Paired Texts - Fiction
Unit Overview
In
this Unit, you will read a fiction-paired text, identify the main ideas and
details, compare and contrast the passages, and write an essay synthesizing the
text's information.
Click here to download notes for this
Unit.
Fiction
Paired Text
A fiction-paired text typically
consists of two related pieces of literature. They may share common themes,
characters, settings, or plot elements, but different authors usually write
them and can be read independently.
For example, a common type of fiction-paired
text is retelling or adapting a classic story. One book may be a modern
retelling of "Romeo and Juliet," while the other may be a historical
fiction novel set in Renaissance Italy. Although not directly connected, both
books explore similar themes of love, tragedy, and societal expectations.
Another example of a fiction-paired text could
be two books focusing on the same historical event or period but from different
perspectives. One book may be a personal memoir of someone who experienced the
event firsthand. At the same time, the other may be a work of historical
fiction that imagines the lives of ordinary people during that time.
In summary, a fiction-paired text is a pair of
related literary works that can be read separately but, when read together,
enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of the shared themes,
characters, or settings.
Theme
Remember the two artists from the previous
lesson? Those two artists used the same paints to paint a beach scene. One
created a calm surf and a peaceful morning, and the other painted a dark sky
with huge waves. Even though both artists painted the same subject, their
results depended on the details they highlighted.
Similarly, fiction authors may write about a similar theme, but they produce very
different products depending on their choice of medium, story, characters,
setting, etc.
Readers are often asked to compare
and contrast two (or more) fiction texts based on a similar theme.
To compare and contrast is
to tell how two or more things are alike and different.
In this Unit, you will be asked to compare and
contrast two fiction texts about love. Like the two paintings above, each
author produces a very different product.
Watch the video below to get a better
understanding of the theme.
Reading the Passages
Read the paired text:
"Excerpts
from Romeo and Juliet"
As you read, take notes using this graphic organizer.
The following video provides context for these texts.
Essay
Use the following
graphic organizers to help you pre-write your essay.
Literary Analysis Essay: Introduction Graphic
Organizer
Literary Analysis Essay: Body
Paragraph Graphic Organizer
Literary Analysis Essay: Conclusion Graphic Organizer
Literary Analysis Essay Rubric