Lecture7

 

Book Report

 

1. What is a book report?

For most students, outside reading is fun. It can provide them with the opportunity to do the kind of reading that they may always have wanted to do but somehow never found time for. It is stimulating, exciting, and educational, giving them the opportunity to broaden their horizons, to visit other lands, other cultures, other times. It can make them soar to other heights.

But sometimes, they may find outside reading annoying, because they have to submit book reports to their teacher to prove that they have read the book, and they don’t know how to write reports. This unit will make the task less heavy.

 

1.1 Book reports vs. book reviews

To write a good book report, you must, first of all, know the differences between reports and reviews. Actually, the two terms are so often used interchangeably that they may cause some confusion. In fact, a report on a book---or on any work of art, for that matter---is all conclusive. It could limit itself to a factual description of the title, author, price, place and year of publication, conditions under which the work was produced, as well as a summary of the content of the book. On the other extreme, it could be much more personal, involving an expression of the reader’s opinion of or response to the work.

A book review, however, is basically a statement of opinion about a piece of writing ( or any other work of art, e.g. dance, sculpture, film, music) supported by specific facts and incidents from the work itself. Its primary purpose is to let the reader of the review know whether it would be worth his while to read the book under discussion, you will have to include some information about the content of the work. But never forget that the object of the review is presentation of the reviewer’s opinion.

In essence, therefore, all book reviews are book reports, but not all book reports are book reviews. Since it is the writing of reviews that often presents the greater difficulty, our text will focus on that particular type of book report---book review. By the way, we feel it necessary to remind the reader that our discussion of the method of writing a book report is also appropriate in writing reviews of films, concerts, or any other work of art.

 

1.2 Authoritative vs. impressionistic book review

Book reviews can be either authoritative or impressionistic. Authoritative reviews are the kinds of reviews you will find in scholarly background to discuss the work with great authority. Such a critic can readily cite other works, critical theories, and literary history to substantiate his views. Needless to say, this is not the kind of review that you will be expected to write.

Impressionistic reviews are your honest, modest, non-specialist’s reactions to the work you have read, limited by your experience and knowledge, but backed up by sound reasoning, logic and ample proof. There is no need for any specialized knowledge or authoritative judgment.

Impressionistic reviews are worth more than you suppose. They are valuable, for example, for your teachers who need your candid (坦率的) reactions to guide them in planning further assignments and class discussions, and for specialists who need to know the impact a work has on newcomers to the field. For you students, descriptions of experiences, fresh discoveries, puzzlements, delights, or disappointments may help you to develop spontaneous writing habits. And this is the type of reviews you will be expected to write.

It is possible, however, to combine the authoritative and impressionistic approaches in a book review. Suppose you have been learning for many years how to fish on the sea. When you are required to write a book report on Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, besides offering an impressionistic reaction to the writing style of the book, you are able to cite your personal experience in making a responsible judgment. For example, you can answer the following questions for your reader: Does the book provide a true-to-life description of the old man fishing on the sea? Why or why not? What details would you have added or changed? This personal touch may enhance the authority of your review.

 

2. Preparing to write a book report

Preparation for the writing does not mean that you sit down and write down whatever comes to mind, making your first draft your last draft. The emphasis here is on preparation, on the getting ready to write. Good writing is not easy. It is hard, time-consuming work requiring preparation, organization, writing, reversion and rewriting.

2.1 Choosing your book

If your teacher hasn’t assigned a specific book for you to read, you must first decide what book to read. Do you love reading history books, or do you prefer novels? Choose a book which you love reading. This is very important. If you do a report on a book which you dislike, several problems arise. Firstly, you are not going to enjoy writing a report on such a book. Secondly, your report is going to be almost entirely negative. Whether this is an accurate reflection of the book or not, the reader of your report will probably be turned off by your attitude. There is nothing wrong with selective criticism, but a book report which criticizes the author and his work at every turn is itself defeating. So, choose your book carefully. The result will be more pleasurable, both for yourself and for whoever reads your report.

2.2 Reading the book

It may sound foolish to say that you must begin by reading the book to be reviewed, but no doubt some students have written book reports on works which they have never read. If you do that, you are fooling yourself besides being dishonest.

