EN 1108:
English Literature I
Brief introduction to English literature
· Different genres;
short story, novel, poetry, drama
· Sri Lankan
literature in English: brief introduction of the characteristics
· Post-colonial
literature: an introduction to writings of African, Indian, Caribbean, Nigerian
writers
Poetry
· Different forms:
ballad, sonnet, ode, lyric, free verse. A brief explanation of each form.
· Different ages:
Elizabethan, Metaphysical, Romantic, Victorian Augustan, modern
· Language in poetry
Difference between a novel and a short story
· Introduction to
the novel and the short story
· Difference between
the two types in terms of length, characters, themes, setting, plot
Introduction to drama
· Short history
· Elements of drama:
plot, characters, theme, dialogue, dramatic conventions, stage craft,
Language skills
The following aspects with regard to prescribed
poetry, novels, short story and drama should be dealt with throughout the
literature program
Language skills for appreciation.
· Recognizing and
appreciating patterns of syntax
· Aspects of
cohesion,
· Register – levels
of formalities,
· Language
varieties,
· Vocabulary,
· Inference
· Tone, how dialogue
and spoken discourse operates
· How and why
linguistic patterns operate in a text
Language skills for production
Expressing
opinions / feelings confidently, giving information clearly
Reading skills
Use reading skills (activities) to understand the
poem / short story / novel / drama
Literary skills
· Identifying and
understanding the effect of figurative language-simile, metaphor etc.
· Rhyme, rhythm,
assonance, alliteration
Content areas
· Setting – social /
cultural / political / educational background
· Plot structure,
character development, and theme
Teaching poetry
· Recommended text
English and
American Poetry
- William
Shakespeare: 1564-1616 (Under the Greenwood tree (as You like It)
- Thomas Campion:
1567- 1620, Rose–cheeked Laura
- Robert Herrick:
1591-1674, To Daffodils
- William
Wordsworth: 1770-1850, My Heart Leaps Up, Daffodils
- Alfred Lord
Tennyson: 1809-1892, Charge of the light Brigade
- Wilfred Owen:
1893-1918, Dulce Et Decorum Est.
Sri Lankan and
Post-colonial Poetry,
- Kamala Wijeratne
(Musical, Monument)
- Patrick Fernando,
Fisherman Mourned by his Wife
- Nissim Ezekiel,
Entertainment
- John Pepper Clerk,
Night Rain
· Consider the
following aspects
- Genre: e.g. sonnet, lyric etc
- Background: age, cultural/ social setting
- Form: e.g. 3 quatrains and a couplet
- Structure: e.g. 1st 3 quatrains
express 3 different ideas, each growing out of the preceding Idea; argument is
tied up in the couplet.
- Theme: futility of war, love, beauty of nature,
etc.
- Techniques: e.g. use of imagery, repetition,
simile, etc.
· Types of activities:
Select tasks which match the cognitive level of the
students, which is more developed than the language level. Activities which
assist in understanding difficult language will bridge the gap between language
level and text level. Activities should aim at developing the following aspects
with regard to each poem.
- Understanding the meaning: pre-text task,
Introduction to key words, Prediction activities, reorganizing / matching /
comparing / scanning activities.
- Understanding the context:
- Learning to empathize: power of understanding and
imaginatively entering into another person’s feelings’ character / events /
scenes
- Learning to appreciate the poem: figurative
language, theme, genre, words, sounds
- Learning to be creative express feelings / mood /
tone, describe characters / events / settings.
Teaching short stories
· Recommended text
- Chitra Fernando:
Missilin
- Saki: Open Window
- Rabindranath
Tagore: The Postmaster
· Draw attention of
the students to the following aspects
- Setting: How does the writer establish social /
cultural background?
- Plot: how does the writer develop the plot /
organize incidents / develop the problem or conflict as the story progresses /
the climax of the story / what happens after the climax.
- Characters: How are the characters developed? What
does the story tell us about their appearance / qualities, how do they
contribute to the development of the plot and to present the theme?
- Structure: Point of view, narrative, use of
dialogue etc
- Language: the kind of language the writer has used
- Techniques: symbolism, stream of consciousness,
flashbacks etc.
Teaching the novel
· Recommended text
- R.K. Narayan; The
Guide or
- Ediriweera
Sarathchandra: The curfew and the Full Moon
· Consider the
following aspects
- Narration: 1st person, 3rd person
- Structure: descriptive, narrative, dialogue, length
of the novel
- Plot and parallel plots, sub-plots
- Themes: Unlike a short story a noel will deal with
many themes
- Characters: central, major, minor
· Create awareness
of the following
Knowledge of the author, period in which the novel
was written / the period of time the novel is focusing
· Type of
activities:
- to understand the plot: arranging a list of jumbled
events in order, summarizing a chapter
- to understand the themes: select from a number of
themes etc.
- to understand literary devices and their
effects: analyze selections of texts to identify literary devices
- to express learner’s views: presentations on issues
related to the novel, writing appreciations, dramatization
- to identify character traits: identify relationship
between the characters and the development of the relationships
Teaching drama
· Recommended text
- Arthur Miller: The
Death of a Salesman or
- Bernard Shaw: The
Arms and the Man
· Draw attention to
the following aspects
- Background to the drama
- Genre: Comedy, tragedy
- Theatre conventions: props, structure, props,
lighting, costume, sounds, asides, soliloquy, chorus
- Themes
- Development of the plot: exposition, initial
incident, rising action / growth / complication, the climax / crisis / turning
point, falling action / resolution / denouement, conclusion or catastrophe
- Development of the characters
- Significance of language: blank verse, poetry,
colloquial
