Literary framework for European teachers

Procedures

• Action Engaging/Thrilling plot, suspense. Closed and rewarding endings.
• Chronology Linear, but also sometimes shifts that stimulate suspense.
• Storyline(s) Clear storyline; several storylines are possible, if transparent and if contributing to the tension of the narrative.
• Perspective Preferably constant: first person narrative or third person narrative.
• Meaning Youth experiences. Familiar life experiences. Fantastic worlds. Simple appealing themes for teenagers. Univocal meanings.

Style

• Vocabulary Simple and familiar. Current, contemporary, mainly everyday language.
• Sentence construction Simple and clear.
• Stylistic Concrete and direct, vivid language (many dialogues, direct humour). Evocative language, transparent or conventional imagery.

Characters

• Character Close to the reader’s age and preoccupations. Engagement is important. Definite/predictable, appealing characters.
• Number Few characters. Bigger numbers can be coped with as long as a few main figures offer an orientation for the reader.
• Relations Explicit, non-ambiguous, clearly marked.