Voices - Sample

Silvia Ballabio

1 THE ORIGINS

From the Origins to the Romantic Age

Alessandra Brunetti

Voices

William Shakespeare

KNOWLEDGE

1

THE ORIGINS

1

THE IDEA OF THE TIME

codice

UAS008P1

From the Origins to the Romantic Age

isbn 978-88-416-5211-4

codice

UAS00801X

isbn 978-88-6706-577-6

Voices 1 From the Origins to the Romantic Age codice

isbn 978-88-416-5213-8

Voices 2 From the Victorian Age to the New Millennium + Study Booster 2 codice

UAS008P2

Voices 2 From the Victorian Age to the New Millennium + Study Booster 2

isbn 978-88-416-5212-1

codice

UAS00802X

isbn 978-88-6706-578-3

Voices 2 From the Victorian Age to the New Millennium codice

UAS00802

isbn 978-88-416-5214-5

PER L'INSEGNANTE Teacher’s Book 1 e 2 Tutte le soluzioni del volume, un ricco apparato di test e la programmazione disponibile in digitale

AGENDA 2030 Realtà aumentata

COPIA SAGGIO per l’insegnante

Scarica l’

cliccando in www.gruppoeli.it su

ambition / heroism / death

poetry / art

justice / gender equality

revenge / folly

PROJECT

The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug

1 Do the following tasks about the theme of ‘power’.

1 Where is Bilbo walking, and what shadow can you see behind him?

Step 1

Read this short analysis of power:

Many believe power is granted to a person by someone else. They see power as a position or title, which comes with authority and control, and a belief in the form of supremacy over others. Others believe that each individual has the power to cultivate it by themselves. Real power is influence, and it increases as we offer more support to others. Being powerful is more about giving support than getting support. Service is the highest form of leadership. Serving others is a key to sustainable growth.

2 Do you think Bilbo would have a chance of winning against the dragon if he attacked it with weapons?

3 Bilbo’s words anger Smaug, which then leaves the mountain to destroy the nearby town. A townsman kills it with a special arrow. Can Bilbo be considered heroic in the way Beowulf is?

Step 2

Focus on the idea of power in its different facets, and discuss them in groups. Are your views similar or different?

Beowulf: The Graphic Novel

Step 3

Make a presentation of the most shared views, and choose an image to represent each view.

4 Summarise what happens in the strips.

2 Use the suggestions in the map below to prepare your colloquio about ‘power’. Talk for about five minutes, making suitable links between the different subjects.

English Portrait of Elizabeth I of England in her coronation robes

The idea of the time Immagini a confronto introducono allo spirito del tempo attraverso attività di thinking routine

Greek The Histories (Polybius, c. 150 BCE) How Ancient Rome became a world power

Which is which?

3 Strong, or cunning, or both? Choose.

• Beowulf:

Key words

• lof (Old English) = fame and glory for heroes in Anglo-Saxon culture

• wyrd (Old English) = fate and personal destiny in Anglo-Saxon culture

Spanish Fuenteovejuna (Lope de Vega, 1619) The struggle between those in power and those without

German Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (Martin Luther, 1529) The power of God against the evils of the world

Latin On the Republic (Cicero, 54-51 BCE) The ideal form of government for ensuring justice and liberty

• Hector:

• epic poem = a narrative verse form of great length and elevated language which tells of a hero’s actions

French Essays (Michel de Montaigne, 1580) No political power is superior to the liberty of the individual

Ideas for your map Un aiuto per costruire percorsi trasversali e multidisciplinari utili al colloquio dell’Esame di Stato

▲ Scene from The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug (2013), film adaptation from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit (1937).

Art Germain Le Mannier, Portrait of Catherine of Medici (1547-59)

Italian Il Principe (Niccolò Machiavelli, 1532) Princes and royals are instructed on how to handle their power

Bilbo, a hobbit – a race like short humans – goes on a long journey with a group of dwarves to help them try and steal back their home, the Lonely Mountain, and their treasure from Smaug, a fire-breathing dragon. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel Bilbo confronts Smaug with riddles and cryptic names. The dragon is fascinated and for a while it does not try to kill him.

Philosophy Republic (Plato, c. 375 BCE) The ideal government

Portraiture celebrates the power of the Medici

203

30

#BOOKTOK and STORYTELLING Mary Shelley

WOMEN THAT A new world for women MADE HISTORY

T68 The miserable wretch 78 Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus

LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Visual analysis

CROSS-CURRICULAR TOPICS

EMOTIONS

by Mary Wollstonecraft

beautiful • nightmare • monster • horrified • life Frankenstein narrates how the monster came to (1)

on a dark November night; he was

shocked to see his creature, which he had hoped would be (2) (3)

, for what it was: a

of horrible appearance. At this sight the doctor ran away and fell asleep; he had a

(4)

where Elizabeth, the woman he loved, was transformed into a corpse.

(5)

, he woke up to see the monster standing before him.

Now read the extract and check your answers. ◀ Robert De Niro as the ‘monster’ in the 1994 film adaptation of the novel.

It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an UNDERSTAND anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I 2 Answer the questions. might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes1, and my candle was nearly burnt 2 , when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the 5 out 1 What pronoun does the doctor use for creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. the creature?

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his 10 teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets3 in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion4 and straight black lips.Beowulf UNDERSTAND The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had 2 How long has the doctor 2 Answer the questions. worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate 15 been working on his 1 Who does Beowulf thank? What for?

3 How will people be reminded of Beowulf? project? body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that 2 What does he ask Wiglaf?

4 What will not remain? far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and ANALYSE breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had 3 Complete the table with the words and expressions from the extract feelings and Do they make him a created, I rushed out of that the show roomBeowulf’s and continued a virtues. long time traversing my bed-chamber, pagan or a Christian hero? unable to compose my mind to sleep. At length lassitude succeeded5 to the tumult I had 20 Gratitude before endured, and I threw myself on the bed in my clothes, endeavouring to seek a few Self-sacrifice moments of forgetfulness. But it was in vain; I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Memory and glory Ingolstadt.

3 What did Doctor Fate Frankenstein do in his Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they 25 dream?

6 of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I became livid with huetension?

4 The scene is highly dramatic. What elements help create this the dramatic 4 Whose corpse does held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud7 enveloped her form, and I saw the

Video-introduzione emozionale Accompagna tutti i brani antologici (emotional learning) in modo da favorire immedesimazione e personalizzazione

WORK

LIFE • Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–97), a philosopher and a writer, had a difficult childhood. Her father was violent and had financial difficulties.

• In 1792, in Paris, she had an affair and her first daughter, Fanny, was born. She observed the French Revolution first hand and strongly admired it.

• In the same year, the treatise to defend the equality of women, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, was published.

• Back in London she attended a radical group whose members were William Godwin, Thomas Paine, William Blake, and William Wordsworth.

• Between 1796–97 she had an affair with William Godwin, an anarchist philosopher. Later they got married because she was pregnant.

• She died of septicaemia 11 days after the birth of her second daughter.

1 Complete the summary with the given words.

EMOTIONAL LEARNING

3 I must declare, what I firmly believe, that all the writers who have written on th of female education and manners, from Rousseau to Dr. Gregory, have contr render women more artificial, weaker characters, than they would otherwise h and, consequently, more useless members of society. […] As blind obedienc sought for by power, tyrants and sensualists are in the right when they ende keep women in the dark, because the former only want slaves, and the latte thing. The sensualist, indeed, has been the most dangerous of tyrants, and wom been duped by their lovers, as princes by their ministers, whilst dreaming reigned over them.

AGENDA 2030

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)

After four years of study and little contact with people, Doctor Frankenstein completes his experiment; he creates a giant being and gives it life.

In 1791, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, a French politician, presented the Report on Public Instruction to the French National Assembly; public education was to be promoted, but not for women. In the treatise, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft rejected this claim as unfair of democratic ideals and attacked men for encouraging women to indulge in excessive emotion. Thus, upper-class women were turned into coquettes, frivolous wives and irresponsible mothers. Instead, she asked for women to be treated as rational beings.

The Rights of Woman was a seminal work for the suffragette movement at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. They wrote the Declaration of Sentiments to advocate equal rights for women.

T50 Education for women makes for a better society 60

▲ Seneca Falls Convention, 1848.

11 grovel contentendly: umiliarsi tutta contenta

1 One cause of [women’s] barren blooming1 I attribute to a false system of education, gathered from the books written on this subject by men, who, considering females rather as women than human creatures, have been more anxious to make them alluring mistresses2 than rational wives. […] The civilized women of the present century, with a few exceptions, are only anxious to inspire love, when they ought to cherish a nobler ambition, and by their 5 abilities and virtues exact respect3. […] But, if women are to be excluded, without having a voice, from a participation of the natural rights of mankind, prove first, to ward off4 the charge of injustice and inconsistency, that they want reason5, else this flaw in your NEW CONSTITUTION, the first constitution founded on reason, will ever show that man must, in some shape, act like a tyrant, and tyranny, in whatever part of society it rears its brazen 10 front6, will ever undermine morality. […]

2 The education of women has, of late, been more attended to than formerly; yet they are still reckoned a frivolous sex, and ridiculed or pitied by the writers who endeavour by satire or instruction to improve them. It is acknowledged that they spend many of the first years of their lives in acquiring a smattering of accomplishments8: meanwhile, strength of body and 15 mind are sacrificed to libertine notions of beauty, to the desire of establishing themselves, the only way women can rise in the world9— by marriage. And this desire making mere animals of them, when they marry, they act as such children may be expected to act: they dress; they paint, and nickname God’s creatures. Surely these weak beings are only fit for the seraglio10!

