Induction

A-Level Literature

Summer 2018

Contents1. Welcome to Literature2. Summer Reading 3. Literary Quiz4. Reading Ideas

5. Slides from Induction6.

Welcome to Literature!

You’re about to embark on a fantastic literary journey that will inspire and give you a wonderful grounding in Literature, whether you choose to go on and study it at University or decide that A-Level is the finishing point.

The course is peppered with a range of exciting texts and, of course with the introduction of the Chrome Books we will be using interactive materials and everything will be posted on our Chrome website and in Classroom. No more hunting for bits of paper, reading lists and so on, everything will be available on there. You can access this from home at any time, so no excuses if you are absent or on a trip.

You are being taught by very enthusiastic teachers who want you to do well BUT you have to play your part. You must READ (you know, that thing where you sit quietly and stare at a book and are transported to another world?)! This is vital to your success. After all those GCSEs, we appreciate that you are tired and ready for a rest BUT reading is relaxing and a good thing to do in the garden, on a bus, plane, beach, in a café and so on.

Inside this guide, you will find all the slides from Induction, some books to buy and read over the summer, a suggested summer reading list and a Literary Quiz to be completed and handed in at your first lesson.

Finally, enjoy it! It’s not often in life you are asked to sit and read a book, but you are being given that opportunity, so grab it with both hands.

Texts to read over the summer

Over the summer we would like you to read two texts (minimum) from our reading ideas list below. These are all books that have influenced your English teachers, as they have wandered through life and been exposed to a vast range of materials.

You must choose at least one Pre 1900 (they have stars* next to them) and the other can be of your choice … this is not a definitive list but will get you started.

Don’t spend a fortune! Go and borrow some books from the library!

Suggested Reading Ideas

Author Title Recommended by

Notes

Albom, Mitch The 5 People you Meet in Heaven

Mrs Kirby A book for anyone who’s ever wondered ‘why am I here’? This is the story of Eddie’s life but not the one he would have told. An easy but thought provoking read.

Austen, Jane Pride and Prejudice *

Miss Bennett A book for all ages. The wit and humour that underlies the romantic plot line is sharply observant reflecting society. It has some moments everyone can identify with. Timeless.

Austen, Jane Sense and Sensibility*

Mrs Kirby This is every Rom-Com you’ve ever watched but so much more. Classic Austen, commenting on the social expectations of her time. My perspective on this story and its characters, so believably human, so beautifully flawed, has evolved with me as I’ve grown up but my love for the story is unconditional.

Aylward, Gladys

The Small Woman

Miss Leverton A woman’s determination to go to China as a missionary in the 1930s. Incredible story of overcoming obstacles. Worth reading just for the prison scene alone.

Bolt, Robert A Man for All Seasons

Miss Bennett This traces the struggle for power with Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More. Ego v Morality. Based on real historic events it explores how far the individual will go to preserve what they feel is vital in life. The film where Paul Schofield reveals the secrets of his inner being to Parliament makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Bronte, Charlotte

Jane Eyre* Mrs de Montjoie My first real classic. I read it over and over even before I had to study it at school. I still have my note covered copy from 1983! I both loved and hated Mr Rochester but it led me to another critical work, The Madwoman in the Attic.

Collins, Wilke The Woman in White*

Miss Leverton It was the first mystery novel and inspiration for the Woman in Black so expect madness, the Gothic and a nasty villain at the heart of the story. The heroine isn’t the woman in white but a much feistier character who gives Count Fosco a run for his money.

de Saint-Exupéry, Antoine

The Little Prince

Mrs de Montjoie It was hard to choose my favourite children's book ... but this is one I share with my Dad (we have a literary bond!). I spent many a happy hour as a child, confusing teacher avec mon dessin ne representait pas un chapeau. Il representait un serpent boa qui digerait un elephant (sorry about the missing accents!).

