This response will be due at 12:00 midnight, Feb 22/23.
There will be the last postings until March 15. Yaaaay!
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
*** What is your impression of Richard, the narrator, from the first chapter?
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*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that the novel was pretty lengthy, I thought I would never read it. So I thought to give it a try, and when I saw that someones is killed it forced me to want to read the novel. It seems like Richard has something to do with the death, and that is what is keeping me interested.It seems that when a novel or a movie starts off like this it causes you to keep your eyes glued. I am enjoying the book, but I am ready to get to the action already.
*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
ReplyDeleteSome disadvatages of the novel via first person is that we see things or events in the novel only as the narrator explains them. which leads us to assuming that the narrator is truthful. yet theirs always the possibilty that the narrator is a liar or mentally dismayed. so we natrually reevaluated everything that the narrator has told us. Another advantage of first person is that we develop a home base for our opinions of other charaters in the novel. we see the charaters as the narrator relates to them.
*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
ReplyDelete(+) You get a more in depth analysis of what that specific character is thinking. they are telling you what they see, hear, and feel. We are witnesses to the narrator’s experiences, through his own eyes. We get more in-depth character evaluations because the narrator has interacted with the other characters.
(-) The narrator could be biased. You are only getting the narrators point of view. Although important, it is more important to get a variety of views and then form your own opinion from the various views. You prevent your knowledge of certain things in the story. You only know what the narator wants you to know and you don't know what they don't want you to know
Conclusion: You could get a slanted or altered, biased version of the story if you are only hearing one side (the Narrator’s) of the story.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteThe Secret History begins in a way that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. By knowing that Bunny died, but not knowing how or what happened leading up to his death, I wanted to keep reading and find out. Starting a novel with such a large detail does take the surprise element away from the reader, but it also makes a novel intriguing. I have noticed that the author actually does this a lot; something will be brought up briefly and you must continue reading to find out what happens. It is helpful because the book has kept my attention and made it enjoyable to read.
Kaitlyn Pearson
ReplyDelete*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
I personally enjoy readings with first person narration because the story seems more real and deeper. You get to experience everything as the narrator does and really understand the narrator's point of view. You can learn a lot from other people's first hand experiences. I don't really see any disadvantages in first person narration except that because the story is told from one point of view, the whole picture may not be explicit. Another disadvantage is that the narrator could have bias in the story which might affect the reader's interpretation of the story.
*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
ReplyDeleteTelling this from a first person view show the advantages of being able to capture the main character's emotion. The reader can establish the main character's ethos as well as some sort of pathos in different circumstances. Right now we can see more ethos in the novel by the way the main character sets his ethics and lifestyle. This is important because it will him describe how he views other people in the novel.
I can see disadvantages in the first person view when it come to telling the truth. The main character could be over exaggerating on an event that might have occurred with his parents. Or he might no be giving enough detail on an important event in the novel, this will ultimately confuse the reader. The reader can have a strong bias on something which will make it hard to understand the concept because of her beliefs instead of telling it from a third person view where it is easier to explain concepts without favoring one over the other.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteWell when you find out the main problem so early in the book it kinda makes he climax of the story better. The suspense is running high in the readers or audiences brain. It also causes you to try to make predictions on what is goin to happen next. The only problem with us knowing Bunny was killed already is that it kinda makes us not like certain characters before we really get to know them.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteAs I started reading the first chapter, I was immediately intrigued because it seemed like kind of a mystery novel. Although, it is revealed that Bunny is killed in the beginning of the book, I still wanted to read it. Yes, it does take the suprise element out it but I still want to know how and why he was killed? What events led to the murder? What happens to the murderers and so on. I think it's just a technique that the author uses to capture the reader's attention from the very beginning and unfold the events that lead up to the actual killing as we continue to read.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteI honestly like this approach better. I am currently reading another novel about a serial killer and it shows both points of views of the killer and the police. I already know who has died and who the killer is but it is the fact that I have to figure out how it happened and put the pieces of the puzzle back together that I'm so trapped in reading it. I am so intrigued in firguring out how their perfect relationships fell apart. Reading the first chapter it is hard to think that their mannerisms won't last long and they will all suddenly turn on Bunny.