Can they govern a family, or take care of the poor babes whom they bring into the world? 20 7

4 If all the faculties of woman’s mind are only to be cultivated as they re dependence on man; if, when she obtains a husband she has arrived at her g meanly proud, is satisfied with such a paltry crown, let her grovel contentedly11 raised by her employments above the animal kingdom; but, if she is struggling for of her high calling, let her cultivate her understanding without stopping to cons character the husband may have whom she is destined to marry. Let her only de without being too anxious about present happiness, to acquire the qualities tha a rational being, and a rough, inelegant husband may shock her taste without d her peace of mind. She will not model her soul to suit the frailties of her compa to bear with them: his character may be a trial, but not an impediment to virtu

CHECK OUT 1 Match each paragraph (1–4) to the correct summary (a–d).

Paragraph 1

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4

a Women should stop trying to be the wives men desire, but develop as rational beings, and thus become best companions of any man. b Women’s current poor education transforms them into frivolous creatures; this unfair treatment will not be amended in the new French constitution. c Philosophers writing about the education of women have only worsened their condition by keeping them in a state of ‘innocence’. Even women’s sensuality has been used to make them into objects of pleasure for men. d Women’s current poor education makes them unfit to fulfil any social function, such as looking after family and children.

DISCUSS 2 Answer the questions.

1 The author analyses the causes of civilised women’s poor condition in Wollstonecraft’s time. How does their condition compare with the present reality of women in the Western world?

Pagine tematiche Attivazione della cittadinanza consapevole e del pensiero critico attaverso cross-curricular topics

2 Wollstonecraft accuses tyrants and sensualists of keeping women blind. Do you think her accusation holds today, too?

WATCH, READ AND THINK

1 barren blooming: misera crescita 2 alluring mistresses: amanti seducenti 3 exact respect: farsi rispettare 4 wards off: confutare 5 want reason: mancano di ragione (non sono esseri razionali)

278

5

The Romantic Age

6 rears its brazen front: solleva la sua fronte sfacciata 7 attended to: curata 8 a smattering of accomplishments: una infarinatura di risultati

9 rise in the world: avanzare (socialmente) nel mondo 10 fit for the seraglio: adatte per il serraglio (l’harem)

3 Search the web and watch the clip where Amy March, a beautiful young woman with no personal means, discusses with Laurie, a close friend and a rich boy, how different married life is for a woman and a man. The story comes from a novel, Little Women, published by Louisa May Alcott in 1868.

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

4 Here are some articles from the Declaration of Se

The history of mankind is a history of repeated injurie usurpations on the part of man toward woman, havi object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world

1. He has never permitted her to exercise her inaliena the elective franchise.

2. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the for which she had no voice.

3. He has withheld from her rights which are given to ignorant and degraded men – both natives and foreig

4. Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, t franchise, thereby leaving her without representation of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.

5. He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law,

6. He has taken from her all right in property, even to she earns.

7. He has made her, morally, an irresponsible being, a commit many crimes, with impunity, provided they be the presence of her husband. In the covenant of mar compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he to all intents and purposes, her master – the law givin him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to admin chastisement.

Compare these articles to what Amy March and Ma Wollstonecraft claim. Which is more modern in you

Ideas for your map: WOMEN’S RIGHTS

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Elizabeth change into?

INTERPRET

5 What feelings does Beowulf’s death provoke in you?

Whatpicchiettava prevails, sadness or admiration?

1 pattered… panes: 3 sockets: orbite 5 lassitude succeeded: una contro i vetri 4 shrivelled complexion: pelle stanchezza estrema vinse 6 Work creative 2 burntofout: raggrinzita 6 hue: tinta Beowulf is a superb example of the heroism old consumata times. Is he a good role model for young people’s heroes of today?

Choose a few 7 shroud: sudario funebre pictures of modern heroes and heroines and prepare a poster to represent your view of heroism.

PDF

Your text explained

STUDY BOOSTER p. 13

351

Discover top trending book recommendations

Shield Maiden (2023)

by Sharon Emmerichs Born in Sweden to American parents, Sharon Emmerichs teaches early British literature and Shakespeare at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her research areas include feminist theory and eco-critical studies. Shield Maiden is her debut novel.

COPIA SAGGIO

StoryTelling

EMPATHY

Can women be great warriors?

Fryda has grown up listening to her uncle King Beowulf’s adventurous stories and is keen to follow in his footsteps. Despite the terrible accident that permanently damaged her hand when she was 13, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to make her dream come true.

My father, King Alfred the Great • An old document dating back to 885 has been recently discovered in the archives of the parish of Wantage, in Oxfordshire, where Alfred the Great was born. The document is an essay that Aethelflaed, Alfred’s daughter, wrote about her father when she was a 15-year-old teenager.

“

I’ve had a hard time finding interesting YA novels recently. I was fed up with the boring plots and dumb characters in most of them, so Emmerichs’ new book was a welcome relief!

Shield Maiden definitely stands out from what is currently on the market and I‘m sure fans of YA fantasy romance will enjoy it as a way to learn about the legend of Beowulf from a different POV.

DISCUSS 1 Watch the video and listen to Amanda’s review of the book. Discuss the following points:

per l’insegnante

• Can women be as strong as men?

November 12th, 885

WEB QUEST / MEDIATION 2 Search the web to find more information about the novel and prepare a multimedia presentation to illustrate the links with the epic poem Beowulf.

• Is physical strength the most important feature of a hero?

• What makes the legend of Beowulf interesting or boring for a YA reader?

51

COPIA SAGGIO

VOICES 1

FROM THE ORIGINS TO THE ROMANTIC AGE

© Casa Editrice G. Principato

revolution / rebellion

love / family relations / reconciliation

#BookTok

Sistema Digitale Accessibile

www.gruppoeli.it

exploration / colonisation

religion / truth / mercy

2 Look at the pictures and answer the questions.

• Hercules:

L’accesso all’eBook+ e ai contenuti digitali che integrano il libro di testo è riservato all’utente registrato che ha inserito i relativi codici contrassegno e seriale.

La registrazione di tali codici e il conseguente download implicano la conoscenza e l’accettazione delle condizioni di licenza, accessibili su www.gruppoeli.it.

I codici possono essere attivati una sola volta: l’utenza e la connessa licenza di utilizzo non sono trasferibili a terzi.

#PROGETTOPARITÀ

kingship / censorship

• Ulysses:

Accedi ai contenuti digitali integrativi in www.gruppoeli.it cliccando su contenuti digitali

equilibri

THE RENAISSANCE AND THE PURITAN AGE

illusion / imagination

power

6 The fire-breathing dragon comes from Norse mythology, where it is killed by a hero, Siegfried.

How different is the dragon’s destiny in Beowulf?

EMOTIONAL LEARNING

LEARNING DIGITAL Go to the map store to discover suggestions on more ideas

courage / bravery / fear / fearlessness / valiance / cunning / determination / temerity / powerlessness / sacrifice / strength

5 Compare the dragon to the two attacking warriors. What effect does the artist want to create?

From the Origins to the Romantic Age

UAS00801

COMPETENCE

• Achilles:

1

Voices 1 From the Origins to the Romantic Age + Study Booster 1

The hero and the dragon

THINKING ROUTINE

STEP IN

Voices 1 From the Origins to the Romantic Age + Study Booster 1

IDEAS FOR YOUR MAP Colloquio Esame di Stato

1 Heroism can wear different masks. Look at the images on these pages. What do they make you feel and think of? Add more words if you want to.

THINKING ROUTINES and CLASS DEBATE LIBRO CON

EMOZIONI MOTIVAZIONE COINVOLGIMENTO

(6th century–1066)

in Literature, Art and Global Issues

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

Voices Literary

in Literature, Art and Global Issues

Voices

6th century–1066 2 THE MIDDLE AGES 1066–1485 3 THE RENAISSANCE AND THE PURITAN AGE 1485–1660 4 THE RESTORATION AND THE AUGUSTAN AGE 1660-1776 5 THE ROMANTIC AGE 1776–1837

in Literature, Art and Global Issues

1

Alessandra Brunetti

Voices

Silvia Ballabio

Il piacere di apprendere © Casa Editrice G. Principato

Gruppo Editoriale ELi

#BookTok L’angolo “social” dedicato a lettori e lettrici young adults con spunti di riflessione sui valori universali e sulla letteratura di ieri e di oggi

Most of us believe that their father is special, and so do I. However, this conviction is not only based on the love I have for him, but also on the fact that my father is Alfred, King of Wessex! He was born in 849 at Wantage, 13 miles south-west of Oxford. His father (my grandfather) was King Aethelwulf, and Alfred was his fifth son. Aethelwulf died in 858 and his eldest son, my uncle Aethelbald, became king.