Faulkes, Sebastian

Jeeves and the Wedding Belles

Miss Leverton This is homage to PG Wodehouse (whose collected works would be my desert island choice). Bertie Wooster is a rich young man in 1920’s England. He has many qualities but brains aren’t one of them. Thankfully his ‘man’ (servant), Jeeves has brains by the bucketful. They make a marvellous team and both the plot and prose are hilarious. I defy you not to fall off the chair laughing only to get up, go out and buy every copy of Wodehouse you can lay your hands on!

Fforde, Jasper The Eyre Affair

Mrs de Montjoie I was given this book by a student about 10 years ago, as she knew I was a huge Jane Eyre fan. The lead character, Thursday Next, travels through literary time to solve crimes against literature! In this novel, Jane Eyre has been kidnapped! Laugh out loud stuff!

Fowles, John The Magus Miss Bennett This is a magical tale that spans several countries and has an intricate plot where illusion and reality are indecipherable at times. It has many interpretations and is quite unlike anything I have ever read.

Frankl, Viktor Man's Search for Meaning

Miss Leverton Not the easiest of reads as Frankl experienced and survived the Nazi concentration camps. A superbly inspirational book though.

Graham, Kenneth

The Wind in the Willows

Miss Leverton It is a lovely meander through the world of Ratty, Mole, Toad and Badger. Lots of humour and recognisable characters in each of the animals – efficient, impatient Ratty, quiet, self- effacing Mole. The chapter with the missing baby otter will reduce you to tears.

Hodgson Burnett, Frances

The Secret Garden

Miss Bennett The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson Burnett has it all. It is mysterious with strange noises in the night, a secret beyond the garden and a classic nineteenth century setting. Pure escapism.

Mitchell, David

The Bone Clocks

Mrs Kirby This was my beach read last summer. One for the fantasy fans it tells the story of Holly Sykes and the strange mysteries that follow her across time. I was hooked from the first page.

McEwan, Ian Saturday Mrs Kirby This is the book that made me remember I loved reading. An exciting and intriguing thriller, this is so much a story of its time and yet equally relevant 11 years on. Both Perowne and Baxter have that irritating quality of being simultaneously repugnant and pitiful. A real page turner.

Nicholls, David

One Day Mrs Kirby There was a brief period of time a few summers ago when everywhere you looked, from buses to cafes to Spanish sunbeds, women’s (and I’m afraid they were almost exclusively women) were obscured by a strange orange, cream and navy blue mass – the original cover of this book. The story is not original and neither are its characters, which is perhaps why they are so heartbreakingly endearing as they trip towards their inevitable fate. I loved it. Read it (but please don’t watch the dreadful film).

Ondaatje, Michael

In the Skin of the Lion

Mrs de Montjoie A novel about immigration and immigrants, the experience of being an outsider and of the effect on the local culture. Beautifully expressed by Ondaatje who was himself an immigrant into Canada. He exposes the 'migrant condition' perfectly.

Patten, Brian Love Poems Mrs de Montjoie 'A Small Dragon' is probably one of my favourite poems of all time. I always turn to poetry, when life is rushing by. It makes you stop and breathe. It can capture a moment more beautifully than a painting, as it relies solely on you to interpret the meaning.

Williams, John

Stoner Miss Bennett This was an unexpected joy on holiday last year. I didn't want it to finish. It's about an ordinary teacher in a University and the extraordinary life he has. It made me reflect on the power of Literature.

Presentations

DUE IN DURING THE FIRST FEW LESSONS WITH YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER

When you return after the holidays, we would like you to do a 10 minute presentation on your choice of books.

As you read, keep a diary … it’s a really useful way to have notes ready for your presentation

Use these ideas as a guide:o Did you know anything about the text or the author before you

began?

o Can you briefly outline the story?o What were your impressions after the first chapter? o How does the narrative (story) develop?o What intrigues you about the characters? Or perhaps you find

something irritating about the characters?o What do you think are the key dramatic moments in the texts? Is

there a moment of enlightenment when you suddenly understand the story or characters more fully?

o Was there a point where you felt the text was hard to get through?

o Did you find the ending to be satisfactory? o What style of writing does the book have?