***The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you want to read it?***
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I found out that Bunny dies in the beginning, I thought that it would make the story more interesting. We obviously know that it was a group effort to kill Bunny, but now the reader gets to find out what Bunny did so terrible that people actually wanted to kill Bunny. We also get to slowly put bits and peices together, literally like a crime scene. I personally like this approach, it builds up the story so we can see why all this happened.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought the novel was going to be boring, but as everyone says “you can’t judge a book by its cover” and I must say I was wrong. When I found out that Bunny had been killed it was surprising, but it also kept me on the edge on my bed. By the author introducing a climax this early makes me want to keep reading the book until I found out who the killer is and it also captures my attention. As I read the book I feel like a private investigator trying to find out who the killer is which makes it hard due to the fact that when a new character is introduce they are already a suspect to me and finding out what dreadful act Bunny committed to be killed.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteWhen I started reading the novel I was kind of dissappointed to know the ending right away. I felt like there was no point in reading it anymore. Then after reading some more I wanted to know what exactly how Bunny died and why they killed him. I wanted to know how they could all turn on Bunny. In the first chapter it seemed like they all got along very well and were very close. I think it will be interesting to see what drove the group to kill Bunny and to see if they get caught.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I enjoy stories that our set up like this. I think this brings more suspense and interest for the reader because it gives him/her the chance at solving the novel's mystery. Although it has taken the suprise element out of the book, it leaves us with a motivation to unravel the text, and enjoy the story.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteFor me, it is hard to get into a book. When the book right off the back had a death I was automatically intrigued and it became a page turner. I like that is is set up like this because it is not a typical. Because of this death, it causes readers to wonder, which is a key part being interested in the book.
The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteWell my first thought of the book was that it was as thick as a dictionary and the cover didn't interest me at all. But as soon as I read the first page I was drawn in. The fact that the first dramatic thing that happened was a death just proved to me that the rest of the book was going to be extremely interesting. It seems like a mystery and I love mysteries, so now I'm going to enjoy reading the rest of the book to figure out what Bunny did that was so terrible.
* Brittany Williams*
*** What is your impression of Richard, the narrator, from the first chapter? ***
ReplyDeleteRichard seems very off to me. Like something isn't quite right. He fabricates this entire glamorous past. I don't think he does this to fit in as much as he does it to forget where he came from. Even though there is the fact that he tells you he is good at lying first thing in the story. This creates sort of a melancholy feel for me. It causes me to look at things more skeptically and wonder if he is telling everything as is. It feels like he is describing a dream rather than a firsthand account. He comes off as awkward. His obsession with watching Julian’s class is a tad disturbing because it seems to be more than just curiosity. It’s like he is bewitched by the aspect of them. He makes me want to stay aloof with his flat personality and so far I really haven’t warmed up to him. The more I contemplate on him the more he makes me think of dane cook's“the creepy guy at work” but not quite so intense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfhcbV20yKI
My impression of Richard is that he is a person of good quality. I admire his character a lot because of what he does, by going to school outside of his hometown and getting as far away as he can from the West. I believe he is a smart person so far, but I feel he can be easily manipulated which may cause drama later on.
ReplyDeleteThe Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteI think telling the end of a story, and not knowing why the end happened; makes it more interesting to read it. I want to know why the person got killed and why Bunny was realated to the murder. It makes me want to wonder what happen and want to understand why a person would react to such an extreme as the kill someone, a friend. So I think that it was a smart decision to tell the readers the end of the story in the persons voice that made the end happen. It made me want to open the book, once i heard it in class, and want to learn more and learn why a murder happened.
***The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?***
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that is does not have an effect on how I read the novel. I am the type of person where, for example, if someone told me the whole movie/novel I would still want to read or watch it. With this particular novel, I wanted to figure out what did Bunny do to Richard and the accomplice(s) in order for them to kill him.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't effect the way I read the novel whatsoever. After discovering this, I immediately wanted to know all the details and how it will effect or play into the story. This is just a different way to start a novel. I feel that it is a good choice because it will keep me and many others interested throughout the book.
***The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?***
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of this story reveals Bunny's death. This has a great affect on how I read the story. Not only did it catch my attention, but it also caused me to want to continue to read more. I wanted to know what events led up to Bunny's death and the background of the story.
Kathleen Browning
ReplyDelete*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
The fact that you know that Bunny gets killed from the beginning makes me want to read more and see how he got killed, why, and who did it. Also, it made me think that this book might actually be interesting and not a boring school book. On the otherhand, it kind of kills the suspense of a major part of the story. If you already know whats going to happen then when he dies it won't be a suprise. Most people don't want to read something if they know how it is going to end. Yet, I still think this book will be suspenseful and a good read.