Unfortunately, uncle Aethelbald died that same year and was succeeded by my uncle Aethelbert. He passed away in 865 and my third uncle, Aethelred, then ascended the throne. Those were hard times for Wessex and the other Anglo-Saxon reigns because the Vikings were raiding our towns and villages.

Sometimes they were paid off (that is they accepted money, animals and jewels to go away) but more often they killed people, stole and destroyed everything they found in their way.

It was in 868, right in the middle of the Viking attacks, that my father, Alfred, married my mother, Ealhswith, the daughter of a Mercian noble.

I was born two years later and soon after my birth four important battles against the Vikings took place.

Our King, uncle Aethelred, was killed in the last one, the Battle of Meretum. Then my father Alfred became King of Wessex in 871. I was only one year old, but I became a sort of a princess.

For the next five years, the Vikings attacked us and occupied parts of Mercia and East Anglia.

Meanwhile, my sister Aelfthryth and my brother Edward were born. My father was forced to buy the Vikings off, and they promised not to attack Wessex, but they did not keep to the deal1.

Guthrum, their leader, made further raids on Wessex and marched on Chippenham, where we lived. Most of the town’s inhabitants were killed and we had to seek refuge in Somerset at Athelney in 878. What terrible times! Luckily a peasant family helped us, although they did not recognise us. One day the peasant’s wife asked Father to watch some cakes she had put in the oven, but he was so lost in his thoughts about the Vikings that the cakes were burnt. The woman got angry with my father for that. Isn’t it funny? Though exiled, Alfred did not give up. Instead, he gathered an army, which defeated Guthrum’s troops at the Battle of Edington. At that point Guthrum was forced to accept my father’s peace terms.

In 880, when my brother Aethelweard was born, my father had reorganised his own army and navy, which helped him to defeat the Vikings on land and on sea. In the last few years, he has also started to build fortresses all around our territories to defend them from the Vikings.

At this point you may think he is just a skilled general. Wrong! He is also a man of letters (he is surrounding himself with the smartest intellectuals in Europe) and believes education is very important, not only for the noble and the rich but for all the people. He has Latin books translated into English so that everybody can read them and has founded schools where a king’s daughter like me sits side by side with common students.

Being the King’s daughter is not easy these days, but I must admit that I am much luckier than many of today’s teenagers. My father is an extraordinary man, strong and valiant2 in the battlefield but also loving and gentle at home. He has taught me the importance of education, justice, pride for my land and care for my people.

I am sure his exemplary existence will always influence my future choices.

Storytelling L’arte del raccontare per motivare, acquisire strategie e consapevolezza delle proprie emozioni

▲ Statue of King Alfred

the Great in Winchester.

© Casa Editrice G. Principato

42

1 to keep to the deal: mantenere l’accordo 1

The Origins

2 valiant: coraggioso, valoroso

equilibri progetto parità

Un nuovo percorso per l’inclusione, la pluralità e la parità di genere Il Gruppo Editoriale ELi si impegna a proporre all’interno delle pubblicazioni argomenti costantemente aggiornati e strettamente legati al sempre più complesso mondo di oggi.

I nostri prodotti scolastici riflettono i cambiamenti sociali e culturali e sarà nostra premura porre ancora più attenzione ai messaggi contenuti al loro interno.

L’obiettivo è di ispirare e ampliare gli scenari delle studentesse e degli studenti, dei docenti e delle famiglie fornendo esempi aderenti ai valori di giustizia sociale, della parità di genere e rispetto delle differenze, favorendo una cultura dell’inclusione.

Un percorso lungo e in continuo divenire: per questo chiediamo la collaborazione del corpo docente per suggerimenti, indicazioni, pareri al fine di rendere i nostri testi sempre più adeguati alla realtà.

contenuti

Attenzione ai contenuti per agevolare conoscenza e consapevolezza di uno scenario equilibrato dal punto di vista sociale e culturale 2

www.gruppoeli.it/progettoparita © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

‘‘

Nei testi scolastici occorre introdurre una rappresentazione equilibrata di donne e uomini; si richiede un equilibrio nella frequenza con la quale i generi vengono rappresentati, nel grado e nell’importanza dei ruoli e delle attività svolte, nonché nelle loro rappresentazioni sia come individui, sia in contesti collettivi. È auspicabile infine che i libri di testo offrano una lettura sempre più aderente allo sviluppo della nostra società in direzione della multiculturalità e della multietnicità.

#progettoparità

‘‘

(Dal Codice Polite www.aie.it)

In particolare, abbiamo stretto una collaborazione e aperto un tavolo di lavoro con l’Università di Macerata per i nostri progetti editoriali futuri sulla questione della parità di genere nei libri di testo.

Per la prima volta la casa editrice collabora con una istituzione universitaria per individuare ed eliminare gli stereotipi nei testi scolastici.

Il gruppo di lavoro, formato da personale specializzato interno alla casa editrice e da esperti dell’Università, preparerà delle linee guida valide per ogni tipo di pubblicazione, con l’obiettivo di educare alla parità sin dai primi anni del percorso scolastico.

illustrazioni

linguaggio

Valutazione iconografica ragionata per sensibilizzare a una cultura di parità attraverso il linguaggio visivo

Linguaggio testuale idoneo, inclusivo e puntuale a qualificare i generi oltre ogni stereotipo © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Gruppo Editoriale ELi

3

Voices • Struttura del volume

Voices offre un percorso cronologico della storia della letteratura in lingua inglese così organizzato:

L’APERTURA DI CAPITOLO

LE OPERE

• Immagini a confronto per introdurre The idea of the time con attività di Thinking routine.

• Ideas for your map per link tematici utili per la costruzione del Colloquio dell’Esame di Stato.

5

THE ROMANTIC AGE

LEARNING DIGITAL Interactive mind maps Visual mapping of key ideas

(1776–1837)

Video presentations Overviews of contexts, authors and works

Interactive ideas for your map Key ideas of contexts, authors and works

Nature: love it, or fear it?

PPT

Emotional learning Stepping in texts through moods and emotions

Interactive texts A detailed analysis of texts

THE IDEA OF THE TIME

• Presentazione dell’opera di cui si individuano Themes, Interpretations, Structure e Language and style.

• Le opere narrative presentano in pagina il Plot, espandibile online.

• I brani antologici, tutti registrati, sono introdotti da un videocommento per favorire l’immedesimazione (Emotional learning).

PowerPoint presentations A step-by-step presentation of contexts and main authors

PDF

Visual analysis of texts Key features of texts made clear Text bank Extra texts of authors In-depth bank Learning/reading more about contexts, authors and works

Listening Listening tasks, tracks of all texts and their comments

#BookTok Discover top trending book recommendations

▼ William Turner, The Shipwreck (1805).

1 Nature can be varied and stunning. Look at the two paintings. What do they make you feel and think of? Add more words if you want to.

William Turner (1775–1851), a Romantic landscape painter, retained a lifelong passion for the sea. This painting may have been inspired by an actual shipwreck, or by a poem republished in 1804.

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus

LEARNING DIGITAL

Almond Blossom PDF

1 What are the blossoms like? Do they form a pattern?

2 The sky is turquoise blue, and the almond tree is the first to bloom in spring; how could these details relate to Van Gogh’s nephew?

• Full plot • The mystery of a sea story • The Rime, a Reverie

IN ACTION

3 What feelings does the painting inspire in you?

Web quest

Interactive analysis

1 Listen on YouTube to Iron Maiden telling you the story; what strikes you about the music and the rhythm of their song?

4 Are the seamen recognisable? Why?/Why not?

5 Are the sea and the sky light or dark? Why? 6 If you were a seaman in this sea, how would you feel?

Which is which?

3 What is sublime? Tick!

1

high mountain ranges animals grazing in peace

3

deep chasms

4

violent storm and seas

5

shepherds and country villages

6

volcanic eruptions

7

avalanches

8

harvests and gardens

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798)

• awe = a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890), a post-Impressionist painter, arrived in Arles, South France, in March 1888; the fruit trees in the orchards were about to bloom, and he was so excited by the light that he painted one painting a day of fruit blossoms. In 1890 he painted Almond Blossom, a delicate still life for his newborn nephew Vincent Willem.

262

Ideas for your map: NATURE

p. 379

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was first published as the opening poem of Lyrical Ballads in 1798; the ballad opens with a Latin quote that says that “there are more invisible than visible Beings in the universe”, and describes a mariner’s, the Ancient Mariner’s, incredible journey at sea.

The crucial event is the murder of an Albatross, and how the murderer, the Ancient Mariner, lives his journey over and over again in his endless telling of his adventure to strangers.

