English - Literature (Form 3)

Element of a Novel
What is a Novel?
A novel is a longer version of a short story. The story usually centres on the activities and experiences
of a character or characters. It is set out as a series of events or sequence with a plot, themes or ideas.
The story is about imaginary events and characters. As the story develops, you may see the way the
characters change or mature. The ending may surprise the readers.
Setting
Moral
Values

Characters

Elements of a
Novel

Point of
View

Language
and Style

Themes

Plot

Setting
Refer to the time and place the story takes place
Time

when the story takes place

explains plot/ reasons for events

Place

when the story takes place

cultural/ historical background

Characters
Characters are the people in the story
Main character
o person around whom the story revolves
Minor characters
o supporting characters
Character traits
o appearance, words and actions of characters

English - Literature (Form 3)

Plot
The plot in a novel is made up of:
Sequence of events in story
Details of actions
A beginning, middle and end
Five stages:
Exposition
Rising action
Climax
Falling action
Resolution

Reveals characters and setting

Lays out conflict in story
Height of action, exciting
Consequences of climax
Ending or outcome of story

A plot when charted on a line graph is as seen:

_________________________________________________________

Themes
Refer to the central idea or main subject
Repeated throughout the plot
More than one theme

Point of View
Point of view refers to the narrator of the story
First person point of view
o Narrator is one of the characters and gives his or her view of the story
Third person point of view
o Narrator is not a character in the story and gives an omniscient or all-knowing view of
the story

Tone, Mood and Atmosphere

Tone
o Reflects writers attitude to topic and can be serious, caring or arrogant
Affects general feeling and sense of story

English - Literature (Form 3)

Language and Style

Way the writter tells the story
Language
o Simple or otherwise and includes literary devices
Style
o Writers approach to the topic

Moral Values
Lessons that we can learn from the novel
Evident when we understand what is happening in the story
What we can learn and benefit from it

English - Literature (Form 3)

Elements of How I Met Myself

Summary
One icy winters evening in Budapest, John Taylor is on his way home from the office when a
man runs into him and knocks him over. The man turns to say sorry and John is amazed at what he
sees: the man is Johns double. The double rushes away but leaves no footprints in the snow. Over the
next two years it becomes clear to John that the meeting was no accident and that his double has a very
important message for him. To understand the message, John reads up on the phenomenon of
doppelganger. He tells his wife, Andrea the whole situation and gets her to help him make inquiries
from the neighbours. Finally, he gets to know about Janos Szabo with whom he has the same name
and birthday. Even their wives and daughters have the same names. In the third year of meeting his
doppelganger, John understands the message that his wife and daughter are in danger. They are saved
by the doppelganger whom Kati recognised and Andrea and Kati are saved.

Main characters
John Taylor
o An English computer programmer
o 34 years old, nearly two metres tall
o Light brown hair with a moustache
o Working in a multinational company in Bristol
o Sent by company to Budapest offices, Hungary
o Head a young Hungarian team important new piece of work
o Attended Hungarian language classes at a special school
o Met Andrea, a pretty teacher fell in love and married her 18 months later
o Met his doppelganger initially had difficulty understanding the phenomenon bad
dreams and misunderstanding with wife
o Made inquiries from neighbours read up understood the message of doppelganger
o Feared for the safety of his wife and daughter felt relieved when they were safe

Andrea Taylor
o Johns wife and a teacher of Hungarian language
o Pretty with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a beautiful smile
o Taught John Hungarian and seemed to understand him well
o Fell in love with John and married him 18 months later
o Did not understand Johns problem feels John too obsessed with phenomenon
domestic problems eventually understood message of doppelganger grateful

Minor characters
Kati Taylor
o John and Andreas baby daughter
o Born on 16th September
o Saw Johns doppelganger at Zsolts caf
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o Recognised and told Andrea it was not John who was blocking their way to the caf
o Andrea remembered words, it can sometimes be seen by somebody close if it has an
important message
o This saved their lives because there was a gas explosion after that

