© 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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LitWeb Workshop: A. S. Byatt’s “The Thing

in the Forest”wwnorton.com/litweb

© 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

A. S. Byatt

• Fantasy’s purpose• Realism, Naturalism• Feud with sister over

the “truth” of their mother

• Perception, memory, and “truth” as important themes in Byatt’s work

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England and World War II

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England and World War II

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Elements of Fairy and Folk Tales

• Fantasy, supernatural elements and places

• Dualities: Good versus evil in characters and creatures

• Magical objects or elements

• Animals with human or unnatural qualities

• Conflict- and resolution-based plot

• Didactic or moral purpose

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© 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

Excerpt for Analysis

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“They all had their names attached to their coats with safety pins, and they carried little bags or satchels, and the regulation gas mask. . . . Most had wounds on their knees in varying stages of freshness and scabbiness. They were at the age when children fall often and their knees were unprotected. With their suitcases, some of which were almost too big to carry, and their other impedimenta, a doll, a toy car, a comic, they were like a disorderly dwarf regiment, stomping along the platform” (324).  

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Questions for Discussion

• Penny and Primrose resolve their questions about the “thing” and their memory of the event very differently. What does this story teach readers about perception and truth?

• What elements and literary devices make this work a fairy tale? What qualities make it a realistic or naturalistic work?

• What role does Alys play in the story? Are Penny and Primrose responsible for her fate?

© 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

Group Activity and Write-Up

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• How do different media portray the same current event, and how do the different descriptions and opinions affect your perception of that event?*

In groups, write a collaborative response in which you discuss how the current event is presented by different media and how the “distortion of truth,” or one’s perception of truth, is used both in modern society and in Byatt’s story. Can readers ever know the objective and full truth about an event, or are all perspectives subjective?*See “Moving from Claims to Evidence”

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Suggestions for Writing

• Write about a tragic event that happened in your culture or personal life (i.e., a war, epidemic, unexpected loss of a loved one).

• How has that event been translated into stories, song, games, or other activities?

• Has the “rewrite” of reality into an artwork helped you to cope with the negative feelings associated with that tragedy?

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LITERATURE

THE NORTON INTRODUCTION TO

Kelly J. MaysThis concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for LitWeb Workshop: A. S. Byatt’s “The Thing in the Forest”

Visit the StudySpace at:http://wwnorton.com/studyspaceFor more learning resources, please visit the StudySpace site for Norton Introduction to Literature, 11e. 10