Class 11 NCERT English book Woven Words Essay Lesson 6 The Story Question and answer.
Understanding the Text
1. What do you understand of the three voices in response t the questions ‘What does a novel do?
2. What would you say are ‘the finer growths’ that the story supports in a novel?
3. How does Forster trace the human interest in the story to primitive times?
4. Discuss the importance of time in the narration of a story.
Answer:
1. The Three Voices and “What Does a Novel Do?”
Voice 1 (Placid and Vague):
This voice represents the casual, uncritical reader. They see a novel simply as “a novel” and its purpose as “to tell a story, so to speak.”
This person is not deeply concerned with the art or complexity of the novel; they are content with basic entertainment.
Forster presents this person as not giving literature much thought.
Voice 2 (Aggressive and Brisk):
This voice embodies the reader who demands a straightforward, plot-driven narrative. They prioritize “a good story” above all else, dismissing any artistic or literary merit.
This person is impatient with subtlety or complexity and views the novel as purely a source of entertainment.
Forster uses this voice to represent a person who he “detests and fears” because of the persons lack of care for the art of literature.
Voice 3 (Forster’s Voice – Drooping and Regretful):
Forster himself acknowledges the necessity of the story but expresses a sense of regret that it is the novel’s fundamental element.
He sees the story as a “low atavistic form,” a primitive urge that overshadows other potentially more profound aspects of the novel.
He understands that the story is needed, but wishes that novels could be based on more complex ideas, like “melody, or perception of truth.”
2. “The Finer Growths” That the Story Supports:
“The finer growths” refer to the artistic, intellectual, and emotional elements that elevate a novel beyond a mere sequence of events.
These include:
Character development: The depth and complexity of the characters.
Themes: The underlying ideas and messages the novel explores.
Style and language: The author’s use of language, imagery, and symbolism.
Moral and philosophical insights: The novel’s exploration of human values and experiences.
Atmosphere and setting: The creation of a vivid and evocative world.
Essentially, these are all the things that make a novel literature, instead of just a sequence of events.
3. Tracing Human Interest in Story to Primitive Times:
Forster traces the human interest in storytelling to “Neolithic times, perhaps to Palaeolithic.”
He imagines “Neanderthal man” listening to stories around a campfire, “fatigued with contending against the mammoth or the woolly rhinoceros.”
He argues that the primitive audience was driven by “suspense,” wanting to know “what would happen next?”
He uses this image to show that the basic human desire to know what happens next, is a very old, and basic, part of our nature.
He also uses the example of Scheherazade to show that the use of suspense to keep an audience engaged, is a very old literary tool.
4. Importance of Time in the Narration of a Story:
Forster emphasizes that time is “imperative” in the narration of a story.
A story, by definition, is “a narrative of events arranged in their time sequence.”
He argues that novels must adhere to a chronological framework, even if they manipulate or distort time.
He says that “dinner coming after breakfast, Tuesday coming after Monday, decay after death, and so on.” are the basic building blocks of a story.
He contrasts this with daily life, where our experience of time is more subjective and less linear.
Forster uses examples like Emily Brontë, Sterne, and Marcel Proust to show that even when authors play with the concept of time, they are still working within the concept of time.
Talking about the text
Discuss in pairs or in small groups
1. What does a novel do?
2. ‘Our daily life reflects a double allegiance to ‘the life in time; and ‘the life in time’ and ‘the life by values’.
3. The description of novels as organisms.
Answer:
1. What Does a Novel Do?
Basic Storytelling:
At its most fundamental level, a novel tells a story—a sequence of events in time. This is the “backbone” that Forster acknowledges.
It satisfies our basic human curiosity about “what happens next?”
Exploring Human Experience:
Beyond mere storytelling, a novel can explore the complexities of human experience, including emotions, relationships, and moral dilemmas.
It delves into “the life by values,” examining the significance of events beyond their chronological order.
Creating a World:
A novel constructs a fictional world, with its own characters, settings, and atmosphere.
It allows readers to immerse themselves in another reality and gain new perspectives.
