Big Idea Overview and Resources

Part 1: Our World and Beyond
Part 2: Revealing the Concealed

Part 1: Our World and Beyond

Overview

The short stories in Part 1 portray fantastical worlds. Despite their strange characters and unfamiliar settings, the stories contain elements that reflect some aspect of our society and culture. Authors often write in this genre, called science fiction and fantasy, to comment upon the current state of events in the world.

Science fiction and fantasy writers use figurative language to help readers better understand the fictional worlds they create. For example, similes and metaphors, devices that compare unlike objects, allow a writer to introduce something imaginary by comparing it to something the reader knows. Personification, imagery that gives inanimate objects human characteristics, can also help readers grasp the otherworldly.

Web Resources

Ray Bradbury
http://www.raybradbury.com/
This is the official website for Ray Bradbury, an American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery writer.

Ursula K. LeGuin's Official Website
http://www.ursulakleguin.com/
Ursula Le Guin's official website contains biographical information, as well as her first rejection letter and advice for young writers.

Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
http://www.writesf.com/
A free online guide on how to write science fiction and fantasy works by science fiction writer Jeffrey A. Carver.

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Part 2: Revealing the Concealed

Overview

The mystery, perhaps more than any other genre of fiction, compels close reading. The selections in Part 2 portray characters who try to solve mysteries through the close examination of facts, details, and clues. The detectives featured in the following stories have become legends among mystery readers over the years.

Mystery writers are masters at building suspense, the growing interest and excitement readers feel as they piece together, alongside the detective, various clues that will solve the mystery. A crafty writer drops subtle clues by foreshadowing, or revealing details that hint at future events. The mood, or atmosphere of a story, is another key component in building suspense; the author often establishes a particular mood through his or her description of the setting.

Web Reources

The Official Agatha Christie Web Site
http://uk.agathachristie.com/site/home/
This site features a biography of the author and contains extensive information on her most beloved characters.

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