Starter quiz
- Which of the following is a definition of dialogue?
- a conversation between two or more people ✓
- a long speech by one person
- a section or speech at the end of a book
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- A 'scowl' suggests which of the following emotions?
- joy
- anger ✓
- sadness
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- 'The conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated' is the definition of ______ language.
- 'body' ✓
- Which of the following body language positions suggests a negative emotion?
- hunched over shoulders ✓
- crossed arms ✓
- open arms
- standing tall
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- 'An obvious difference between two or more things' is the definition of which word beginning with 'c'?
- 'contrast' ✓
- 'A type of punctuation that represents a pause or that something has been intentionally left out' is the definition of an ______.
- 'ellipsis' ✓
Exit quiz
- What is Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' about?
- a naive character who struggles to understand the world around him
- a man who is desperate to escape poverty so plans to kill his pawnbroker ✓
- a man accused of murdering his father
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- Arguably, dialogue is hard to write because so much of the nuance of it depends on ______ language.
- 'body' ✓
- 'Grinding your teeth' suggests which of the following emotions?
- stress ✓
- joy
- excitement
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- 'Very poor; deprived of strength or vitality' is the definition of which word beginning with 'i'?
- 'impoverished' ✓
- Structurally, the reference to the "police" at the beginning of the dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment' immediately creates a sense of ...
- tension. ✓
- relief.
- apathy.
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- Within a dialogue, we might imagine the person who has more words and takes up more space to ...
- be more powerful. ✓
- be in a heightened emotional state. ✓
- feel powerless.
- feel diminished.
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Dialogue might be hard to construct in writing because it relies heavily on body language.
- Dialogue is important because it not only reveals information about the characters but also wider ideas of connection.
- Arguably, Dostoevsky structures the dialogue to immediately create a sense of tension.
- Potentially, the use of punctuation and division of dialogue show Raskolnikov's impoverished status.
- The use of body language demonstrates Raskolnikov's tension and anxiety.
Common misconception
That dialogue is a superfluous part of a text and can't be analysed in the same way as other structural or language features.
We can analyse dialogue by considering how it's structured, how the conversation is divided up, the use of punctuation and through the use of body language.
Keywords
Dialogue - a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film
Contrast - an obvious difference between two or more things
Impoverished - very poor; deprived of strength or vitality
Ellipsis - a type of punctuation that represents a pause or that something has been intentionally left out
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