I’m often confronted with students who have absolutely no idea why the collected works of a seventeenth century showman are inflicted upon them with such relentless regularity. The thing is, I generally meet these kids when they’re at the point of having suffered through nearly half a decade of this strange phenomenon and, for some[…]
Richard III is probably my favourite Shakespeare play, but it’s also definitely one of the most difficult to understand. The main reason for this is assumed knowledge – the play cuts in abruptly in the final days of Edward IV, playing out the closing stages of a drama which Shakespeare could confidently assume his audience[…]
Probably the first thing to understand about Alain De Botton’s The Art of Travel is that the title has a double meaning. Most students I speak to understand immediately that we’re talking about ways to travel well, but very few have realised that the title also refers to that art which has been generated because[…]
THE MODULE B RUBRIC This module is probably the easiest to understand, but also the one which arguably requires the most work. The thing to remember about Mod B is that you MUST know your text. Module B questions are structured such that you will not be able to get away with a casual or[…]
It might sound a bit obvious, but it’s still worth pointing out that it’s not really possible to construct an effective story without using the basic elements of story structure. Introduction/Setting Compllication Rising Action Climax Falling Action Resolution [Denouement Optional] You’ve probably heard of some or all of these before, and I’m sure you recognise[…]
Listen! We have heard of the thriving of the Danish kings, How they flourished in days long past, How those royal athelings earned their glory! With this adjuration to ‘Listen!’ begins one of the most important stories in English letters. Any serious student of literature will have spent a great deal of time living and[…]
