Storytelling: Fictional Narratives, Imaginary People, and the Reader's Real Life

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 12.02.08

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Curricular Context and Rationale
  3. Objectives
  4. Background Information
  5. Analysis of Storytelling
  6. Strategies and Activities
  7. Conclusion
  8. Appendix: Margaret Garner Activity
  9. Bibliography
  10. Endnotes

Beloved: A Case Study in Storytelling Analysis

Tiffany DiMatteo

Published September 2012

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Conclusion

Beloved is a novel that has been and will continue to be a central piece of literature in the literature classroom for so many reasons. This curriculum unit is just a small window into some of its elements; there were many times during the writing when I thought I could not possibly do justice to the complexity of the text in the time and space allowed. However, the theme of storytelling has allowed me to center the focus on ways in which the incredibly powerful story gets revealed to the audience. While I was aware of the importance of the African American experience in the novel, examining it as storytelling has only magnified that significance—especially since I researched the particular modes of African American storytelling that inform the text. I now have a renewed respect and passion for this novel, and see myself teaching and learning it for a long time to come. My goal here is to provide teachers with a pathway into analysis that doesn't come from a summary-based perspective, and I hope that is useful.

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