Group 1: English Literature

6th Form

Course Description

"Books are the carriers of civilisation. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill." Barbara Tuchman

The English A1 course is a unique opportunity to study a wealth of literature from around the globe. A wide range of genres are studies, such as seminal novels, short stories, poetry, diaries and an exciting variety of plays. From Shakespeare to Solzhenitsyn, Webster to Kafka, and spanning Garcia Lorca to Alan Bennett - some of the greatest works of Literature are at the heart of a course that inspires a love of reading and an exploration of issues and themes of truly universal significance.

Students at both levels will be encouraged to be independent critical readers; to inquire and express themselves with clarity, coherence and with confidence. The course demands a range of skills to be executed with assurance, such as oral presentations, discussion, written commentaries, drama in performance and academic writing. In keeping with this independent spirit of inquiry they will create reading journals, and be encouraged to respond creatively and take risks with their interpretations.

Course Content

Part I World Literature

1. Metamorphosis, Kafka

2. Blood Wedding, Garcia Lorca

3. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Solzhenitsyn (HL only)

Part II Detailed Study - Oral commentary

1. Othello (compulsory Shakespeare)

2. Selected Poems (Robert Browning, Poetry)

3. Heart of Darkness (Conrad, Novel) (HL only)

4. Journals / The Bell Jar (Plath, Non-Fiction) (HL only)

Part III Genre Study - Drama

1. The History Boys, Alan Bennett

2. A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams

3. The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster

4. Oedipus Rex, Sophocles (World Literature)

Part IV School's Free Choice

1. The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald

2. Selected Poems, Philip Larkin

3. Death of a Salesman, Miller (HL only)

4. Ghosts, Ibsen (World Literature)

Assessment

50% Written Exam: External Assessment

• One written commentary on an unseen passage of poetry or prose

• Essay based on the drama texts studied in Part III

30% Oral Activities: Internal Assessment

• Individual oral commentary, based on works from Part II

• Individual Presentation, based on work from Part IV

20% Essays on World Literature: External Assessment

• Comparative study of at least two Part I works

• Creative assignment based on a choice of text

Group 1: English Literature

6th Form

Early Closure Dates 2012-13