How to Analyze Stories with A.P. Canavan: Introduction to the Series
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Of use to readers, reviewers, and authors, this video introduces a series of discussions where Dr. A.P. Canavan (@ACriticalDragon) and I share what we’ve learned about analyzing stories over the years. During the series, we will cover various topics, including story versus plot, narrative perspective, characters, setting and world building, symbols, tone and style, and themes. It is our hope that the tools and techniques we discuss will add enjoyment to people’s storytelling journeys.
This was a lot of fun.
I hope people enjoy this half as much as I did.
Thanks Philip.
I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
I'll be attending class willingly. 📑
Finally watched this! AP was spot on about everything. Gave me things to think about. Also my take on elitism is that it isn't seeking knowledge and wanting to go deeper that makes you elitist, it's thinking that your superior to everyone else because of the aforementioned things.
Well said in regard to elitism, Marco! Also, AP is usually spot on!
Will you two do an analytical video on how to identify the nemesis? 😄
I love how we can use literary analysis as a means to understand and discuss stories in various ways. That said, I also appreciate hearing fresh perspectives from those who are describing their experience in their own way. For example, my husband read Piranesi and Stoner over the last few months. He doesn’t watch BookTube or study literature, but he had so many insights that I hadn’t thought of or heard before. I feel the same way when I hear friends describe their experience with a piece of music, even if they have never studied music before.
I usually interpret “good,” “bad,” “best,” and “worst” book descriptions in thumbnails and titles as just being playful (even clickbaity at times). I usually take it in good faith that the content creator doesn’t actually mean the book is objectively good or bad but is referring to their enjoyment. I think most of us have a community assumption on BookTube that the majority of content creators are referring to their subjective experience, and that’s perfectly fine. People can talk about books however they want on this platform. Some of us enjoy analyzing books and some of us enjoy sharing emotional, relatable human experiences reading or reacting to a book. All that said, I completely agree that you can say objective things about a book and that objectivity/subjectivity can be approached as a spectrum.
I’m looking forward to watching this series! 😊
There are indeed many valid ways of responding to a reading experience. Well said, Johanna! We are hoping to offer tools to anyone who might want to use them in order to add ways of responding to a reading experience. Thanks so much for watching!
You guys make me feel empowered, not stupid, and I love it. Also here to analyze paper mache Philip mask.
Empowerment and silliness in one place! What more could you need? 😁
Fun stuff. Useful, too. I hope a lot of readers tune in to the series. There are times when our own analysis--rooted in our preconceptions--can get in the way. Case in point: All the Light You Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. It's the book's tenth anniversary, and it was a favorite of my wife's shortly after its release. She thought I'd enjoy it but I ended up setting it aside about a quarter of the way through. It's written in present tense, which felt odd to me for a historical novel. It had what appeared to me then to be a MacGuffin, a device that I rarely enjoy in stories. Also, the narrative seemed to be shifting from distant third to semi-omniscient. I was distracted from the actual story by my own on-the-fly (and relentlessly harsh) judgement--particularly in regard to my preconceptions about preference in peripheral elements.
Flash forward to earlier this month: I recently finished In the Garden with Beasts, narrative nonfiction by historian Erik Larson, set in Germany during the years of the rise of Nazism. In discussing that book (and the terrifying similarities to today), my wife mentioned All the Light, and the enhanced perspective on the period she gained from it. I was inspired to give the book another try. Turns out limited, distant third is perfect for protagonist Marie, who is blind, and what I thought to be a MacGuffin (the Sea of Flames diamond) is more of a literary symbol (and a powerful one, IMO) than a simple plot-driving gimmick. I ended up loving the story, as well as being profoundly moved by it. Maybe the lesson is, as A.P. alludes to here, that we should stand back with objectivity and patience to perceive an author's intention for each of their chosen elements.
Looking forward to the rest of the series. Cheers to the teachers!
