Reading Comprehension

PT128 · S4 · P2 · Q11 Woody Allen

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ln filmmaker Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry, the writer Harry Block is presented as extremely neurotic and narcissistic.

Topic

Woody Allen's films

Framework

Noteworthy Figure/Phenomenon

Main Point

A theme present throughout Allen's career is critiquing people whose lives are dedicated to and obsessed with art.

Summary

P1 - Example 1, Deconstructing Harry

This paragraph opens with a vignette of this movie's central character, and then we get our Purpose Pivot in the 3rd sentence.

While the narcissism is exaggerated for comic effect, the effect is not simply comic: this film is emblematic of Allen's career.

In Noteworthy Figure passages, we're attuned for moments that sound like the author is crystallizing the essence of the artist. What was their unique angle / style / voice all about? So this sentence looks like an early nominee for our Most Valuable Sentence.

P2 - Example 2, Stardust Memories

This paragraph begins with "For instance", so we know it's supposed to be illustrating a Big Idea we just heard. We would remind ourselves of the big idea merely documenting their private suffering and fobbing it off as art", and our author suggests in the final line of this paragraph that Woody Allen probably struggles with this himself, worrying that he himself is guilty of this critique.

P3 - Example 3, Manhattan

Our first sentence again reinforces our main theme: a denigratory (to denigrate is to insult / debase) take on the artistic enterprise.

The themes in this movie again involve pretentious, narcissistic artists who try to turn their own woes into tragic art.

P4 - No Cause, No Effect strengtheners

This last paragraph provides a handful of examples to demonstrate that when Allen's characters are not narcissistic artists, he portrays them much more happily and gives them good outcomes in the story.

11.

The author mentions the title character in Zelig primarily to

  1. counter the prevailing critical view

    Out of Scope: counter the view

    The author has been endorsing the same view throughout the passage (not sure whether we call it the prevailing view). This last passage is further emphasizing Allen's motif of critiquing artists by offering an example like Zelig, which shows that Allen was not so sour when it came to un-pretentious characters.

    1% picked this

  2. exemplify a primary preoccupation of

    Opposite: primary

    The primary preoccupation of Allen's works has been identified as critiquing self-obsessed artists. This last paragraph is introducing a couple examples of how characters that didn't fit the primary focus of Allen's films were not subjected to the same negative depiction Allen used for his primary preoccupation.

    2% picked this

  3. Correct

    serve as a contrast to

    Why this is right

    "Serve as a contrast" is extremely appealing, since the Zelig sentence begins "On the other hand". And, as we anticipated, Zelig is an "inartistic, unpretentious" character whose is portrayed differently from how Allen portrays his artistic characters.

    Skill tested: Local Purpose · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    90% picked this

  4. demonstrate that artistic characters have

    Opposite

    Zelig is labeled as an "inartistic" character, so the function of bringing him up is definitely not about demonstrating something about "artistic characters".

    1% picked this

  5. illustrate Allen's obvious affection for

    Too Strong: obvious affection

    This is close to being okay. The point of bringing up Zelig and Danny Rose is to show that the nonartist characters Allen had were "more likely to have a narrative that resulted in a happy ending". (first sentence of the last paragraph) But to say Allen had obvious affection goes a little too far. We just know that he wrote happier endings for them.

    6% picked this

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