CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION

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UNIT 7

• CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION
• (CONTEMPORARY REALISM)

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DEFINITION

• Characterization
• Accumulate experience of others
• Strong sense of actuality
• Illuminates life
• Social personal concerns -- human context
• Doesnt resolve complex problems -- considers
  them with seriousness

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TOPICS

• Love and hate
• Birth and death
• Joy and sorrow
• Loss and recovery
• Drugs
• Alcoholism
• Divorce
• Sexuality

• Abortion
• Death
• Homelessness
• Child Abuse
• Personal integrity
• Family
• Friends
• Courage

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Purpose in Childrens Lives

• Virtual experiences
• Window to see the world -- mirror
• Most chosen by intermediate grades -- person
  just like me
• Not alone in world
• Life will be what you make of it
• Search for identity
• Understand life

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CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

• SETTING -- credible -- logical connections tween
  time and place
• CHARACTERS -- credible-not stereotyped, fully
  developed -- show change
• PLOT -- understood -- fast-paced action -- events
  probable
• THEME -- woven intrinsically -- relevant to
  children -- understood
• STYLE -- engages reader -- rhythmic

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SPECIAL TYPES OF CONTEMPORARY REALISM

• Adventure -- conflict person and nature
• Mysteries -- suspense - action centers on finding
  answer to question
• Animal -- relationships tween humans animals
• Sports -- team, individual
• Humorous -- funny situations
• Romance -- falling in love, intense relationship
  with another person
• Books in Series -- sequential

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THEMES

• Growing-Up (numerous picture books)
• Relationships with Others
• Peers
• Family -- siblings stepsisters/brothers
• Special Needs physical, mental, emotional
• paralysis, overprotection/patronage, deafness,
  speech/hearing, blind, mental retardation,
  emotional disturbance, dyslexia

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CONTEMPORARY REALISM IN THE CLASSROOM

• Children discover themselves
• Open windows on other people and worlds
• other cultures and communities
• Discussions -- among students
• Thematic Units -- build on students interests or
  curricular demands
• Virtual experience -- thru reading contemplate
  feelings, consider actions, made value judgements

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