How many times should you read the book? This is a personal choice. Obviously you have to read it from beginning to end at least once. Twice is recommended, the first time for a general impression, the second time for details and verification of that impression. If you really love the book, you may find yourself reading it a third or even a fourth time. In that case, the actual writing of your report will be more of a pleasure than a burden.

Here is a checklist you can use for your reading:

1) Avoid reading book jacket blurbs (书籍封面上夸大的介绍词), summaries, and commentaries before reading the work; if possible, even avoid the commentaries of others. You should form your own unbiased opinion of the book. The opinion of others can be very misleading and cause you to expect too much---or too little.

2) Give careful thought to the title of the work and its significance and implications. Is it an allusion （引语）? Is it symbolic? What is its relationship to the theme? For example, Faulkner’s The Sound and Fury alludes to Macbeth’s soliloquy (独白), “ Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” in which he states that life is comparable to a tale told by an idiot, “…full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

3) Read the preface or introduction, if there is one; it may provide valuable information about the author’s intentions or limitations of the book. When you know the author’s purpose, you can judge the work as to how effectively he achieved his aims.

4) Read the table of contents if there is one. Whether the book is fiction---a novel, a collection of short stories, a play---or  non-fiction---a biography, an autobiography, a report, a text book, etc.---the table of contents permits you be aware of the book’s basic organization. If nothing else, at least it will let you know what to expect.

5) Know the genre(语类) to which the book belongs so that you may judge the work accordingly. Is it drama, poetry, play, novel, or nonfiction? Certainly, you will not approach the reading of poetry in the same way that you would the reading of a biography.

6) Get your own copy of the work, if possible, so that you can read actively by marking the book. If you use somebody else’s book, keep slips of paper available for writing down your reactions. Insert these slips within the book.

7) Check any end notes or footnotes as you read from chapter to chapter. Do they provide important additional information? Do they clarify or extend points made in the body of the text? Pay particular attention to the author’s concluding chapter. Is the summary convincing?

2.3 Taking notes

As you read the book, write down your reactions to the plot, organization, style, theme, characterization, etc. , of the work. Don’t write the notes on long sheets of paper. Rather, make marginal notes in the book. If the book is not yours, write them on slips of paper and mark the pages so that you can refer to them later.

Here are some of the items that you should concern yourself with when you take notes. 1) Point of view. This is especially important in reviewing fiction. From what point of view is the work written? Would the work be more or less effective, had the author written the book from another point of view?

2) Setting. If you are reviewing fiction, how important is the setting? Does it contribute to suspense? To mood? How? Does it take on significant symbolic value？

3) Characterization. Does the author handle characterization imaginatively? Re characters sufficiently motivated? How does he reveal their makeup? Do the main characters grow or otherwise change? What is the significance of the change in character?

4) Plot. How does the author arrange the events of the basic story? How does this arrangement enhance the story? The reader’s interest? The suspense? Has the author designed a plot that adequately reveals, explores, and tests the characters? What does the plot contribute to the theme?

5) Title. How accurate and effective is the title? Did it become increasingly meaningful as you continued reading? Was it mainly a means of capturing the reader’s attention? Was it too broad or too narrow?

6) Organization. How well is the book organized? If fiction, is the story told chronologically? Does the author employ flashbacks in telling the story? If non-fiction, does one chapter lead logically to the next? Are chapter titles clear and concise?

7) Theme. What is the theme of the book? Is it explicitly stated or did you have to extract from a mass of facts and opinions? Is it amply supported? How convincing is the writer? If fiction, does he employ symbolism in presenting his theme?

8) Style. Is the style of the book formal or informal? How does it affect the book’s tone? How well does it fit with the book’s subject and audience? How effective is the style in furthering the theme?

 

3. Organizing the book report

Since a book report belongs to the type of essays, it should follow the rules of essay writing. Each book report is to be a minimum of three well-organized paragraphs, with an introduction, body and conclusion.

 

3.1 How to introduce a book report

The introduction of your review is perhaps the most important part of the entire report and it deserves your greatest effort. It is this introduction that will determine whether the reader will continue reading what you are going to say.