Descriptive Complex sentences Who tells the story? First or third person narrative? Simple or complex vocabulary?

o Did you have any issues with the texts? Were there techniques you used to get over them and get to the end?

Your presentation should be personal to you. Feel free to use a power point or any other method to give your presentation and enjoy your reading.

Literary Quiz

COMPLETE THE QUIZ AND HAND INTO YOUR TEACHER DURING YOUR FIRST LESSON!

Most of the questions are worth approximately 2 points each, although number 10 for example is worth 6 points. You will receive bonus points for every answer which includes a date reference. It is important to be aware of when writers were/are writing and therefore have some understanding of the social, economic and political backgrounds of the time. It is also important to understand the literary timeline and how writers were influenced by their predecessors.

GOOD LUCK!

1. Research the term, ‘Achille’s heel.’ What does it mean and from where does it originate?2. What was the Holy Grail and who was searching for it?3. Who wrote the novel, Brave New World? Where does the title come from?4. What is a ‘malapropism’? Where does it originate?5. List Jane Austen’s 6 novels.6. Guy Fawkes is a popular, traditional character often referred to in Literature. Who was he

and what did he do?7. What is an ‘Oedipus complex’ and from where does it originate?8. In which Victorian novel would you find the character, Michael Henchard, who sells his wife

and daughter for 5 guineas? Name the author.9. Who wrote, The Canterbury Tales? How many pilgrims were there?10. What was Bacchus god of?11. Name the monster in the work, Beowulf, the earliest substantial poem in the English

Language. 12. What was Eric Blair’s pseudonym?13. Who wrote Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Which character was the fiend?14. For which work is John Milton most remembered and from which physical affliction did he

suffer in his later years?15. Who wrote the very famous novel which had as a sub-title, ‘Prometheus Unbound’? What

was the novel? Explain the subtitle. Name two of the author’s closest literary companions.16. In the 20th Century, who wrote, The Four Quartets, Which masterpiece for children did this

writer also produce? 17. Which three literary sisters lived in Haworth, Yorkshire? Name one book by each.18. Which famous writer, who lived through the reigns of William and Mary and Queen Anne,

was employed for a time as a secret agent. What was his most famous novel?19. What was the ‘Spanish Inquisition’?20. Explain the term the ‘Devil’s Advocate’.21. Name two contemporaries of Shakespeare.22. Which famous allegory features the ‘Slough of Despond’, the ‘Valley of Humiliation’ and

‘Doubting Castle’.23. Helen of Troy is a woman often referred to in Literature. What was her story and what did

she symbolise?

24. Lord Byron was famous for his poetry and his outrageous behaviour. Name a famous poem and a famous titled lover.

25. List 3 novels by Mary Anne Evans26. Name the Dickens’ novels which contain the following characters:

a. Little Nell and Daniel Quilpb. Herbert Pocket and Miss Havisham

27. Which Dickens’ novel is a damning indictment of the legal system in Victorian England?28. What is a spoonerism and from where does it originate?29. Who wrote Gulliver’s Travels?30. Who was the famous diarist of the 17th Century?31. What was Pandora’s box?32. Tom Stoppard’s modern play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead features two

characters from which 17th century play?33. Drama became an established art form in Elizabethan times. However there were plays

performed in earlier centuries initially based on religious teachings. What were they called?34. Who wrote the famous line, ‘no man in an island’?35. How did the Irish writer, James Joyce, revolutionise the form and structure of the novel?

Name his most famous work.36. What is the Faustian legend?37. Who wrote ‘Rape of the Lock’ and Eloisa and Abelard’?38. Whose Gothic poem has the heroine planting her lover’s head in a herb pot?39. Identify the work and writer from the following lines:

a. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

b. Beauty is truth, truth is beauty – that is allYe know on earth and all ye need to know.

c. I know that I shall meet my fateSomewhere above the clouds above,Those that I fight I do not hate,Those that I guard I do not love.

40. From which Shakespeare play do the following well-known words originate?“But be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

The End!

PS. Remember more dates, more points!

PPS. The Oxford Companion to English Literature is a VERY useful resource!