Sons and Lovers – analysing talk in literature

I’ve noticed from my wordpress stats that work I have posted on this blog about EBB4 Text Transformation has been accessed, and I hope this has proved useful. As I will have said, it is some time since I taught this A level English Language and Literature syllabus, and I lose sight of how much longer it will continue.

It does seem that ELLB3 – Talk in Life and Literature is still a taught component. Therefore, I am simply directing anyone interested to work I prepared for this which is now on teachit here [though you may need to access more indirectly – I’m not sure]. As it exists on teachit I won’t offer on this blog, but I will print below the explanation of what it supports in terms of teaching and the resources provided:

Resources

• Extract from Sons and Lovers
• Notes on key features of extract (can be used after students annotate passage)
• Writing frame

Purpose

This material is designed to be used as an early introduction to the study of talk in literature, obviously in narrative/prose, and begins to prepare students for the examination.

It is assumed that students will have started to analyse ‘everyday talk’ in transcripts and have the beginnings of a critical vocabulary. Students may well have looked at another prose passage before coming to Lawrence. (The opening to Jane Eyre is excellent for this – up to where Jane is sent to the Red Room – as it presents clearly crafted dialogue reflecting writing conventions of the time, as well as the time itself, and narrative with explicit authorial content to complement this. As the opening to the novel, it is also a good model for character and plot development.)

The Sons and Lovers extract is longer than those provided in the examination, but it encourages students to explore the important links between dialogue and narrative, as well as providing a challenging example of plot development.

The notes, for teacher and/or student use, highlight key features of the text. They begin to establish essential aspects of how talk is crafted in literary texts and employ some of the critical vocabulary students will increasingly be using. They are structured to link with many of the aspects of analysing talk in literature found in existing AQA mark schemes for this unit.

The writing frame is a useful tool for focusing students’ attention on responding concisely and specifically to the text.