THE PLOT A Wedding Guest is stopped by a strange man, the Ancient Mariner, whose hypnotic stare obliges the Wedding Guest to listen to the story of the Mariner’s odd journey at sea. A storm drives his ship to the South Pole, in a nightmarish landscape of green floating ice. An Albatross arrives, and the ship is freed from the ice; the journey back begins, but after nine days the Mariner kills the Albatross for no apparent reason. The crew hang the dead Albatross around the Mariner’s neck; at rushing speed a phantom spirit, two deadly creatures on a ghost ship, Death and Life-in-Death, cross the Mariner’s path; they play dice, and Life-in-Death wins the Mariner. The other mariners drop dead with no visible cause and the Mariner continues his journey alone. After he blesses the water snakes, the Albatross falls into the water and angels and spirits come to the ship; he returns to his homeland, where he stays with a Hermit for a while. The story is now over, and the Mariner resumes his wandering as a storyteller of his journey to strangers, leaving the Wedding Guest “a sadder and a wiser man”.

LEARNING DIGITAL • The Restoration • The Glorious Revolution • The Bill of Rights • The Act of Union PPT PDF

The Restoration and the Augustan Age: History and Society Royal dynasties: The Hanoverians

IN ACTION Key words 1 Answer the questions.

1 Which of these powers makes the laws (A), which executes them (B) and which intervenes when the laws are not respected (C)?

• judiciary power: • legislative power: • executive power: 2 Which of these political systems is present in today’s society?

• Absolutism there is one single, unified source of unlimited but not tyrannical political power • Liberal democracy it includes rule of law and the separation of the three powers • Dictatorship there is one single, unified source of unlimited tyrannical political power

1 What pronoun does The poem is divided into seven Parts, and ends with a crucial or unexpected event; it is an the doctor use for adventure tale with a journey at sea characterised by incidents and disasters. It also combinesthe creature? elements of the epic poem with the use of verse and its narrative development, and of the traditional ballad with the use of the ballad stanza and supernatural elements. The ballad was a popular form from the Middle Ages ( p. 74); the renewed interest in folklore in the late 18th century led to the publication of several ballad collections, such as Thomas Percy’s Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765 p. 274).

The mystery that permeates The Rime is also due to the imitation of the style and themes of the traditional ballad, where the story is fast-paced and mysteriously told with no explanation or moral. The Rime opens in abrupt and third-person narration, and it develops through continuous shifting of scenes; inexplicable natural phenomena or spirits and angels throw the Mariner into the long has the doctor 2 How been working on his tragedy not of unhappy love, a typical theme of the traditional ballad, but of the mysterious reality project? of the supernatural.

In the poem, Coleridge uses the ballad stanza, a four-line stanza rhyming ABCB, although refrains are absent and the stanzas vary in length depending on the narrative. The many sound devices and repetitions make it musical and dreamlike.

Interpretations The Rime is simple on the surface as it is narrated by an ordinary seaman, and is full of realistic details concerning the journey at sea, but Coleridge has shrouded the main events, such as the killing of the Albatross or the appearance of the ghost ship, in mystery. Many questions, especially those concerning the Mariner’s power and actions, have no answers in the poem.

3 What did Doctor The work is therefore open to many interpretations, all of which are correct as the poem is Frankenstein do in his deliberately ambiguous. dream?

• A discussion of morality: the Mariner commits a sin, the killing of the Albatross, and after 4 Whose corpse does expiating it, he preaches the moral of universal love for all God’s creatures.

Elizabeth change into?

• A discussion of Christianity: the Albatross is identified with Christ, an innocent victim, and the Mariner’s eternal tale is his punishment for killing him.

• A discussion of art: the Mariner represents the poet who looks for truth and knowledge and finds it in the dreadful world of the imagination. This costs him his ordinary life.

263

Now read the extract and check your answers. ◀ Robert De Niro as the ‘monster’ in the 1994 film adaptation of the novel.

It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes1, and my candle was nearly burnt out2, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the 5 creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his 10 teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets3 in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion4 and straight black lips.

The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate 15 body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep. At length lassitude succeeded5 to the tumult I had 20 before endured, and I threw myself on the bed in my clothes, endeavouring to seek a few moments of forgetfulness. But it was in vain; I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt.

Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they 25 became livid with the hue6 of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud7 enveloped her form, and I saw the 1 pattered… panes: picchiettava contro i vetri 2 burnt out: consumata

3 sockets: orbite 4 shrivelled complexion: pelle raggrinzita

Politics and institutions

IN ACTION Web quest

They said of this…

3 The original St Paul’s Cathedral was destroyed by the Great Fire. Search the web to see when it was rebuilt, and how (style, material, etc.),

by Sir Christopher Wren.

Look for other buildings in London by the same architect.

Contagion and Confinement This shutting up of houses was at first counted a very cruel and Unchristian Method, and the poor People so confin’d made bitter Lamentations. Locking up the Doors of Peoples Houses, and setting a Watchman there Night and Day, to prevent their stirring out, or any coming to them; when, perhaps, the sound People, in the Family, might have escaped, if they had been remov’d from the Sick, looked very hard and cruel; and many People perished in these miserable Confinements, which ‘tis reasonable to believe, would not have been distemper’d.

The Restoration (1660) and the Glorious Revolution (1688)

In 1660, after his exile in France, Charles II (1660–85), Charles I’s son, was invited by Parliament to return to England as its legitimate monarch. He admired the Absolutism of Louis XIV, the Sun King, ◀ Model of the original who used the single authority of the king to control France. Charles II’s claim to the divine right St Paul’s Cathedral which of kings once again caused problems with Parliament, which was dissolved and never summoned was completed in 1320. from 1681 to 1685.

Two terrible events shocked Londoners during Charles II’s reign. The Great Plague (1665), the last (From Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year, 1772) widespread outbreak of the bubonic plague which had first struck Europe in 1348 ( p. 68), killed 2 Daniel Defoe, a great novelist, wrote a fictional but truthful an estimated 100,000 people – almost a quarter of London’s population – in 18 months. In 1666 narration of the 1665 plague. What rights were the people the Great Fire of London burnt down all of medieval London in five days. It raged through most of locked in their homes deprived of? Tick! the city, destroying St Paul’s Cathedral and threatening King Charles II’s court at Whitehall.

LITERATURE free movement health care Charles II died without any legitimate heirs so his brother James II (1685–88) succeeded him to AND CULTURE political representation shelter the throne. He was a Catholic and he continued the autocratic policy of his brother. It was hoped that one of his Protestant daughters, Ann or Mary, would ascend the throne after his death, but a son was born to the king in June 1688. The fear of a Catholic heir and restoration convinced seven worship and schools if they took the oath of loyalty. No tolerance was offered to Roman Catholics. peers (the so-called ‘Immortal Seven’) toLEARNING summonDIGITAL William of Orange, Mary’s husband and the Two generations of Romantic poets The process of reinforcement of institutions which had begun with the Bill of Rights continued Protestant ruler of the Netherlands. He marched on London, where he was acclaimed as King by a Romantic poetry In poetry, the strict rules of Neoclassicism were rejected because they limited the poet’swith the Act of Settlement in 1701: under the Act of Settlement anyone who became a Roman convention of Lords and MPs (Members of Parliament). James II had already fled to France. These expression of unrestrained emotions. Romantic poets are traditionally divided into two Catholic, or who married one, could not inherit the throne.

PDF Romantic poets redefine poetry events are often identified by historians as the ‘Glorious Revolution’ because it was bloodless. generations, but each poet developed his own sensibility and style. Their poems ranged The fromend theof the Puritan Age and the restoration of the monarchy also meant a cultural change and On 28 January 1689, William and Mary became joint monarchs by the will of Parliament, not by child-like and obscure poems respectively of Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794) by a renewed interest in culture, music and science; Charles II gave the name of Royal Society IN ACTION divine right.

Blake, to the simplicity of the “language really spoken by men” of Wordsworth (Prefaceto tothe Thescientific society for the development of experimental science. Important research was ▲ The village of Glenridding and Lyrical Ballads, 1800), from the imitation of popular ballads in Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient carried out by Robert Boyle (1627–91), the first modern chemist, and Isaac Newton Ullswater in considered the Lake District.

MIND The Bill of Rights and the growing importance of Parliament Mariner (1798) up to the elegant stanza of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812) by Byron, and Keats’ AGENDA (1642–1727) on the laws of gravity. The Society aimed to promote the free flow of information and MAP 2030 laid the foundations of a constitutional In 1689, the monarch approved the Bill of Rights, which Romantic poetry and Shelley’s refined imagery in their Odes. encouraged communication. monarchy in England by defining the roles of the monarch and Parliament. First of all it stated that William of Orange’s accession to the English was due neither to hereditary rights nor to The precursor Across timethrone and space The first Hanoverians an act of force on his part, but to the decision of the representatives of the Blake major (1757–1827 forces in late p. 292) was a precursor of Romanticism; he broke away from the William George Lord Byron, William William Blake The Augustan Age covers the reigns of Queen Anne (1702–14), Mary’s sisterWordsworth, and the last Stuart What Will happen to our legislative power, while leaving, though with specific 17th-century society. It gave Parliament Samuel T. Colerige P.B. Shelley, John Keats Age of Enlightenment and from conventional forms.

His poetry is based on symbols and also lakes? monarch, and the first two Hanoverian kings, George I (1714–27) and George II (1727–60). The restrictions, executive power in the hands of the monarchy together with the Ministers.