Reflecting on Society:
Novels can serve as social commentary, reflecting on the values, norms, and issues of a particular time and place.
They can challenge readers to think critically about their own society.
Artistic Expression:
A novel is also a form of artistic expression, allowing authors to use language, imagery, and symbolism to convey their ideas and emotions.
It is a medium that can be used to explore many different concepts.
2. “Our Daily Life Reflects a Double Allegiance to ‘the Life in Time’ and ‘the Life by Values’.”
“The Life in Time”:
This refers to the chronological sequence of events that structure our daily lives: schedules, appointments, routines, and the awareness of time passing.
We are constantly aware of time’s linear progression, with events happening before or after others.
The Life by Values”:
This encompasses the emotional, moral, and experiential dimensions of our lives.
It’s about the significance we attach to events, regardless of their duration or position in time.
Moments of intense joy, sorrow, love, or insight can transcend the constraints of time, feeling more significant than their temporal length.
Double Allegiance:
We navigate daily life by balancing these two aspects: we live within the constraints of time, but we also seek and value experiences that transcend it.
For example, “I only saw her for five minutes, but it was worth it” illustrates this duality.
Our memories are a good example of this. We do not remember every moment of every day, but we remember the moments that had high value to us.
3. The Description of Novels as Organisms:
Complex Systems:
Forster’s use of “organisms” suggests that novels are complex, living systems with interconnected parts.
Like organisms, novels have a structure (the story), but they also contain various “organs” (characters, themes, style) that work together.
Growth and Development:
Novels, like organisms, grow and develop over time, with characters evolving, themes unfolding, and the narrative progressing.
The author shapes and nurtures the novel, just as a gardener tends to a living plant.
Interdependence:
The various elements of a novel are interdependent, with each part contributing to the overall whole.
The story provides the framework, but the characters, themes, and style give it life and meaning.
Variability:
Just as organisms vary greatly, so do novels. There are many different types of novels, and each one is unique.
The tapeworm description, is a description of a parasitic organism, that lives off of another organism. This could be seen as the story living off of the other aspects of the novel.
Appreciation
1. How does Forster use the analogy of Scheherazade to establish his point?
2. Talking off from Forster’s references to Emily Bronte, Sterne and Proust , discuss the treatment of time in some of the novels you have read.
Answer:
1. Forster’s Analogy of Scheherazade:
Illustrating the Power of Suspense:
Forster uses Scheherazade to exemplify the fundamental human fascination with “what happens next?” He highlights that her survival depended not on her literary artistry alone, but on her ability to create and sustain suspense.
She kept the king engaged by ending her stories on cliffhangers, forcing him to wait for the resolution. This demonstrates the primal power of narrative tension.
Highlighting the Story’s Importance:
Even in a context of high art and sophisticated storytelling (the “One Thousand and One Nights”), Forster emphasizes that the basic element of “story” (the “tape-worm”) is crucial.
Scheherazade’s situation underscores that even the most talented storyteller must adhere to the fundamental principle of keeping the audience engaged with the unfolding events.
Emphasizing the Primal Nature of Storytelling:
Scheherazade’s tale is a very old one, and it shows that the need to know what happens next is a very old human trait.
It reinforces his argument that the story’s appeal is rooted in our most basic, “atavistic” desires.
Showing the story as a device:
Scheherazade used the story as a device to stay alive. Forster uses this to show that the story is a device that the author uses to keep the reader engaged.
2. Treatment of Time in Novels:
Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights”:
Forster notes that Brontë “tried to hide” the clock. This can be seen in the novel’s fragmented and non-linear narrative, with flashbacks and shifts in perspective.
Time is less a strict chronological progression and more a cyclical force, reflecting the cyclical nature of the characters’ passions and the enduring power of the past.
The use of the telling of the story by Lockwood, and Nelly, shows that the story is being told after the events, and that time has passed.
Laurence Sterne’s “Tristram Shandy”:
Sterne famously “turned it upside down,” playing with chronology and digressing into tangents.
Time becomes subjective and elastic, reflecting the narrator’s meandering thoughts and the novel’s playful, experimental nature.
