English
Teaching in the United Kingdom
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General Introduction Authors Internet Resources for General pre-1914 research Planning the Writing Possible Tasks Search www.english1.org.uk/ for other links to texts. Wide ReadingGeneral Introduction These notes are written with the NEAB syllabus in mind, but as the principles are laid down in the National Curriculum, they should be universally applicable. Although it is possible to tackle the `Wide Reading’ coursework piece for assessment as Literature only, I have limited myself here to dual accreditation – any activity suggested below should qualify both for English and for English Literature. TWO texts must be chosen, one a complete work of prose fiction published before 1914 and by an author specified in the list on page 36 of the National Curriculum for English. The second text must be a substantial and worthwhile text published after 1914 by `an author with a well-established critical reputation’. There is no requirement for the second text to be prose fiction, at least in the NEAB’s interpretation. Students must show awareness of the background to the texts, and in particular explore the influences of the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were written or set. Students must show some understanding of the literary tradition to which the works belong. There must be comparison of the two chosen texts. Possible Approaches. Choose two authors, one from each period, and compare representative examples of their writing. Choose two texts which are examples of the same genre, using them to comment both on the history and development of the genre and to evaluate their merits. Compare two authors’ treatment of a similar or related theme, subject or issue. Compare two authors’ treatment of relationships between men and women. Compare techniques for managing suspense, engaging and maintaining readers’ interest. Be aware that the `Anthology’ is a source for suitable Twentieth-Century texts. The Authors.Jane Austen1775 – 1817 Six published novels, characterised by sharp observation and delicate humour. Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey , Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. You’ll probably find the last two the most approachable. All are available as e-texts. Internet Resources: Charlotte Brontë1816 – 1855 Like Jane Austen, the daughter of a clergyman. Jane Eyre, for our immediate purposes, is probably the most suitable novel, but she also published Shirley and Villette. (See also George Eliot, and Mrs. Gaskell below) Internet Resources. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/cbronte.htm Emily Brontë1818 – 1848 Sister to Charlotte (and also to Anne and Branwell). Wuthering Heights is our main concern here – dark tempestuous and violent, but beautifully plotted. Internet Resources http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/ebronte.htm John Bunyan1628 – 1688 The Pilgrim’s Progress, I suppose – but it’s not one of my enthusiasms. A Nonconformist, in and out of prison for his beliefs. This text is undoubtedly important, and the language is interesting – but that’s as far as I wish to take this author. Internet Resources Acacia John Bunyan - Online Library - A Timeline Chronicling the Life of John Bunyan Wilkie Collins1824 – 1889 Important in this context as the writer of the first recognisable English detective stories - see The Moonstone, establishing the genre, as well as being a good hand at mystery and suspense – see The Woman in White. Internet Resources Wilkie Collins Appreciation Page Joseph Conrad1857 – 1924 Born in Poland, he spent the early part of his life at sea, and became a British subject. Technically interesting, many of his novels and stories are about human weakness and corruptibility. Try Lord Jim, The Nigger of the Narcissus, possibly Nostromo – or, if you prefer shorter pieces, Heart of Darkness. (to which the film, Apocalypse Now owes something. Internet Resources. Great Books Index - Joseph Conrad Daniel Defoe1660 – 1731 Produced hundreds of books and pamphlets. Robinson Crusoe is the obvious choice, though if you have the stamina, and don’t mind something slightly raunchy, then Moll Flanders might suit you. Internet Resources Daniel 'The True-Born Englishman' Defoe Charles Dickens1812 – 1870 Huge output – humour, tragedy, pathos, and very sharp social observation make him a natural choice for this exercise. What to recommend? David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, A Tale of Two Cities all excellent, and full of `social, cultural and historical context’. Internet Resources Arthur Conan Doyle1859 – 1930 Quite why he’s on this list is beyond my understanding – but if you like creaky, obvious plots then a selection of Sherlock Holmes stories is easy to grasp. Useful and straightforward if you are exploring detective fiction as a genre, and leads you straight into Roald Dahl – especially in a story like Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter. However, he did write some tolerable historical novels, and The Lost World , about a mysterious plateau populated by dinosaurs, could prove fruitful. Internet Resources Arthur Conan Doyle - MasterTexts(TM) George Eliot1819 – 1880 (Actually Mary Ann, or Marian Evans) Interesting that she published under a male identity – why, do you think? Note the Brontë sisters also first published under the pseudonyms `Acton, Ellis, and Currer Bell’. What social / cultural influences were at work here? Quite a prolific writer. Recommended for you – Silas Marner, Adam Bede, Middlemarch. Internet Resources Great Books Index - George Eliot Henry Fielding1707 – 1754 Began his literary life as a dramatist, but more importantly took hold of the newly emerging novel, as a literary form, and paved the way for those like Dickens who followed him. Became a lawyer and magistrate, and involved in founding the Bow Street Runners, precursors of our police forces. Tom Jones is probably our best bet here. Internet Resources The San Antonio College LitWeb Henry Fielding Page National Curriculum Resources - English Henry Fielding links Great Books Index - Henry Fielding Elizabeth Gaskell1810 – 1865 Useful from a `social / historical’ point of view, as several of her novels deal with matters like understanding between employers and workforce, between established society and the social outcast. Try North and South, Wives and Daughters, Cranford. See also Charlotte Brontë, whose biography she wrote Internet Resources Thomas Hardy1840 – 1928 A prolific writer of novels, short stories and poetry. Many of the novels are about the struggles of the individual against powerful and indifferent external forces – Fate, Chance. Jude the Obscure has an Oxford interest. For our purposes, however, one of Tess of the D’Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, or Far from the Madding Crowd, or a selection of his short stories might prove most useful. Internet Resources Henry James1843 – 1916 Not one of my favourite authors, though you might like his ghost story, The Turn of the Screw, which could lead to a genre piece. Internet Resources the Henry James scholar's Guide to Web Sites * R. Hathaway * Mary Shelley1797 – 1851 Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus is an absolute gift to us in this context – masses of background in terms of the Enlightenment and the rise of science, and many points of contact with our everyday lives – cloning, test-tube babies, medical experimentation on humans, the impact of scientific discovery an all-round winner. Internet resources Robert Louis Stevenson1850 –1894 Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and its sequel, Catriona, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – even The Black Arrow – one of those should prove enjoyable and not too demanding a read. All are well-told stories which involve the reader quickly and effectively. Internet Resources Jonathan Swift1667 - 1745 A satirist. Gulliver’s Travels, which you may know in edited form as a children’s book, has a great deal to tell us about the Eighteenth Century and its preoccupations, but you might also enjoy A Modest Proposal, which suggested an innovative solution to the problems of over-population and food supply in Ireland. Links to genre study (satire) and to some novels about Ireland. Internet Resources Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels - Home Page Great Books Index - Jonathan Swift Anthony Trollope1815 – 1882 Introduced the pillar box for posting letters and is, reputedly, John Major’s favourite writer.. You could try The Warden, Barchester Towers, or The Last Chronicle of Barset. Good at tales of petty intrigue. Not the most appealing author on this list, in my opinion – but prove me wrong. Internet Resources H. G. Wells1866 – 1946 Internet Resources Science Fiction Foundation Collection SF-Information Page Internet Resources for more general Pre-1914 background research.Online Literature Library - Classics at the Online Literature Library Eighteenth-Century Resources -- Literature London Labour and the London Poor: from Volume I, Wandering Tribes and Costermongers Malaspina.com - Malaspina Great Books Home Page The Dorset Page, a Guide to England's most beautiful county National Curriculum - 6th Form curriculum resources National Curriculum English Resources - English Planning the writing.Choose your texts and read them carefully. This may take you some time, so keep running notes as you read – pick up not only specifics to help you with the task itself, but also log useful `social, historical and cultural’ references. Jot down page numbers, quotations, references and, when you come to the second text, the points of contact you want to use. As you begin to make notes, be on the lookout for anything to help you comment in the areas bulleted below, though not all will necessarily be appropriate for your task Use your judgement.
