E. M. Forster says that the first thing all novels have in common is that they tell a story. In your experience, what else do novels do? Discuss examples from the novel you have studied.

In addition to telling a story, novels also communicate a vivid sense of experiences and attitudes to the reader. They do this by allowing the reader an insight into another person's, or group of people's lives. Experiences and attitudes are clearly communicated to the reader through the style that the story is told in, the language used and the ideas that the novel introduces to the reader. This helps the reader to feel a part of the novel as they share experiences with the characters.

Novels make the reader aware of an idea, which they may not have thought about, prior to reading the novel. An idea in Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson is how attitudes can affect the way people relate, change and develop. We see the significance of this idea through the differing family relationships shown through Bunty's seemingly uncaring attitude to her children and Patricia's negative disposition towards her family and her life. Bunty revealed her regret of being burdened with a family

The style of Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson helps the reader to gain insights into other people's thoughts and feelings. The novel is narrated by Ruby, as an intrusive narrator during the chapters and a limited omniscient narrator during the footnotes. The reader feels that Ruby is talking directly to them through the style she tells her story in and the language she uses. This makes Ruby's experiences easier to relate to. The reader gains insights through Ruby into how she feels about situations and family members. The access to her thoughts and feelings makes her experiences more animated to the reader. The omniscient viewpoint reveals character by implication rather than by direct statement. We can see the limited omniscient narrator, Ruby, giving the reader an insight into another character's life during Footnote (iv) - Bonny Birds when she lets Rachel's point of view intrude on the story, "He'd be hers soon enough. She'd take Alice's place - be a second wife, or near enough anyway. She'd have a man of her own, a household to be mistress of, a readymade family. They needed her because they were weak and she was strong." (Ibid page 128) In this incident Ruby, the narrator lets us see the situation from Rachel's point of view.

Atkinson allows the reader direct exposure to the experiences and attitudes of the characters through her use of language and style. The reader is introduced to the events which occur in Ruby's journey of self-discovery and is able to gain an insight into the views of some of the other characters in the novel. Through her handling of style and language, Atkinson creates a credible story. This is done through the strong communication of themes and characters. The reader is given a clear view of the lives and thoughts of the characters and an understanding of th

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Approximate Word count = 1225
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)