Besides being stimulating, the introduction of a review usually includes the following items: the full name of the author, the exact title of the book (In printed material, the title of a book will be set in italics. Since you cannot use italics in handwriting, underline the title.), the publisher and the city of publication, and the year of publication. For example:

The Daughter of Time was written in 1947 by Elizabeth Mackintosh, under the better-known pen name of Josephine Tey; the copy I read was a Berkly Medallion paperback reprint, published in New York in 1970.

 

Some reviews prefer to start with a heading, in the top left hand corner or in the center of the page, that includes all the above information about the book together with the number of pages and the price of the book.

Black Life in Corporate America

by George Davis and Glegg Waston

Ancor Press / Doubleday, 1989, 204pp., $14.95

ISBN 0-385-14701-5

Reviewed by Colleen Mitchell

With Black Life in Corporate America George Davis and Glegg Waston have given all of us, black and white, a glimpse of the tough world we are getting ourselves into…

 

As long as you keep in mind the importance of the introduction, there are several ways to begin a review. Here are some possibilities. Which one to choose depends on your thesis.

(1) State your dominant thesis immediately.

(2)   Relate some significant biographical information about the author that is significant to the work.

(3)   State the theme of the book or begin with a discussion of the author’s purpose.

(4)   Give some significant historical background of the period during which the work is set.

(5)   Discuss the author’s qualifications---or lack of qualifications--- for dealing with the subject.

The following sample introduction begins with the reviewer’s thesis:

For those interested in a dear, fascinating picture of the life styles of the expatriates in Paris during the 1920’s, The Sun Also Rises is a must. Earnest Hemingway, through his deft characterizations of his main characters, makes us feel as if we too were experiencing the disillusionment and meaninglessness of life following World War I. The portrayals of Jake Barns, of Lady Brett Ashley, of Robert Cohn, as well as those of Mike Campbell and Bill Gorton---their actions and reactions, their mannerisms and their dialog, their hopes and their fears---more than adequately demonstrate Hemingway’s skill in making an era come alive for us

 

3.2 How to develop the body of a book report

 

Now that you have tickled your reader’s interest with your introduction, you must now strive to retain his interest with a series of related paragraphs that follow. You must give a clear overview of the contents of the book and your reaction and evaluation. A general rule is that a book report should consist of 50% summary of the contents of the book and 50% your own thoughts and ideas.

 

(1) Summary of contents

Since in all probability your reader has not yet read the book, you should provide some information about the contents of the book. You may decide to give your readers the whole thing at once---tell the story if you are reviewing fiction, or outline all the main points if you are reviewing nonfiction. You can then devote the rest of the review to your opinions. But this method, even though it is sometimes acceptable, is usually pretty dull. A better way is to give a brief indication of what the material covers and then to interweave your summary within your comments. This second method will make your review easier to read. It will not be broken into two parts, first all summary, then all comments, and the readers won’t have to jump back and forth, wondering which comments refer to which part of the summary.

In the following review of the children’s story, Little Red Riding Hood, the summary has been interwoven with the evaluation. The summary sections have been underlined so you can easily see the distinction:

Little Red Riding Hood, that old nursery story grownups keep on telling children, seems to me so silly that bright children would laugh themselves sick when they heard it. What child would believe stuff like that? As everybody knows, Little red Riding Hood is the story of a little girl in a red cape who walks through the woods to take a basket of food to her bedridden old grandmother. In spite of her mother’s warning to go straight there and not talk to any body on the way, the little girl gets into conversation with a wolf who hurries ahead, gobbles up the grandmother, and disguises himself enough to fool the little girl.

In the first place, what was the mother doing, letting the child out alone? If the woods were so dangerous, why didn’t she go herself or drive her in the car? Even the child’s name shows she wasn’t used to walking--- Little red Riding Hood. And the mother must have known the child was a little retarded. Some children I know can’t tell dogs from wolves, but they can sure tell wolves from human beings.

Some versions of the story say the wolf just shut the grandmother in the closet instead of eating her. But if that is what happened, what was the matter with the old woman? Why didn’t she pound and scream to warn the child? In the original version, after the wolf had eaten the grandmother, he dressed up in her cap and go into bed. Here’s where it really gets silly. At the very first question, “Why are your ears so big, grandma? You’d think the child would have noticed that the old woman could hear all right last week, when her ears were not only smaller but also a different shape. But no. The stupid child just stands there asking questions until the wolf, who is almost as stupid as she is, gets out of bed and tries to eat her up. Why didn’t he just eat her in the woods when it would have been easy and safe? What’s all this foolishness about dressing up in a lace cap?

