What on earth is del.icio.us?

Perhaps you have been using Crossref-it.info for a while now and have been finding it useful for your exams, essays and home work. And perhaps you have been bookmarking some of the pages for future reference.

But the annoying thing is: whenever you access the site from a different computer, the bookmarks aren't there and you have to try and find where you left off last time.

Well, if that is you, then there is good news! There are a number of ways which will really make things easier for you! Here are a few methods you could try:

1. Before you start your session, sign in. Signing in is free and quick. And it means that, the next time you access the site and sign in, it will tell you which pages you viewed in your previous session.

2. You could use del.icio.us: What on earth is del.icio.us, you ask? Basically, just click on the "del.icio.us" link at the bottom of almost every page on the website and it will let you "bookmark" the page on http://del.icio.us . You can bookmark any website on del.icio.us, which means that you have always have access to your bookmarks (wherever there is an internet connection, that is).

3. Along with del.icio.us, we support a number of similar services. Just take a quick look at the bottom of most pages on Crossref-it.info - we've tried to make this as straight forward as possible for you!

4. And, finally - if you really like a page, or think a page is particularly useful, then we would love it if you shared your enthusiasm with others by digging it. Spreading the word, so to speak. Again, the Digg button can be found at the very bottom of most pages on the site.

What does it mean to revise: Themes?

How on earth do you prepare for an A Level Eng. Lit exam?
Welcome to the second in a short series about how to revise English successfully.

It is very likely that at least one of the questions you will face in the exam will focus on how an author presents one or more themes within or across texts. How can you prepare for that?

There are basic areas to cover, regardless of the text. For each of the following:

• Try and make condensed notes / a mind map / list headwords
• Learn a quotation or specific example to illustrate.
  

Selected theme:

Within a text

1) Identify the theme’s emergence – instances of its recurrence
2) What imagery is associated with the theme? Does this create a particular mood?
3) How is the theme worked out through the plot / narrative arc?
4) In prose, do any relationships between characters illustrate this theme?

Across texts

How is the theme dealt with differently in comparative texts?

• Look at 1 – 3 above

Author:

How does the author ‘use’ this theme – what ‘meaning’ does it represent?

• How is the theme outworked to support this (include imagery and mood)?
• Are there direct authorial comments that guide the reader’s interpretation of the theme?
  

Reader:

1) Do you have a personal response to this theme – has it made you reflect on aspects of contemporary life?
2) Are you satisfied with how the author has ‘used’ the theme?

Always keep in mind that themes are highlighted by an author to serve the purposes of the text.

Last chance to win a free Apple iPod Shuffle

We recently offered our readers a great chance of winning an iPod Shuffle.

While we originally set the deadline for the 20th of May, we are now pleased to announce that we are extending it for one more week! So - fill in our survey by Wednesday the 27th May and you have a good chance of winning (and it really helps us to know what you think about the website).

How does this work?

It will only take you a minute to fill in our quick one-page survey. And as a small thank you, one of the participants, selected randomly, will win a free silver Apple iPod Shuffle!

To qualify you need to:
1. Complete our short survey by Wednesday 27th May 2009.
2. Enter your email address when prompted, which needs to be the same email address used to register at Crossref-it.info (if you haven't done that yet - register now for free)
3. We will contact the winner by email and announce the result on the blog.

Click here to fill in our short survey.

Thank you for your feedback.

What does it mean to revise: Characterisation?

Revision for subjects like History and Biology seems pretty straightforward; if you get your head around some significant facts and marshall your evidence, you are likely to do well. But how on earth do you prepare for A Level Eng. Lit?

Welcome to the first in a short series about how to revise English successfully.

It is very likely that at least one of the questions you will face in the exam will focus on characterisation (how an author presents a character). How can you prepare for that?

There are basic areas to cover, regardless of the text. For each of the following:

• Try and make condensed notes / a mind map / list headwords
• Learn a quotation or specific example to illustrate

Selected character:

1) The character’s narrative arc:

• How s/he is introduced
• His/her story/development through the novel
• The character’s own new perspectives by the end (what s/he has learnt)

2) His/her physical appearance and the language s/he uses (register, syntax)

3) His/her relationships with others in the text

4) The imagery associated with him/her.

Author:

1) The author’s attitude to the character – discerned through

• 2 and 4 above
• Differences in perspective
• Tone used describing that character and direct/indirect judgements on him/her (authorial intrusion?)
  

2) Changes in attitude / sympathy – ultimate assessment of character.

Reader:

1) Be aware of your personal response to the character – have you found the hero / heroine attractive – annoying - funny?

