Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.
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Advanced British Literature Summer Reading
Welcome to British Literature! We have so many great authors to read next year. From Geoffrey Chaucer to William Shakespeare toGeorge Orwell, you’ll make some great new literary friends.
To get us started I’ve chosen a few authors for us to get to know this summer. Please choose one piece of classic British Literature from the list on the back of this sheet to study this summer. Note that I said to study the novel. This means reading every page while thinking about what you read and how the author wrote it. When you come back to school this fall you should be able to have a discussion about the book, its characters, and the style of the author.
Please avoid watching the film version of the book or using a handy SparkNotes like site to give you explanations of the novel. Using these crutches will keep you from coming up with your own interpretation of the story. Using those crutches means you have made an incorrect class selection, and Advanced British Literature is not for you.
You can purchase your own copy of the book or check one out of the library, but you do need a copy to reference at the start of the year next year. An ebook will also work well with your new iPad. Please mark favorite passages, interesting word choices, and questions for discussion as you read. Use post- its or mark right in your own copy of the book. Bring your book and your notes to the first day of class.
Have fun with the book! I can’t wait to hear your ideas next year.
Please note – this is a REQUIRED activity for the course. I will expect each of you to show up to class, book in hand, ready to discuss.
More Questions? Email me at ellen.mucha@nfld.k12.mn.us
Book Choices Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels (1726) Gulliver's Travels describes the four fantastic voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, a kindly ship's surgeon. Swift portrays him as an observer, a reporter, and a victim of circumstance. His travels take him to Lilliput where he is a giant observing tiny people. In Brobdingnag, the tables are reversed and he is the tiny person in a land of giants where he is exhibited as a curiosity at markets and fairs. The flying island of Laputa is the scene of his next voyage. The people plan and plot as their country lies in ruins. It is a world of illusion and distorted values. The fourth and final voyage takes him to the home of the Houyhnhnms, gentle horses who rule the land.
Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre (1847) This is a stormy, intense, introspective novel of the mid 19th century which probes the psychology of passion. The heroine is a governess, an orphan, penniless and plain but full of courage and spirit. The hero is a brooding, melancholy figure, a stranger given to rough outbursts of temper.
Joyce, James, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) One of the masterpieces of modern fiction. This semi-autobiographical Irish novel focuses on Stephen Dedalus, a sensitive and creative young man who rebels against his family, his education, and his country by committing himself to the artistic life.
Gardner, John (American) Grendel (1989) Grendel is a modern retelling of the Beowulf epic from the point of view of the monster Grendel, the villain of the 8th-century Anglo-Saxon heroic poem. In addition to his work as a novelist, Gardner was a noted professor of medieval literature and a scholar of ancient languages.
Christie, Agatha, And Then There Were None (1939) Christie’s signature novel, this masterpiece of mystery and suspense involves ten curious strangers who are invited to a private island off the coast of Devon, England. Alone on the island and trapped by foul weather, one by one, the guests begin to fall prey to the hidden murderer among them.
Ishiguro, Kazuo, The Remains of the Day (1989) In a career that spans World War II, Stevens, the narrator and quintessential English butler, is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him, for example, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer.
McEwan, Ian, Saturday (2005) This important 21st century novel captures a day in the life of Henry Perowne, a successful neurosurgeon, and comments on how life can change in a moment in light of September 11, 2001.
Mantel, Hilary, Bring Up the Bodies (2012) The sequel to Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, Wolf Hall delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn.
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Advanced British Literature Northfield High School Mrs. Ellen Mucha - ellen.mucha@nfld.k12.mn.us
W elcome to Advanced British Literature!This full year English course will give you the opportunity to read the best of British, Welsh and Irish novels, poetry, and short stories.We will study the tradition and excellence of the British literary heritage.We will work on our critical analysis skills as we prepare for more advanced literature courses.
Our Goal
Through close analysis of literature, we will uncover what British authors from the Middle Ages to the present day have to say about their worlds and themselves.In doing so we will perfect our reading, speaking and writing skills in order to be more capable of expressing ourselves with confidence and clarity.
Activities
Here's a little bit of what we'll do this year… · Read and analyze some great pieces of literature · Distinguish the features and conventions of literature · Listen and comprehend, evaluate and respond to literature · Produce writing that demonstrates a clear, purposeful response to literature · Perfect our use of grammar, usage, spelling, vocabulary, and voice · Participate in Socratic Seminar and Personal Response writing to convey our personal understanding of literature · Write in the style of the great British authors · Have a lovely time together
Books
We will be using a textbook as well as various novels.You may purchase your own copies of the novels if you would like to mark in your book. A Writing Manual must be purchased if one is not already owned. · Anthologies: The Language of Literature, British Literature , McDougall Littell English Romantic Poetry , Ed by Stanley Appelbaum · Novels: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, 1984 by George Orwell, and selected books in book club settings · Writing Manual: Writers Inc or Write for College, Write Source Inc.
Supplies
Please bring the following to use yourself and to add to our classroom supplies · Loose leaf, notebooks and pen · Box of Kleenex · Memory device if unable to access email on the school computers
Attendance
If you were absent, check the "I was absent" binder for any work you need to make up.You are responsible for making up any work you miss.You have two days after returning to make up the work.Previously announced tests and papers are due immediately upon return to school.The attendance and tardy policy for the school will be followed.
Late Work
All late work will be marked down 50%.Please simply get your work in on time.
Evaluation
Evaluation of your work will be based on total points and then will be converted to percentages:
94-100% = A80-83%= B-67-69% = D+ 90-93% = A-77-79% = C+64-66% = D 87-89% = B+74-76% = C60-63% = D- 84-86% = B70-73% = C-0-59% = F
I will be happy to discuss your progress with you at any time.Midquarter reports will be sent out to any student receiving a D+ or below. This is an advanced class, meaning that those who choose to take it are making a commitment to maintaining a C+ or better in the class. If your grades fall below a C+, you may be asked to leave the class and may not be able to take AP World Lit. as a senior. Final grades will be calculated based on the following: 85% Coursework 15% Final exam
And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche. -Geoffrey Chaucer 1340-1400 |
“It’s such happiness when good people get together – and they always do.”- Jane Austen
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