- Introduction
Learn- Try It
- Task
Learn
Answer the Unit 6 Notes as you review the lesson.
Harte's Intent
In an 1869 prefaceThe introductory remarks of an author. to his collection of stories, Harte tells the readers his intent for writing is "to illustrate an era of which California history has preserved the incidents more often than the character of the actors." He also described the period of the Gold Rush as "an era replete with a certain heroic Greek poetry, of which perhaps none were more unconscious than the heroes themselves."
The short story "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" is a short story which is set in the Wild West during the 1850s. The outcasts of the title include a gambler, a robber and drunkard, a prostitute, and an old woman of suspicious occupation. They are joined by "The Innocent," Tom Simson, and his beloved wife, Piney Woods.
There is a secret committee in the town of Poker Flat. As you read the short story, think about how you judge people. Do you judge others like the secret committee judged the outcasts?
Character Types
A character is a person in a literary work. There are five basic types of characters in literature:
- round,
- flat,
- dynamic,
- static, and
- stock.
| Round characters have multiple characteristics or traits. They are complex and more fully developed. These characters can change or grow, and readers can see more than one side to them. Readers often can connect with these characters because they are like real people. |  |
| Flat characters are one-sided. They are usually minor and only reveal one or two traits. They are not complex, and they are sometimes known as the stereotypical character. A writer can describe this person in a matter of words. |  |
| Dynamic characters develop and change because of some kind of action in the plot. These characters are round, and they often learn something that helps the reader see the meaning of the story. |  |
| Static characters are one dimensional. They stay the same and do not develop. Sometimes major characters are static; Beowulf is a hero at the beginning and throughout the end of the epic. |  |
| Stock, or better known as stereotypical, characters have common and generalized traits. These people are known better by what they do and how they act. The author doesn't have to say much about these characters. Think about the dumb jock, village idiot, town drunk, or damsel in distress. |  |
Read Bret Harte's "The Outcasts of Poker Flat."
You may also listen to it as you read.
Vocabulary/"The Outcasts of Poker Flat"
Vocabulary/"The Outcasts of Poker Flat" text version | Open Vocabulary/"The Outcasts of Poker Flat" in a new tab
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