Whichever way you handle your summary---giving it all at once or weaving it in---the summary shouldn’t outweigh the comments. It is never acceptable to spend a long time retelling the story, condensing the report, repeating an argument, or listing a chain of events, and then end abruptly by saying “I liked it” or “I was bored”. Give just enough summary so that your readers will understand what you liked or why you were bored. In any case, it is important to distinguish between your ideas and those of the original writer. Confusion between the two weakens the value of the review to its reader.

(2) Evaluation

This is the heart of your book report. Here, you can discuss a variety of issues. If you are reviewing nonfiction, and if your summary has been carefully done, you can ask these questions:

1. What is the writer’s style (forcefulness, clarity, use of symbolism, allegory, allusion, satire, appropriateness to subject and theme. ?

2. How well does the organizational method ( comparison/contrast, cause/effect, analogy, persuasion through examples, etc.) develop the argument or thesis of the book.

3. What evidence does the book present to support the argument? How well has the book achieved its goal?

4. Are the explanations clear? Do the examples that are used make the meaning easier to understand or the situation more vivid?

5. What possibilities are suggested by the book? What has the book left out?

6. What specific points are not convincing?

7. Are all the important terms carefully defined?

8. If the subject is a report, does it seem accurate and objective? If it’s an attempt to persuade, are the methods it uses fair?

9. How does the book compare to others on the subject?

10. What personal experiences have you had related to the subject?

Your answers to most of the questions can be found in your notes about the book. Don’t be afraid to make judgments. Remember, though, that each of your opinion must be supported by specific examples from the book; an unsupported evaluation will not very convincing to your readers.

 

If you are reviewing fiction, finding the purpose and the main idea is not quite as easy. Once you understand what the main idea is , you can write a more sensible evaluation by answering these questions:

1. What is the writer’s style (forcefulness, clarity, use of symbolism, allegory, allusion, satire, appropriateness to subject and theme.?

2. What is theme or purpose of the book? How apparent is it? How effectively is it developed?

3. How effective is the author’s choice of words? Do they set the tone and mood? What is the level of language? Is it appropriate to the story? Is it primarily used for shock value?

4. For what type of audience was the novel seemingly written? What is the work’s appeal? Will it be best seller? Is its appeal limited to a highly intellectual group? To what tastes does the work appeal?

5. What is the mood and tone of the work? Whimsical? Satirical? Serious? Reflective? Tragic? Comic?

6. How qualified is the author to write about the subject? What experiences has he had? How much of the success of the novel is dependent on the reader’s awareness of the autobiographical nature of the work?

7. How does the work compare and contrast with other works by the same author? With other works of the same genre or topic by different authors? With a work of a different genre such as a movie version or diary on which it is based?

8. Is the setting effective? What use does the author make of time and place? How “real” is the setting?

9. Are the characters developed in depth? Do they seem real? Do our attitudes toward the characters change?

10. Is the protagonist a tragic hero or an anti-hero? What is author’s attitude toward him?

11. What is the author’s attitude towards life? Interpersonal human relationships? Government? Religion?

 

Finally, we would like to remind you always to develop your thesis with adequate substantiation, because your opinion is worth reading only if your readers can understand why you hold that opinion. Therefore, do not be afraid to rely heavily on quotations, paraphrases, incidents, and anecdotes from the work. Integrate these effectively into your critical commentaries. You can also use your previous knowledge and experience to support your evaluation.

 

3.3 How to end a book report

Like other essays, book reports usually end with a conclusion, which ties together issues raised, in the report and provides a concise comment on the book. The well-organized argument comes to its conclusion logically and naturally, leaving the reader with a sense of completion. Such clichés as in conclusion or to sum up indicates weak conclusions and thus should be avoided. A re-phrasing of the introduction---restating the dominant impression, summarizing your main arguments, stating your final judgment of the work---is better than no ending. The test of a good ending is simple: if it were at the bottom of the page, would the reader be tempted to turn to the next page for the conclusion? If no, the ending was strong, forceful, and final.