M8 Unit1 The written word

1. M8 Unit1 The written word Reading Appreciating literature

2. Today, we’ll focus on the novel Great Expectationswritten by Charles Dickens, an example of ___________. classics

3. Movie-appreciation: “Oliver Twist”

4. Charles Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth, England. He had a happy childhood after his family moved to Chatham At the age of 12, Dickens had to leave school because his father was imprisoned for debt. The poverty and adversity Dickens experienced as a child greatly influenced his later views on social reform. Before his death on 9 June 1870, he wrote about 15 major novels and many short stories, most of which are famous for their surprise endings.

5. Skimming 1.What is classic literature? 2.Who is Charles Dickens? 3.How old is Pip when the story begins?

6. Answers: Classics are the antiques of the literary world including novels, plays and poems that were written a long time ago and were well written and received. 2. Dickens is England’s greatest writer. 3. Pip is 7 years old.

7. The structure of the text Part one: information about Part two: information about Part three: information about classic literature Charles Dickens the book Great expectations

8. Part one Questions: 1. Why don’t many people read the classics? 2. What does Liz think about classic novels?

9. 1. Why don’t many people read the classics?(<15 words) Because they think they are old and boringand have nothing to do with life today. 2. What does Liz think about classic novels? She doesn’t think that they are oldand boring. She thinks that they have something to do with contemporary life.

10. Multiple choice 1. The writer wrote the passage mainly to __________. A. convince us to change our attitude(态度) to classics B. introduce Charles Dicken’s novels to us C. suggest that we should read more classics D. make a summary of Great Expectations A

11. 2. Some people think that classics are old-fashioned because of the following statements except __________. A. they were written a long time ago. B. the language used in them is quite different from the language used today. C. they are difficult for people to understand. D. They can only be found in bookshops and libraries. D

12. Part two: When and where was Charles Dickens born? 2. What books did he write? 3. What is written on hisgravestone (tomb)?

14. Works by Charles Dickens 《 Great Expectations 》 《Oliver Twist》 《A Christmas Carol》 《Hard Times》 《A Tale of Two Cities》 《David Copperfield》 《雾都孤儿》 《圣诞颂歌》 《双城记》 《艰难时世》 《远大前程》 《大卫·科波菲尔》

15. What is written on Charles Dickens’s gravestone? On his gravestone it reads, “By his death, one of England’s greatest writers is lost to the world.”

16. Part three 1. What kind of person is Joe? 2. Who gives Pip a lot of money? 3. What kind of person does Pip become after he moves to London? 4. Why is Pip embarrassed by Joe? 5. What does Pip learn by the end of the novel?

17. 1. What kind of person is Joe? 2. Who gives Pip a lot of money? Joe is a kind and simple man. A stranger.

18. 3. What kind of person does Pip become after he moves to London? He becomes vain and ashamed of his background.

19. 4. Why is Pip embarrassed by Joe? Because Joe does not fit his rigid ideas of what it means to be civil and to be a gentleman.

20. 5. What does Pip learn by the end of the novel? He learns that wealth does not buy happiness and that friends are more important than a fancy education.

21. This is an example of character development in Great Expectations, that is, it is the change in Pip from ____________________________to________________________________________________________________. being concerned only with money seeing that money is not the most important thing in life.

22. The main elements of the novel 1. setting a. mist 2. symbol b. what it means to be a gentleman 3. plot c. England in the early 1800s 4. theme d. Pip, Joe, Estella e. a stranger gives Pip a lot 5 characters of money, then Pip moves to London and becomes a snob

23. Discussion Can you think of some possible endings for the novel?