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteI really like the fact that the novel started by someone being killed. By telling the audience this information it brings more suspense to the reader to find out why he is killed as well as who killed him. Once I found this information out I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened.
Joanna Hust
*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteI don't enjoy reading books that tell you how the book will conclude. Suspense is one of the main things that drives the reader to finish reading the book. Without it, readers would struggle to finish it. The only thing that might drive me to finish the book is curiousity about how and why Bunny died in the end.
*** What is your impression of Richard, the narrator, from the first chapter? ***
ReplyDeleteI feel like Richard doesn't really have much of a personality, and is almost like a chameleon in the sense that he becomes like the people he is with. He also seems to have a need to be different which could spring from a monotonous life. This need makes him admire and desire to be a part of the Greek class. He lies to make his life seem more interesting, and he is not trustworthy. Richard's character is very interesting and reminds me a little of Tom in The Glass Menagerie.
*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
ReplyDeleteFirst person p.o.v. is good in that the reader gets a first hand account of what the narrator saw take place. This is good because he can usually give more details. However, the narrator's account of what happened may be slightly different than what someone else saw or than what really happened.
*** What is your impression of Richard, the narrator, from the first chapter?
ReplyDeleteWhen I started reading the first chapter I was confused because I did not know what to think of Richard at first. He seems like a smart and independent person. I like the fact that he does not give up on what he wants. When he was not accepted into the Greek class, he did not just stop and give up. In spite of that fact, I thought he seemed like a weird stalker when he became obsessed with the group of students studying Greek.
The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteWhen the book gives away bascially the most climatic point in the novel what it does is grab the readers attention. The same technique is done in the movie Pulp Fiction and I for one really like this tactic. What this does is tell you the end result but it grabs the attention of the reader and makes them wounder what leads to this resolve. So even though the surprise element is no longer their the reader still has intrigue over what leads you to this result.
*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of advantages and disadvantages to telling a story in first person. One plus is that the reader can get a in depth analysis of the main character's thoughts and actions. It helps the reader understand the story better and get in depth details of what's going on. The disadvantages to telling a story in first person are the character can be biased and the reader can not get into the mind of the other characters
Richard fits into the relatively unique slot of being a character which we are empathetic with, and at the exact same moment, bothered by. He grew up in an effectively-written and depressing setting, having little in the areas of friends, good family relationships, pleasant privileges and experiences, and most pitiful, childhood memories. We can understand, even relate. But from the dramatic announcement of the prologue, his confession for lying well on his feet, his obsession with these people involved in this Greek class are all merited causes for concern. We can also begin to feel offended that we would initially pity him, seeing his character become more openly devious than innocent.
ReplyDelete*** The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteWhen Richard instantly told the reader Bunny was murder, the first thought that came to my mind was, why? He did not really take the surprise element out for me because now, what I want to know is, why Bunny? When Richard begins to introduce the students in the Greek class, I pay more attention to Bunny and I try to find reasons to why they chose to murder Bunny.
*** The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
ReplyDeleteThe 1st person P.O.V. can be good and bad in many different ways. Some good things about it are that there usually are a lot of details about what is going on around the narrator. This can usually make the novel better for the reader. A negative about first person is that the story is only limited to what the narrator saw or experienced. This can cut down on the sides of stories within the book and cause a biased reading for the reader.
The Secret History is told via First Person. What are the advantages or disadvantages from this type of narration?
ReplyDeleteThe disadvantages and advantages difer in many ways because depending on peoples preferred style of reading would determine which is an advantage or disadvantage. 1st person p.o.v. provides a much more descriptive type of reading with containing more things such as imagery. However 1st person p.o.v. leaves lest room for interpretation because you dont know what the characters are thinking. This makes it more difficult to predict things that make the novel more intersting.
What is your impression of Richard, the narrator, from the first chapter?
ReplyDeletemy first impression of Richard is that he is your typical college guy. He took some time off before he went away for school. Once he gets there he is not sure and does not really care what classes he take. Until he gets interested in the Greek class that he cant seem to get into. His curiosity is the only thing that is motivating right now. I feel that he is no different at this point from any other college student.
The Secret History tells the reader from the very beginning that Bunny has been killed. In essence, it takes the surprise element out of reading the novel. How does this affect the way you read it?
ReplyDeleteIt really didn't bother me that much. Even though I knew what happened, I still had to know what caused it, and what led up to it. There are plenty of movies out there that use the same set up. For example, The Usual Suspects shows one of the main characters being murdered in the opening mintues but the viewer still doesn't know why. It's the same thing with this book.