The Interlopers by Saki

Class notes

Literary Focus

• What is the difference between omniscient narrator and first point of view?

Omniscient = the narrator is outside of the story observing the actionFirst person point of view = the story is being told by someone inside the story

• How does the opening paragraph set the scene?

• Which character have you been introduced to?

• What type of person do you think he is?• In line 23 we are introduced to another

character – why do they hate each other?• Can you think of any other stories that follow

this format?

Compound words

• In lines 44 and 45 which is the compound word and what does it mean?

UppermostHighest in place, rank, or importance.

What are examples of other compound words?Newsstand = news and standPigpen = pig and penSandpaper = sand and paper

Examples of the omniscient narrator

• Underline and give examples of where the omniscient narrator is present on page 83 and 84.

Example • The two enemies stood glaring at one another

for a long silent moment.

Pause at line 203. The narrator doesn’t reveal who is coming toward the men. What effect does this lack of information create?

The ending

Why is it fitting that the two men, who were hunting each other in the forest that winternight, are discovered by wolves rather than byrescuers?

Can you apply anything you have studied in a pervious class to this ending?

Take a scene/event from the story and in pairs write it from the following points of view

• How would the story be different if it were told from the point of view of one of the men?

• How might the story be different if it were told from the point of view of the wolves?

Short film• How does the opening scene in the film compare to that of the

book?• How does it set the scene?• Which does it better and why?• How are the characters portrayed in the film compared to the

book? How is the character development? Which does it better?• In the film what is missing?• Why do you think this is so?• Which medium builds more emotion for you? Why do you think

this is so?• Music is also used in the film – does it help set the scene or not?• How does the films ending compare with the books? Which builds

more suspense?