Billas the exploitation of child labour in factories and the degradation of includes social themesThe such term ‘Augustan’ derives from the age of Emperor Augustus as the greatest age of the Roman The Lake District has been 209). was a fundamental step in the process of creating a constitutional the monarchy in the UK ( p. the city of London during Industrial Revolution. experiencing erratic weather Empire. The most significant event of Queen Anne’s reign was the Act ofpoets Union of Scotland and Lake rebels – tragic death In the same year, some degree of religious was granted to non-conformists (most patterns,tolerance with disastrous England (1707); it stated that there was to be one Parliament for both countries. The new state of whom were Puritans) with the Act of Toleration; were allowed have generation their places of of Romantic poets Thetofirst floods in 2009 andthey drought Precursor – symbols came to be known as Britain.

Romanticism fully developed with the poets of the first generation, also known as the Lake in 2010, and more changes and social themes Natural vs supernatural second generation are expected: Poets because of their attachment to the Lake District in the north-west of England. The first The birth of political parties: the Whigs and the Tories - falling lake levels in summer generation included William Wordsworth (1770–1850 p. 300) and Samuel T. Coleridge (1772– CHECK OUT The Whigs and Tories can be seen as embryonic political parties in England. The Whigs were non- more concentrated pollutants 1834 p. 306). They were friends and lived and worked together in the Lake District to write the conformist, generally rebellious and in favour of personal freedom and some degree of religious 1 Choose the correct alternative.

- poorer water quality first collection of English Romantic poetry, Lyrical Ballads, published in 1798. They agreed that tolerance; did not want absolute power of the monarchy. Tories came from the landed gentry - erosion caused by heavy rain Wordsworth’s poetry was to be dedicated to the natural, while Coleridge would write poems the tWo generations of romantic poets and were supporters of the royal divine right, and of orthodox religious practice in the Anglican - more toxic blue-green algae of the supernatural by adapting forms of popular tradition to literary use. As young poets, their Two generations of Romantic poets are usually distinguished, with Blake and Radcliffe as (1) imitators / precursors; Wordsworth and Coleridge - more and new species of Church. imagination was also fired by the spirit of change brought on by the French Revolution, although agreed on the shared project of (2) The Rime of the Ancient Mariner / Lyrical Ballads. In the second generation, Byron, Shelley and Keats all insects The two parties found supporters respectively among the mercantile middle class and the they were later disillusioned. They rejected what was meaningless and artificial in literature, and had (3) short / long lives and different interests; Shelley and Byron were (4) rebellious / conformist individuals while Keats was fascinated with aristocracy, but each looked for support among intellectuals and writers, thus giving origin to looked for something natural and genuine; for them poets were prophetic figures who could (5) Italian / Greek art.

1 Think about a lake near literary patronage. The patron would give them economic help, and in return the intellectual or regenerate mankind spiritually. where you live. Is it in writer would defend the cause of either the Whigs or the Tories, usually with pamphlets or other good condition?

FIRST forms of politically-oriented writing.

The second generation of Romantic poets

Romantic poetry

Structure and style

Interpretations

Erebus and Terror in the Antarctic (1847).

5

Ideas for your map: SUPERNATURAL/SUBLIME

The Romantic Age – Authors and works

In tutte queste sezioni sono presenti Mind map interattive utili per la sintesi e lo studio autonomo, volte ad un apprendimento realmente inclusivo.

309

Jane Austen (1775–1817 p. 366); her works focus on the ordinary life of provincial England.

The landed gentry that she depicts in Sense and Sensibility (1811) and Pride and Prejudice (1813) are not concerned with issues of democracy and liberty. Her heroines think critically of the social conventions of their world. They are even capable of going against them if this is necessary to pursue their goals of a happy life and marriage, like Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, who refuses any marriage proposal which is not motivated by real love. Jane Austen is a master in the use of dialogue and irony; dialogue is fundamental to understand the characters’ personalities and interactions, while irony is how the narrator expresses her critical views concerning both characters and conventions.

LITERATURE AND CULTURE LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

p. 379

Social conventions in the early 19th century

MIND MAP

Romantic fiction

Gothic novel

Historical novel

sublime, horror, thrill and fear Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho

Anti-Romantic

marriage realism and irony

Alessandro Manzoni

compromise and ordinary heroes

death, madness, villains and heroines

Jane Austen landed gentry

fictional characters in a past age

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

science

Novel of Manners

romantic nationalism

historical crisis

Sir Walter Scott

CHECK OUT 1 Complete the table about Romantic fiction.

• Preference for:

The Gothic novel

• Fixed elements: • Themes and atmosphere: • Main representatives and works: The Historical novel

• Definition: • Characters: • Scott’s view of history: • Scott’s historical fidelity: • Scott’s influence on Manzoni:

The novel of Manners

• Relationship to Romanticism: • Nature of man: • Main representative and works:

288

5

Ideas for your map: EMOTIONS

The Romantic Age – Romantic fiction

p. 379

2 READ an article about John Keats. Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences A–G the one which

▲ Lieve Verschuler, The Great Fire of London in 1666 (1666)

206

4

The poets of the second generation, George G. Byron fits each gap (1–6). There is an extra sentence which you do not need to use.

The (1788–1824) ( p. 320), Percy B. Shelley (1792–1822 p.

330)office of Prime Minister and the Cabinet John kaeats If that’s a heroicI, combination In 1714, Queen Anne died witha no heir;not George the Elector of Hannover, small German state, and John Keats (1795–1821 p. 336) were associated by an and achievedofso1701 muchwith the to the throne according b towho the suffered Act of Settlement of the Whigs: Heirresistible pathos: the humble origins, the early death of his father, Thesupport story of John Keats has an intense emotional life and a tragic early death. They livedcame through c howone can minister art help usasenjoy and could not speak English and chose an intermediary between the Cabinet (the the disillusionment of the Reign of Terror and the rise of the his mother’s disappearance and reappearance, illness and (again) early death, the noble labours as endure Council Napoleonic Empire, and sought beauty in Italy, Greece and the of Ministers) and himself.

Project 2 Engage in a campaign about cleaning up lakes.

Step 4 Organise a communication campaign focusing on the technology or remedy that your group has been assigned.

Step 2 Compare your results with your class.

Step 6 Present your action plan to the class.

5

, the peerlessly precocious flowering (he was 23 when he wrote most of his

Ideasthey forinstantly your map: POWER/RELIGION 261 illness, great poetry), the p. appalling 207 the courage with which he endured it, the tragic journey to Rome e but while catch our attention and keep our sympathy in such a short and his miserable end. It’s hard – no, it’s impossible – to think of another writer (2) f the even more noble aspirations , they can time at such an early age. These things alone are enough to make Keats seem heroic. (3) as a poet also detain us in a way that blinds us to the actual texture of his personality – his everyday self, the self g which by their nature allow us to that lived beneath and within the tragic narrative of his circumstances. This is where his real heroism hear Keats’ speaking voice resides. We can see it, of course, in the poems – in their profound concern for the deepest questions in life (What is suffering for? (4)

Step 3 Agree on the four top measures/remedies and on who will present which.

Step 1 Gather information with your group about the latest development in cleaning up water, such as floating fountains for aeration and bio haven floating islands.

284

a trainee doctor, (1)

d which was born in a desperate age

Mediterranean. Shelley and Byron were rebels, defying all social conventions and left England to live on the Continent, as truly cosmopolitan citizens of the world. Keats shared with them a love for Greek art and also had a very short life. They exploited all forms of poetry, with elaborate language, rich in metaphors and classical allusions. They also reinterpreted classical forms such as the ode according to the new Romantic sensibility.

The Restoration and the Augustan Age – Politics and institutions

? How much does love weigh compared to death?). We can find

it even more clearly in his letters, (5)

. The man we discover is fierce in his dislikes, generous in his

friendships, passionate in his loves, funny, generous, big-hearted, clever, compassionate, brilliant in his apprehensions about the business of writing, seriously good fun. (6)

I don’t know what is.

Step 5 Follow the guidelines for a good project ( p. 16).

(From The Guardian)

Ideas for your map: REBELLION

The Romantic Age – Romantic poetry

p. 379

285

LE AUTRICI E GLI AUTORI • Visualizzazione rapida della biografia e della produzione letteraria attraverso una linea del tempo.

• Presentazione della personalità umana e artistica nel Profile.

AUTHORS AND WORKS Novel of Manners

Jane Austen (1775–1817)

LEARNING DIGITAL Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice

LIFE 1775 Jane Austen was born in Steventon, a small village in north-east Hampshire, into a family of very modest means.

1785 Jane and her sister Cassandra were sent to a boarding school in Reading.

1786 KEY FACT They were withdrawn from the school as the fees were too high for the family; after that, they were educated at home.

1801 Her father George retired and the family settled in Bath.

WORKS

1802 Jane accepted a marriage proposal from Bigg-Wither, the heir to considerable estates in the area, but changed her mind the day after accepting it.

1805 Jane’s father died and the family found themselves in a precarious financial situation.

Sense and Sensibility

Mansfield Park

1813

1815

Pride and Prejudice p. 370

Sense and Sensibility DT31 How miserable I am!

