New
New
Year 11
AQA

Emulating Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'

I can emulate Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Emulating Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'

I can emulate Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Dostoevsky uses facial expressions, body language, structure and punctuation to create effective dialogue.
  2. To emulate Dostoevsky, we might begin by asking what emotion our characters feel.
  3. Then we might consider how we can show those emotions through body language, structure and punctuation.
  4. When writing dialogue, often less is more when it comes to the actual exchange of words between characters.

Common misconception

That the only important part of writing a dialogue is thinking about which words the characters are going to use.

When writing dialogue, you want to consider how you can show emotion through descriptions of facial expressions, body language, and your use of punctuation and structure.

Keywords

  • Emulate - match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation

  • Dialogue - a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film

  • Monosyllabic - using brief or few words to signify reluctance to engage in conversation

  • Realistic - a literary style which focuses on the accurate representation of life and its events

  • Reciprocate - respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one

It might be useful for students to share their reflections on their dialogue with the class so that they can consider what worked well and how they can improve next time.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of the extract from Chapter 3 of 'Crime and Punishment' which is available in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
'A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film' is the definition of which word beginning with 'd'?
Correct Answer: dialogue
Q2.
'To match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation' is the definition of which word beginning with 'e'?
Correct Answer: emulate
Q3.
To be 'sullen' means to be ...
Correct answer: bad-tempered
joyous
apathetic
Q4.
To speak in a monosyllabic way means to ...
use figurative language
speak eloquently
Correct answer: use brief or few words
use hand gestures
Q5.
If a character is speaking monosyllabically, what might that suggest about them?
Correct answer: They are in a bad mood.
They are in a happy mood.
Correct answer: They don't have a good relationship with the person they're speaking to.
They have a very good relationship with the person they're speaking to.
Q6.
Which of the following facial expressions might indicate tension?
Correct answer: furrowed brow
beaming smile
raised eyebrows

6 Questions

Q1.
'A literary style which focuses on the accurate representation of life and its events' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
Correct Answer: realistic
Q2.
Match the punctuation with the connotation.
Correct Answer:Exclamation mark,heightened emotion - anger, surprised, excitement

heightened emotion - anger, surprised, excitement

Correct Answer:Question mark,curiosity, uncertainty

curiosity, uncertainty

Correct Answer:Ellipsis,uncertainty, hesitation

uncertainty, hesitation

Q3.
When writing dialogue, it's often effective to take a ' is more' approach to the actual exchange of words.
Correct Answer: less
Q4.
'To respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
Correct Answer: reciprocate
Q5.
Potentially, an equal distribution of lines between two characters in a dialogue might indicate which of the following?
a power imbalance
Correct answer: a balance of power
a tension between the characters
Correct answer: a reciprocity between the characters
Q6.
Which of the following body language descriptions might indicate relief?
Correct answer: a deep exhale
a sharp inhale
clenched shoulders
Correct answer: loose shoulders

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