161120 On Chesil Beach 1

• Onderwijswetenschappen
• WO
• Studiejaar 1

British Literature

Today:

• Recap period 1
• Anayzing poetry
• On Chesil Beach

"A long long way":
Why do you think that Willy joined the army?

" long long way": Describe Willy's relationship with Greta

"The Remains of the Day": Who is the narrator of the story?

Discuss the effect of the literary devices. in the followinf excerpt from "Anthem for Doomed Youth"
"The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires."

Tips for analyzing poetry

* Only talk about the poem. Avoid talking about the poet or his life. They are irrelevant to the text.

* The persona in the poem is the narrator or speaker. Never the author. We do not know who the speaker is.

* An ‘official’ reading, like in an exam paper, is neutral and objective. Naturally, in an informal context you will want to discuss your own responses (opinion, interpretation), share how you give meaning to the poem.

* If there are things in the text you do not understand (we all do): do not panic. Just ignore them.

Example exam question

Write a short response of c. 150 words in proficient academic English with regard to accuracy, coherence and style (2 points) describing the speaker of the poem (2 points) and concluding with the central point, the larger issue of the poem (2 points) 

On Chesil Beach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhUCzz0L2ks

 

This novel is set in 1962. How can the poem annus Mirabilis (Larkin) be linked to the novel?

Did you find out anything interesting about the context of the book?

Socio-historical context

"They were young, educated, and both virgins on this, their wedding night, and they lived in a time when a conversation about sexual difficulties was plainly impossible"

1960s > response to rigid moral values of the 50s
Turning point for radical social changes > sexual revolution > Feminism > Abortion Act > Divorce reform act > civil rights

What reason does Ian McEwan give for Florence's retinance?

Reading task

5. Read the first 3 pages where the two protagonists are introduced. What oppositions can you point to or create that may give you a handle on where the book is going and what central issues it may discuss?

6. The novel clearly pictures a country and a culture going through change; social (democracy), gender (emancipation), cultural (60s). How does the novel reflect this quiet revolution? How does this compare with The Remains of the Day?

Discuss the setting

7. Discuss the novel's setting, which is its title. What is the effect of the wedding meal served on the threshold of their room, or the creaky hotel in general, and the crashing permanent waves on a beach where the temperatures are still chilly in June? What does it say about the newlyweds that this is the scene of their wedding night?

Describe Florence

Describe Edward

Are Florence and Edward incompatible in ways beyond sexual ones? What about social background and the class divide? How would you characterize the kind of love they developed?

Narrative Perspective

 The narrative perspective is Edward's.

 How did it shape your reading to see only Edward's point of view in the end? 

What might Florence's perspective have looked like?

What if...

12. In the end, Edward explores various “what ifs.” Would their marriage have lasted if he had consented to her request for platonic living arrangements?  

For next week:

Read:

•  Louise Bennett Colonization in Reverse,
• John Agard Half-caste 
• Wole Soyinka Telephone Conversation 
• Moniza Alvi Presents from my aunts in Pakistan 
•  Benjamin Zephaniah The British