THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Classified as a comedy, The Merchant of Venice  can be seen as being part of the group of Shakespearean plays which stand on the borderline between comedy and tragedy. It is not a true tragedy as none of the characters actually die, but it is a dark comedy which deals with some very controversial problems and it is best remembered for the character of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender who is portrayed as a greedy, wicked and revengeful individual. Without the Shylock character, however, The Merchant of Venice  might be considered a minor Shakespearean play. No other character (excluding, perhaps, Hamlet) in any of Shakespeare's plays has received as much dispute and commentary about his meaning and interpretation as Shylock.

SHAKESPEARE'S VILLAINS

William Shakespeare created a lot of captivating characters, and most of them are the villains. They show the worst of human characteristics: ambition, jealousy, hatred, resentment, malignity … all of the ugly things that bring out the worst in all of us. In some cases, it is rather disquieting  to think that a fictitious character  can be capable of such horrors. 

COMMEMORATING JANE AUSTEN

Jane Austen died this day in 1817. To remember this incomparable writer I suggest reading the short epistolary novel Lady Susan - an early work of Jane Austen that remained unpublished until 1871, when it was included in A Memoir of Jane Austen by Edward Austen-Leigh, her half-brother. It is the story of Lady Susan, a brilliant and stunningly beautiful widow in her upper thirties who is bad to the bone - she enjoys making men fall in love with her, deceiving their wives and tormenting her own daughter, heartlessly bending her to her will. Unlike the women featured in Jane Austen's other works, Lady Susan is an anti-heroine, in fact she is so cold-hearted in her machinations that she puts her own interests ahead of her daughter’s, or anyone else’s for that matter. It is a superbly crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that will delight you with its wit and elegant expression.

SUMMER READING TIPS

One of the best things about the lazy days of summer is having more time to read. It is wonderful to sit outside on a beautiful day, smelling the grass and feeling the breeze, lost in a good book.  I think summer holidays and books should be  inseparable!

Here are some reading tips for your carefree summer days!

What about downloading  The Canterville Ghost? It is one of the most popular short stories by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and the stage. 
Then you could download Kate Chopin's short story Désirée’s Baby as well as William Wilson, which is Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous character study of the doppelganger, or double, a theme explored in a similar way by the film Fight Club. 
I could also suggest reading  Henry James's ghost story The Turn of the Screw  -  this is a novella, which means that it is shorter than a traditional novel but focusing on actions of greater scope than the short story.

PRONUNCIATION TIPS

Pronunciation is one of the most complex problems facing non-native speakers of English. It is the principal obstacle to overcome when trying to achieve fluency. Many non-native speakers have studied grammar for many years, but are unable to speak like native speakers due to their incapability to pronounce the sounds of words correctly.

In point of fact, your pronunciation is the first and most important thing native speakers notice during a conversation. Knowing grammar and vocabulary are important but useless if you are unable to pronounce those structures or words correctly. Also, native speakers are more likely to understand you if you make grammatical mistakes,  rather than if you make mistakes in pronunciation. Mispronunciation  will keep you from effectively communicating with native English speakers. Achieving good pronunciation should be your main goal!

English is a language that has many different accents  which are different from pronunciation. In fact, pronunciation is the way in which a word is pronounced. Accent is a series of pronunciation, rhythm and emphasis that is local to a region or city. It is important to pronounce words correctly so that you are understandable.                                            

Accent isn’t necessarily important, you can speak English with a Spanish accent for example and be totally understandable if you are pronouncing the words correctly. This accent will tell people that you are from Spain and that your first language is probably not English.

Realize that the English spoken in England, Australia or Canada is different than the English spoken in the United States. Even within these countries there is a wide range of accents. People from New York speak different English than people from San Francisco. In any case, if  your pronunciation is good, you will be understood anywhere you go!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

JULY