1. Year Transition 2019
English Literature

2. Welcome to A Level English Literature
Over the holiday, we would like you to complete tasks in preparation for two areas of the A Level English Literature course:
Some basic context on Shakespeare’s play, Richard III which is one of the texts studied for Paper 1 (Drama and Poetry pre-1900)
Some wider reading in preparation Paper 2 (American Literature )
All work should be typed or neatly hand-written and brought to your first English lesson in September

3. Shakespeare’s Richard III: pre-reading context tasks
Task 1: The play is based on the life and death of a real king of England. To help you get to grips with the large cast of characters, complete a family tree for Richard III and his immediate family.
Include the following people (their relationship to Richard is indicated in brackets):
Richard, Duke of York (father)
Ceily Neville, Duchess of York (mother)
Edward IV (brother)
Edmund, Duke of Rutland (brother)
Elizabeth Woodeville/ Queen Elizabeth (Edward’s wife)
Edward, Prince of Wales (nephew)
Richard, Duke of York (nephew)
Elizabeth of York (niece)
Richard, Duke of Gloucester/King Richard III
George, Duke of Clarence (brother)
Edmund, earl of Rutland (brother)
Anne Neville (wife)
Task 1:
1.Research dates of birth and death of these historical figures
2.Organise your information into a family tree

4. Shakespeare’s Richard III: pre-reading context tasks
Research into The Wars of The Roses, the backdrop of our play
The Wars of the Roses were fought between two branches of the same family, over who had the right to reign in England.
The royal family at the time were the Plantagenets. The warring factions were both members of this extended family : Yorkists and Lancastrians. In 1485, Henry VII was crowned as the first Tudor King, bringing to an end The Plantagenet period and the Wars of the Roses.
Task 2: Find out five interesting facts about Henry VI and Henry VII.

5. Shakespeare’s dramatisation of Richard III
Shakespeare’s Richard III: pre-reading context tasks
Shakespeare’s dramatisation of Richard III
Shakespeare has based his drama on real history, but the play is a dramatic representation of events rather than accurate history.
Use the following links to explore some of the myths and realities about Richard III.
Task 3: Create a mind map, showing a range of positive and negative views of Richard III

6. Wider Reading: American Literature1880 - 1940
Task 4: Response to American Fiction
Choose one text written from the list on the next slide. Read the novel and use the headings below to record your responses and ideas. 
The LRC and Wilmslow library will hold many of the novels
Many are very cheap to buy (some of the older texts are free via a Kindle/tablet)
Amazon.co.uk has customer reviews for individual novels which might help you to choose 
Task Details: one side of A4 with notes on the following: 
Social and historic context: When and where in the USA is the book set? What was American society like at this time?  
Themes and characters: What do you think are the main ideas explored in this novel? Who are the main characters? How do you respond to them? 
Your response: Did you enjoy the novel? Did it present any challenges? 

7. Wider Reading: American Literature1880 - 1940
Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady (1881)
Theodore Dreiser: Sister Carrie (1900)
Willa Cather: My Ántonia (1918)
Edith Wharton: The Age of Innocence (1920)/ House of Mirth (1905)/Ethan Frome (1911)
Ernest Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms (1929)/ The Sun Also Rises(1926)
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
F Scott Fitzgerald: Tender is the Night (1934)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Wallpaper(1892)
Kate Chopin The Awakening (1899)
Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind (1936)
Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
Carson McCullers The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940)
Louisa May Alcott  Little Women (1868)
Stephen Crane The Red Badge of Courage (1895)
Upton Sinclair: The Jungle (1906)
Jack London: The Call of the Wild (1903)
Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter (1850)
Herman Melville: Moby Dick (1851)
Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
There is a wide range of books on this list. Before you choose, you will need to research the different authors and books and select a text that you think you’ll enjoy.