The Stranger - Journal #1: Tabbing Methods

Sticky Notes:

I will be using... 

• yellow for thematic elements, possibly relating to how Mersault reacts to the world around him and/or how he is affected by the world itself.

• blue for symbols (ie, sky), motifs (ie, time intervals, body language vs. lack of word use), and repetition among words/phrases and ideas (ie, laughter, comfort, likes vs. dislikes).

• green for setting (ie, beach, Mersault's house), atmosphere (ie, dark vs. light), and tone (ie, understanding of facts and detail, rather than emotional effects).

• orange for characterization, specifically Mersault's thought process and how he interacts with his surroundings.

• purple for syntax (ie, listing format, variety of sentences) and foreshadow (ie, ambiguous phrases which later tie into the story).

• pink for language, specifically diction (ie, use of simple/complex words) and dialogue (ie, importance of interaction between characters).

• magenta for figurative language (ie, metaphors, usually a comparison between two nonhuman entities), imagery (ie, lack of the senses/images), and description (ie, deep descriptions of humans and his surroundings).

(The large yellow sticky notes were used for the summer for any inspiration that came to me. I will keep those in there to work off of while tabbing this time through.)

 Highlighting:

I will be using...

• orange for the lack of verbal communication between Mersault and others, focusing on what effects those contribute to in the scenes.

• magenta for emotions (ie, reactions Mersault has to socially accepted emotional situations) and daily routine (ie, Mersault's normal destinations/actions).

(I highlighted using these colors during the summer, so I will highlight more as I begin to see and understand the book better.)