提示单
写读书报告

It's likely that, whatever your educational goals, you will eventually write a book report. Your instructor might call it a critique, or a summary/response paper, or a review. The two components these assignments have in common are summary and evaluation.

Other 提示表 on related topics that might prove helpful in developing a book report, 这取决于书的类型和作业的具体内容, 包括以下内容:

• 如何写总结
• 写非小说类书籍
• 文学写作

总结与评价
通常, a book report begins with a paragraph to a page of simple information-author, title, 类型(例如), 科幻小说, 历史小说, 传记), 总结中心问题及解决方案, description of the main character(s) and what they learned or how they changed.

下面的例子用两句话概括了……的情节 《皇冠新现金网》:

迈克尔·克莱顿的 《皇冠新现金网》 describes how millionaire tycoon John Hammond indulges his desire to create an island amusement park full of living dinosaurs. 尽管有精心的预防措施来保证公园的安全, 他的动物乱跑, 杀害和残害他的雇员, 危及他两个来访孙子的生命, 最后逃到了哥斯达黎加大陆.

另一方面，a 论文声明 for a book report reflects your evaluation of the work; "I really, really liked it" is inadequate. 学生们有时不愿对文学作出判断, 因为他们不确定适用什么标准. It's not so difficult to evaluate a book in terms of story elements: character, 设置, 问题/解决方案, 甚至组织. (See 提示单 文学写作 for 的想法 on how to handle these standard story elements.不过), a good 论文声明 should include your reflection on the 的想法, 目的, 以及作者的态度.

对工作做出明智的判断, 从问自己很多问题(以获得更多的想法)开始, 参见提示单中关于文学写作的“评价”部分). 然后选择你最有前途的领域, the one about which you have something clear to say and can easily find evidence from the book to illustrate. 把它发展成一个主题陈述.

例如，下面是一个主题语句的样子 《皇冠新现金网》 (notice how this 论文声明 differs from the simple summary above):

In 《皇冠新现金网》, 克莱顿似乎冷酷地警告我们, 在生物工程和混沌理论中, the moment we most appear to be in control of events is the exact moment control is already irredeemably lost to us.

To develop an informed judgment and a corresponding 论文声明 about a book, 通过回答以下问题来进行头脑风暴:

• For what 目的 did the author write this, did he fulfill that 目的?
• 主角学到了什么? 这一课反映了你所知道的现实吗?
• 角色是否复杂且可信? 它们揭示了作者的什么? 人性的皇冠新现金网
• 背景对气氛的影响有多大? 背景是如何影响人物和情节发展的?

 

隐形作者
One common mistake students make is failing to step back far enough from the story to evaluate it as a piece of work produced by 一个人. 评估——你可能会惊讶地发现它!——对作者和故事本身同样重要. 它是关于对作者的目的做出有根据的猜测, 的想法, 以及基于语言使用的态度, 组织, 情节, 以及性格发展.

Usually the author does not figure prominently in the story unless the book is autobiographical. 更多的时候，他是一个看不见的角色——看不见，但并非缺席. 作者在书中留下了自己的痕迹. Paradoxically, your understanding 作者的 depends on your deliberate
超然 从故事本身去发现那些痕迹.

想象一下，站在离一幅巨画非常非常近的地方——几英寸远. Your focus is on blobs of color, but you are unable to identify the object represented. When you move back a few steps and alter your focus, the blobs take on a recognizable form. In the same way, you have to draw back from the story to discern the 目的,想法, 的态度 作者的.

作者的目的
没有人会不厌其烦地写一些没有目的的东西. Sure, textbooks have 目的, but those who write fiction narratives have 目的, too. 即使是幻想作家也有目的. A book report should include your evaluation of whether the author succeeded in his 目的.

The following writer has made a statement about the 作者的 目的:

Crichton seems not so much to be warning us of the evils of scientific inquiry as begging us, 以一种非常令人信服的方式, 对科学研究实行集体道德约束.

然后，这位作家会继续引用引文, 例子, evidence from the book to show why she believes this is Crichton's 目的.

To identify and respond to the 目的 of an author, try asking questions like these:

• 作者的目的是为了告诉我还是只是为了娱乐我? 我学到了什么吗?? 我被逗乐了吗? 我失去兴趣了吗?? If I lost interest, was this author, perhaps, writing to a different audience?
• Is the author trying to persuade me to think or act in a particular way? 关于什么皇冠新现金网 他或她会让我接受什么样的观点呢? 我被说服了吗?

作者的想法
作者的 的想法 可以由作者自己在前言中说明吗, or they may show up in the words of a narrator or a principal character. 伊恩·马尔科姆这个角色, 例如, is a primary spokesman for Crichton's criticism of post-modern science. Malcolm's words, below, express one of the 的想法 Crichton wishes us to consider:

“我来告诉你工程师和科学家的问题.... 他们关注的是他们是否能做些什么. 他们从不停下来问问自己是否应该做些什么."

另一方面，a principal character may represent, rather than state, 的想法. 哈蒙德来访的孙子, 例如, 可能代表被遗忘者, 然而,威胁, 大陆和地球本身的人口. 当想法是隐含的而不是陈述的，它们被称为主题.

To discover and evaluate 的想法 in a book, try asking questions like the following:

• 这本书的中心问题是什么? 这是个人的、社会的还是道德的皇冠新现金网 这和你所知道的生活有关吗?
• 作者似乎对生活和社会持有什么样的看法?
• 主角们学到了什么? 他们是如何改变的?? 这似乎说明了人的什么? 关于社会? 关于道德?

作者的态度
一旦你确定了作者想要研究的观点, you must still determine what the 作者的 attitude is toward those 的想法. An 作者的 的态度 are revealed in part by the tone, or overall mood, of the work. In writing, as in conversation, tone is not so much stated as implied. In reading we depend solely on the emotional overtones of the words to infer the 的态度 作者的.

例如, suppose you have determined that Crichton wishes to explore the idea of how private industry exploits scientific research. You must then determine, as well, what Crichton's attitude is toward this situation. Does he think this is a positive development, or a negative one, or a little of both? 他认为这是不可避免的，还是可以预防的? One way to figure out Crichton's attitude about this is to identify the tone he uses to tell the story. 我们用形容词来描述一本书的语气, 如果有必要，还可以不止一个:直截了当, 复杂的, 具有讽刺意味的, 令人毛骨悚然的, 可怜的, 苦, 漫画, 悲剧.

例如, here is a statement using three different adjectives to describe Crichton's attitude toward one of the central problems in 《皇冠新现金网》:

克莱顿在《皇冠新现金网》中发出了不祥的声音. 尽管这是一个警世故事, the author nevertheless is optimistic that the mainstream scientific community, 这个故事由艾伦·格兰特报道, 能学会克制和尊重自然吗.

(When identifying the tone of a book, make the effort to distinguish an individual
角色的 态度 作者的 总体态度——他们可能会有所不同.)

开始谈论语气时，问自己这样的问题:

• 在我的脑海中是否有一个特别的场景或场景? 那一幕的气氛是怎样的? 这种情绪代表了整本书吗?
• 作者是乐观主义者、悲观主义者还是现实主义者? 他是怎么表现出来的?
• Does a principal character experience one persistent state of mind or emotion? 我该怎么称呼它? 它是否代表了整个工作?
• Did the mood of the work help or hinder my understanding 作者的's 的想法?

“总之..."
Clearly it is important to be able to make intelligent inferences about the author, because a book evaluation evaluates how well the author has done her job, 不仅仅是你有多喜欢这个故事. After you have asked and answered that question, then you may add, "I really, really liked it."