That's a wonderful story of you giving a book another chance and finding that present Vaughn was able to appreciate more than past Vaughn. I suspect if most people were willing to give books another chance like that, they might eventually find a similar experience. That illustrates how enjoyment is very much subjective to a person in that moment, whereas analyzing stories means picking out elements that won't change from one read to the next and trying to understand them. All the best!
I loved this discussion! As a former high school English teacher, I always love discussions about analyzing literature. I’m looking forward to future videos in this series 🙂
Thank you, Christina! AP and I have released five videos so far in this series, with two more coming out soon. I’m collecting them all in a playlist on my channel to make it easier to find them. All the best!
I've been saving this for a good brain day, and I'm putting my hand up to say I'm genuinely looking forward to these conversations. You have at least one viewer willing to engage as a willing pupil.
I’m sure you could teach this sort of thing, Derri, but it’s wonderful to see you here in the comments regardless!
What a wonderful series. I can't wait to watch the others. You and AP do such a great job of teaching us the beauty of stories and how us ordinary folk can analyze stories. ❤
@@roxieswonderousworld Thanks so much for your kind words! I hope you’ll enjoy the videos!
This is a great idea for a series, and I look forward to watching the rest of the discussions! Thanks Philip and AP!
Thank you for watching!
Yay! Y'all are the corner of booktube I enjoy the most. As a former English major who doesn't work in a related field, I miss discussions of literature that have some substance in them. I am looking forward to hearing your perspectives.
As an aside, I'm pretty sure this series is as far from elitist as one can get. You two are the opposite of exclusionary gatekeepers.
Thanks so much, Ann! I appreciate your kind words, and I hope you’ll enjoy the series!
It's so disheartening when trying to analyze stories gets labelled as "elitism" and similar derogatives, which seems so common online :(
So always glad to hear people engaging in analysis in a positive way!
Thank you! There’s room for all kinds of ways of engaging with stories, which have many purposes. We hope that talking about some of the tools we’ve picked up will lead to new ways of engaging with stories for others. All the best!
It's always funny when things line up.
I was eating broccoli soup while watching this...
It's objectively really good. Lacks potatoes... potatoes are always objectively the best.
Ha ha ha! I feel like the universe is speaking to us . . . through broccoli soup.
And now I really want to go off, read Robert Frost again, and try and figure out what 'the majority' think about his poem...
Thanks so much for this video - I have no English Literature background and it is great that you are offering this!
@@OmnivorousReader I’m so glad you enjoyed the video!
I am ready for my impostor syndrome as a reviewer to shoot through the roof by watching these videos 🤣
No but really, I am super excited, thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us. Sounds like there is still a lot to learn for me out there, and I am always happy to improve! Have fun with putting this little crash course about analyzing stories together ☺
Thank you, Esmay! I predict that you’ll find you already know much of what we’ll cover. That said, I’m always learning new things myself - learning never ends!
When AP starts he just don't stop huh? I love it 👏🏾
He is called Professor Fireballs for a good reason!
Enjoyed the discussion and look forward to the series! Never expected to hear a reference to Transformers the Movie from the 80’s. I loved that show as a young kid!
You never know what references you’ll hear around here! 😁 Cheers!
Wonderful idea for a series, Philip! Having tasted the analytical pleasures of uncovering a text's "secret" themes through discerning the linkage of motif while reading Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' "Watchmen" got me through reading D.H. Lawrence's lengthy "Women in Love" in grad school. It allowed me to make a puzzle game of it. A good principle as a critical reader is what G.K. Chesterton once said: the purpose of the critic is not to say what the artist should have done, but to ask, "what did the artist intend to do...and did he do it?" I do think it's also a legitimate question to ask if the writer SHOULD have done it in context of not only his or her artistic intentions, but, as A.P. says, what the work's audience expects, and exactly what kind of creative work we're talking about. A commercial franchise with a supportive fandom of characters they have long invested in? Or a standalone art house independent movie? To A.P.'s popular versus correct literary reading of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," may I offer my own example from the visual arts of "Whistler's Mother"...or is it "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1" as per "ars gratia artis?" Discuss among yourselves...
Beautifully said, Micah! I’m glad you like the idea for this series. Chesterton was onto something there, I think!