Do some biographical research on your authors – place them in their historical context. This may well be easier for the pre-C20 authors than for the C20. Don’t forget that there are libraries, and that they are full of useful books. Research the literary tradition or genre to which your texts belong. What have your authors contributed to its development? Write a brief account of the theme / content of each text. Don’t re-tell the story, but select your points to address the question you have chosen to answer. Compare those aspects of the text to which the question has directed you. This is the real meat of your piece, so plan it thoroughly. Prepare a conclusion which sums up and evaluates your findings. You will have been learning a great deal throughout the exercise – tell me, tell the examiner what you now know that you didn’t know before. End with a personal, individual response. You will have had a great deal of freedom in preparing this piece, and will almost certainly have negotiated your choices with your teacher – so make the most of your autonomy, and let it show. Go back and check the question, to make sure you have answered it. Go back and check that you have met the requirements outlined in the General Introduction. Structure a) Keep it simple, keep it clear. Open with a simple statement about the texts you have chosen, naming them and their authors. b) Take the first text in and use the material you have gathered for points b), c), and d) from the `Planning the Writing’ section above. Repeat for the second text. Keep these paragraphs short and punchy. c) Move to point e) above. This is the main part of your piece. d) Conclude with f) and g) from the `Planning your writing’ section. Possible tasks.a) Thematic: Compare Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Compare characters from each novel, in these pairings: Lennie and Oliver; Slim and Mr. Brownlow; Nancy and Curley’s wife; Fagin and George; Curley and Bill Sikes. Look at the social and economic background to each story – what made the Poor Law of the Nineteenth Century necessary? What impact did the Depression have on America? Compare. What distinctive features of language do you notice in each novel? Why are they there? What is the effect of their use? What themes can you identify? Loneliness, poverty, insecurity, limitation of opportunity, haves and have-nots? Love? Justice? What purposes id each author have in writing these novels? For what were they campaigning? What issues were they seeking to bring to your attention? b) Genre: the `future’ story. Compare The Time Machine by H. G. Wells and any of the texts mentioned below. In what ways do they seem to you to be typical examples of the `future story’? Each story expresses a vision of a possible future. What techniques does each author use to tell you that the story is indeed set in the future? What techniques does the author use to involve you in the story? The real meat of the question: it seems that any story set in the future in fact relies on ideas and attitudes already established in the present to make its impact. For example, Brave New World takes the idea of mass-production, developed by Henry Ford in the early C20 and asks about the consequences of applying such techniques to human reproduction. How does society respond? In 1984 George Orwell looks at the global political divisions established by the Second World War, and at the vastly increased power of the state over the individual, again established by totalitarian governments and by the necessities of war. His story could really have been set in 1948, the year in which it was written The Time Machine was written in 1895. What can you deduce from your reading of the story about Wells’ view of the world in which he lived? There is a very helpful short story by E. M. Forster, published in 1909, which will help sharpen your thinking about the `future’ story. The Machine Stops – it’s worth reading, though it’s not on the approved pre-1914 list. Certainly refer to it, but don’t make it your major pre-1914 text Examination Day is in the 1999 NEAB Anthology – your teacher may have a copy. It’s short and chilling. What worries did Henry Slesar have, to make him write this story? Daz 4 Zoe by Robert Swindells may also prompt some good ideas about divisions in society which may emerge – or have emerged already. c) Mary Shelley: Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus Several options here. This novel is an absolute gift for `Wide Reading’. Why? i). It’s so firmly rooted in the Enlightenment (you’ll have to research that). At the end of the C18 there was political upheaval – the French Revolution, the American War of Independence – social upheaval – the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions, and the consequent rise of the cities and emergence of new social classes – the rise of the great European Empires and changing attitudes to the newly colonised countries and their inhabitants – challenges to established religion as the sole source of moral and ethical guidance – the rise of science (research how many major discoveries, especially in Chemistry, were made at around this time. Research Joseph Priestley) – and, above all, the notion that Reason and Science would bring new and better worlds into being. ii) Read any newspaper on any day. How many stories are there about genetically modified foods, cloning, test-tube babies, the Human Genome, DNA the list is endless, and in large part occupies the same territories of anxiety as those defined in Frankenstein. iii) Everyone knows about the monster – don’t they? iv) It’s technically interesting, stylistically. v) The modern horror story grows directly from it
Enough background. Just research the Greek story of Prometheus before you go any further. Choices: 1. Compare Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
2. Compare the Monster in Frankenstein with Lennie in Of Mice and Men
