Дипломная работа: Современная британская проза в элективном курсе по британской литературе для старших классов школ с углубленным изучением английского языка

1. _______________________

2. _______________________

3. _______________________

4. _______________________

5. _______________________

3. Can you think of any Russian writers who left the USSR/Russia and wrote their works in other languages? ______________________________________.

4. Who are called marginal people? What is it like to be a marginal person? Is marginalization nowadays a typical, unavoidable feature of our society?

_____________________________________________________________

Kazuo Ishiguro

Рис. 4 - Кадзуо Исигуро

Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan in 1954. His family moved to Britain in 1960 because of his father's work as he began to do research at the National Institute of Oceanography. He studied in a boys-only school in Surrey and later at the University of Kent, where his majors were English and Philosophy. For some time after graduation he worked as a residential social worker in London.

In 1981 his first three short stories were published and since 1982 he has dedicated himself entirely to writing. In 1983 he was nominated by Granta as one of the twenty Best of Young British Writers.

A considerable place in Ishiguro's novels takes the theme of memory. His protagonists, who very often try to overcome a loss of a close person, rarely reveal themselves through storytelling. Author's idea is not to retell the past as it was but to show how people try to interpret their past and reconstruct it. Ishiguro's novels often end without any sense of solution. The problems his characters confront are buried in the past and remain unresolved. Many of novels by Ishiguro are melancholic. His characters accept their past and who they have become, typically discovering that this realization brings comfort and an ending to mental pain.

His best books are considered to be Artist of the Floating World (1986), The Unconsoled (1995) and The Remains of the Day (1989) which was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction. His books have been translated in more than 30 languages. Ishiguro counts Fyodor Dostoyevsky among his influences. His works have also been compared to Jane Austen though Ishiguro himself doesn't agree with this comparison.

In 2017, Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, because `in novels of great emotional force, [he] has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world'.

How well do you know the biography of Kazuo Ishiguro now? Fill in the crossword below (Рис.5):

Рис. 5 - Кроссворд по биографии Кадзуо Исигуро

Across

1. The mood of books written by Ishiguro is often …

7. Ishiguro was born in …

8. He studied at the University of …

Down

2. The genre of his first published works is …

3. Now he is well-known mainly as the author of …

4. The theme of … is often in his books.

5. Ishiguro was awarded the … Prize in 2017.

6. After graduation he worked for some time as a …

Writer's words

“I am a writer who wishes to write international novels. What is an 'international' novel? I believe it to be one, quite simply, that contains a vision of life that is of importance to people of varied backgrounds around the world. It may concern characters who jet across continents, but may just as easily be set firmly in one small locality”.

Have you ever read a novel you can call `international'? Why do you think it is one? _________________________________________________________

Ishiguro was born to Japanese parents but has lived in the UK since his childhood. Do you think he feels more like an Englishman or a Japanese?

Now read Ishiguro's words to find out what he thinks.

`I'm not entirely like English people because I've been brought up by Japanese parents in a Japanese-speaking home. My parents didn't realize that we were going to stay in this country for so long, they felt responsible for keeping me in touch with Japanese values. I do have a distinct background. I think differently, my perspectives are slightly different'. When he was asked to what extent he identifies as either Japanese or English the author answered, `People are not two-thirds one thing and the remainder something else. Temperament, personality, or outlook don't divide quite like that. The bits don't separate clearly. You end up a funny homogeneous mixture. This is something that will become more common in the latter part of the century - people with mixed cultural backgrounds, and mixed racial backgrounds. That's the way the world is going'.

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall (2009)

After many years of publishing only novels Ishiguro returned to writing short stories and in 2009 published a poetic short story cycle called Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall. The set of all five Nocturnes is different - from Venice to London and Hollywood. Their protagonists are musicians - guitarists, crooners, saxophonists and cellists. However, they are all connected by a special melancholy atmosphere and as it is stated in the title, by music and dusk.

The nocturne Come rain or come shine has the same title as the song, composed by Harold Arlen (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics). It is a popular-music song written for a musical, and published in 1946. Although the song did not actually make the charts in the period following its publication, it has become a jazz standard. Many famous singers sang it, for example, Frank Sinatra or Ray Charles.

Рис. 6 - Рэй Чарльз

`Come rain or come shine' means always, no matter what happens, in any case.

Listen to the song and fill in the gaps.