This is fantastic! Thank you so much for making this series!
I’m glad you are interested in the series, Joseph! Cheers!
Both of you should wear top hats and monocles and sip tea while doing this series.
Lit-er-ah-cha
@@isaiahsanchevy9252 Indubitably good sir.
AP does a very good posh accent. I would sound ridiculous, but it might be good for a laugh.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy You can just be so pompous and elite you won’t deign to speak to commoners. Problem solved.
I second the idea
What a wonderful discussion. As someone who reads from multiple genres, I certainly rate them differently. My 5 stars in Romance are vastly different than my 5 stars in Fantasy. It just makes sense to me to view them in a completely different way.
Engaging with stories while keeping in mind what they’re trying to be (rather than what we want them to be) can open up insights and appreciation we might otherwise miss. I’m glad you enjoyed the discussion!
I can't wait for you two to zoom in on storytelling elements! I loved listening to you, I wish I had learned all of this in my literature classes, but even then I loved reading and getting to experience the world through different perspectives and time periods. I just know so many students who weren't in that position at that time could have benefited from such explanations as to why stories matter and how to approach them in the most efficient way.
Thank you! The video on plot, story, and narrative is out now on AP’s channel, and the next one, on narrative perspective, will be out on my channel next Tuesday. All the best!
I am so grateful for this. This is exactly the resource I’ve been looking for to help me grow as a reviewer.
I'm very happy that you find it useful, Matt!
This is the content I have been waiting for so thank you to both for the free class. I am 33 years out of college now and have only started to move beyond "I liked it or I didn't like it" within the past 10 years. The classes I took back in the day were focused on telling me what to think about the story more so than how to think about it.
We are very much hoping to convey "how to think about the story" rather than "what to think." Thanks so much for watching!
Wonderful video. Also look at all of those beautiful books in the background!
We love our books! Of course, AP is cheating a little with his background . . . 😁But I will admit that his actual collection is much better than mine.
Looking forward to this series. I was a science major, and as a reader have been more action driven to this point, but now want to look a little deeper and broader in my reading.
Thank you! I hope the series will prove helpful!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I do think if AP is going to label you a Nemesis, you should do some proper skulking and conspiring. I mean, who doesn’t love the plot twist where the nemesis wins? 😆
@@LaughingStockfarm1 Sounds like a plan . . . a nefarious plan!
Very excited for this series! As someone who is beginning to enhance my reviewing capabilities, I’m glad to hear some thoughts leaning towards a more objective approach. I try to be as objective as I can and that’s probably why I have yet to DNF a book.
So much of what I see seems to be heavily subjective, which is fine but I’m grateful for people like yourselves who shed light on this topic and are so informative
Thank you! I agree that it’s cool for people to be as subjective as they like and simply react emotionally to a book. That said, another rewarding experience is to try to tease apart WHY the story was successful or not, and there are some objective observations that can help that process. And, of course, most people will combine the emotional response with the analysis when they review, and that’s cool too.
This sounds like it'll be a great series! Looking forward to more! 😁😁
Thank you for watching!
This is a fantastic idea Philip! I wrote a couple of essays about this a little while ago, but you guys put it all so eloquently and add a lot of fun to explaining the practice of story analysis. Plus, I always forget this stuff when I try to speak, ha. Beautiful points about objectivity and application. In the past I've called it Operationalization as a way to define one's criteria for analysis. Really like where this is going and can't wait to hear more!
Thank you, Jarrod! “Operationalization” is a cool way to put it. I hope the series will prove useful to you!
I'm looking forward to watching this series, literature is something I'm increasingly getting back into and this channel is a good motivation for that.
It makes me very happy to hear that! 😊
I'm so excited for this series. I'm always eager to learn whatever I can from both of you!
Thanks so much, Alex! AP has just released part 2, and I'll have part 3 out next Tuesday. All the best!
This is going to be fascinating to get into. I'm really looking forward to this series. I loved the archetypes series you two did, and I got so much out of it, so I'm sure the same will be true of this one. As a student pursuing a master's of education, your experienced perspectives as teachers are fantastic and give me so much to pick up on. Thanks, Philip and A.P.!
