Considering the use of dialogue in Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain and analyse Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in an extract from 'Crime and Punishment'.
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.
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
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.
Teacher tip
It would be useful to have pupils try to read their created dialogues with a partner so that they can see if it sounds realistic or not.
Equipment
The copy of the extract from Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' is in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is a definition of dialogue?
Q2.A 'scowl' suggests which of the following emotions?
Q3.'The conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated' is the definition of language.
Q4.Which of the following body language positions suggests a negative emotion?
Q5.'An obvious difference between two or more things' is the definition of which word beginning with 'c'?
Q6.'A type of punctuation that represents a pause or that something has been intentionally left out' is the definition of an .
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' about?
Q2.Arguably, dialogue is hard to write because so much of the nuance of it depends on language.
Q3.'Grinding your teeth' suggests which of the following emotions?
Q4.'Very poor; deprived of strength or vitality' is the definition of which word beginning with 'i'?
Q5.Structurally, the reference to the "police" at the beginning of the dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment' immediately creates a sense of ...
Q6.Within a dialogue, we might imagine the person who has more words and takes up more space to ...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Considering the use of dialogue in Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Considering the use of dialogue in Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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