PDF

Emma

1816 She started having health problems and died in Winchester one year later.

Profile

• Happy ending

Key words

As a woman writer, Austen found it difficult to have her works published, and she did it for all but one at her own financial risk. However, her novels were generally well received and sold well. All her works were published anonymously, as it was not considered proper for a woman to try for popularity through writing.

When she was young, Austen most certainly developed a taste for acting and comedies, which is reflected in the irony and extensive use of dialogue in her novels of Manners. Austen was concerned with the sentimentalism, the exotic and the sensational that the Gothic novel had made popular, especially with female audiences. In her writings she refused to focus on what she saw as the excesses of ‘sensibility’ in favour of ‘sense’. In Sense and Sensibility both heroines seek love; Marianne’s ‘sensibility’ leads her to being abandoned by her lover, and accepting an old man as her husband. Instead, Elinor, who stands for ‘sense’, i.e. reason, marries her first and only love and finds happiness in becoming the wife of a country priest. In her revision for publication, Austen abandoned the epistolary form in favour of an external narrator who would be more in control of the characters’ emotional life as presented through realistic dialogue, also ironically commented on by the narrator herself.

The relationship between the rich and well-bred and those of a lower social standing is at the heart of conflict. The higher in rank are expected to offer the best example; in Emma the heroine makes fun of the silly, but low-standing Miss Bates, but this is socially unacceptable as she is setting a bad example. In Persuasion, the author explores the various aspects of class rigidity and social mobility; Anne Elliot, the protagonist, is witty and kind, and understands and respects the importance of making a good marriage.

1

eloping

2

arranged marriage

3

dowry

4

sense

5

forced marriage

6

sensibility

7

landed gentry

a a marriage organised by families b running away to secretly get married c the use of reason and common sense d property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage e excessive sentimentalism f a marriage imposed on the future couple by their families g upper class landowners

In Austen’s time, balls were fundamental for women to meet their future husbands; gentlemen would invite ladies to dance to court them but only after the lady’s parents had given their consent to the gentleman’s interest.

3 When do you think marriage disappeared as a necessary step in a man and woman’s relationship in Western literature?

366

5

The Romantic Age – Authors and works

2 You are going to use a variety of thinking skills helpful for your study. Go through the examples in “How to develop thinking skills” ( p. 18), and then do the tasks. Write at least 100 words for each point, or present them orally. Share what you have done with your class, in groups or with a classmate.

Describe 1 The Anglican Reformation began under Henry VIII and was completed under Elizabeth I. 2 Public theatres were dramatically functional buildings.

IDEAS FOR YOUR MAP Colloquio Esame di Stato LEARNING DIGITAL

illusion / imagination

power kingship / censorship

1 Do the following tasks about the theme of ‘power’.

2 The Renaissance brought about a new vision of man and the arts.

Step 1

5 The Metaphysical poets renewed the language of poetry.

Justify 1 The growth of towns and of the mercantile class were deeply connected phenomena.

Step 2

Focus on the idea of power in its different facets, and discuss them in groups. Are your views similar or different?

3 Hamlet is a problem play.

Step 3

Make a presentation of the most shared views, and choose an image to represent each view.

2 Use the suggestions in the map below to prepare your colloquio about ‘power’. Talk for about five minutes, making suitable links between the different subjects.

English Portrait of Elizabeth I of England in her coronation robes

Assess

novel of Manners

Read this short analysis of power:

Compare

2 Faustus has become a modern myth in European culture.

1 Justice and revenge are central to both The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet.

1 Charles I’s autocratic reign caused the Civil War (1642–49).

2 The art of sonneteering was not lyrical.

realism

marriage

happy ending

social class and mobility

3 Shakespeare’s female characters are independent strong-willed women.

landed gentry

4 Shakespeare rejected the prejudices of his time, though not openly.

STORYTELLING

Jane austen and her own time

CHECK OUT 1 Answer the questions.

Jane Austen was born in a complex historical moment, just after

1 What difficulty did Jane Austen have in publishing her novels?

2 What did she think of the novels of her time?

3 What are the main features of the heroines of her novels?

4 How important is social class in her novels?

5 What are the main features of her style?

the beginning of the (1) Britain and (2)

WRITING

and during the war between . Britain lived in a state of tension similar

and letters (3)

82 LISTEN to a passage about the relationship between Jane Austen and her own time, seen in a new unorthodox way. Complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

You will hear the recording twice.

• Shakespeare’s debate of justice, revenge and mercy

Ideas for your map: MARRIAGE/SOCIAL CLASS

• The role of magic and dreaming in Shakespeare’s plays

Europe, she

• The power of drama and illusion in Shakespeare’s plays • Donne’s interpretation of love poetry in his poems

way.

• The epic conventions in Milton’s poem

p. 379

367

202

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Italian Il Principe (Niccolò Machiavelli, 1532) Princes and royals are instructed on how to handle their power

French Essays (Michel de Montaigne, 1580) No political power is superior to the liberty of the individual

Spanish Fuenteovejuna (Lope de Vega, 1619) The struggle between those in power and those without

German Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (Martin Luther, 1529) The power of God against the evils of the world

Latin On the Republic (Cicero, 54-51 BCE) The ideal form of government for ensuring justice and liberty

Art Germain Le Mannier, Portrait of Catherine of Medici (1547-59)

• The desire for power as a corrupting force

. Some writers opted for (4)

time. Like writers in totalitarian states in (5)

4 Choose one of these areas and write a 200-word essay highlighting similarities and differences among the various works. Give evidence:

Greek The Histories (Polybius, c. 150 BCE) How Ancient Rome became a world power

• The nature of love in Shakespeare’s plays

far from contemporary reality, while Austen wrote about her own

criticised the situation but not in an (6)

3 Write your imaginary interview with Shakespeare about one of his male/female figures; you want to know how he came to create him/her, his/her desires, motivations and interests, and if he believes that he gave him/her justice in the play.

• Shakespeare’s interpretation of love poetry in his sonnets

to that of a totalitarian state, where intellectuals were prosecuted

FIRST

2

justice / gender equality

revenge / folly

Many believe power is granted to a person by someone else. They see power as a position or title, which comes with authority and control, and a belief in the form of supremacy over others. Others believe that each individual has the power to cultivate it by themselves. Real power is influence, and it increases as we offer more support to others. Being powerful is more about giving support than getting support. Service is the highest form of leadership. Serving others is a key to sustainable growth.

4 Romeo and Juliet highlights the contrast between the old and the young.

6 Milton’s Paradise Lost celebrated the Puritan cause.

excessive sensibility vs sense (reason)

dialogue

ambition / heroism / death

poetry / art

1 The 1588 victory against Spain reinforced Elizabeth’s role at home and in Europe.

2 Ambition causes the downfall of both Faustus and Macbeth.

irony

revolution / rebellion

love / family relations / reconciliation

PROJECT

3 Shakespeare’s plays debate the main issues of his time in critical terms.

Jane Austen taste for drama

exploration / colonisation

religion / truth / mercy

Explain

Jane Austen’s novels are usually set in the countryside, mostly in the south of England, in the stately houses of the landed gentry. This choice allowed the author to focus on the interaction of a limited group of characters, closely investigated from a psychological point of view. Common sense and realism are key aspects of her style, which is also characterised by lively dialogues and irony.

Dialogue is fundamental to understanding the characters’ personalities, while irony is how the external narrator expresses her critical views concerning both characters and conventions.

MIND MAP

THE RENAISSANCE AND THE PURITAN AGE

Go to the map store to discover suggestions on more ideas

4 There are four phases in Shakespeare’s career as a dramatist.

Setting and style

1 Is there anything similar in today’s world?

2 Compare the reality of marriage in Austen’s and Shakespeare’s works. Which author appreciates it most in your opinion?

THINKING SKILLS

REVISION AREA Learn, collaborate, share 1 Work in pairs, and write a list of ten words that best identify the period. Agree on a short definition for each.

3 The Elizabethan audience were mixed and appreciated drama.

Across time and space

Courtship and marriages as they used to be

KEY WORDS

• Social class

• Marriage

2 Answer the questions.

3 THE RENAISSANCE AND THE PURITAN AGE

The happy ending of Austen’s novels is the appropriate self-realisation of fully conscious individuals who have discovered their true selves. They have overcome prejudiced opinions and social conventions in the experience of reciprocal knowledge motivated by love.

Themes Marriage is presented as a contract, in the context of the patriarchal system of inheritance of the time, which privileged first-born sons. The ‘rank’ (i.e. social standing) of the bridegroom, and the dowry of the bride were the most important factors when families arranged marriages. Complex legal rules prevented women from inheriting from their parents and hardly any profession was open to women. For them, a marriage was almost the only way to gain economic independence and respectability because an unmarried woman was socially inferior to a married one. For a woman, eloping was a scandal that ruined her reputation and also that of her family.

A FINE CAPITOLO • Revision area: un ripasso efficace con attività di collaborazione e condivisione.

• Ideas for your map: presenta i link tematici fondamentali sviluppati nel capitolo, uno dei quali viene approfondito in un project e in una mappa con suggerimenti trasversali e multidisciplinari, come richiesto dal Colloquio dell‘Esame di Stato.

