Comprehending the story structure

   The next supertask is that of story structure comprehension. This supertask is responsible for building a representation of the text that reflects the fact that it is a written artifact. Stories contain certain features, such as a setting and a protagonist. These characteristics are expected by the readers of the stories and are produced by the authors to fulfill these expectations. The inclusion of this supertask is largely the result of the way in which reading is taught in this country for the types of text which are most familiar in the Western tradition ([#!read-ed:smith1!#]). While this area of the reading process may not be in-born or even learned at an early age, it does become automatic through our educational system. As such, it acts as a valuable aid in controlling and focusing the overall reading process. Realizing, for example, that Lycanthrope takes place in the present with fantasy elements interwoven in the story acts as an aid to comprehending the story.