It's arrived!

Not only has the New Year arrived, but also the latest initiative to help you develop your chances of success at English A Level! Last term this blog flagged up an opportunity to help you improve your knowledge of the texts you will be examined on at AS/A2 Level (perhaps you are doing mocks right now). Now you can see it for yourself.

Learning to drive through literature

Just as there are CDs and apps you can buy to help you get to grips with the driving theory test, so Crossref-it.info has produced some English Literature revision apps to help you drive confidently through the intricacies and implications of six key exam texts. Each month will bring another text app on road until coverage equals that of the regular Crossref-it.info.

You’ll need to access the site via the Google Chrome browser. For the cost of an i-tune (just 79p) you can:

• Test yourself on what happens in each scene or chapter
• Go up a level and investigate what connections you can make to the work you are studying
• Pull it all together at the third level by working through thought-provoking essay questions, then checking how well you did against a professional answer.

Brain jam

Everyone has moments when they feel like they’re getting nowhere quickly. When giving up just feels like the easier option. We’ve been there and know that encouragement can make all the difference.

So, as you work through each level (only as many as you wish), your personal account will keep track of your progress and show you how just how successful you’ve been. What’s more, at each stage there are virtual rewards to win. If you are the competitive type then you might even want to compare your achievements with those of your mates. Which of you might be the first to hit gold?

Thorough knowledge = success

Ultimately the goal is academic success and, just like a driving test, thorough knowledge is key. Every examiners’ report stresses the importance of knowing every part of the text. The new Crossref-it.info study apps are just giving you a better chance…

A carol for Christmas

’Tis the season to be jolly…

Around much of the world people are gearing up to celebrate Christmas on December 25th. Traditionally a time of feasting and present giving, it is also a time for communicating – conveying our affection for friends and family via cards and proclaiming the narrative behind the celebration through carols. Hark the Herald Angels Sing and O Come All ye Faithful are just two well-known examples of a story which has inspired creators of songs, poems and stories for centuries.

The accounts of Christmas carols focus on the Christian belief that a baby born two millennia ago, to a teenage girl who had never had sexual intercourse, was actually God himself entering human life, as had long been promised through the Jewish scriptures. Thirty-three years later, the now grown baby boy was falsely imprisoned and killed, taking on his shoulders the weight of all human wrong-doing.

A costly gift

Many carols inhabit the uneasy space between the awe inspired by the birth of Jesus, believed by Christians to be the Son of God, and the world’s rejection of him later. Like all Christmas literature, they are full of iconography and allusions to the biblical texts (and later traditions) which inspired them. Yet today, much of that iconography is unfamiliar to us.

For example, here is the first verse of a carol written in the last twenty years by Thomas Hewitt Jones and Timothy Dudley Smith. But what exactly does it mean?

‘CHILD OF THE STABLE'S SECRET BIRTH,
According to Luke 2:7, Jesus was born in a stable where the animals would have been kept, because an influx of travellers to Bethlehem meant that there was no other accommodation available. His family was poor and his birth unheralded by any people of worldly importance (hence ‘secret’).

THE LORD BY RIGHT OF THE LORDS OF EARTH,

The poverty and humble circumstances of his birth is contrasted with the Christian belief that Jesus’ prior status had been as co-ruler of heaven, to whom all earthly powers were subject, something Paul writes about in Philippians 2:6-7.

LET ANGELS SING OF A KING NEW-BORN,

In Luke 2:10-14 shepherds witness divine messengers who proclaim that the Christ (a term for the Annointed One of God) has arrived, and is to be regarded as Lord.

THE WORLD IS WEAVING A CROWN OF THORN:

Yet the advent of God on earth is not understood by most, according to John 1:10. Despite being a heavenly king, the only recorded crown Jesus wore on earth was the one made as a contemptuous jibe by Roman soldiers prior to his execution Matthew 27:28-9.

A CROWN OF THORN FOR THAT INFANT HEAD

Again the carol contrasts the brutal fate awaiting the adult Jesus with his innocent beginnings. We associate babies with vulnerability, with downy hair and soft skin, to be protected from – rather than exposed to – harsh treatment.

CRADLED SOFT IN THE MANGER BED.’

That Jesus’ first bed was merely the trough from which animals ate is mentioned three times in the original account (Luke 2:7-16). The carol’s first verse thus emphasises the belief that the ‘highest of the high’ arrived on earth as ‘the lowest of the low’. Yet the little baby is ‘cradled’ softly within the straw, perhaps indicating that the natural world recognised and protected him even if the human one ultimately did not (a tradition that was fleshed out in medieval times and is alluded to in Hardy’s Christmas poem The Oxen).