1818 (posthumously published) • Northanger Abbey • Persuasion

IN ACTION 1 Match each word/ expression (1–7) to the correct definition (a–g).

4

1810–17 KEY FACT 1806 1809 She revised her three The family They moved early novels and moved to again to composed another Southampton. Chawtown, three. a small country village a few miles from Austen’s birthplace.

1811 1814

5 lassitude succeeded: una stanchezza estrema vinse 6 hue: tinta 7 shroud: sudario funebre

351

Themes

▶ John Wilson Carmichael,

308

, for what it was: a

where Elizabeth, the woman he loved, was transformed into a corpse. , he woke up to see the monster standing before him.

CHECK OUT

Publication

on a dark November night; he was

of horrible appearance. At this sight the doctor ran away and fell asleep; he had a

(4) (5)

1 Complete the table with the correct information.

• Presentazione del panorama storico-sociale con gli eventi e i fenomeni più rilevanti.

• Presentazione del panorama letterario-culturale con i suoi protagonisti, movimenti e generi caratterizzanti.

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

Structure and style

The journey metaphor is a commonplace for life and man’s quest for knowledge, and Coleridge adds to it the dimension of the supernatural: the protagonist, the Ancient Mariner, loses his route and finds a bird, the Albatross, which he kills for no apparent reason. There are many inexplicable situations in the poem, such as the magnetic power in the Mariner’s gaze, the polar spirit following the Mariner’s ship, the skeleton ship, with Life-in-Death and Death, the coming back to life of the dead crew, and the sudden sinking of the ship. To make the story believable, Coleridge blends the supernatural with natural phenomena: the sun and the moon, the cold and the icebergs, the stagnant water, the slimy things crawling on the sea, and the rain falling. The more the telling goes on, though, the more what is known and is familiar vanishes, and even perfectly natural phenomena become part of an eerie and horrific world which has gained its own existence.

I CONTESTI

(3)

The legends of cursed men eternally travelling at sea inspired Coleridge to draft the Mariner as a damned being, not unlike the seamen in The Pirates of the Caribbean, a modern funny version of these myths. The Wandering Jew is the man who cursed Christ on his way to crucifixion, and the Flying Dutchman was the captain of a cursed ship that never reaches port. Both challenge the gods and are fated to tell their story to all those they meet. The poem presents a convincing psychological study of the Ancient Mariner, who, feeling desperately alone on open sea, wants to die, and suffers mental and spiritual anguish. The supernatural aspect of his condition is that the Mariner is eternally trapped in the telling of his dreadful story, each time to a new listener.

UNDERSTAND This is his curse. The Wedding Guest is changed into a “wiser and sadder man” after listening to 2 Answer the questions. the Mariner’s story. This shows that the supernatural gradually invades the space of the so-called ‘real’ world until the supernatural is the real world itself.

• The supernatural

▲ Vincent Van Gogh, Almond Blossom (1890).

• The sublime = anything that is terrible in nature and causes pain and danger, but also pleasure.

beautiful • nightmare • monster • horrified • life Frankenstein narrates how the monster came to (1) shocked to see his creature, which he had hoped would be (2)

• The curse

Themes ▲ Cover of Iron Maiden’s album.

Key words • The beautiful = anything that is pleasant in nature and causes admiration and joy

1 Complete the summary with the given words.

EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

AUTHORS AND WORKS Romantic poetry

2 Look at the paintings and answer the questions.

2

After four years of study and little contact with people, Doctor Frankenstein completes his experiment; he creates a giant being and gives it life.

STEP IN

fear / death / fascination / delicacy / impotence / danger / powerlessness / horror / vastness / beauty / smallness / wonder / hope

The Shipwreck

Mary Shelley

T68 The miserable wretch 78

LEARNING DIGITAL

Visual analysis

PDF

THINKING ROUTINE

Philosophy Republic (Plato, c. 375 BCE) The ideal government

Portraiture celebrates the power of the Medici 203

GLI APPROFONDIMENTI

WOMEN THAT A new world for women MADE HISTORY

3 I must declare, what I firmly believe, that all the writers who have written on the subject of female education and manners, from Rousseau to Dr. Gregory, have contributed to render women more artificial, weaker characters, than they would otherwise have been; and, consequently, more useless members of society. […] As blind obedience is ever sought for by power, tyrants and sensualists are in the right when they endeavour to 25 keep women in the dark, because the former only want slaves, and the latter a plaything. The sensualist, indeed, has been the most dangerous of tyrants, and women have been duped by their lovers, as princes by their ministers, whilst dreaming that they reigned over them.

AGENDA 2030

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)

Gli approfondimenti presentano temi utili per lo sviluppo di una cittadinanza consapevole e per il colloquio dell’Esame di Stato attraverso lo stimolo del pensiero critico.

• Across time and space: affinità tra fenomeni storici, sociali o letterari lontani fra loro nel tempo e nello spazio.

• Rights for all: il tema dei diritti e della sostenibilità in riferimento ai Global Goals 2030.

• The arts: opere artistiche significative per la comprensione del periodo storico-letterario e dei suoi protagonisti.

• Women that made history: figure di grandi donne che hanno dato un contributo fondamentale allo sviluppo della storia e cultura del loro tempo.

• Films for thought: film e serie TV per immedesimarsi, emozionarsi e approfondire temi e personaggi.

by Mary Wollstonecraft WORK

LIFE • Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–97), a philosopher and a writer, had a difficult childhood. Her father was violent and had financial difficulties.

• In 1792, in Paris, she had an affair and her first daughter, Fanny, was born. She observed the French Revolution first hand and strongly admired it.

• In the same year, the treatise to defend the equality of women, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, was published.

• Back in London she attended a radical group whose members were William Godwin, Thomas Paine, William Blake, and William Wordsworth.

• Between 1796–97 she had an affair with William Godwin, an anarchist philosopher. Later they got married because she was pregnant.

• She died of septicaemia 11 days after the birth of her second daughter.

In 1791, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, a French politician, presented the Report on Public Instruction to the French National Assembly; public education was to be promoted, but not for women. In the treatise, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft rejected this claim as unfair of democratic ideals and attacked men for encouraging women to indulge in excessive emotion. Thus, upper-class women were turned into coquettes, frivolous wives and irresponsible mothers. Instead, she asked for women to be treated as rational beings.

The Rights of Woman was a seminal work for the suffragette movement at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. They wrote the Declaration of Sentiments to advocate equal rights for women.

T50 Education for women makes for a better society 60

▲ Seneca Falls Convention, 1848.

11 grovel contentendly: umiliarsi tutta contenta

1 One cause of [women’s] barren blooming1 I attribute to a false system of education, gathered from the books written on this subject by men, who, considering females rather as women than human creatures, have been more anxious to make them alluring mistresses2 than rational wives. […] The civilized women of the present century, with a few exceptions, are only anxious to inspire love, when they ought to cherish a nobler ambition, and by their 5 abilities and virtues exact respect3. […] But, if women are to be excluded, without having a voice, from a participation of the natural rights of mankind, prove first, to ward off4 the charge of injustice and inconsistency, that they want reason5, else this flaw in your NEW CONSTITUTION, the first constitution founded on reason, will ever show that man must, in some shape, act like a tyrant, and tyranny, in whatever part of society it rears its brazen 10 front6, will ever undermine morality. […]

4 If all the faculties of woman’s mind are only to be cultivated as they respect her 30 dependence on man; if, when she obtains a husband she has arrived at her goal, and meanly proud, is satisfied with such a paltry crown, let her grovel contentedly11, scarcely raised by her employments above the animal kingdom; but, if she is struggling for the prize of her high calling, let her cultivate her understanding without stopping to consider what character the husband may have whom she is destined to marry. Let her only determine, 35 without being too anxious about present happiness, to acquire the qualities that ennoble a rational being, and a rough, inelegant husband may shock her taste without destroying her peace of mind. She will not model her soul to suit the frailties of her companion, but to bear with them: his character may be a trial, but not an impediment to virtue.

CHECK OUT 1 Match each paragraph (1–4) to the correct summary (a–d).

Paragraph 1

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

1. He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise.

c Philosophers writing about the education of women have only worsened their condition by keeping them in a state of ‘innocence’. Even women’s sensuality has been used to make them into objects of pleasure for men.

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

2. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice.

3. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men – both natives and foreigners.

Women’s current poor education makes them unfit to fulfil any The monster and the dauthor

1 barren blooming: misera crescita 2 alluring mistresses: amanti seducenti 3 exact respect: farsi rispettare 4 wards off: confutare 5 want reason: mancano di ragione (non sono esseri razionali)

278

5

3 Search the web and watch the clip where Amy March, a beautiful young woman with no personal means, discusses with Laurie, a close friend and a rich boy, how different married life is for a woman and a man. The story comes from a novel, Little Women, published by Louisa May Alcott in 1868.

9 rise in the world: avanzare (socialmente) nel mondo 10 fit for the seraglio: adatte per il serraglio (l’harem)

as the monster. His role in the film established him as a horror icon and for many as ‘the monster’ by definition.

The Romantic Age

4. Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.

