Introduction Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

Introduction: 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Background

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was written by Mark Haddon and published early 2000s.  
• Told from the perspective of Christopher Boone > 15 years old.
•  He is neurodivergent.
• Sets out to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington, the neighbour's dog.
•  Themes ( main ideas):  truth, logic, his social disorder, the disorder of life, independence.

Being Neurodivergent

• Brain  processes information differently
• Autism is a spectrum condition.
•  All autistic people share certain difficulties.
• But there can be more or fewer challenges with any of these. 
•  Need different levels of support. 
• All people on the autism spectrum learn and develop. 
•  The right support helps people to live a more fulfilling life of their own choosing.

Language/point of view

• First-person narrative- the protagonist  Christopher, tells the story.
•  We  see how Christopher thinks and how he interprets different events.
•  Logic rather than emotion
• Matter-of-fact quality.
•  Tells events in order - many conjunctions. E.g. 'and' and 'then'.
• He dislikes detailed descriptions,. 
•  Straightforward, sometimes with drawings or diagrams.

Main Characters

Christopher Boone

Ed Boone

Judy Boone 

Siobhan

Mrs Shears

Mr Shears 

Mrs Alexander 

Quiz!

Told Christopher about his mother's relationship with Mr Shears.

The owner of the dog named Wellington. Wellington was killed.

Told Christopher that his mother had died.

Likes maths and doesn't like lies.

Helps Christopher understand the world around him

Siobhan

Christopher

Mrs Alexander

Ed Boone

Mrs Shears

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is narrated using

1. the first person
2. the second person
3. the third person
4. stream of consciousness

How does Christopher generally react to events?

1. With a lot of emotions.
2. He doesn't realise something important may have happened.
3. He doesn't want to talk about it.
4. Logically, with almost no emotions shown.

Does the book include a lot of detailed descriptions.

1. Yes, Christopher likes using many words and giving many details.
2. No, Christopher gives straightforward descriptions with diagrams to help.
3. Sometimes there are long descriptions.
4. The way desciptions are given is not clear.

How does the novel begin?

1. Christopher pets his rat, Toby.
2. Christopher's dad arrives home drunk.
3. Christopher is trying to solve a maths problem.
4. Christopher discovers that his neighbour's dog has been killed.

What does Christopher explain about himself after finding Wellington?

1. He wishes he didn't have to interact with people.
2. He hates his mother and father.
3. He can't tell what people's emotions are by looking at their faces
4. He found Wellington's dead body strangely thrilling.

What happens if Christopher is touched or shouted at?

1. He shuts down, rolling himself into a ball and trying to block out the sound.
2. He first attacks the person who touched him or shouted at him.
3. He cries, rolling himself into a ball and sobbing.
4. He runs away, waving his arms and screaming.

How does Christopher characterise his book?

1. As a true crime novel.
2. As a parody.
3. As a murder mystery novel.
4. As a how-to.

How are prime numbers like life, in Christopher's opinion?

1. They're ordered yet also curiously arbitrary (random).
2. They're logical but impossible to fully comprehend.
3. They're the same, day after day, year after year.
4. They're messy and unable to be manipulated.