed by Henry VIII. • Sir Robert Cotton - He saved it from a fire in his library in 1731. The original was singed and the parchment became brittle; some of the top pages were blackened. • Grimur Thorkelin - He copied the original text over again in 1815. This was a smart thing to do because more of the original pages crumbled and some text has been lost. • The sole original copy of Beowulf resides in the British Museum.
Beowulf Background • Beowulf is a fictional story about a hero from the Scandinavian county of Geatland (Yea - aht - land). Some of the locations are historically accurate, but only Hygelac, Beowulf’s uncle and King of the Danes as the story opens, actually lived. He was truly killed in a battle against the Frisians as the story states.
Are you curious? Are you ready to start the epic story of Beowulf?
First we need to learn about what an EPIC actually is! • Epic - A long poem that tells a tale of historical or mythical adventures.
Characteristics of an EPIC • Epics often begin with a statement of theme fitting to the story. • The author has someone who is wise to help with the telling of the story. Epics are often told in 3rd person POV. • In Media Res (Latin for “in the middle”) - epics often begin in the middle of the story and the author will go back to the beginning later on in the tale.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… The main character of an epic is a hero!
Traits of an Epic Hero • “Larger than life” qualities • Natural leader • Not emotionally connected to his followers even though they die for him and he fights for them • Is appealing to opposite sex, but rarely has relationships • Defeats monsters/bad guys • Has “good” on his side
More traits of an Epic Hero • Is associated with “light” and strength and values • Often stands alone in battle • Is typically smarter than everyone else; a problem-solver • Has a weakness that often destroys him/leads to his death or almost to death • On the move - travels to find adventure • A skilled fighter
Epic Setting • The setting of an epic covers a large area.
The Supernatural • Departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature.
Science Fiction • A literary or cinematic genre in which fantasy, typically based on speculative scientific discoveries or developments, environmental changes, space travel, or life on other planets, forms part of the plot or background.
Most common plot topics for Science Fiction: • Time travel (possible human futures) • Strange inventions • Space exploration • Alien invasions/encounters with non-humans • Utopian/Disutopian societies
Utopia: • A perfect place, especially socially, politically, and morally.
Sci-Fi Conflict: typically character vs. society • Sci-Fi Tone: the author’s attitude toward society.
