陈玉莲

人物、情节和环境是小说的三个要素，也是解码小说作品的金钥匙。

Reading novels requires a different approach than reading a textbook. The following points are important to consider when reading and analyzing novels.

Characters

Who are the main characters in the piece？ What are the names and roles of the main characters？ Who is the narrator？ Does this person have a bias？ Can you trust what he or she is saying？

Events and interaction

What happens in the story？ How do the characters interact？ How are they related or connected？ Why do the characters act or behave the way they do？ Why do the events play out as they do？

Setting

Where does the piece take place？ Is the setting critical to the story？ Does the setting provide background？ Does the setting give historical， physical， or other information that is key to the story？ When does the story take place？ Is it timeless， or is it grounded in a particular place and time？

Organization

How is the story organized？ Most commonly， stories are told chronologically（按时间顺序地）， but in some works， you may find that the author moves back and forth in time as well as place.

Writing style

What does the writing style tell you about the story？ Is the writing richly detailed？ Is it sparse（簡明地）？ （For example， Hemingway was famous for his Spartan writing style.） How does the writing style affect the meaning？ Do you have to make assumptions（假设） or guesses because there are gaps？

Symbolism（象征主义）

Symbolism can be tricky because， sometimes， the deep meaning is often hidden in the text. Other time， a journey represents something beyond the trip itself. For example， Huckleberry Finns trip was more about his development as a person than his trip down the river.

Theme

What are the themes of the story？ What elements or ideas are repeated or emphasized？ Think about this throughout your reading， not just in the end. Notice what people， places， and events pop up over and over again.

Retelling of a story

Many stories are in some way or form a retelling of a previous story. If you think about Huckleberry Finns trip， you can find other trips in Greek mythology （Homers Odyssey） with similarities.

Do you know the importance of reading classic works， especially novels in college entrance exams？ What novels are you going to read during the senior high school years？ How are you going to read？