Zsolt
o
o
o
o
o

The caf owner in Budapests Thirteenth District

Did not recognise anyone who looked like John in the caf
Offered Andrea work in the caf when Andrea lost her biggest teaching job
Felt that his caf needed a womans touch
On the night of explosion in his caf, he had asked Andrea to look after the caf for a
while
o Andrea and Kati fortunately wer e not in the caf at the time of the gas explosion

Paul Harris
o One of Johns closest friends in school near Swindon
o A journalist and had read about doppelgangers
o Believed Johns story about meeting his doppelganger
o Assured John this happens to a lot of people everywhere
o Told John to be careful as bad things had happened to many people after seeing a
doppelganger
Janos Szabo
o John Taylors doppelganger, a Hungarian man who died in the 1956 revolution
o Had the same birthday as John Taylor - 23rd October
o Lived in Felka utca in 1945
o Wifes name was Andrea and daughters name was Kati
o Looked after his family throughout the war did not fight in the war because of his
poor health
o 18th January 1945 Janos lost his wife and daughter the cellar shop in Gergely utca,
where is his wife worked was destroyed by a Russian bomb which hit the building
above.
o Was heartbroken and had no will to live: Appeared to John
Saved Johns family from the gas explosion in Zsolts caf

Mrs. Fischer
o An old lady who knew Janos Szabo
o Lived in Felka utca since 1937 with her husband Pal
o Told John about Janos Szabos story
o Realized that John looked very much like Janos

English - Literature (Form 3)

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Chapter 1
A strange Encounter
John Taylor had a strange encounter when he was walking home from office on a cold Monday
evening in January.
He was in a narrow street in the Thirteenth District in Budapest.
The night was cold and quiet. John was deep in thought about a problem in the office and
looking forward to Andreas hot soup for dinner.
From a building came the sound of a door shutting loudly and suddenly, someone ran out of
the building.
The man ran straight into John causing him to fall down.
John shouted in protest and the man turned, looked at him and apologized quietly in Hungarian.
John chilled with fear because he saw his own face looking down at him.

Chapter 2
About me
John worked as a computer programmer with a multinational computer company in Bristol.
John was offered the post of leading a young Hungarian team and he happily accepted it.
He attended Hungarian language classes under a language teacher named Andrea.
They fell in love and married eighteen months later and settled down in a flat in the Thirteenth
District on the Pest side of the city.
Johns office was in Vaci utca and he walked to work every day.
He enjoyed his work and got along with his colleagues.
Andrea was a Hungarian language teacher to foreigners.
On 8th January, Monday evening, John met himself in the street, Felka utca.

Chapter 3
Where are you?
John, momentarily confused by what had just happened to him, lay in the snow for a few
moments.
He looked for the man and saw him turning right at the next corner and then going into a caf.
Puzzled that the man left no footprints in the snow, John was undecided and reluctant to look
for the man in the caf.
Trying to understand what was happening, John went into the caf.
It was dark and warm and John looked at the people who were standing in small groups and
drinking their strong coffee.
John could not find the man and when he inquired from the caf owner, he was given a
questioning look as though he was not right in the head.
Although John could not find the man anywhere, he decided to stay for a drink.
He stayed there over an hour and had a few drinks.
Finally, he went home and told Andrea a white lie about his tired look.
John recapitulated on what had happened to him and had a sleepless night.

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Chapter 4
Felka utca
Next day, Tuesday, John looked distracted and could not concentrate on his work.
His colleagues even inquired whether John was feeling well.
John thought out the time he should be at the place he saw the man evening before.
After work, he went to Felka utca, found house number 7 and waited along the street for
slightly more than an hour but it was a fruitless wait.
Several people came and went by but there was nobody who looked like John.
Then, John went to the cellar in Gergely utca hoping to catch sight of the man.
That night, John had a nightmare which was the reverse of his encounter with the strange man
it was a himself running out of the building into the man and he saw himself lying down on
the ground.
The dream made John fearful not understand what he was afraid of.

