Dear all,

This term we have analysed, discussed and interpreted an array of literary pieces of work: poems, short stories, essays, novels, plays...from the early romantic British writers of the 1850s to the very existentialist play "Waiting for Godot" by Beckett.

To me, this has been a trip from the past to the present, and back to the past. Our memories and experiences have inhabited our conversations during the course. Trips and literature, I believe, are the greatest way to learn...to experience...to grow. No need to say that your interpretations and participation have been a great contribution to make this course a lively literary and teaching-learning experience.

Before finishing, please send a comment to evaluate the course (or else send me a message via webmail):

1. What aspects do you think were positive, negative?

2. How did the course help you relate literature with EFL teaching?

3. Was the use of blogs a contribution, why, why not?

4. What do you feel needs to be improved?

5. Other issues....

Bye bye, have a great summer, great trips, great dreams.....

Claudia

Dear all,

As we study the famous play "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett (Paris 1953, England 1955, Nobel Prize for Literature 1969) think of: the characters, the setting, the plot, the dialogues-monologues, the act of "waiting", the name Godot, the definition of Absurdist drama as "theatre that presents the world as unknowable, random and unpredictable" (Smart, J. 2001. Twentieth Century British Drama. Cambridge University Press).

Look at the following picture: Describe Vladimir and Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky

Read the following excerpt which comes after Lucky is given the order to THINK....What do you think?:

LUCKY: Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattman of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of the labors left unfinished crowned by the Acacacacademy of Anthropopopometry of Essy-in-Possy of Testew and Cunard it is established beyond all doubt all other doubt than that which clings to the labors of men that as a result of the labors unfinished of Testew and Cunard it is established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown that as a result of the public works of Puncher and Wattman it is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labors of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that man in Possy of Testew and Cunard that man in Essy that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of alimentation and defecation wastes and pines wastes and pines and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the strides of physical culture the practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds hockey of all sorts penicilline and succedanea in a word I resume flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown but time will tell fades away I resume Fullham Clapham in a word the dead loss per head since the death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounce per head approximately by and large more or less to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark naked in the stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there and considering what is more much more grave that in the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman it appears what is more much more grave that in the light the light the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman that in the plains in the mountains by the seas by the rivers running water running fire the air is the same and then the earth namely the air and then the earth in the great cold the great dark the air and the earth abode of stones in the great cold alas alas in the year of their Lord six hundred and something the air the earth the sea the earth abode of stones in the great deeps the great cold on sea on land and in the air I resume for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis the facts are there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in fine on on abode of stones who can doubt it I resume but not so fast I resume the skull fading fading fading and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis on on the beard the flames the tears the stones so blue so calm alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labors abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull alas the stones Cunard (mêlée, final vociferations) tennis . . . the stones . . . so calm . . . Cunard . . . unfinished . . .

See you tomorrow

Claudia

Dear all,

Here is the list of students who should make their presentation on Monday 3:

Sebastián
Sergio
Bárbara
Patricia
Pablo
Jorge

and on Wednesday 5:

Claudia
María José GH
Cristina
María José A.
Javiera
Wladimir
Paulina

Tomorrow I will bring two articles which deal with the use of literature in the EFL class. I hope you find them useful.

Below you will find a link to the famous play "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Becket. We will read it and discuss it in class tomorrow.

http://samuel-beckett.net/Waiting_for_Godot_Part1.html

Claudia

Dear all,

Tomorrow´s session will be devoted to discuss the poem by Auden that we started reading last class. I will also introduce you to Stephen Spender´s poetry.

The presentions will take place on the week of November 3, Monday and Wednesday, so you´ll have another week to prepare. The idea is that in about ten minutes you make a presentation based on one of the authors that we have studied this term. You may decide to choose one particular poem, chapter, book, article, etc.

Some recommendations:

1. Use pictures, quotations, references to other authors if necessary

2. Provide contextual factors

3. The presentation should be made having in mind how you would use literature in an English language class

4. Explain what strategies you would use to teach the piece of work you are presenting

I will upload the marking criteria and further recommendations on Tuesday.

Finally, I want to congratulate you all for the presentations on Virginia Woolf (some of you have already uploaded very interesting posts too!!). You should be very proud of yourselves. Just remember to correct the language when you upload the presentations to the virtual campus, ok?
Well done!!

See you tomorrow,
Claudia

Dear all,

This session and next will be devoted to study of one of W.H.Auden´s most famous poems "September 1, 1939" . You´ll find the poem in the following link


http://www.poemdujour.com/Sept1.1939.html



After reading it discuss the following questions:
1. What do you think the last two lines of the second stanza refer to?
2. What political and historical events does the poems address?
3. What attitudes towards patriotism does the poem take?
4. What do you think the poet means by

"The strength of Collective Man"
"Out of the mirror they state, Imperialism´s face. And the international wrong".
"There is no such thing as the State"

5. What is the relevance of this poem to our times?

See you,
Claudia

Dear all,

For your presentation on Virginia Woolf´s famous essay "A room of one´s own" I have uploaded an article to the virtual that can help you understand the context and the political events that were taking place at the end of the the 1920s when Virginia wrote the essay.

Read the article and relate it to your presentation. Why is the picture I have chosen relevant?. Your presentations should discuss the main issue/thesis of the chapter you are going to present. Support it with relevant citations and pictures if you wish. Provide your own interpretation and conclusions.

Also, remember to choose two of your previous posts and correct them, taking care not to erase the original version!!

Good luck!!

Claudia

Dear all,

As a reminder, please write your post on "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot before tomorrow´s class. You may choose to use this picture, which was used in class on Monday, in your analysis. Or else, read the following review
http://www.arionpress.com/catalog/more/079essay.htm

and discuss the poem in relation with the picture found in the link. Those of you who have already posted, well done!!

See you tomorrow,

Claudia