The novel plays with the readers sense of time, and makes the reader very aware of the concept of time.
Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time”:
Proust “kept altering the hands,” exploring the fluidity of memory and the way time shapes our perception of the past.
Time is not linear but a series of overlapping moments, with involuntary memories triggering vivid recollections of past experiences.
Proust shows how memory can cause the present, and the past to become blurred.
Modern novels:
Many modern novels play with time. Some novels use non-linear timelines, that jump between past, present, and future. Some novels use multiple perspectives, that show the same events from different points of view, and different times.
Some modern novels use the concept of time travel.
Many modern novels, use internal monologues, that show how a characters perception of time changes, based on their emotional state.
By referencing these authors, Forster illustrates the diverse ways in which novelists can manipulate and explore the concept of time, even while acknowledging its fundamental role in storytelling.
Language Work
1. ‘Qua story’: what does the word mean/ Find other expressions using the word qua.
2. Study the Note to Aspects of the Novel given at the end. Discuss the features that mark the piece as a talk as distinguished from a critical essay.
3. Try rewriting the lectures as a formal essay and examine Forster’s statement: ‘….since the novel is itself often colloquial. it may possibly withhold some of its secrets from the graver and grander streams of criticism.
Answer:
1. “Qua Story”: Meaning and Other Expressions
Meaning:
“Qua” is a Latin word meaning “in the capacity of” or “as.”
“Qua story” means “as a story” or “in its capacity as a story.” It isolates the story element from other aspects of the novel.
Other Expressions Using “Qua”:
“Qua scientist”: Meaning “in the capacity of a scientist” or “as a scientist.”
“Qua philosopher”: Meaning “in the capacity of a philosopher” or “as a philosopher.”
“Qua citizen”: Meaning “in the capacity of a citizen” or “as a citizen.”
“Qua human being”: meaning “in the capacity of a human being” or “as a human being.”
The word is used to specify a particular role or function of something.
2. Features of a Talk vs. a Critical Essay in the “Note”:
Informal Tone:
Forster emphasizes the “informal, indeed talkative” tone of the lectures. He uses conversational phrases like “so to speak,” “curiously enough,” “only imagine,” and “of course.”
A formal critical essay would typically avoid such colloquialisms.
Personal Pronouns:
He frequently uses “I,” “you,” “one,” and “we,” creating a sense of direct engagement with the audience.
A critical essay would generally use a more objective and impersonal voice.
Self-Deprecating Humor:
Forster acknowledges the potential for his language to “distress the sensitive reader” but defends his style as necessary for capturing the essence of the novel.
This self-awareness and humor are characteristic of a spoken presentation.
Direct Address:
Forster directly addresses the reader, which is common in a spoken presentation. Example “but he is asked to remember…”
Defensive Tone:
Forster uses a slightly defensive tone when he is saying that if he removed the colloquial words, that the meaning of the work would be lost. This is not a common practice in formal essays.
Use of phrases like “it seemed safer”
This type of phrase is used in spoken word, to explain the reasoning behind a choice.
3. Rewriting as a Formal Essay and Forster’s Statement:
Rewriting as a Formal Essay:
To rewrite the lectures as a formal essay, one would need to:
Eliminate colloquialisms and conversational phrases.
Adopt a more objective and impersonal tone.
Structure the arguments in a more systematic and analytical way.
Provide more explicit definitions and supporting evidence.
Remove the first person sentences.
Forster’s Statement:
Forster’s statement, “…since the novel is itself often colloquial, it may possibly withhold some of its secrets from the graver and grander streams of criticism,” suggests that:
Novels often use informal language and address everyday experiences.
Formal, academic criticism, with its emphasis on abstract concepts and technical analysis, may overlook the novel’s connection to ordinary life.
A more conversational and accessible approach to criticism can reveal insights that might be missed by more rigid methods.
He is arguing that novels, because of their nature, can be better understood by informal analysis.
Essentially, he’s advocating for a more flexible and open-minded approach to literary criticism, one that acknowledges the novel’s inherent connection to everyday language and experience.