Chapter 5
Putting Andrea in the Know
Johns daily routine changed from carefree to stressful as he attempted to solve the mystery of
the strange encounter.
For the whole week, his rountine was working, waiting outside number 7 Felka utca,
spending time at the caf and then going home.
Every night he had the same fearful dream and he woke up feeling afraid and he did not sleep
well.
The tiredness and lack of sleep made him grouchy even with Andrea to extent they argued over
small things.
He began to lose focus at work, drank too much and stayed out longer.
Haunted by the fear of having the nightmare, John was afraid to go to bed.
He kept Andrea in the dark until Friday night when she confronted him with tearful eye.
Feeling remorseful about being inconsiderate and hurting her, John told Andrea the whole truth.
Andrea laughed with relief that John was not having an affair.
She asked John questions about the whole incident and suggested they investigate and find the
answer to the problem together.
For the first time in days, John felt relieved and happy, confident that everything was all right.

Chapter 6
Making Inquires
On Saturday morning, John and Andrea walked into Felka utca.
John felt happy and relaxed after experiencing a harrowing week.
They questioned the housekeeper, a lady who had worked there for twenty-one years.
She could not help them much.
John was disturbed by the fact the man had left no footprints.
Then, they went to Gergely utca, the location of the caf and where they questioned the
housekeeper of the building.
The answer was not encouraging.
They went into the caf and discussed the mornings efforts over a drink.
John voiced his feeling the man could be spirit of a dead person.
Andrea was sceptical about that.
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Chapter 7
Doppelganger
Johns home and office situations normalized and improved.
He was not troubled by bad dreams and he did not visit Felka utca.
Andrea was in the family way.
She lost her biggest teaching job fifteen hours a week at an international bank.
Zsolt offered to take in Andrea as a helper in the caf.
Andrea agreed and adapted well to the work.
She made changes and this attracted more customers.
John found that what happened to him was called doppelganger.
He had met his doppelganger but did not know how to comprehend the ways or wherefores.

Chapter 8
Taking A Break
John and Andrea had a baby girl on 16th September and they named her Kati.
They went to England for the Christmas holiday and for Johns family to meet Kati.
John and Andrea went into Swindon town to do some Christmas shopping.
The following day, John went to the village caf hoping to catch up with some old friends.
He met Paul, one of his closest friends at school.
They asked after each other and exchanged news about their families.
Knowing that Paul would appreciate his story, John told him about his doppelganger.
Paul confirmed for John that such a phenomenon did exist.
He also warned that they were messengers of bad tidings.
John felt happy with the information but information but uneasy over the appearance of his
doppelganger.
They returned to Hungary and spent New Year with Andreas family.
Andrea wanted John to be more focussed on the family but John was distracted.
On Monday 5th January, John went back to work.

Chapter 9
Too Close For Comfort
th
On 11 January night, out of the blue John had the fearful dream again.
Feeling restless, John read his diary and realized the significance of the 18th January.
It was the date of the strange meeting the year before and that date was seven days away.
He had to find out what happened at Felka utca or Gergely utca on 18th January in the past.
He talked to and persuaded Andrea to follow him to Felka utca on 18th January.
She agreed albeit reluctantly as she was not sure how her being there would help John in any
way.
This would be her last involvement in Johns venture to Felka utca.
John continued to have the dream but with a difference.
He seemed to hear a loud noise in the street just before the man came out of the door.

English - Literature (Form 3)

Chapter 10 18th January

On Sunday, John and Andrea prepared for their trip to Felka utca with mixed feeling fear and
uncertainty. They left home at 3.00 p.m. as they were supposed to be attending a tea party.
They killed time at Margaret Island but both were in a sombre mood.
By half past six, they were standing opposite number 7 Felka utca.
Andrea stayed there while John stood outside the door of 7 Felka utca.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise and a man ran out and into John causing him to fall.
He ran off and John saw he had Johns face.
John ran after the man until he reached Zsolts caf which was closed.
Andrea insisted she did not see or hear anything or anyone except John falling over and
shouting.
John had the dream again that night.

