As we've become (as a profession) more convinced about the depth of relationship between reading and writing, I think this is a great place to ask us to remember Louise Rosenblatt and her transactional view of reading, with selections being primarily efferent or aesthetic. I think that view takes this discussion to new depths and to new understandings.
On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 11:01 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > I just did the Author's Purpose lesson today, using the book Rules. I agree > with you and others who have said that author's purpose can influence the > genre in which the author chooses to write. Rules is about a girl who has a > brother with autism. We (the class) concluded that Cynthia Lord wrote the > book to inform readers what it is like to have a family member with autism. > When I asked if she could have done that by writing an article for our > Current Health magazine, they saw that her purpose was also to entertain. > The noticed that the narrative could actually help readers feel the emotions > of the character, as the reader is also being informed about the life of a > family with a disabled person (yes, they brought it to that, even more > global). We will examine theme next, which I, too, see as distinctly > different than author's purpose. > > Maura > 5/NJ > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Vida Perrine" <[email protected]> > To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" < > [email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 9:05:44 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Theme/author's message > > I think of author's purpose as the PIE ingredients---persuade, inform, > entertain. However, to me, the theme is entirely a different thing. I teach > theme as the "subject" (for lack of a better word) that the author is trying > to convey to the reader by either persuading, informing, or entertaining. > The subjects for theme are things like friendship, honesty, responsibility, > awareness of prejudice, effects of gossiping, bullying, etc. For example, I > use Maniac Magee as a novel that entertains us, but the thematic purpose is > to make us aware of homelessness, prejudices, racial discrimination, etc. Am > I off track completely? > > --- On Sun, 11/8/09, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Theme/author's message > To: [email protected] > Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 1:31 PM > > > > Maura > Now I will muddy the waters a bit...our district says the author's purpose > is one of three things...she writes to inform, to entertain or to > persuade. Authors message and theme are used interchangeably. > Jennifer > In a message dated 11/8/2009 1:02:29 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > This inquiry was perfectly timed for me. Next week we will be focusing on > the author's purpose and then finishing up the book and learning about > theme. I am interested on hearing what others think about these topics! > Maura > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > -- "There is nothing so unequal as equal treatment of unequals." Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