3. Exactly as No. 2, but use the central character of Alan Sillitoe’s The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner instead of Lennie. This is a higher tariff piece, because, in my opinion, there is much more to be said about the reasons for this character’s being as he is, and much more explicit emphasis on the underlying social issues. Focus on why each character is an outsider, and on comparing the choices they make. 4. Using close comparison between the two texts, discuss the impact of science on society in the worlds shown in Frankenstein and in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Follow the formula. Aldous Huxley : Brave New World 5. Compare the character and situation of the Savage in Brave New World with that of the Monster in Frankenstein. Again, follow the formula, but additionally spend some time in speculation about what the authors were trying to make us think about as they created these characters. In what ways and for what reasons do you have any sympathy with the characters? d). Describe and analyse relationships between characters in Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Fairly straightforward, medium tariff, would respond well to a feminist approach backed by good knowledge of social background. The Daphne du Maurier WEB Site e). Give an account of your experience of reading Jane Eyre and The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. More of a log of your informed perceptions, but do explore the social, historical and cultural attitudes implicit in each text – especially as they have to do with then position of women in society. Remember also to try to evaluate the difference between the texts brought about by the gap between the dates at which was written, and the ways in which our attitudes have changed. Potentially high tariff. Reading Group Guide: Wide Sargasso Sea Postcolonial Discourse in Wide Sargasso Sea f). Compare Wuthering Heights with I’m the King of the Castle by Susan Hill Several interesting ways into this, but two of the most effective, which would work well in combination, would be to compare the relationship between Hooper and Kingshaw in Susan Hill’s novel with the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine in Wuthering Heights. You could go on to examine the ways in which setting and environment influence the struggles between the characters in each novel. Use the planning formula. g) Using your own choice of material from H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds , The Time Machine, or any of his science fiction short stories, and your own choice of any science fiction novels or short stories by John Wyndham, write a genre piece which explores what science fiction is and how it has developed. THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR h) Genre: Children’s’ Adventure Stories. Read R. L. Stevenson’s Treasure Island and your own choice of children’s’ adventure novel by Geoffrey Trease, Henry Treece, or one of Rosemary Sutcliffe’s Roman stories. Focus on the ways in which the central character is depicted in each story, and try to draw some conclusions about the ways in which their attitudes and values, and what they had to learn, would have been useful in the societies to which they belonged. i) Depictions of Childhood. Compare the main features of Jane Eyre’s childhood with those of Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, or Billy Casper’s in A Kestrel for a Knave. In this piece, follow the formula, but focus closely on the social problems which the central characters encounter (and which we see through their eyes) and on their own backgrounds. k) Depictions of Childhood 2. Compare the ways in which Harper Lee and Charles Dickens present childhood in To Kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations. Follow the formula, and do your research into Dickens’ own early life. In each case, focus on the child’s point of view. l) Social problems. Compare the first ten chapters of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield and compare them with Stone Cold by Robert Swindells. Straightforward. Give plenty of attention to descriptions, especially of feelings and atmosphere. Homeless Pages - Subject Index m) Genre: religious writing. Compare John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress with C. S. Lewis’s Religious SF trilogy – Out of the Silent Planet, That Hideous Strength, Perelandra. C.S. Lewis: 20th-Century Christian Knight might be helpful. I don’t expect this to have huge appeal, but it’s straightforward, if you discuss how the moral themes are introduced and sustained, and try to explain why C. S.. Lewis adopted the SF genre to make his point. It might just be possible to use his Narnia books for the same purpose – the Christian allegory is certainly embedded in them. n) Compare the depiction of Sarah in John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman with the depiction of Jane Eyre. Stay firmly with the characters, and work on what each author was telling us about the position of the woman – particularly the educated but impoverished and unmarried woman – in C19 England.. Straightforward, but challenging enough for a high tariff. Re: Patterns of Jane Eyre and French Lieutenant's Woman From Book to Film: Postmodernism in The French Lieutenant's Woman o) Compare Fielding’s Tom Jones with Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. Separated by the Atlantic and two hundred years, the two male principals nonetheless have a great deal in common. Very straightforward to compare social and cultural backgrounds, and plenty to appeal to the reader. p) Anthony Trollope – The Warden. and one of the texts discussed below. Trollope’s novels are typically set in closed, narrow societies / communities. C20 authors exploring similar territory are C.P Snow in The Masters – though the closed world is academic here. Fairly dry stuff, in my opinion. Something by Michael Innes might be more appealing – and, at a pinch, a `Brother Cadfael’ story might work just as well. Follow the formula, and concentrate on the ways in which the device of setting the stories in close , narrow communities focuses attention on individuals. Not easy. q) Genre: Detective Fiction. Read Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone, and compare it with a P. D. James detective story. Follow the formula, but focus in particular on the characterisation of the detective. You may refer also to Sherlock Holmes, if you want to discuss how the genre developed. r) George Eliot: Silas