Sparknotes summaries
etext of the novel
a hypertext of the novel, with loads of other ways of accessing the novel
For those who want a little more action in the novel, check out this new book:
10: Pride and Prejudice links
Sparknotes summaries
etext of the novel
a hypertext of the novel, with loads of other ways of accessing the novel
For those who want a little more action in the novel, check out this new book:
11: lecture notes for Mother Courage intro.
1. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1955); German political playwright, exiled in 1933
2. Brecht: ‘How can theatre be entertaining and at the same time instructive? How can it be taken out of the traffic in intellectual drugs and transformed from a place of illusion to a place of insight?’
3.Epic, non-Aristotelian or dialectic theatre
4. alienation effects :
- titles
- fragmentation of scenes
- music
- staging: minimalist, but with the texture of reality
- language
- acting style
5. Brecht: ‘What is a performance of Mother Courage & Her Children primarily meant to show?
That in wartime big profits are not made by little people. That war, which is a continuation of business by other means, makes the human virtues fatal even to their possessors. That no sacrifice is too great for the struggle against war.’ (xvii)
6. The Thirty Years War (1618-1648):
Imperial Catholic Germanic states
vs.
Protestant Germanic / Scandinavian states
7. Philosophical position of communism
- dialectic
- minimalism of individuality
- need for action
11A1: The Three Sisters reviews
When studying a play, it can be useful to read reviews of productions of that play. Here are a few I found:
9: Caged Bird map
Here is a map of the locations of the book around the United States. Click the link below to zoom in and see street-level views.
12 standard: paper 2 planning
Here's the question we worked with on Wed. 11.3.09:
“What happens in fiction is what distinguishes it…” Using at least two works, show how far your interest in novels and short stories has been based on the events and how much of your interest has been in other aspects?
Here are the notes preparing a thesis statement:
10: reader response essay
The goal of this essay is to explain how you experienced reading the play relative to specific techniques and elements of the play. In a reader response essay, you may refer to yourself as a reader, (using ‘I’ or ‘we’), explaining how specific elements of the play affected your emotional and intellectual response. You should not express your attitude about the quality of the play: it should analyze the way the author uses the text to have an effect on a specific reader, namely yourself or a reader just like you.
Basically, you are linking technique to the impact it has on the reader, instead of theme. Your thesis statement will identify the specific effect the identified techniques or features have on your reading of the play.
Choose one of the following prompts below: I have listed them in order of increasing difficulty. Again, please choose wisely.
Uploading London photos
I've created a Picasaweb site for our London pictures. Here's the link to see photos.
Here's how to upload photos:
London trip
I've created a Google map for the grade 10 London trip. Check it out!
Here is also a pdf of the trip information.
Much Ado About Nothing act III quotations
For 2 (TWO) of the quotations below, explain the significance of each passage. Relate it to a theme, the development of character or the development of conflict.
For each passage, you must cover the needed analysis in less than 200 words.
10A: Due Tuesday10 February.
10B: Due Wednesday 11 February.
"Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps." (III, i)
"If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her tomorrow, in the congregation where I should wed, there will I shame her." (III, ii)
"Yet Benedick was such another, and now is he become a man. He swore he would never marry; and yet now in despite of his heart he eats his meat without grudging. And how you may be converted I know not; but methinks you look with your eyes as other women do." (III, v)
10: sample Much Ado quote paragraph
"There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her. They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them." (I, i)
Leonato provides exposition for the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice and one of the conflicts of the play, and sets the tone for that conflict. Leonato’s use of war as a metaphor is apt since Benedick is a soldier, and foreshadows the contrast between being a soldier and a lover as discussed later in the play. The paradox of a 'merry war' sums up a view of love: that it is competitive, but at the same time light. This sets the context for the relationship between the two characters and lets the audience know that their respective jibes are not to be taken seriously. Beatrice has already made insulting comments regarding Benedick (contrasting the praise the messenger has heaped on him), and so the audience sees her as a shrew, but Leonato's explanation contextualizes her behaviour and makes it less threatening. Leonato follows this exposition with the further explanation that they engage in a 'skirmish of wit' when they meet, and Beatrice’s play on words on the lost wits of Benedick illustrate her use of wit. This is contrasted in the scene with Hero’s lack of verbal interaction generally, encouraging the audience to see Hero and Beatrice as foils.
199 words
Much Ado About Nothing act II quotations
For each of the quotations below, explain the significance of each passage. Relate it to a theme, the development of character or the development of conflict.
For each passage, you must cover the needed analysis in less than 200 words.
11: Antigone website
Structure and Plot of Antigone is a website about, well, the structure and plot of Antigone. I'm using it in class.
10: Playing Shakespeare site
Shakespeare's Globe has a website called Playing Shakespeare about aspects of their production of Much Ado About Nothing. Interesting and useful, I think.
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