2) Are you satisfied with how the author created the character

• Are they believable (2D or fully rounded) – or more significant for the role they play in the text’s ‘meaning’?
• Do you have other criticisms about the characterisation?
  

Always keep in mind that every character is simply a literary construct, created by an author for the purposes of the text.

The Collar by George Herbert

We want this blog to be fun to read. Occasionally, we are thus posting short literary 'snippets'. Today's 'snippet' is a poem by George Herbert - The Collar. Enjoy!

I struck the board, and cry’d, No more;
I will abroad.
What? shall I ever sigh and pine?
My lines and life are free; free as the rode,
Loose as the winde, as large as store.
Shall I be still in suit?
Have I no harvest but a thorn
To let me bloud, and not restore
What I have lost with cordiall fruit?
Sure there was wine,
Before my sighs did drie it: there was corn
Before my tears did drown it.
Is the yeare onely lost to me?
Have I no bayes to crown it?
No flowers, no garlands gay? all blasted?
All wasted?
Not so, my heart: but there is fruit,
And thou hast hands.
Recover all thy sigh-blown age
On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute
Of what is fit, and not forsake thy cage,
Thy rope of sands,
Which pettie thoughts have made, and made to thee
Good cable, to enforce and draw,
And be thy law,
While thou didst wink and wouldst not see.
Away; take heed:
I will abroad.
Call in thy deaths head there: tie up thy fears.
He that forbears
To suit and serve his need,
Deserves his load.
But as I rav’d and grew more fierce and wilde,
At every word,
Methought I heard one calling, Childe:
And I reply’d, My Lord.

For synopsis, commentary and a discussion of the themes and language of this poem please go to Poem analysis > The Collar

If you have a suggestion as to which poem you would like to see as the next 'snippet', please do let us know by leaving a comment...

Want a free silver Apple iPod Shuffle?

Here at Crossref-it.info we do our best to try and ensure that you have access to a helpful, academically credible and free English literature website.

Needless to say, we want all that hard work to benefit you. Which is why we would really like to hear what you have to say: what you like or dislike about the site and how you think we should improve things.

It will only take you a minute to fill in our quick one-page survey. And as a small thank you, one of the participants, selected randomly, will win a free silver Apple iPod Shuffle!

To qualify you need to:
1. Complete our short survey by Wednesday 20th May 2009.
2. Enter your email address when prompted, which needs to be the same email address used to register at Crossref-it.info (if you haven't done that yet - register now for free)
3. We will contact the winner by email and announce the result on the blog.

Click here to fill in our short survey.

Thank you for your feedback.

Education in Victorian England

Education was not universal before 1870 and many, particularly in the new industrial slums, were unable to read or write. Private schools were usually the reserve of the wealthy and grammar schools accepted some pupils from poorer backgrounds, but only boys. While some churches worked together to set up elementary schools, and trade unions set up adult education classes, the situation, generally, was pretty dire.

Education in Jane Eyre is quite a dominant theme: Jane Eyre herself attends a charity-run school, and later becomes a governess, entrusted with Adèle's education. The school Jane Eyre attends, Lowood School, is said to be a reflection of the school Charlotte Brontë herself attended.

While Charlotte Brontë's experience in school can be seen influencing her work, Charles Dickens' experience of not being in school arguably has the same effect on his works. Dickens, who was sent to work in a Blacking Factory at the age of 12, was nonetheless able to receive an education and can thus be considered fortunate. But the plight of children who did not receive an education and were being used for factory labour is a definite influence in his work.

More information on Education in Victorian England can be found by following this link. Tip - try typing 'Victorian' 'Education' into the Crossref-it.info search - you'll be surprised at the wealth of information at your fingertips!

Critical approaches to literature

One of the key things that makes for a successful A Level English Lit answer is the sense that you have personally engaged with the text, that it has affected your own perspective.

At the same time however, you need to show awareness that others have come to the work from a different angle – the interpretations of other readers mentioned in Assessment Objective 3.

At this level, you don’t want to get too bogged down with analysing critical approaches, but you do need to grasp the main ideas involved.

Crossref-it.info has an easy to understand introduction to the main ways in which critics have interpreted texts, particularly how these interpretations have developed over the last 30 years. Individual text guides contain sections dealing with critical approaches that arise out of the specific work, but it you want a useful overview, try exploring the various pages in the Critical approaches to literature section.

Your job is then to note down how each approach might affect the way you engage with the text you are studying and ask:

• Does it help you understand the text in a new way?
• Do you agree with this sort of interpretation?
• Does it change your personal perspective?
  

Remember, the examiner wants to know that you have thought for yourself, but can support each of your views with evidence.