Chapter 11 Reading Up The Past

John asked for time off from work pleading that Andrea needed help with the baby.
He was given afternoon off for a week or two.
Not wanting to upset Adre, John kept this arrangement from her.
For the next few afternoons, John sat in the Budapest City Library.
He went through the papers for news of every month of January starting from ten years before
then.
He discovered many things about Budapest including their politicians and workers.
On Saturday, a headline that read YOUNG MOTHER AND CHILD KILLED AS FIGHTING
ENDS IN PEST leapt out to John.
The story was of a Mrs Szabo and her daughter who were killed in a cellar in a Gergely utca
building that was destroyed by a bomb on 18th January.
When John got home Andrea demanded to know the truth about Johns afternoon activities.
When John attempted to explain his need to find out the truth of his meeting with his
doppelganger in Felka utca, Andrea refused to entertain him.
She refused to be involved in any future investigations.

Chapter 12 Searching For The Truth

John knew Andre had the right to be upset but he needed to solve his problem.
John went to Gergely utca and talked to the housekeeper.
His questions concerning a Szabo family drew a blank.
Then, John went to Felka utca and talked to the housekeeper.
The latter told him of a Szabo family on the third floor.
Mr. Szabo was hostile and not related to whom John was looking for.
John talked to Mrs. Fischer and was rewarded for his efforts.
Mrs. Fischer told John about Janos Szabo and his family.
He lost his wife and daughter in the incident of the Russian bomb that destroyed the cellar in a
Gergely utca building.
Janos himself died in the street fighting in 1956.
John was happy to know the truth of the news report firsthand.
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Chapter 13 Domestic Upsets

John was both intrigued and worried by Mrs Fischers story about Janos Szabo.
Although he knew that Andrea was not interested, John took the risk and told her about Janos.
Andrea was sceptical about the story and felt that John was not himself and should see a
doctor.
John was disappointed with Andreas attitude but he could not do anything.
There appeared to be a drift in their relationship.
John reasoned out the facts the story of Janos was true but what was difficult to stomach
was the appearance of his doppelganger.

Chapter 14 One More Year Goes By

John and Andrea marriage suffered as they were not very close any more.
They spent time apart doing their own work or their own thing.
Things improved when they went to England in August for a second visit.
The distance from Hungary enabled John to forget his doppelganger.
The rest of the year was good as John and Andrea spent time on their work and Kati.
They spent a quiet Christmas at home and New Year with Andreas family.
Unfortunately as 18th January drew nearer, John had his terrible dream again.
He had the horrible feeling that the dream and his doppelganger was linked to Andrea.

Chapter 15 Knowing More Facts

As John walked home from work, he wondered if he should go to Felka utca on 18th January.
From a sign in a tailors shop, John made the creepy connection between his name and the
doppelganger.
Janos Szabo was John Taylor.
Feeling shaky, he had a drink in Zsolts caf.
Then, John went to see Mrs Fischer in Felka utca.
She told him straight off that John looked like Janos.
She then went on and revealed that Janos wife was called Andrea and his daughter was called
Kati.
John felt sick at what he had heard.
The final frightening fact was that John and Janos had the same birthday, 23 October.
John believed his doppelganger was trying to tell him something and hoped he could meet
him again on 18th Janaury.

Chapter 16 Happening Again

John had the dream every night with all the different happenings in the different degrees.
The one consistent aspect was the sound of a mans voice shouting for help and calling out
Andrea and Katis names.
John would wake up feeling terribly afraid.
On Saturday, 18th January, John reached home at half past six but Andrea and Kati were not at
home.
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A note from Andrea mentioned that they were in Zsolts caf.

John panicked when he was saw the note and immediately ran out into the street to get to the
caf but turned into 7 Felka utca.
Just then, there was a loud explosion followed by the shouts for help.
The explosion was in Gergely utca.
John ran out and into his doppelganger with his mind in a whirl about what he would find in
Gergely utca.