There’s so much in it!

Only six short lines but all that background, which of course the carol composers assume their audience understand! That’s why www.crossref-it.info exists, to give you a quick way of accessing the writer’s intentions and the context of reception which any study of literature demands.

But meanwhile, don’t lose sight of the beauty of the text. There are four other verses to this carol, which also has a haunting melody. For a taste of the original, go to http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780193367449.do and click on the mp3 clip under ‘Resources’.

And of course, here’s hoping you have a HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

The impact of the ‘Gunpowder, treason and plot’

England’s potential 9/11

On the 5th of November, most Brits will have celebrated the day their King and the government of England, Scotland and Wales were almost assassinated. To emulate the explosions that might have changed the political scene of 1605 in one fell swoop, fireworks are lit to split the sky and crash on the eardrums.

Except of course, what we are really celebrating is that the plot failed and the perpetrators were caught – which is why there are usually gruesome effigies perched aloft raging bonfires, referred to as a ‘Guy’, after plotter Guy/Guido Fawkes. With only hours to spare, Catholic extremists were stopped and the 9/11 of its day was averted.

Dramatic impact

Of course there had been tensions in society between Catholics and Protestants, and indeed between the established Anglican Church and Puritans – only 15 years later some of the latter sailed off on the Mayflower to start a new life. But knowing just how close the entire political system had come to destruction from some hard line Catholics had a profound impact on society – and on the arts that entertained it.

In the months immediately after the plot was uncovered Shakespeare wrote Macbeth. He echoes the neuroses of his audience by examining the impact of illegally disposing of an anointed king, when Macbeth murders noble King Duncan:

Confusion now bath made his masterpiece! Most sacrilegious murder bath broke ope The Lord’s anointed temple, and stole thence The life o’ the building! (Act II, Sc. 3)

Straight after Duncan’s murder, he has the Porter allude to one of the priests associated with the Gunpowder conspiracy who had written A Treatise on Equivocation: 

Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven (Act II, sc. 3)

The equivalence of opposites (fair is foul and foul is fair) and double-dealing are dominant themes in Macbeth.

A safe celebration?

To celebrate his survival of the plot, James I had a medal cast that depicted an Eden-like serpent lurking in the flowers, perceiving that treachery might lurk amongst his courtiers.

Shakespeare dramatises just such treachery in the words of conspirator Lady Macbeth:

‘Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't’

(Act I, sc. 5)

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most topical plays. Perhaps to cover up that he had family links with some of the Catholic conspirators, Shakespeare resoundingly endorses the legitimacy of James I’s monarchy in the play. Usually, he steered clear of overt references to the monarchy of the day – but this time, perhaps his life depended on it.

What will three gold quills buy you?

Fairy tales and hard work

A few beans are all it takes, small beginnings which look insignificant. That, and the determination to climb high, repeatedly.

And the reward? Gold, success and life happy ever after (aided by golden eggs, a magical golden harp – and taking heed of your parent(s)).

Remember the story of Jack and the Beanstalk? Well now you too can gain some virtual gold.

The rewards of studying

Within the next month Crossref-it.info is introducing an element of fun, competition and self-congratulation into studying English Lit. as well as helping you academically.

For every insignificant ‘bean’ of a text revision question answered correctly, there is a quill. For every chapter / scene/ poem you read there are more. By the time you’ve done that, you will already have earnt a handful of bronze quills.

Undertake the investigative crossref-it text guide questions and you will rack up some silver quills. Complete the lot and you will probably have already made it to gold.

Yes folks, that hen is within your grasp!

Keep going

Unfortunately, Jack didn’t get everything on his first climb. He had to keep pushing himself if he wanted greater rewards. So there will be another level - some revision essay plans which will help you pull your knowledge together ready for the unmentionables at the end of the year.

More gold quills will be within your grasp – and what will that gain you (well, apart from being fantastically helpful in succeeding academically)?

Watch this space…

Is all reading worth the effort?

‘Fear a society that lets go of its literature.’

You might expect your English teacher to keep banging on about how essential reading great works of literature is, but a trendy journalist, working within the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ world of the press?

Isn’t the press all about catching the latest trends, scooping hot stories and reporting breaking news? Don’t the media both contribute to – and concern themselves with – our fast moving modern culture? What time do they have to focus on the past, the ‘has-beens’ of history, the dusty stories of the literary world? It’s just not relevant any longer!

Yet our headline quote was voiced this week by a pacey columnist, Hannah Betts (as seen in The Guardian / Times / Mail / Telegraph). She raises the fear that, if everything we read is just from the best seller list or the product of various effective marketing campaigns (it’s hard to miss a particular trilogy in the UK right now) then we will be at a loss.

