1

Responding to a fiction text

In an extended response essay to a fiction text you can talk about character, setting, themes and
language. You should also explain the effect that a text has on you.

1. How to analyze a fiction extract

An essay should be an argument that uses evidence from the text to clearly make points. Your
essay should also draw a conclusion.

Essay questions might focus on:

 characters
 voice
 themes and ideas
 language form and structure
Identify the focus of the task, then find evidence that specifically supports your response to it.

A good essay is a structured argument with a clear conclusion.

Annotating
The key to planning an essay is to focus on the question. What are you being asked to do?

The next stage is to annotate your extract, or find evidence from your longer text to support your
answer. Keep the question in mind as you do this. Highlight or underline key parts of the text
that you will be able to use in your response.

Think about:

 the narrative voice
 how characters are presented
 what the main themes of the text are
 what the structure or shape of the text is
 what language devices are used
 who the audience for the text is and how that affects the way the text is written
If you are looking at an extract, read it more than once. First read the entire text from beginning
to end and get a sense of its purpose and meaning. On your next read-through annotate important
words and phrases.

Planning an essay response

When you’ve read the text carefully and annotated it, make your essay plan. Start with a bullet
point list or a mind map with all the ideas you can think of that relate to the question. Link your
2

ideas to specific parts of the text. Then pick the points you’re going to use. Aim for at least four
to five main points in an essay. Finally arrange your points in a logical order.

2. Understanding the question

The key to a successful essay is to focus on the question.

Example questions
Example question one
This extract is from a key moment in a novel. How is the theme of conflict presented here?
Support your views with detailed reference to the text.

This sort of question asks you to focus on different examples of a theme throughout a text. In this
case you would ideally find four or five examples of conflict to write about in your essay. As
well as picking obvious examples of arguments between characters, you would also seek out
moments of internal conflict, conflict in setting and conflict between appearance and reality.

For each example, choose a few words or lines from the text that demonstrate the theme. Explore
how language, literary devices and structure work together to create effects. Think about how
important the theme is to the overall message of the text.

Example question two

A student, having read this extract said: “The writer creates a sense of quiet tension here. I
feel like the scene is calm, but there’s also something unsettling.” Do you agree?

This question is asking for a more personal response. Your main task is to explain the extent to
which you agree with the student and to explain how the extract makes you feel. However, you
still need to use evidence for each point you make. Look closely at the word choices the author
makes and explore how these affect the reader. Remember to use appropriate literary
terminology and to look for layers of meaning.

Example question three

How does the writer create tension and suspense in this extract?

When you’re looking at tension and suspense in an extract remember to examine the particular
words and phrases used. What patterns of words do you notice – for example are there lots of
words connected with darkness, time, fear?

Look at sentence structures and notice how the writer is using these to create tension. Are there
lots of short sentences to build pace? Do longer sentences keep us hanging on?

How do the characters behave and respond to their situation? Notice dialogue as well as
descriptions.

Pick out four or five examples from the extract that support your answer to the question. Then, if
possible, link to one or two other examples of tension and suspense in other parts of the text. As
well as action, think about how characters contribute to tension, how setting is important and
how ideas are presented by the writer.
3

Example question four

In the last twenty lines of this passage, the writer makes the reader feel sympathy for the
main character. To what extent do you agree with this view?

If you’re asked to focus on a particular section of an extract, then of course, this is where you
should begin! Decide how far you agree with the statement and find evidence to support your
argument.

Remember to look at the rest of the extract as well. Do you feel sympathy for the character in the
other sections as well? Compare the two parts of the extract and use quotations to support your
answer.

3. Structuring an essay

It can be useful to think of your essay as a layered sandwich or burger to make sure you
include all the main parts
An essay should include:

1. a brief introduction (which focuses on the question)

2. the main body (four or five paragraphs)
3. a short conclusion (which focuses on the question)
4

Structuring an essay - Writing an introduction

Your essay should begin with an introduction. The first sentence of your essay sums up your
answer to the question. Make a positive statement that relates to the question. Use key words
from the question to demonstrate your understanding.

