THE SECRET GARDEN

"The Secret Garden"  is a novel by  Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format beginning in 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911.

It is now one of Frances Hodgson Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's literature. 

Here you can find a simplified version of the novel and some activity worksheets here  and here.

Click here to read a book review. Here you can find a  detailed analysis of the novel.

THE RENAISSANCE - 4^C LINGUISTICO

The Renaissance was one of Europe’s most significant historical periods, and is often characterised by the magnificent outpouring of art, literature, and scientific developments witnessed between the 15th and 17th centuries.

During this time new ideas spread across the continent, focused on the possibilities of mankind, the achievements of the individual, and the teachings of the ancient world – pushing Europe out of the "Dark Ages" and towards a more enlightened and modern society.  Read here.

 

https://youtu.be/5p5CVviX1dE?si=N0pZP3O0wVkWyZgg

 

https://youtu.be/is5H02LRmFw?si=mD9wVvDX4dqSz-Vf

SHAKESPEARE IN POPULAR CULTURE

 

https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/shakespeare-in-popular-culture/

https://notesread.com/why-is-shakespeare-still-relevant-today/

https://www.oxfordscholastica.com/blog/creative-writing-articles/why-is-shakespeare-still-important/

https://www.abc.net.au/education/btn-why-shakespeare-is-still-relevant-today/13924758

https://today.usc.edu/six-reasons-shakespeare-remains-relevant-400-years-after-his-death/

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAYS!

THE MODERN AGE - 5^C LINGUISTICO

 

EXTENSIVE READING

 

Extensive reading is an approach to second language teaching and learning which can help students to read more.  Read here.

JAMES JOYCE'S DUBLINERS - 5^C LINGUISTICO

 

https://www.raicultura.it/letteratura/James-Joyce.html

https://www.raicultura.it/letteratura/articoli.html

https://myblog-inplainenglish.blogspot.com/2020/06/james-joyces-dubliners.html

https://prezi.com/p/lc0j49guwrja/dubliners-english-presentation/

GEORGE ORWELL - 5^C LINGUISTICO

George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on 25 June 1903 in eastern India, the son of a British colonial civil servant. He was educated in England and, after he left Eton, joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, then a British colony. He resigned in 1927 and decided to become a writer. In 1928, he moved to Paris where lack of success as a writer forced him into a series of menial jobs. He described his experiences in his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London, published in 1933. He took the name George Orwell, shortly before its publication. This was followed by his first novel, Burmese Days, in 1934.

An anarchist in the late 1920s, by the 1930s he had begun to consider himself a socialist. In 1936, he was commissioned to write an account of poverty among unemployed miners in northern England, which resulted in The Road to Wigan Pier (1937). Late in 1936, Orwell travelled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against Franco's Nationalists. He was forced to flee in fear of his life from Soviet-backed communists who were suppressing revolutionary socialist dissenters. The experience turned him into a lifelong anti-Stalinist.

Between 1941 and 1943, Orwell worked on propaganda for the BBC. In 1943, he became literary editor of The Tribune, a weekly left-wing magazine. By now he was a prolific journalist, writing articles, reviews and books.

In 1945, Orwell's Animal Farm was published. A political fable set in a farmyard, but based on Stalin's betrayal of the Russian Revolution, it made Orwell's name and ensured he was financially comfortable for the first time in his life. Nineteen Eighty-Four was published four years later. Set in an imaginary totalitarian future, the book made a deep impression, with its title and many phrases - such as "Big Brother is watching you", "newspeak" and "doublethink" - entering popular use. By now Orwell's health was deteriorating and he died of tuberculosis on 21 January 1950.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/orwell_george.shtml

PDF Presentation

https://fsharetv.co/movie/1984-episode-1-tt0087803

HAMNET - 4^C LINGUISTICO

 

From Academy Award® winning writer and director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, this film is not a re-enactment of Shakespearean lore or a behind the scenes look at the creation of Hamlet. It is instead a visceral meditation on parenthood, loss, and the mysterious alchemy through which tragedy becomes art.  Read here. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/movies/hamnet-review.html

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hamnet-paul-mescal-jessie-buckley-william-shakespeare-film-review-2025

https://thefilmstage.com/telluride-review-chloe-zhaos-hamnet-reminds-us-why-art-matters/

https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/hamnet-chloe-zhaos-adaptation-maggie-ofarrells-best-selling-novel-devastating-exploration-loss-creative-alchemy

https://edwarddouglas.substack.com/p/hamnet-review

ROBIN HOOD - 3^C LINGUISTICO

 

According to the legend, Robin Hood was an outlaw living in Sherwood Forest with his Merry Men,  he stole from the rich and gave to the poor – but did he really exist and if so, how much of the legend is true?  Read here.

THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR - 3^C LINGUISTICO

King Arthur, the mythological figure associated with Camelot, may have been based on a 5th to 6th century British warrior who staved off invading Saxons.  Read here.

Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer whose identity remains uncertain, but whose name is famous as that of the author of Le Morte Darthur, the first prose account in English of the rise and fall of the legendary king Arthur and the fellowship of the Round Table.

Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne. However these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby Arthur should be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity. Continue reading here.

BEOWULF - 3^C LINGUISTICO

Here you can find a very detailed analysis of this Anglo-Saxon epic poem. Click here to download a PDF presentation to revise it.

ENGLISH LITERATURE LESSONS

 

Why is English literature so important in schools? Read here.

Here you can find several useful videos dedicated to English literature.