Question

Is the layout of Their Eyes were watching God appropriate to the organizational method and writing style?

I'm not sure exactly what this question is asking nor do I know what they mean by layout. And does the layout of the material contribute to the natural flow of information?

Answer 1

They layout of a document is the position of things. Like in newspapers, how they they use the columnar text, pictures, and headings makes the layout. On this web site, the questions on the left, a selected question on the right, with the menu always above is the layout.

Answer 2

The thing I don't understand is how it applies to a novel. Their eyes were watching God is a bildungsroman, meaning its a coming of age story. Am I supposed to mention how the story progresses as a whole or events that happen chapter by chapter?

Answer 3

Odd. For a novel, the term layout does not really apply. I could understand organization or story order, but not layout. Layout is the physical position of the type on the page... In a novel, the layout is generally imposition with single columns per resulting page when folded, stitched, bound and cut. Well, in modern books they don't use leafs and folios any more, so more like stack, glue, and cut....

It seems like the person that wrote the question does not understand that layout is a technical term in writing.

Answer 4

It's a question not written specifically for the novel. We received a list of books, most of them non-fiction, and got to chose which one to read. After reading, we had to answer a set of question, this being one of them. Do you have any suggestion on what I should I include in my answer or how layout would be interpreted to pertain to a novel.

Answer 5

Were all of them books of some sort?

Answer 6

Yes, but the majority were non-fiction. This one might have been the only fiction book on the list.

Answer 7

Fiction or not, unless it is a comic book, magazine, etc., it does not really have a layout.

Answer 8

So then what do you think the question is asking in terms of a novel since the word "layout" doesn't apply?

Answer 9

Well, lets look at the other terms: organizational method and writing style.

Answer 10

Organization:
http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/impo.htm

Answer 11

Which in a novel is generally going to be some sort of sequential or chronological, but there can be variations, like a person who uses flashbacks.

Answer 12

Style is more than just the tone of voice:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_style

Answer 13

Because organization already covers how the information is distributed, layout is not the distribution of information. Because style covers how the author speaks to the reader, layout is not that either.

Not much is left.

I think this type of question would apply if there were tables and graphs, because then it would relate to how those were presented.

As a work of fiction, about all you are left with is how the chapters are separated.

You could probably gloss over the layout, commenting on how this is a fictional novel so the page layout is very standard, then focus more on the organization and voice.

Answer 14

Wow you're a life saver. Thank you so much!

Answer 15

It is not much, but at least it gives you some defined terms to work with so your answer is as appropriate as possible to the question. You could even comment how because it is a fictional without pictures, it has no graphics at all to change the layout. Then discuss the organizational method and writing style if this book a little bit, and say how the traditional layout is proper for these.