Answer all of these guide questions:
1. Point of view and why it was selected. Is the narrator (the point of view character) a participant in the story, or an observer?
2. The story’s conflict–when it first emerged, how it was resolved or left unresolved.
3. The protagonist(s) — tragic, comic, pathetic, ironic, caricatures, mythical, romantic, or none of the above? What decision(s) do they make which propels the events of the plot to transpire?
4. The function of setting in the novel, beyond the obvious one of identifying time and place and serving as backdrop for the action?
5. Is the movie a realist or non-realist fiction? If the latter, what type (fantasy, fairy tale, science-fiction, detective story, mystery, adventure, romance, etc.)? What are the elements (of genre) dominating in the movie?
6. The most important technical strategies employed by the novelist. (this refers to the element of style)
7. The over-all tone–gossipy, optimistic, pessimistic, cynical, self-deprecating, condescending, sentimental, sarcastic, ironic, etc.? What emotion is it trying to elicit from the reader? Does it succeed?
8. Insights offered — political, cultural, moral, spiritual, etc.? How is the offering of this insight helped or hindered by the tone, and the other elements of the story?