How to Read a Story

Here are some general questions to help guide you in getting the most out of the experience of reading a work of prose fiction. These questions apply equally to short stories and to novels.

1. Who is the protagonist? That is, which character is most centrally under development or change? The protagonist is the character who is the focus of the forces pressing for some sort of significant development or change. The protagonist is not necessarily the "hero(ine)" or the most attractive character or the narrator.

2. From whose point of view is the story told? That is, is it told by an "omniscient" narrator (one who knows everyone's thoughts), or is the narrator's point of view limited (the narrator cannot see into everyone's mind and may be able to see into only one character's mind)? Is the narrator's point of view first-person (the narrator speaks as "I") or third-person (the narrator talks about "he," "she," and "it")? Why has the author chosen to use this particular narrative point of view? What are the advantages of this choice? What are the disadvantages?

3. Would you describe the story's action as static or dynamic? A static action or situation is one in which the protagonist does not change -- or changes only very slightly -- in fortune, character, circumstances, or outlook. A dynamic action or situation is one in which the protagonist's fortune, character, circumstances, or outlook is very much in the process of change (for better or for worse). Once you determine whether the action is static or dynamic, try to figure out how and why any change occurs (or why it fails to occur) for the protagonist.

4. What do you suppose was the author's intent for the reader? How did the author hope the reader would respond? Does the story exist primarily to be a vehicle for making the reader feel something, or does the author want the reader instead to think something? That is, is the reader response that the author hopes for an emotional or an intellectual one? Is the story calculated to exercise the reader's emotion, or does it wish to convey some ideological message or doctrine? A story whose primary purpose is to "instruct" or otherwise to convey an ideological "program" would be described as a didactic work.

5. Pay attention to your feelings as you read, as well as when you finish reading. To what extent do your responses reflect your own personal experiences (which may be positive or negative)? To what extent has the author succeeded in getting you to "experience" something in fiction that you have never actually experienced in "real life"? Do your personal emotional responses to the story (as opposed to your intellectual responses) tell you anything significant about the story and the way it has been written?

6. What is the relationship of the story's title to the story itself?

7. Can you identify any particular difficulties that you have in reading and responding to the story? If so, can you identify any source(s) for those difficulties, either within the story or outside it?

Stephen C. Behrendt,  last updated  8/1/14