Informative and Beyond-Predictable
A written text is said to be informative if it goes beyond the predictable in at least one or more of these:
- reveals new information,
- gives a new perspective on a topic or information most people know
- provides entertainment value equal to, or exceeding, the worth of the time it takes to read it.
When a reader finishes reading something that is truly informative, she or he often feels refreshed or enlightened.
Mature literature also develops aspects that in ways
that go beyond the predictable. Instead of doing textbook
treatments, the text plays with traditional rules for
characterization, plot, setting, point of view, tone,
style, ideas, and symbolism/myth/allegory.
Here's an example of how Frank Darabont's1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption, does a common type, the prison story, in a new way:
Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who is sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), ... his claims of innocence are credible. ... Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship and survival. [emphasis added] Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film (which many movie lovers count among their all-time favourites) that signalled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker. -- Jeff Shannon
Front Page | English Department | SAC
Updated
1/20/10
by Maria Garcia - HyperClass[at]Hotmail.com | Top |