Chapter 17 Help My Wife And Daughter

The street was full of smoke with a strong smell of gas.
The scene was chaotic with car alarms ringing and the street covered with broken glass.
Zsolts caf looked completely destroyed and a terrible thought struck John.
He shouted that his wife and child were in the caf and needed to be rescued.
He got the people around there to form a team to remove the stones and wood.
The rescue fire, police and ambulance teams arrived and persuaded John to leave the place.
It was full of gas and life-threatening.
John kept protesting that his wife and child needed help.
John was helped to an ambulance, given medical help and told to rest.
The area was cordoned off by the police who told John there was no news.
John gave them facts and dates about himself and his family and was told to go home and wait.
John dejectedly realized that nobody could have survived the explosion and regretted not
talking to Andrea about his dream and the information from Mrs Fischer.

Chapter 18 Alls Well That Ends Well

John walked into a limbo along Gergely utca feeling empty and lost.
He banged into somebody and looking up saw his doppelganger.
The doppelganger pointed to something down the street.
John could make out two figures a woman and a child Andrea and Kati.
They held each other and Andrea explained they were saved by Johns friend, his
doppelganger.
When Andrea and Kati wanted to get into Zsolts caf, Johns doppelganger stood at the door
and refused to let them in.
Kati cried that the person was not John.
Andrea remembered what the book had said about it being seen by someone closed if it had an
important message.
Andrea understood the man wanted her to leave and so she went home.
From the flat, she heard the explosion and quickly went to check it out.
She was afraid John might be inside the caf.
Both Jahn and Andrea agreed it was a strange story.

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SETTING
Time
Present day
Place
The story was set in Budapest in Hungary. The main character, John Taylor and his wife, Andrea,
lived in a flat in the Hollan utca . His office was located at Vaciutca. The incident of him stumbling
upon his doppelgnger happened in front of number 7 Felka utca. After the incident, he used to spent
time at a bar located at Gergely utca owned by Zsolt. John with his wife and daughter spent their
Christmas holiday with his family in a village near Swindon in England. The family often visited the
island park in the middle of the River Danube, to get some fresh air and to relax. John went to the
Budapest City Library to read up on every incident that happened in Budapests Thirteenth District
every 18 January.

THEMES
1.

Believe in oneself
John believes that he had seen the doppelganger and so he made efforts to find out more about
the phenomenon.

2.

Determination in solving problems

John was determined to solve his problem of meeting with his doppelganger especially to know
the message he was bringing to him. As the saying goes, it is better to light the candle than cry in
the darkness.

3.

Family support and love

Andrea showed her love and support for John and in his quest to find the truth as much as she
could. She felt that John should be reasonable and support her and look after the family.

4.

Positive approach to problems

John and Andrea were positive in their approach to their problems. John did not allow his
unusual situation to spoil the family holiday and allow it to become a family crisis. Andrea was
helped as much as she could. When she lost an important teaching job, she was willing to work
at Zsolts bar

5.

Understanding the spiritual aspect of life

John was visited by a spirit from other world and he made sure he understood what it meant by
reading up and understanding the spiritual aspect of life. He did not sweep it under the carpet and
pretended it did not happen.

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MORAL VALUES
1.

Thinking positive about problems

We must be positive and not afraid to face our problems, Like John, when we have problems of
whatever nature, we should be positive and face up to them.

2.

Honesty
We must be honest with our family members about ourselves and our action. Although John had
a white lie with Andrea about coming home late, it still not wise. If he told the truth earlier, he
would not suffer that problem alone.

3.

Believing ourselves
We must believe in ourselves and what we see with our own eyes. We may have witnessed
something unusual and people will say that we are mistaken. But, we know what we have seen
and so we should stay strong and have faith in ourselves.

4.

Do not easily give up and discouraged when family members do not understand us
We must not be discouraged if our family members do not seem to understand us. Family
members may not understand our problem even when we have explained things to them. We
should not despair and discouraged. Instead, we should attempt to make them understand in
other ways gently. John wanted to make Andrea understands his problem. He gave her
information from books and this was what made her realized the doppelgangers message just
before the gas explosion at the caf.

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