In Cold Blood Study Guide
"My book isn't a crime story. It's the story of a town."
Welcome to this study guide on Truman Capote's 1966 non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, a text that is frequently studied as a non-fiction text on the course. Capote is on the Prescribed reading List (PRL) for Prose: fiction and Prose: non-fiction and this is an interesting book to explore because, while it counts as a text in the latter category, its use of fictional techniques to present the true story of a brutal murder is both controversial and a source of much rich exploration regarding the relationship between fiction and non-fiction, and the concept of truth in literature more broadly.
This guide has been written specifically with IB students in mind, and addresses the areas of exploration, the concepts, global issues and the requirements of IB examinations.
The pages are organised into before, during, and after reading sections. As ever with our resources, this guide is not intended to be prescriptive and of course you may supplement our materials with others, and you may select from and modify them to meet your own requirements.
The unit touches upon all three areas of exploration but there is no requirement for teachers to do this when teaching a text and you may decide to have one area as your primary lens for your unit of study. In addition, it is important that you read the novel and any materials we publish to ensure that they are appropriate to your own local context. We hope that you and your students enjoy working with this unit.
In Cold Blood: Before reading 1 - Readers, writers and texts
This pre-reading lesson is designed to connect to the area of exploration Readers, writers and texts and also incorporates the concepts of creativity, perspective and representation.
In Cold Blood: before reading 2 - Time and Space
This pre-reading lesson is designed to connect to the area of exploration Time and space and also incorporates the concepts of culture, identity and representation.
In Cold Blood: Before reading 3 - Intertextuality
This pre-reading lesson is designed to connect to the area of exploration Intertextuality and also incorporates the concepts of creativity, representation and transformation.
In Cold Blood: starting the novel
This lesson is designed to accompany a close reading of the opening pages of the novel, encouraging introductory thinking about the kind of work In Cold Blood seems to be and to explore the content and...
While reading: The Last to See Them Alive
The materials on this page are designed to accompany the first part of the novel, The Last to See Them Alive. The materials include an overview of the part with pages where Capote cuts between scenes...
While reading: Persons Unknown
The materials on this page are designed to accompany the second part of the novel, Persons Unknown. The resources include an overview of the part with pages where Capote cuts between scenes identified,...
While Reading: Answer
The materials on this page are designed to accompany the third part of the novel, Answer. The resources include an overview of the part with pages where Capote cuts between scenes identified, as well...
While Reading: The Corner
The materials on this page are designed to accompany the fourth and final part of the novel, The Corner. The resources include an overview of the section and further ideas and questions for exploration....
After Reading: quick quiz
On this page is a quick quiz you can use to test your knowledge of the novel once you have finished reading.