Come rain or come shine

I'm gonna love you, like nobody's loved you Come rain or come shine High as a mountain, deep as a ________ Come rain or come shine I guess when you _______ me It was just one of those things But don't you ever bet me 'Cause I'm gonna be ______ if you let me You're gonna love me, like nobody's loved me Come rain or come shine We'll be happy __________, unhappy together Now won't that be just fine The days may be _________ or sunny We're in or out of the money But I'm with you ________ I'm with you rain or shine

Did you like the song? What is it about? Keeping in mind that the song has the same title as the nocturne, try to predict what the story will be about. Some facts about the plot, about the relationships of the main heroes? Will it be a happy story or a sad one? __________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Comprehension questions and tasks

1. Do these sentences describe Ray's or Charles's life? Write R or C near each one.

__ He has stability in life

__ He makes friends all over the world

__ He is quite wealthy

__ He lives in foreign countries

__ He gets to know other cultures

__ He travels but for business

2. Compare Charlie and Ray. Add more criteria if you feel it's needed

Таблица 4 - Сравнение главных героев произведения

3. Why has Charlie asked Ray to stay in his house for several days? _________________________________________________________________

Discussion questions

1. Are Charlie and Ray real friends? Would you dare to ask your friend to do such a favour? Would you agree if your friend proposed you something like this?

_____________________________________________________________Whose lifestyle would you prefer - Charlie's or Ray's? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________What is important for you in life? An opportunity to travel? Stability in work? List the five most important things for you. Do you think your list may change with ages?

1. __________________________________

2. __________________________________

3. __________________________________

4. __________________________________

5. __________________________________

2. Do you agree with Charlie that Ray is not a successful person? What does it mean to be successful? __________________________________________________________________

3. Rank these things from 1 to 10 according to how they define `being successful in life' for you.

a) have a lot of money

b) have a big loving family

c) travelling a lot

d) have a lot of friends

e) have interesting hobbies, true passions apart from your main job

f) be famous

g) be respected by others

h) wear fashionable clothes

i) be well-educated

j) have a high-rank job

Comment on the following quotes:

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.

Maya Angelou, American poet

Success? I don't know what that word means. I'm happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody's eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That's a good day for me.

Denzel Washington, American actor

Focus on language

1. Match the words or phrases from the extract you read with their definitions.

1. tedious

2. to swap stories

3. a life-long friend

4. it's dead simple

5. to be moved by smth

6. to be destined for

7. to vanish

8. to give smb a hand with smth

a. it's very simple

b. to disappear

c. to be affected, touched, impressed by smth

d. to tell stories to each other, to exchange stories

e. to help smb with smth

f. dull, tiresome, boring

g. a friend since your childhood and for the whole life

h. to be certain to achieve something: certain to have a particular job, status like following a pre-existing plan

1. There are many words which can be built using the root `achieve'. Try to translate these words and insert them in the sentences.

to achieve

an achievement

an underachievement

an overachievement

an achiever

an overachiever

achievable

unachievable

achievability

1. Their gold medal at the Olympics was a(n) _________________ because they had been expected to get a silver or a bronze but not a gold.

2. It is often a good idea to start with smaller, easily ____________ goals.

3. They call themselves `dreamers, believers, ____________ ' and they are really motivated to succeed.

4. She got only C for her exam what definitely was a(n) ____________________ as she studied well and everyone had been sure she would get A.

5. He was an ambitious person, worked hard and finally he managed to ____________ all his goals.

6. The organisation has demonstrated the ______________ of its objectives.

7. It was a great _____________ for her and she was satisfied as two months of hard work paid off.

8. This result is _______________ in such a short period of time.

9. My friend who studies at university in the USA is an _______________ - she works extremely hard and always gets only A-levels for all her papers.

Task 3. In the text you came across a phrase: … to get a job in any faraway corner you fancied.

The verb to fancy can be tricky as it has several meanings. Read the information below, translate the examples and built your own ones.

1. with object

a) British informal - Feel a desire or a liking for

Example: `do you fancy a drink?' = do you want a drink?

Your example: ___________________________

b) Find attractive.

Example: `I really fancy him' = I really like him, I find him attractive

Your example: ___________________________

2. (fancy oneself) Have a too high opinion of oneself, or of one's ability in a particular area.

Example: `he fancied himself as an amateur psychologist' = he thinks himself to be an amateur psychologist who he isn't.

Your example: ___________________________

3. British - Regard (a horse, team, or player) as a likely winner.

Example: `I fancy him to win the tournament' = I think he is likely to win the tourmanent

Your example: ___________________________

4. [with clause] Imagine; think.

Example: `he fancied he could smell the perfume of roses' = he thought he could smell the perfume of roses

Your example: ___________________________

5. British [in imperative] Used to express surprise at something.

Example: `fancy meeting all those television actors!' = Can you imagine meeting all those television actors!

Your example: ___________________________

Task 4. In the text you came across the idiom: to be on one's last legs (Things are on their last legs with us). It means:

1. = to be finishing, to be dying (about relationship (like here))

2. = to be finishing (about some action). E.g.: The ballet was on its last legs...

3. = to be dying (about a person). E.g.: This old man was on his last legs.

4. = to be exhausted, close to collapsing. E.g.: I knew I was on my last legs, so I was very relieved to see the marathon's finish line so close.

In English there are many idioms with the word `leg'. Try to match them with their meanings!