I’m so glad you’re here to watch, Alex, and I hope you’ll take some value from the series!
I'm really looking forward to more of these videos
Thank you so much! Part two is already out on A Critical Dragon, and part three will be out next Tuesday here. All the best!
So much wisdom! Always love seeing you two together. Thanks for putting this together Phillip, and I'm looking forward to the series. I will definitely have my notebook out, haha!
Fortunately, there will be no homework assignments. 😁 Thank you for watching!
Loved this video and am so looking forward to the entire series. I am confident I will learn a lot and am excited to add a technical ability to evaluate literature beyond my subjective ways. Also, I love A.P's cheeseburger analogy. I feel that way about the LitRPG I read and promote. It doesn't mean I can't also understand and speak on Wolfe or Hobb. Can't wait for more installments and thank you both for doing this. If booktubers use this information, their channel quality can only improve by adding more tools to the toolbox.
Thank you, Brian! We are hoping this series will be useful for folks. Also, sometimes you want a good cheeseburger (or veggie burger in my case), and sometimes you want a seven-course meal. Cheers!
Wow, what a fascinating topic. I for one appreciate this series of videos being produced. I always wanted to know objectively why there are certain pieces of storytelling that I like or dislike rather than just the subjective “just because”. So count me in as one of the supporters for these videos!
I’m so glad the series sounds like something useful for you! All the best!
What a great video from two of my booktube favs. Love the approach to book analysis. Coincidentally, I use somewhat of a similar formula when I write reviews. I typically speak about characters first, then themes, then story, then prose! I am excited this will be an ongoing series! Can't wait to watch the next video on this topic!
Thank you, PL! That’s one of the reasons you write reviews that I admire so much. I hope the series will be useful to you!
Ah yes, the best duo on RUclips!
Best Nemesis duo! 😁Thank you so much for watching and for your kindness!
Thank you guys so much for this series!
Thank you for watching! I hope it will prove helpful!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy same! I’m currently writing an essay on Character Arcs in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law and Best Served Cold for *gasp* ‘fun.’ And I hope to apply what you guys discuss! :)
@@andrewjarrett4774 Awesome! What an excellent exercise!
excellent propaideutic to get the heuristic ball rolling. very excited about this series. to coopt a millennial phrase: I'm here for it!
Cool beans! I don't know if that's millennial -- probably not since I know it . . . But I'm glad you're here!
I for one am excited for this series!
Thanks so much! I hope it proves useful!
Just love this, guys😌! Best regards and with spiritual support from Oslo, Norway
Thank you so much! I deeply appreciate the support!
This is gonna be such an awesome series
Thank you so much! We will do our best!
Great video! Glad that it's a whole series.
Thank you! The series will cover roughly half of what might be an introduction to literature course, but pitched to a RUclips audience and without the homework.
I look forward to joining the Literary Elite.
Ha ha! Welcome aboard!
Great informative start to a series I'll be watching. In written form, I think I can be a decent analytical reviewer, it does usually take some considerable thought. I need to ask myself more of the "Why" questions about the things I enjoy (or don't) in a story.
“Why?” is usually an excellent question! Unless it’s coming from a stubborn six-year-old . . . Thanks so much for watching, Christopher!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy 😂🤣 so very true
Came to learn, stayed for the schrodinger broccoli and mushy broccoli jokes :D Thank you both for making this series... I suspect I will find it very very helpful :)
We are always good for broccoli jokes! Cheers, Varsha!
Great video! Will you guys put the entire series into one playlist as you publish more videos?
Yes, I will be keeping a playlist and adding videos to it as they come out. I think AP will be releasing the discussion on plot/story/narrative tomorrow on his channel, and I will be releasing the one on narrative perspective in a week. Thanks for watching!
I'm really looking forward to this series. You always manage to make everything so approachable and fun (keep up with the broccoli analogies ;D).