Example
How does Jane Austen present the character of Miss Bingley in this extract?

‘When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Bingley began abusing her as
soon as she was out of the room. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture
of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no taste, no beauty. Mrs. Hurst
thought the same, and added,

"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget
her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild."

"She did indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all!
Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her hair so
untidy, so blowsy!"

"Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely
certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it, not doing its office."

"Your picture may be very exact, Louisa," said Bingley; "but this was all lost upon me. I thought
Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well, when she came into the room this morning. Her
dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice."

"You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure," said Miss Bingley; "and I am inclined to think that you
would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition."

"Certainly not."

"To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and
alone, quite alone! what could she mean by it? It seems to me to shew an abominable sort of
conceited independence, a most country town indifference to decorum."’

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, Chapter 8

Suggested introduction
Austen uses a variety of techniques to present the character of Miss Bingley in this extract. She
uses language and structural devices to create humour and creates a character that the reader
will not necessarily like.

This:

 specifically answers the question rather than just rephrasing it

 says what the text is effective in doing (by creating an amusing description)
 says in general how that effect is created (using structural and language devices)
5

4. Structuring an essay – Writing the main body

Use each paragraph to make one main point. A paragraph should contain:

 a link to the previous idea

 a statement of the main point in this paragraph
 some evidence from the text to support what you think - this will probably include
something on language or structure
 a discussion of the evidence, and links to any other possible evidence
 a link back to the question, or to the next point
Start each paragraph with a link to the essay as a whole, and the part which came immediately
before. This way you are able to make a chain of your different paragraphs. Connectives help to
show the relationship between them:

 Firstly....
 Secondly....
 On the one hand....
 On the other hand...
 Similarly...
 In contrast...
 However...
 Alternatively…
 Finally….

5. Using quotations and close analysis

To support your points you need to use quotations and examples. Quotations should be kept short
and to the point. Using just a few words is more powerful than copying out chunks of text: it
shows you are being selective in what you say. You should also be careful to copy accurately.
Put the quotation inside your own sentence, rather than putting it in the middle of a page and
then commenting on it. This is called embedding a quotation.
6

So rather than:

‘He flew like a butterfly.’ This is an example of a simile, which shows that he was light and
graceful.

Or:

The author uses similes, eg ‘he flew like a butterfly’.

You would write:

The author uses the simile of the boy flying ‘like a butterfly’ to convey the impression that he is
light and graceful.

The words from the text are embedded as part of your sentence – they make sense as a whole.

Making the most of quotations

You should make a close analysis of the language in the quotation and use that to support your
point.

There are several ways you can do this:

 Pick out a word from the quotation and think about what the choice of that word means.
The connotations of a word are the things or ideas it reminds you of, rather than its meaning.
Some words might have connotations which are important to the point you are making, eg the
word ‘scythe’ has connotations of death and it might be being used to create
an ominous atmosphere.
 The quotation may have a metaphor, simile, or other devices in it – what is the effect of
that technique? Make sure that if you use a quotation with a literary technique in it, you name
the technique in whatever comment you make about it.
 Link the quotation to another example in the extract, if there is one. Or show how it is
similar to another point you’ve made. This shows an overview of the text, rather than being
focused on individual examples.

6. Structuring an essay – Writing the conclusion

To conclude, sum up the points you have made so far. Finally, write a single sentence which
answers the question again – it will be quite like your opening sentence, but don’t repeat the
same words.

Example
If the question is:

How does Jane Austen present the character of Miss Bingley in this extract?
The conclusion could be:
In conclusion, Miss Bingley is presented as a proud and arrogant character. The writer uses
narration and dialogue to show that Miss Bingley is unkind to Elizabeth Bennet, the main
character. As readers, our sympathies are with Elizabeth and the structural device of dialogue
here adds to our dislike of Miss Bingley.