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English Literature A Level

transition work

Summer 2020

Literature, in its many forms, is often a response to the world around us.

Some writers seek to criticise social, historical, or cultural norms, while

others may simply want to draw attention to them and allow the reader to

shape their own interpretation.

You will remember considering the influence of context (AO3) during your

GCSE study and this is just as important at A level; we will consider the ways

that writers show those on the margins of society and offer an insight to their

unheard voices.

With this in mind…

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How do GCSE and A-Level link together?

At GCSE you studied the following texts for your Literature qualification:

Power and Conflict poetry anthology (pre 1900 – modern times)

A Christmas Carol (19th century text)

An Inspector Calls (modern play)

Romeo and Juliet (literary heritage play)

Unseen poetry (pre 1900 – modern times)

The texts studied for GCSE have allowed to scratch the surface of Literature. English Literature at A-Level

develops and widens your references to a range of Literature through the ages exploring the literary

cannon in depth, broadening your reading and exposure to some fantastic novels, plays and poems.

For your NEA, there is the opportunity to respond to texts that you have chosen

to read and study independently rather than following the texts set for you by

your teachers and needed for your exams.

The analytical and comparison skills you’ve developed in Year 10 and 11 will be

developed to understand the author’s intentions, their cultural relevance, and

how texts are influence by the social history that surrounded them.

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Get ready for English Literature at A-Level

Task 1 – Revise your knowledge of the contextual influences for each of the GCSE literature texts.

a) Note down the social/historical/cultural issues that each writer sought to shed light on in their

writing.

b) Then write a brief summary of the writer’s intentions.

The first one has been done for you.

1. An Inspector Calls – J.B. Priestley

a) Socialism, capitalism, gender and class inequality

b) J.B. Priestley uses the character of Inspector Goole as his political mouth piece to both shed

light on social injustices caused by class and gender inequality, but also to give a voice to those

who suffer at the hands of the wealthy elite.

2. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens

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3. Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare

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4. (From the Power and Conflict poetry anthology) Checking Out Me History - John Agard

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Advice on preparing for A Level

Research and recap your knowledge and understanding of these issues before

September.

At the moment we are reading in the context of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of

white policemen and the uprising against injustice sparked by the terrible legacy of the

slave trade.

Tamika Mallory is an American activist and she recently spoke out about the protests

currently taking place. Watch the video here:

https://m.facebook.com/BET/videos/255902868961333/?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.face

book.com%2Fstory.php%3Fref%3Dm_notif&ref=m_notif&notif_t=comment_mention&_rdr

One of the texts you will study at A Level was written in 2009 but set in 1962. While an

understanding of the context in which the text was written and set is important, it is

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equally as important to consider the ways in which the novel is still relevant today.

Task 2 Read the information about the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett on the next

page and complete the tasks that follow.

Told through the voices of three

women, who in different ways defy the

labels stuck on them by society, this

novel challenges white privilege and

sexism.

Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise

white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver . . .

There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her

own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white

Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has

disappeared.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would

tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend

and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an

extraordinary story to tell...

'The other side of Gone with the Wind - and just as unputdownable' The Sunday Times

'Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird has changed lives. Its direct descendent The Help has the same potential . . . an

astonishing feat of accomplishment' Daily Express

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1. Thinking about the book cover, blurb and reviews of the novel on page 4, respond to the following:

a) Explain what you think the writer’s intentions might have been in writing this novel.

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b) How might current political and social affairs shape the way you read this novel? Do you

think George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent riots will change the way you interpret the

experiences of the women in the novel?

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2. Read this extract from the opening of the novel and then respond to the questions.

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a) Summarise your first impressions and explain your initial feelings about the text.

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b) How does the writer introduce the themes and characters? Highlight and annotate

the passage, labelling the techniques the writer uses and making a note of the effect

of her language choices. Then write one paragraph explaining how language is used

in this opening extract to give us an impression of the characters.

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c) Remind yourself of the context on page 4. How important do you think the social,

historical and cultural background is to understanding and appreciating the writer’s work? Give reasons for your answers. ________________________________________________________________________________

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Task 3

Research the time and place The Help was

written in: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962.

Summarise your findings and then explain how

you did your research and how reliable your

sources are.

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Reading widely is hugely important in your study of English Literature. The more you read, the more exposure to a range of diverse viewpoints, experiences, and significant historical moments you will have. Not only will this undoubtedly help to shape your interpretations of the texts you will study for your exams, it will also be excellent preparation of the none exam assessment unit of the course where you will independently select texts to examine and explore critically.

Here are some recommendations, particularly if you are interested in reading stories from/about under-represented/unheard voices.

The Colour Purple – Alice Walker

Unheard Voices – Malorie Blackman

Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng

Anita and Me – Meera Syal

Pigeon English – Stephen Kelman

Beloved – Toni Morrison

Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe

Zadie Smith – White Teeth

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

A Woman Is No Man – Etaf Rum

Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi

The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas

If you can’t find a copy of a text, email Miss Finlay nf@oakbank.org.uk BEFORE the summer

holidays and she’ll find and send you a copy of the text from the English faculty cupboard.

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Aside from reading, impress Miss Finlay by completing the following optional tasks before

starting your A-Level:

We all know the book is better than the movie, but sometimes the movie isn’t too bad, actually!

Watch the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. It’s a classic 90’s rom-com teenage movie – unpopular outcast girl falls for attractive guy but he’s only interested as part of a bet - (Miss Finlay was first in the cinema queue to go see it when it came out). It’s based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and is a modern re-telling of his classic story. Watch it and think about the story line – or, as we’re getting ready for A-Level, its Narrative Arc.

Narrative arc is a term that describes a story's full progression. It visually evokes the idea that every story has a relatively calm beginning, a middle where tension, character conflict, and narrative momentum builds to a peak, and an end where the conflict is resolved.

As you’re watching, consider those moments, beginning, middle

(what’s the tension?), character conflict (Who’s hating who? Who’s loving who? Who changes their feelings and why?), how does the story build to its peak, and what’s the resolution? (Is it a happy ever after?)

And if you really enjoyed this 90’s classic, what about these movies that are based on

Shakespeare’s plays?

The Lion King – Hamlet (either the animated or the live action)

She’s The Man – Twelfth Night

Get Over It – A Midsummer’s Night Dream

Men of Respect – Macbeth

For some educational viewing on why we study Shakespeare and what literature adds to our

lives, watch these Ted Talks -

Go on You Tube:

Ted Talks: Why Shakespeare? Because it's 2016 Ted Talks: What’s the Use of Reading? Literature and Empathy

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Finally, during lockdown we have access to the National Theatre’s drama library: In response to the school closures caused by Coronavirus, National Theatre is now offering username and password access to the National Theatre Collection.

For a temporary period, plays can be accessed remotely ensuring students studying from home can still watch them. Your access details are: https://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com Username: 9Zy%4Fz)j& Password: 6Jt*2Xp4n4 (The Log in button is in the top right-hand corner of the landing page. Please insert your username and password to left-hand option of the login pop-up.) Please ensure you are typing the credentials in rather than copying and pasting them as this can insert invisible spaces which invalidate the details. These should be entered under the ‘access log in’ and not the ‘personal log in’. If you have any difficulties please test in another browser as some are known as having issues.