Unrelated: will you be doing analysis videos for the 2nd season of rings of power? Really loved the ones you did for the first season.
I don't know about the Nemesis, but I will be watching... and desperately hoping for a Blue Istari storyline. 😂😂
We love our broccoli! Or, at least our broccoli analogies . . . Yes, I'll be watching Rings of Power too. We haven't discussed reviewing it yet, but, gluttons for punishment that we are, it could happen!
Very excited for this series!!
Thank you for watching!
I’ve been hoping for something like this! Well, to be honest, I’ve been wishing I could just take one of your classes, Dr. Chase. But this is a nice compromise :)
AP is perfect for this as well. Looking forward to following along for the series!
It’s great to have you here, Alec! Thanks so much for watching!
Thanks for another informative chat 😊
Thank you for watching! 😊
It's not that this actually negates any of the points you two made, but I'd just like to point out that most authors don't really write for a specific "intended audience." Not that some don't, and not that that time period and stuff like that isn't relevant, I'm just pointing out that many authors much of the time don't consciously write for a specific set of people. This really was an amazing conversation.
I’m glad you enjoyed the conversation, Eric!
Just started watching this series. Very interesting so far. Would love for you all to touch on how the internet uses the word “prose”. Maybe it’s my own lack of understanding but I hear content creators use the term the same way I would say “writing style” or simply “writing”. And that seems somewhat accurate but not quite?
You are correct! We will be filming a final video in which we answer questions, so we’ll elaborate on “prose” versus “style,” having defined the latter in today’s video on my channel. Cheers!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Awesome! I’ll shut up now and keep watching. lol.
@@mmurphy3608 Never shut up! 😊
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy if you insist:)
I've recently come across your channel. I love the content. I used to follow a lot of booktubers, but I found the content too loaded with such a personalized lens that many didn't offer a more objective take or qualitative discussion. Whatever floats your boat. So I don't bother with the jump on the bandwagon for the book/author of the week/month/year or "I read this, so you don't have to" postings. Plus I like doing a deep dive to find books that were missed/ignored and frequently find gems like Peader O'Guilin's The Call.
Deep dive discussions on books are my favorite thing to do on the platform. They may not be the most popular videos on RUclips, but, fortunately, there are people who find value in them and enjoy them.
Oh dear, I've signed up for the wrong lecture. This is faaar too advanced for me. And anyway I was looking for Introduction to Colour Mixing. Where will I find that?😁
Ha ha! I could teach you about color mixing . . . as long as the only color you need is brown because every time I attempt to mix paint, that's the color I get. 😁Cheers, Angela!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Brown is a very important colour. Also, you have no idea how difficult it is at the moment to get Burnt Umber. I better make a appointment for your colour mixing master class.😄
@@DoUnicornsRead 😂😂😂
What an excellent idea for a video series! Literary analysis is something I have been thinking about wanting to incorporate more so I will be watching eagerly. At the very least maybe at the end we will finally find out which of you is the evil one.
Quick question: do you know how many videos you will be doing? I have a question bubbling that I think may be more appropriate at a later stage….
Thanks, Sam! At the moment, I think the series will be eight videos. Feel free to ask questions anytime! But there’s really no question as to who’s the evil one, right? 😁
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
Oh brilliant, much to look forward to! I will ask my question in a video or two and explain why I waited when I ask. Perhaps even watching a couple more will help me frame it better anyhow.
@@SamPegg90 Sounds like a plan!
true words about brocolli
We will always tell the truth about broccoli. Be careful if we start discussing carrots. And flee if eggplant comes up! 😁
Muscles bulging out of the tweed, Dr Fantasy now knew the truth. He was ready for a battle with his Nemesis.
That's right! And the tweed is fireball proof too!
Sorry to mention here but it’s soon relevant: could you please highlight the question about Janny Wurts audiobooks? That we only have the 1st? (And 10th..) As she just said it’s strongly depends on that performance if they make the 2nd or not.