Marner. This lends itself either to a comparison with a story about outsiders in general – Of Mice and Men, again – or, rather better, a direct comparison of the characters and depiction of Silas Marner himself and Boo Radley, from To Kill a Mockingbird. s) Thomas Hardy: The Mayor of Casterbridge and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men This is not an immediately obvious pairing, but in fact there is a great deal of common ground. Compare the openings – Henchard is unemployed, travelling to look for work, as are George and Lennie. Research the social and economic background in each case. Each story is tragic – in what ways? Each story depends very much on the workings of Fate – trace and explain for each story. Women play a crucial role in each story. t) Thomas Hardy: The Withered Arm and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, or Of Mice and Men, or The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers Take the Hardy story and your choice of the C20 suggestions, and compare the ways in which outsiders and outcasts are presented in each. Some research into the social and cultural background of each story will be necessary. Carson McCullers u) Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd This is a rich field. The Hardy novel has Bathsheba Everdene, perhaps somewhat spoilt, suddenly wealthy, very attractive to men, and not so kind to them as she might be. Gabriel Oak, a conspicuously good and capable man who was well on the way to marrying her, has his life ruined by Fate and a young sheepdog, and finds himself working for Bathsheba. Sergeant Troy, a dashing opportunist, well aware of his own (and his sword’s) erotic potential, enters the novel somewhat compromised by his relationship with poor little Fanny Robin, an d marries Bathsheba. Finally there’s Farmer Boldwood, Bathsheba’s neighbour, who becomes obsessed by her and ends by blowing out his brains. Now, if you take all that and the read some D. H. Lawrence – The Rainbow, perhaps, or Sons and Lovers, or The Virgin and the Gypsy, or a selection of his short stories, you have ideal ground for exploration of the depiction of relationships between men and women, with women as controllers and somehow much more powerful than men. Nice contrasts and points of contact in setting and social / cultural background, too. v) Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Nell Dunn’s Up the Junction. Compare the two texts, paying particular attention to the social and economic conditions which led the female principal to her end. w) Charles Dickens: Great Expectations and Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird Compare the ways in which each author presents childhood. Focus in part at least on the ways in which the children perceive and respond to those events and characters in their lives which the feel to be dangerous or threatening. Don’t forget the social, historical and cultural backgrounds to each story – very different. x) Charles Dickens: Hard Times and Barry Hines: A Kestrel for a Knave. Comment on the similarities and differences in the stories with particular reference to the ways in which home life and experiences of education affect the children’s lives. Plenty of social, historical and cultural background here. y) Genre : Charles Dickens as writer of ghost stories. Start with The Signalman by Charles Dickens, then read The Haunting of Shawley Rectory by Ruth Rendell. As well as discussing the background to each story, discuss the ways in which our attention is managed by the author – how we are prepared for the ghost, the ghost itself, and any surprises along the way. Or Read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Frederick Forsyth’s The Shepherd. Compare the ways in which each author approaches the task of the writing of a ghost story, taking every opportunity to comment on social, historical and cultural background. z) Discuss the handling of the themes of homelessness and day-to-day survival in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist and Robert Swindells’ Stone Cold. Do your research into the background and setting of each story. Homeless Pages - Subject Index aa) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : Genre – crime, mystery, suspense. Conan Doyle was an early (and remains perhaps the best known) exponent of the detective story which depends for its success on making the detective - Sherlock Holmes – the focus of attention, and by giving him an assistant who, not being quite so bright, asks the questions we should like to ask, and who occasionally sets up false trails. The formula has become popular in televised detective stories – Inspector Morse, Dalziel and Pascoe, A Touch of Frost,, to name but three. Furthermore, his neatness of plotting (some might say the obviousness and predictability of plotting) suggests that a writer like Roald Dahl owes Doyle more than a little.
A specific exercise. Take as your starting points The Speckled Band and Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter. Both stories are murder mysteries. In the first story, the murderer is caught by Holmes’s cleverness, but inn the second the murderess escapes justice through cleverness. How does the writer manage your response? At what point did you work out what was going to happen? What similarities and differences do you notice in reading the two stories? What can you say about the two stories as illustrations of the development of the genre? Discuss how each writer uses the literary tradition for different purposes and for different effects. ab) Try a comparison between Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and the novel, Jurassic Park. ac) Conan Doyle also wrote historical novels – Micah Clarke, The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, The White Company. Try one, research the historical background, then find another historically based novel to compare – one of the `Sharpe’ series might work (Bernard Cornwell). Try to explore the ways in which attitudes and values present at the time of writing influence the interpretation of history presented in the novel. (This is v. difficult, unless you are very well informed.)
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