Reading the best

As a busy A Level English student, it’s unlikely that you will have had time to make huge progress through the recently re-issued 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, but Hannah argues that it is important that you have made a start.

We don’t tend to like the idea that there is a list of ‘correct’ reading – it implies that those who have engaged with it are culturally superior and, therefore, that those who have not are the losers. Yet Ms. Betts argues that:

‘the notion that all artistic expressions are equal has proven a regressive rather than an emancipating phenomenon’.

In other words, some reading is more valuable than others. If people are persuaded only to stick with the best seller lists or accessible written entertainment from the last 30 years, then they will end up excluded from their national culture and socially dispossessed.

Be a mover and shaker

What do you think?

• How far do you agree that a knowledge the works, thoughts and expression of ‘great’ writers like Chaucer, Shakespeare, Keats and the Brontës, and of the tales from the Bible and classical civilization on which the Western worldview is based, is necessary to understand the culture we live in?
• Or is that outmoded thinking? Can the works of the past really have much to say to 21 st century life?

 Certainly, if we do not understand the culture we inhabit we will never gain any real power within it. According to Hannah Betts, if you want to be a mover and shaker as you enter the adult world, then what you are encountering in your English lessons is absolutely key, though only the tip of the iceberg.

If she’s right, we better get reading!

Seeing Shakespeare

Drama season

On the telly, Autumn heralds the start of several meaty drama serials to watch as the evenings draw in. They grab our attention by spinning a good story and engaging us in the lives of their characters – what will they do next, and how will it affect those around them? Bare words on a script page become living, breathing people with whom we identify.

When we study Shakespeare at A Level, all we’ve got is the bare script and we have to imagine how the characters speak and move. What is harder to grasp is how moments of tension are created and dissipated, how positioning and props speak volumes about relationships with not a word uttered.

That’s why seeing our Shakespeare ‘script’ performed on stage can really open up the play for us and make it memorable. This year’s open air performances have understandably drawn to a close, but there are still lots of opportunities to see your set text come to life.

If you don’t already know, check out with your teacher which Shakespeare play(s) you will be covering and see from the list below if you can access a performance near you, either with your class or independently. I hope you enjoy it!

Antony and Cleopatra (OCR)

• Chichester Festival Theatre Company. Chichester, 7 – 29 September (01243 781312) www.cft.org.uk

Coriolanus (CIE, Cambs Pre U)

Adaptation

• I am England by David Lane. The Egg YPT, Bath, 22 – 24 November (01225 448844) www.theatreroyal.org.uk.

Hamlet (AQA, OCR)

• Nuworks Theatre, United Reformed Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. 6 October (01789 403416) www.thebearpit.org.uk

Adaptations:

• Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country by Stash Kirkbride and Peter Beck. 30 October – 3 November (01603 218323) www.hostryfestival.org
• Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones. Swavesey Revue and Drama Society. Swavesey Venue, 11 – 13 October, (07504 552 870). www.swaveseyradsoc.org
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard. Progress Theatre, Reading, 15 – 20 October. www.progresstheatre.co.uk

King Lear (AQA, Cambs Pre U, OCR)

• Almeida Theatre, London, 31 August – 3 November 2012 (020 7359 4404)
• Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, Lincoln, 29 November (0844 888 4414) www.lpac.co.uk

Adaptation

• RSC King Lear: Young People’s Shakespeare by Tim Crouch. Hull Truck Theatre, Hull, 4 – 6 October (01482 323 638); Theatre Royal, York, 23 - 24 November (01904 623 568). www.rsc.org.uk

Macbeth (AQA)

• Crucible Theatre (Studio), Sheffield, 5 September – 6 October (0114 249 6000). www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.
• Lodestar Theatre Company. Royal Court, Liverpool, 21 September – 13 October (0870 787 1866). www.royalcourtliverpool.co.uk
• Lyric Belfast, Northern Bank Stage, Belfast, 21 October – 24 November (028 9038 1081). www.lyrictheatre.co.uk
• Worcester Repertory Company, Shakespeare at the Cathedral. Worcester Cathedral Gardens, Worcester, 24 – 27 October; Malvern Priory, Worcester, 2 – 3 November. http://www.worcesterlive.co.uk/shakespeare.asp
• Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company. Directed by Clare Snape. Derby Theatre, 9 – 13 October (no phone). www.derbyshakespeare.org.uk

Adaptation

• Baz Productions. The Crypt, St Andrew’s Church, Holborn Viaduct, London, 18 October – 5 November (no phone). www.bazproductions.co.uk

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CIE, OCR)