There will be a livestream on Thursday at 7:00 PM Eastern Time with Janny Wurts and lots of other people to celebrate the release of the final book. That would be a good time to mention audiobooks. It’s not going to be on my channel, but I’ll send out an announcement about it.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy yep. As we talked on Twitter. I will be in it, notifications on. 🙌
The conundrum my brain flips through constantly is I cannot stand Catcher in the Rye because of Holden Caulfield but, if he wasn't written so well, I wouldn't hate him so much. It's very frustrating.
@@kristidoyle9263 That’s a tough one! I read The Catcher in the Rye as an adult, and I suspect I would have enjoyed it more as a teen.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I read it in high school and got so angry at Holden! Tried reading it again last year and only got halfway through before I wanted to throw the book across the room so I stopped reading. My goal is to watch this series and be able to finish it (without any violent tendencies LOL!)
Wait, Philip, you're a fan of Beowulf?... 👀
Cannot wait for part 2!
It’s a rumor . . . I might have hinted now and again that Beowulf is sort of interesting . . . 😁 Cheers, Will!
I'm looking for ways to be more critical and analyze literature, but even though I loved English class I still don't know how to look at it objectively.
It’s something we all get better at with practice. Best wishes!
Summer classes have begun...
Ah, yes, but from the luxury of your home while you sip your beverage of choice. Plus, how many summer courses give you a ringside seat for a Nemesis showdown of this caliber?
Mixing this discussion with the never-ending adaptation debate....
Ready Player One had an obvious target audience of 'persons of a certain age' and likely social identity. Or middle aged nerds. It was referenced AD&D, tons of 80s pop culture, arcade games like Pac Man and Joust and even 2112.
The film removed the vast majority and replaced them with more common things, like the Shining, to try and appeal to a larger audience. But there were still a lot of visuals.
Knowing me, I would have caught fewer references in the film version! Cheers, Eric!
A.P. looks so radiant here. New skincare routine? Or perhaps a concealing sheen to gloss over the grotesque mien of an artificially effulgent deceiver! Maybe it's the lighting.
Ha ha! Dragons are often radiant, and it’s best to be wary when they are!
AP I have an unrelated idea for a video for you. It frequently happens that fellow online reviewers say something along the lines of: the author spoiled the story in the first chapter. Or, the author spoiled the chapter by saying what is going to happen. That keeps annoying me when people say that. I do not believe there is such a thing as an author spoiling their own story. An author lets readers know what they want them to know at that precise time, and it is always by design. That is the story you're reading. Perhaps you could say something about this? Oh, Philip, sorry, I didn't realise this was on your channel instead of AP's.
Ha ha! No problem, Jeroen. Let’s just say you spoiled your own suggestion by posting it here! 😁
An argument in the comments section is just turn-based combat.
Crazy how that works innit
I often tell that to people that they really need to consider who the intended audience is for. IDK how many times I've had an argument about Harry Potter with someone who more or less expects the standards of your average adult Fantasy novel, instead of viewing it as a children's to young adult book that runs on farie tale logic.
Yes, it seems like a fairly simple concept, and yet it’s so frequent to find people giving a one-star review to a book because it’s not the thing they want. Cheers, Oso!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I do apologize for my poor grammar 😆
I keep trying to read the title on AP “bookshelves”. So distracting 😂
Also we need a broccoli rubric now please.
Re the objective vs subjective criteria - you can challenge bias and assumptions by being explicit on evaluation criteria. As someone who does this for a living in other field I can say it’s possible.
Ha ha! AP’s infinite library!
I'm looking forward to this series, even though you guys are pro-broccoli elitists 😅
😂😂😂 🥦 Cheers!
It's always cruciferous vegetable night in the Chase household. 😁 🥬😷
@@Paul_van_Doleweerd True!
My mother teaching literature, me listening her for decades about it… 🤔😂
Always listen to your mother! 😁
I see, so after a two hour discussion that destroyed the very definition of Fantasy, this is what you two are up to? Picking up the fragments and reconstructing them as you will? 😁😁
That’s our nefarious scheme - you figured it out! 😁
Tripe subversion?
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Ah so you are both evil nemesises, that's what we thought! 😄