1. to be on one's last legs

2. to pull someone's leg

3. to cost someone an arm and a leg

4. not have a leg to stand on

5. to give someone a leg-up

6. to shake a leg

7. with one's tail between one's legs

a. cost somebody a lot of money

b. hurry up

c. be very tired or ill

d. tease somebody, make somebody believe something that is untrue

e. have nothing to support one's opinion

f. in a obedient or sad manner

g. help somebody towards success

Now insert the idioms from the table to complete these sentences:

a) You can't say that, you _______________________________!

b) After working all day, he felt he _______________________________.

c) Move! _______________ or you'll be late again!

d) The defeated player left the field _____________________________.

e) When he joined the company I noticed his talent, so I ______________ he needed.

f) I don't believe you, you are _______________________.

g) I don't have enough money to buy this computer. It would ____________________.

There's also an expression: Break a leg!

You can say: `Break a leg on your final exams!'

However, this idiom is usually used to wish good luck to artists before some performance.

Additional task

Did you like the story? If you did, read the whole one at home and express your opinion on the following questions:

1. What is a nocturne? Why has the author called his work not short stories but nocturnes? __________________________________________________________________

2. Is it a realistic story or more a farce? __________________________________________________________________

3. What is the general mood of the story? __________________________________________________________________

4. Do you feel music in the story? __________________________________________________________________

Graham Swift and Chemistry (2008)

1. Graham Swift works in the genres of

a) short story and novel

b) novel only

c) short story, novel and poetry

2. He studied at

a) Cambridge and York Universities

b) Oxford University

c) London University

3. Main heroes of his books are usually

a) children

b) ordinary middle-aged people

c) old people

4. One of the main themes of his books is

a) personal histories and how they are connected to the world's events

b) politics

c) war

5. Swift was awarded

a) Nobel prize for literature

b) Booker Prize

c) Pulitzer prize

6. His novels are (several answers are possible)

a) Last Orders

b) Great Expectations

c) Saturday

d) Waterland

e) Shuttlecock

f) Never Let Me Go

Рис. 7 - Грэм Свифт

Writer's words

Read Swift's quotes, choose the one which seems the most interesting for you and comment on it.

The real art is not to come up with extraordinary clever words but to make ordinary simple words do extraordinary things. To use the language that we all use and to make amazing things occur.

As a novelist, I suppose I can say that I'm highly articulate. But I know, as a person, in other ways, I'm not always articulate. I think we are all, from time to time, inarticulate, at some level, about some things.

Literature is the voice of the human heart.

I had a fear of becoming anything, a fear of becoming a specialist. I might have become a doctor, but if you become a doctor, that's your specialty in life and you are defined by it. One of the attractions of being a writer is that you're never a specialist. Your field is entirely open; your field is the entire human condition.

I share my name with an aerobatic bird that can whiz across a whole summer sky in seconds. A swift is so equipped for speed that it can scarcely cope with being stationary.

Why do you think the author draw this parallel?

Рис. 8 - Стриж

Chemistry (2008)

Title. Work in pairs and write down as many meanings of the word `chemistry' as you can think of.

_____________________ _____________________

_____________________ _____________________

Match three quotations to the people who you think said them.

1. I wanted to do math and physics, but my father made me do chemistry because he thought there would be no jobs for mathematicians.

2. We've all seen great actors and actresses who are missing a certain chemistry. And it's not about getting along or not getting along.

3. The explosive story of chemistry is the story of the building blocks that make up our entire world - the elements. … everything is made of elements.

а) Jim-al-Khalili, British physicist, broadcaster and presenter of science programmes on BBC

Рис. 9 - Джим Аль-Халили

b) Stephen Hawking, English physicist, cosmologist

Рис. 10 - Стивен Хокинг

c) Johnny Galecki, American actor

Рис. 11 - Джонни Галэки

Comprehension questions

1. What relationships did the son, mother and grandfather have in different periods of their life?

Before boy's father died: _______________________________________

After boy's father died: ________________________________________

After Ralph moved in: ________________________________________

2. What choice did the boy's mother make between her new boyfriend and her family? Was it an easy choice? Why? __________________________________________________________________

3. “We stood at the ceremony, Mother, Ralph and I, like a mock version of the trio - Grandfather, Mother and I - who had once stood at my father's memorial service”. Why does the author call them a “mock version”? __________________________________________________________________

4. What has changed since the funeral of the boy's father? __________________________________________________________________1. Read the first paragraph of the story.

a) What impression do you have of the relationships between Grandfather, Mother and the boy? What evidence can you find in the text to suggest this?

Complete a table to help organise your ideas.

Таблица 5 - Информация о семье главного героя

2. The character of Ralph is introduced soon after this point in the story.

a) Read the paragraph that begins `It was some months …'. What impression of Ralph do you have from this paragraph? __________________________________________________________

b) What do you learn about his relationships with the other characters? Complete a table to show what evidence you can find in the story to support these statements about Ralph. For example:

Таблица 6 - Информация о Ральфе