• The Movement. Courtyard Theatre, London, 19 – 30 September (0870 163 0717). http://www.thecourtyard.org.uk/whatson/255/midsummer-nights-dream
• Lodestar Theatre Company. Royal Court, Liverpool, 21 September – 13 October (0870 787 1866). www.royalcourtliverpool.co.uk.
• Mappa Mundi & Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, 3 – 20 October (01646 695 267). www.mappa-mundi.org.uk
• Wanstead Players, Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford, 11 – 13 October (020 8553 4466). www.wansteadplayers.org.uk
• Michael Grandage Company, Noel Coward Theatre, London, 7 September 2013 – 16 November 2013 (0870 850 9175) www.michaelgrandagecompany.com
• Nuworks Theatre, United Reformed Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. 6 October (01789 403416) www.thebearpit.org.uk/

Othello (Edexcel)

• York Shakespeare Project, Theatre Royal Studio, York, 23 – 27 October (01904 623568). www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
• Queen Mary’s College. The Watermill Theatre and Rose Theatre, Kingston. 26 October. (01256 418318). http://www.centralstudio.co.uk/
• Fluellen Theatre Company. The Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea, 6 – 9 November (01792 368269). www.fluellentheatre.co.uk

Adaptation

• The Watermill & The Rose Theatre Kingston. Adapted & Directed by Beth Flintoff. The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, 5 – 9 November (01635 46044). www.watermill.org.uk

Richard III (CIE)

• Shakespeare’s Globe Company, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London, 14 July – 13 October (020 7401 9919). Apollo Theatre, West End, 2 November – 3 February 2013 (0870 890 1101) www.shakespeares-globe.org
• Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. Directed by Andrew Hilton. Tobacco Factory, Bristol, 14 February – 30 March 2013 (0117 902 0344). www.sattf.org.uk

The Tempest (Cambs Pre U, OCR)

• RSC, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 13 July - 7 October (0844 8001110). www.rsc.org.uk, www.roundhouse.org.uk.
• Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, 27 September – 3 November (01635 46044). www.watermill.org.uk

The Winter’s Tale (CIE)

• Amateur Players of Sherborne, Digby Hall, Sherborne, 22 – 24 November (tickets available in November). www.aps-sherborne.co.uk

Adaptation

• A Winter’s Tale. Unicorn Theatre, London, 19 September – 16 November (020 7645 0500). http://unicorntheatre.com

Ch – ch – ch - changes

Welcome!

Welcome to everyone who is starting out in Advanced Level English this September. And for those who are returning for A2s, please be generous and share with the AS kids how www.crossref-it.info can help them cope with a new level of study!

English in the news

If the furore in the news and teaching profession is anything to go by, those just embarking on AS English may be the survivors of a tougher GCSE marking system than that faced in the last few years. And there are more changes to come.

Exam style

In recent years, many AS and A2 English syllabuses have had modular and/or coursework elements, echoing the format of many GCSE courses. However, from this September, GCSEs are being re-shaped to return to linear courses with exams at the end of Year 11 only.

Modular A Levels still exist – for now – but moves are being made to focus examination towards the end of each year. Some are even floating the idea of returning to one set of exams at the end of the two years, so that Year 12 students don’t lose curriculum time on study leave.

What works best?

There has to be a balance between offering courses that enable students to perform to the best of their ability, whilst also maintaining a standard that employers and educational institutions respect, and that compares with the exams students at a similar level are sitting in other countries.

• Modular or linear?
  Typically it takes a while for post GCSE students to ‘get’ the level of thinking and writing that is demanded by A Level – and that cognitive leap is only made part way through Year 12. Do you want marks taken from quite early on in your studies to count for your final grade?
  
  Alternatively, whilst you are likely to be at your peak performance for exams at the end of a two year programme of study, do you want everything to hang on a few days in early June when something as simple as a bad summer cold can mean your efforts mis-fire?
  
• The international market
  Some of you will just have taken IGCSEs and may be going on to do an I(nternational) B(accalaureate) instead of AS and A2 Levels. Do you think they were, or are, tougher than the national syllabuses most of your mates are familiar with?
  
  Because we have to be as good as all the non-UK students who will be part of the workforce, and also want a good chance of working abroad ourselves, the grades we get need to be equivalent to those of other 18 year olds, not seen as some ‘soft-option’.
  
  But that means that the majority may not achieve the higher grades we’ve got used to – which is where the distress about changes to the GCSE English grade boundaries hits…

 What’s your opinion?

It’s your education, and the changes the Education Dept. brings in may make all the difference to how you achieve in the future. We’d love to know what you think. Post on the Crossref-it.info Facebook page.

And meanwhile, enjoy your course!