British Literature Class Notes -- Week 2 (January 25)

Greetings!

My apologies for the lateness of these Class Notes.  I usually send them out before the weekend is over, but it just didn't happen this week.  Unlike my other classes that have a variety of types of assignments, the homework is pretty straightforward for this class:  Read the assigned sections and come up with some thought-provoking discussion questions.

This past week we worked through the first part of the classic Beowulf.  I've chosen a prose version of this story rather than the epic verse version because I thought the story would be easier to understand.  If you are interested in reading a poetic version, Seamus Heaney has the best translation, and here is a link to a PDF version.  

During or last class, we used the questions from the study guide for our discussions.  These questions modeled the types of questions that I would like the students to write themselves.  Simple questions that help us make sure we have the basics down (i.e. who, what, when, where),  but I would like the students to go beyond comprehension questions, asking questions that start with "How" or "Why."  (If you're interested, Bloom's Taxonomy describes the levels of thinking abilities that progress from basic to higher order critical thinking, and this website has a great chart that I've used in composing study guides.)

We've only had two weeks together, but I'm pleased with our discussions.  Even with a small class, we've kept ourselves engaged up until the end of our time.  Way to go, students!  Below are some helpful and interesting short videos related to the story of Beowulf.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Finish Beowulf

-- Write 3 Discussion Questions (These must be written out and ready to hand in)

Links for This Week:

Class Notes

Beowulf, Summary & Overview -- 60 Second Recap

Beowulf, The Plot (Part 1) -- 60 Second Recap

Beowulf, The Plot (Part 2) -- 60 Second Recap

Beowulf, The Characters (Part 1) -- 60 Second Recap

Beowulf, The Characters (Part 2) -- 60 Second Recap

Beowulf, The Lego Version

Seamus Heaney's Beowulf

Bloom's Taxonomy Charts

Happy Reading & Stay Warm!

Mrs. Prichard

British Literature Class Notes -- Week 14 (May 4)

Greetings!

We are on our final book, the 1915 espionage/thriller The 39 Steps by John Buchan.  The class seems to like the book.  Not only is it shorter, it has an engaging plot and feels more contemporary in its style.  In class we discussed the the questions that each student brought to class.

If students are interested, they might want to watch excerpts from a 2008 BBC version of the book or a scene from a stage play.  The movies made from this book follow the serious, dangerous tone found in the book while the plays are more farcical.   We will finish the book for the last week in class.

This week, our final week together, we will finish our discussion of The 39 Steps and will also have a final exam. This exam will look more like a game of Jeopardy.  No studying will be required; on the other hand, students have mentioned that treat would be nice, so they may bring something to share with the class.

Assignments for this week:

-- Finish The 39 Steps

Links for this week:

Class Notes

The 39 Steps (BBC version)

Drury Lane stage version of The 39 Steps

The Value of Reflection Papers

Looking forward to our class,

Mrs. Prichard

British Literature Class Notes -- Week 2 (January 26)

Greetings!

We had a good class this week with some thoughtful discussions about our current piece of literature, Beowulf.  This one of the longest epic poem in Old English, which was the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest.  For a long time, it was a forgotten piece of literature until J. R. R. Tolkien composed a fresh translation from the Old English and began teaching it in his classes.  

The version we are reading is a prose translation, as opposed to a strictly poetic presentation.  Much of the imagery and wording are maintained.  For example, the kennings, the hyphenated, compound nouns are used for their poetic sense throughout the book.  Another literary, verbal technique that is repeated is the use of appositives. An appositive is a phrase that restates or renames a preceding noun.  This can make the content a little confusing if you are not sure if the writer is referring to a previously mentioned person or bringing in a new person.

We talked about some of the aspects of this selection that make it hard reading.  The appositives were one.  Another is the simple fact that the names and places are unfamiliar.  If common American history was the topic, we would all be acquainted with the names and places.  Finally, the story is not always told in a straightforward manner.  Sometimes it cycles to a back story, and in one part, a bard tells a story of another warrior as part of a celebration that seems out of place.  Even with these challenges, the students had some good insights and observations regarding the themes of Beowulf.

We ended class with two short Youtube videos that must have been done as class projects for an English class.  One was done with Legos; the other was a claymation video.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Finish Beowulf

-- Bring to class 3 discussion questions.  

Links for this week:

Background for Beowulf

Beowulf (Lego version)

Beowulf (Claymation version)

Beowulf -- Summary (60 Second Recap)

Beowulf -- The Plot, part 1 (60 Second Recap)

Beowulf -- The Plot, part 2 (60 Second Recap)

Beowulf -- The Characters, part 1 (60 Second Recap)

Beowulf -- The Characters, part 2 (60 Second Recap)

Have a great week!

Mrs. Prichard

Great Expectations Videos and Audio

In class I mentioned some media sources, which I will include here, but I would like to caution students to NOT watch any videos as a substitute for reading the text.  A number of the current films do not remain true to the original novel.

When you've finished the book, here are some videos that you might want to watch:
Great Expectations -- the 1946 version.  (This one is my FAVORITE!!!)
          If the above link doesn't work, here is one from Youtube.

Great Expectations -- cartoon version

Some of you may find these audio versions of Great Expectations helpful.  While I wouldn't suggest consuming the whole book in this manner, auditory learners may benefit from hearing and reading.  Or you could listen on a long car trip or while you're doing dishes for your family.

Librivox (Chapter by Chapter)

Librivox on Youtube

Audiobook Treasury

British Literature Class Notes -- Week 4 (February 5)

Greetings!

Again this week, we had a lively discussion about our literature selection, Much Ado About Nothing.  The students brought great discussion classes for us to work through.  We began our discussion with a quick overview of the plot and the characters.  While this is not one of Shakespeare's more complex plays, I feel that as a group we are able to dig a little deeper into the motivations and themes.  This week we discussed Benedick's and Beatrice's relationship, the idea of lies, spying, and overheard conversations, the theme of masks and mistaken identity, and character development.

For those who are interested, Librivox has an audiobook for the whole play.  Feel free to listen to this recording with the book in hand.

Next week will finish Much Ado and introduce Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I handed out copies of the next book, in case they want to get started reading this.   You'll note the difference in length, compared to our previous two books.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Acts III, IV, & V of Much Ado

-- Write 3 Discussion Questions

Links for this Week:

Class Notes

Much Ado About Nothing (audio)

Much Ado -- Free Kindle Book

Utah University Much Ado performance (Latin American setting)

Bexhill Theater Performance  (1945 setting)

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Prichard