1. A Level Literature
When I look back, I am so impressed
again with the life-giving power of
literature. If I were a young person
today, trying to gain a sense of
myself in the world, I would do that
again by reading, just as I did when I
was young.
~ Maya Angelou ~
2. What does it mean to be human?
Literature addresses the existential
questions of life.
Studying literature gives us the chance
to examine the human condition
through the stories we share.
Studying literature allows us to have a
range of experiences as readers which
we wouldn’t normally have access to.
In a very real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than
people who cannot or will not read. - S. I. Hayakawa -
3. How do we tell our stories?
Pupils will study different styles of
writing, for example novels, plays
and poems.
Pupils will learn how to critically
analyse the way language, imagery,
literary techniques and aspects of
structure are manipulated by the
author to have an impact on the
reader.
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss:
in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden
from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
4. From what point of view do we read?
Pupils will read other literary critics to
inform your own analysis.
Pupils will learn about different
literary critical perspectives, for
example feminism.
Pupilswill also learn how texts are
affected by the contexts in which they
are written and received
I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which
have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got
ourselves. ~ E. M. Forster ~
5. What the course covers –
AS Level CIE – Examinations to be written in June
2018
Paper 3: Poetry and Prose
Likely texts include Songs of Ourselves Poetry Anthology
and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Paper 4: Drama
Likely texts include Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
and Death and the Kings Horseman by Wole Soyinka.
6. What the course covers –
A2 Level – CIE – Examinations to be
written in June 2019
Paper 5: Shakespeare and other pre-20th Century Texts
Likely texts include Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
Paper 6: 1900 to the present
Likely texts include Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie (also the
matric set novel for 2018) and selected poems of WB Yeats.
7. Outside of class
In addition to class and homework pupils
must be avid readers from a range of genres.
An extended reading list will be provided and
at least one book from it should be read each
half term.
Pupils are expected to take the initiative to
read widely around the set texts. This could
include other works by the same author or
literary criticism of the text.
To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready
always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry.
8. Criteria:
love reading and already be avid readers.
have a strong work ethic and time to devote to the
extra work
have analytic reading ability (their literature and
comprehension marks should provide some indication
of this). Pupils will, effectively be jumping two years
forward to grade 12 level work.
Pupils who are process driven will find this jump
easier
The end of reading is not more books but more life. - Holbrook Jackson -
9. The next chapter?
A study of Literature prepares you for a range
of options at university and beyond.
An A level in English Literature develops the
analytic skills to help pupils thrive at university.
An English Literature A Level is highly
respected. It is on the list of Russell Group
(top 24 UK Universities) facilitating (preferred)
subjects
.
A good book is the purest essence of a human soul. ~ Thomas Carlyle ~
10. A great book should leave you with many experiences and
slightly exhausted at the end. You should live several lives while
reading it. ~ William Styron ~
The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.
- Dr. Seuss
