Beginnings: Birdsong

Title: The title is striking because of the juxtaposition of the subject matter. A novel that you know to focus on death and destruction seems odd when it's title has a positive image. Perhaps the author was suggesting birds or rather the 'natural world' remain ignorant of the war. They remain indifferent which suggests war is not important. The title will however, remain as a somewhat mystery that you expect the novel to provide answers to. When the book doesn't hand you the answer, it creates question that can only be answered through interpretation and contemplation. The title does not directly infer to the reader what is coming but by being so indirect creates more shock when the subject matter is so 'in your face'.

Epigraph: "When I go from hence, let this be my parting word, that what I have seen is unsurpassable."(Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali)

This epigraph can easily stir the reader and hint at the horrific images that will be portrayed. It also unconsciously implies that the "parting word" will be found in the novel. What makes this epigraph even more fitting is that Wilfred Owen wrote it in his last letter to his mother before his return to the front in November 1918, when he died.

Opening: "The Boulevard Du Cange was a broad, quiet street that marked the eastern flank of the city of Amiens." While the opening sentence is not a bombardment of action, it's gentle detail slowly brings you into the novel, which filled with love, is also filled with horrific images of the brutality of war. The detail in the novel is important. It's striking realism is key to believing the love and by starting the novel with what could appear to be insignificant details, we learn as readers to except what Faulks is telling us as the truth. Therefore, the opening is important, not for just simply setting the scene or the embarkment on building tension and reader expectation but for preparing us as reader's.

The Novel: Beginnings- Prologue

The prologue is a unit of narrative that begins a novel but is also detached from it. It is usually labelled to signal the seperation.
The prologue sometimes is an extract from the novel itself, letting the reader know what is coming or at least allowing for reader expectation and the build up of tension.
The prologue to Markus Zusak's "The Book Theif" is used to explain the direction the book is going by providing essential information that is needed to understand the recurring theme.

The Novel: Beginnings- Epigraph

Definition: A phrase, quotation or poem that is set out at the beginning.

The epigraph is used to stir the reader into a certain direction by using another authors words to hint at the story. Hardy used the epigraph (Tess of the D'Ubervilles) to hint to the audience that the main character will have her reputation ruined, and will not find absolution. However the quote from Shakespeare, "Poor wounded name! My bosom as a bed shall lodge thee" Seems to be an indication that the novel is serving as the main characters "bed" in which her case is argued. The epigraph is hinting to the reader that the novel provides the only redemption that the character Tess can ever have which hints to the reader that they should be sensitive.

Literary theorist Gerard Genette called it the 'password of intellectuality,' as it can often require the reader to have some degree of literary knowledge, therefore could be deemed as a test of the readers intellectual knowledge.

The Novel: Beginnings-Titles

The title of a novel is there to shape our expectations before we even read the first line. It will help guide us as readers throughout the novel and possible inspire interpretation. Even when the title is the name of the central character it gives some indication about the story. Nabkov's 'Lolita' is a novel that focuses throughout on his infatuation and love for the girl. Lolita is central to his life and so the reader needs to remain focused on her. By using her name for the title, it makes it clear that the character Lolita is to remain the focal point of the novel. Before the reader has read any of the novel they could already be questioning the importance of the character Lolita.

Dickens 'Hard Times' is an example of declaring the novels theme via the title. The novel focuses in on various hard times that it's character's face. Dickens a social commentator of his time and such a title allows the reader to prepare to learn of the shocking times that society's citizens would have faced. What is most interesting about such a declaration of theme, is that Dickens no longer needs to outwardly condemn the events that happen. The reader will know that the times portrayed are hard, and so needs no confirmation or judgement on responsibility. Dickens has therefore given the reader the responsibility for the judgement and made himself free to simply write his story.

Some authors choose to use a quote as a title. Faber's 'The Crimson Petal and the White' is taken from Tennyson's lyrical poem 'The Princess'. The title is not referred to at any point during the novel and it seems that rather than handing a focal point to the reader, the reader has to read the novel in order to decode the title. It seems more obvious after reading that the two female protagonists are represented by the two objects in the title. The long-held poetic associations with women and flowers are deliberately made use of as symbolic representations. Agnes is portrayed as a clichéd innocent Victorian female, and is therefore represented by the 'white'. White is a colour surrounded by angelic connotations. Sugar, on the other hand is a prostitute and a 'scarlet' women. Red being a fiery sexualised colour clearly represents Sugar and as red can also represents danger, it becomes even more fitting.

Titles are a great starting point when studying novels as they can provide information about the work ahead.