Wednesday, 31 December 2014
WHY SHAKESPEARE MATTERS ...
In Shakespeare the birds sing, the bushes
are clothed with green, hearts love, souls suffer, the cloud wanders, it is
hot, it is cold, night falls, time passes, forests and multitudes speak, the
vast eternal dream hovers over all. Sap and blood, all forms of the multiple
reality, actions and ideas, man and humanity, the living and the life,
solitudes, cities, religions, diamonds and pearls, dung-hills and
charnel houses, the ebb and flow of beings, the steps of comers and goers, all,
all are on Shakespeare and in Shakespeare.
Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Monday, 29 December 2014
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
Geoffrey Chaucer (1342/3–1400) was born
into a well-to-do English family. Not much is known about his education but he
was well read, spoke French and had some knowledge of Latin and Italian. He was
the king’s personal attendant and married a servant of the queen’s. He fought
in the Hundred Year’s War against France, was captured and the king had to pay
a ransom for him. He was sent on diplomatic and trade missions to France and Italy.
He was controller of the Customs on wool and wine. The Canterbury Tales, his major work, is considered one of the
greatest works in English literature.
Here you can find an informative website which will help you learn about Geoffrey Chaucer's life and his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales. Here you can download a PDF presentation of the pilgrims on their journey.
Click here to revise the poem.
Click here to revise the poem.
Sunday, 28 December 2014
Thursday, 25 December 2014
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Tuesday, 16 December 2014
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN!
How did
this early-19th-century novelist become the chick-lit, chick-flick queen for
today? It is not only because she is an enduring writer. A few other female
writers have achieved pop culture celebrity: Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath
for the drama of their suicides, the Brontës for the Gothic feelings
of gloom and mystery of their novels and the contrast to their quiet lives. None inspire the
warmth, fanaticism - or merchandising – that Jane Austen does. Click here to
continue reading ...
And now here watch the official trailer of the gorgeous movie Becoming Jane whose story is a romance with lots of twists and turns ...
Read here to discover why we need to celebrate the Jane Austen Day!
Jane Austen in quotes: 30 tips for a successful life
Celebrating Jane Austen Day 2014 with 75 Sensational Quotes That Every Janeite Should Not Live Without
I Learned Everything I Needed to Know About Marriage From Pride and Prejudice
Read here to discover why we need to celebrate the Jane Austen Day!
Jane Austen in quotes: 30 tips for a successful life
Celebrating Jane Austen Day 2014 with 75 Sensational Quotes That Every Janeite Should Not Live Without
I Learned Everything I Needed to Know About Marriage From Pride and Prejudice
Friday, 12 December 2014
THINKING ABOUT GRAMMAR
This morning a colleague of mine told me that grammar rules and exercises are not very important when learning a foreign language as a beginner ... it would be better reading texts! I was just amazed!
Grammar, regardless of the country or
the language, is the foundation for communication - the better the grammar, the
clearer the message, the more likelihood of understanding the message's intent
and meaning. That
is what communication is all about.
William B. Bradshaw
You can read the whole article here.
Click here to discover a wonderful website to revise your grammar.
Monday, 8 December 2014
Thursday, 4 December 2014
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH - LESSON 4
Here are some useful links to revise grammar and vocabulary:
Monday, 1 December 2014
Sunday, 30 November 2014
ARE YOU A JANEITE?
Here are some interesting articles to read just in case you you feel like becoming a Janeite ...
Monday, 24 November 2014
Monday, 17 November 2014
Thursday, 13 November 2014
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Saturday, 1 November 2014
Friday, 31 October 2014
Friday, 24 October 2014
Friday, 10 October 2014
WHO HAS WON THE 2014 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE?
Click here and here to read articles
about the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize which
today has been awarded to Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi and
Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzay "for their struggle against the
suppression of children and young people."
Thursday, 9 October 2014
DO YOU PREFER PRINTED BOOKS OR E-BOOKS?
If you are a book-lover and, like me, you enjoy reading both printed books and e-books, click here.
You may also be interested in reading these articles:
Sunday, 5 October 2014
HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY!
Click here to discover why World Teachers' Day is internationally recognized and celebrated world-wide.
Thursday, 2 October 2014
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
OCTOBER
October
And the trees are stripped bare
Of all they wear
What do I care
October
And kingdoms rise
And kingdoms fall
But you go on ... and on ...
And the trees are stripped bare
Of all they wear
What do I care
October
And kingdoms rise
And kingdoms fall
But you go on ... and on ...
Thursday, 25 September 2014
NORTHANGER ABBEY
Northanger
Abbey was Jane Austen's
first novel; it was written between 1798 and 1803, but it was published in 1818, after her
death. The novel is concerned with the adventures of a seventeen-year-old girl who first discovers
the polite society of Bath, a popular
English resort town, with
all its balls, dances, shows, fashion, and its gossip, then Northanger Abbey, the
magnificent home of one of the book's wealthiest families. Her travels are full of mischance with new friends and love interests.
Jane Austen was one of the first British female novelists, and became the most celebrated in her time. Her novels became popular for their penetrating portrayal of the British upper classes using ironic wit to expose their follies as well as for its enjoyable, seemingly romantic plots. Yet she published her novels anonymously, because at the time she wrote, women who became public figures often lost respectability.
Jane Austen was one of the first British female novelists, and became the most celebrated in her time. Her novels became popular for their penetrating portrayal of the British upper classes using ironic wit to expose their follies as well as for its enjoyable, seemingly romantic plots. Yet she published her novels anonymously, because at the time she wrote, women who became public figures often lost respectability.
Northanger Abbey is a satire of the Gothic novels that were hugely
popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It contains two elaborate parodies of The
Mysteries of Udolpho, a novel
by Gothic writer Anne Radcliffe, who was greatly admired when Jane Austen wrote her novels. It also
satirizes the conduct books of the 1700s, books that informed children and
young people how to behave in society. Apart
from its historically specific references, the novel is pretty
universal. It looks at things like love, friendship, and growing up. Like Jane Austen's later novels, Northanger Abbey humorously
focuses on human behavior. This timeless element is a reason why her novels
are all still so widely read today.