Mary Shelley (2018)

5. He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead.

In the film adaptation by Haifaa 6. Al-Mansour, He has takenthe from her all right in property, even to the wages Saudi Arabian she earns. film-maker of Mary Shelley, Mary someone intent on 7. is Heportrayed has madeas her, morally, an irresponsible being, as she can writing her own destiny; she is a provided they be done in commit many crimes, with impunity, who, according thedetermined presence ofwoman her husband.

In the covenant of marriage, she is to the director, projected ontotothe compelled to promise obedience her husband, he becoming, for love life– the law giving tomonster all intentsthe anddesire purposes, her and master of power a woman who did accept theand to administer him to deprive hernot of her liberty, conventions that her time imposed chastisement. on her, and defied them.

WATCH, READ AND THINK

Frankenstein

6 rears its brazen front: solleva (1931) la sua fronte sfacciata 7 attended to: curata The film features Boris 8 a smattering Karloff’s of legendary and accomplishments: una frightening performance infarinatura di risultati

Compare these articles to what Amy March and Mary Wollstonecraft claim. Which is more modern in your view?

Ideas for your map: WOMEN’S RIGHTS

p. 379

279

Poor Things (2024) The film is a black-comedy-fantasy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos; a young woman, Bella, is brought back to life by her guardian, the scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. She breaks free from his protection and runs away with Duncan Wedderburn, a cunning but rather immoral lawyer, and becomes a free, independent woman.

Young Frankenstein (1974) Mel Brooks’ film is a hilarious parody of the iconic film adaptation of 1931.

Young Frankenstein, a descendant of the “mad scientist”, wants to replicate the experiment that created the monster, but not everything goes as it should. First of all his assistant, Igor, takes a brain to be put into the monster whose label reads “Do not use this brain! ABNORMAL”…

READ, WATCH AND THINK

Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley (1994)

1 Search the web for some clips of the films. Here are some suggestions:

Poor Things Watch the trailer where Bella evolves from a clumsy childish being dependent on her ‘father’ to an independent energetic woman freely choosing where to go and who to be with.

Young Frankenstein Before a stupefied audience the monster walks with difficulty and heavily at Frankenstein’s orders, and then they tap dance “putting on The Ritz” together.

2 Answer the questions.

1 Which version of the night of the monster’s creation is most frightening in your opinion?

2 Do you like Mel Brooks’ parody of the horror genre? Why?/Why not?

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Frankenstein uses his machinery to infuse life into the monster, and despairs when he believes he has failed. He cries “It’s alive” with excitement when he sees its hand moving inside the machinery.

3 In the film Mary Shelley the author fights for what she desires with determination. Do you think this corresponds to the characterisation of Frankenstein, of the monster, or both? Which of the two is her true Doppelgänger?

Mary Shelley The film trailer shows that Mary was fascinated by electricity, one of the latest discoveries of her time, and her determination to

4 Is the film Poor Things tragic or comic from what you see from the trailer?

Ideas for your map: THE DOUBLE/SUBLIME

The Romantic Age

5

publish as her own a novel that, as her sister says, “chilled me to the bone”.

Frankenstein Doctor Frankenstein and his assistant Igor animate the monster with the force of thunder while three observers watch the scene in fear.

The monster moves its hand while the doctor shouts “It’s alive”.

In Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation, the monster is truly grotesque but also thoughtful, and his words reveal a torment similar to the one experienced by Caliban, the monster of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. When his father dies, he cries in despair.

p. 379

357

Beowulf

StoryTelling

LE ATTIVITÀ CREATIVE

The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her.

To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

b Women’s current poor education transforms them into frivolous creatures; this unfair treatment will not be amended in the new French constitution.

2 The education of women has, of late, been more attended to7 than formerly; yet they are social function, such as looking after family and children. still reckoned a frivolous sex, and ridiculed or pitied by the writers who endeavour by satire or instruction to improve them. It is acknowledged that they spend many of the first years of The night Byron, Polidori and 17-year-old Mary ShelleyDISCUSS made a competition for the best ‘ghost story’ shestrength came upof with an idea a novel, but a modern myth; not the Answer the questions. body and that their lives in acquiring a smattering of accomplishments8: meanwhile, 15 has become not2 just doctor, but the outcast, the wretch, the nameless monster.

1 The author analyses the causes of civilised women’s poor condition mind are sacrificed to libertine notions of beauty, to the desire of establishing themselves, the in Wollstonecraft’s time. How does their condition compare with only way women can rise in the world9— by marriage. And this desire making mere animals the present reality of women in the Western world? of them, when they marry, they act as such children may be expected to act: they dress; they 2 Wollstonecraft accuses tyrants and sensualists of keeping women blind. Do you think her accusation holds today, too? paint, and nickname God’s creatures. Surely these weak beings are only fit for the seraglio10!

Can they govern a family, or take care of the poor babes whom they bring into the world? 20

356

UNDERSTAND 2 Answer the questions.

My father, King Alfred the Great

1 Who does Beowulf thank? What for?

3 How will people be reminded of Beowulf?

2 What does he ask Wiglaf?

4 What will not remain?

ANALYSE

• An old document dating back to 885 has been recently discovered in the archives of the parish of Wantage, in Oxfordshire, where Alfred the Great was born. The document is an essay that Aethelflaed, Alfred’s daughter, wrote about her father when she was a 15-year-old teenager.

• StoryTelling: l’arte del narrare di eventi e personaggi, per acquisire consapevolezza del proprio processo di apprendimento attraverso strategie multimediali che favoriscono l’immedesimazione.

• #BookTok: la letteratura per young adults si mette al servizio dei valori universali trasmessi dalla letteratura tradizionale attraverso i suggerimenti di giovani lettori.

4 Here are some articles from the Declaration of Sentiments:

Paragraph 4

a Women should stop trying to be the wives men desire, but develop as rational beings, and thus become best companions of any man.

3 Complete the table with the words and expressions from the extract that show Beowulf’s feelings and virtues. Do they make him a pagan or a Christian hero?

Gratitude Self-sacrifice

November 12th, 885

▲ Statue of King Alfred

Memory and glory

Most of us believe that their father is special, and so do I. However, this conviction is not only based on the love I have for him, but also on the fact that my father is Alfred, King of Wessex! He was born in 849 at Wantage, 13 miles south-west of Oxford. His father (my grandfather) was King Aethelwulf, and Alfred was his fifth son. Aethelwulf died in 858 and his eldest son, my uncle Aethelbald, became king.

Unfortunately, uncle Aethelbald died that same year and was succeeded by my uncle Aethelbert. He passed away in 865 and my third uncle, Aethelred, then ascended the throne. Those were hard times for Wessex and the other Anglo-Saxon reigns because the Vikings were raiding our towns and villages.

Sometimes they were paid off (that is they accepted money, animals and jewels to go away) but more often they killed people, stole and destroyed everything they found in their way.

It was in 868, right in the middle of the Viking attacks, that my father, Alfred, married my mother, Ealhswith, the daughter of a Mercian noble.

I was born two years later and soon after my birth four important battles against the Vikings took place.

Our King, uncle Aethelred, was killed in the last one, the Battle of Meretum. Then my father Alfred became King of Wessex in 871. I was only one year old, but I became a sort of a princess.

For the next five years, the Vikings attacked us and occupied parts of Mercia and East Anglia.

Meanwhile, my sister Aelfthryth and my brother Edward were born. My father was forced to buy the Vikings off, and they promised not to attack Wessex, but they did not keep to the deal1.

Guthrum, their leader, made further raids on Wessex and marched on Chippenham, where we lived. Most of the town’s inhabitants were killed and we had to seek refuge in Somerset at Athelney in 878. What terrible times! Luckily a peasant family helped us, although they did not recognise us. One day the peasant’s wife asked Father to watch some cakes she had put in the oven, but he was so lost in his thoughts about the Vikings that the cakes were burnt. The woman got angry with my father for that. Isn’t it funny? Though exiled, Alfred did not give up. Instead, he gathered an army, which defeated Guthrum’s troops at the Battle of Edington. At that point Guthrum was forced to accept my father’s peace terms.

In 880, when my brother Aethelweard was born, my father had reorganised his own army and navy, which helped him to defeat the Vikings on land and on sea. In the last few years, he has also started to build fortresses all around our territories to defend them from the Vikings.

At this point you may think he is just a skilled general. Wrong! He is also a man of letters (he is surrounding himself with the smartest intellectuals in Europe) and believes education is very important, not only for the noble and the rich but for all the people. He has Latin books translated into English so that everybody can read them and has founded schools where a king’s daughter like me sits side by side with common students.

Being the King’s daughter is not easy these days, but I must admit that I am much luckier than many of today’s teenagers. My father is an extraordinary man, strong and valiant2 in the battlefield but also loving and gentle at home. He has taught me the importance of education, justice, pride for my land and care for my people.

I am sure his exemplary existence will always influence my future choices.

Fate ▶ Scene from the BBC series

1 to keep to the deal: mantenere l’accordo 1

INTERPRET 5 What feelings does Beowulf’s death provoke in you? What prevails, sadness or admiration?

STEP 1

6 Work creative Beowulf is a superb example of the heroism of old times. Is he a good role model for young people’s heroes of today? Choose a few pictures of modern heroes and heroines and prepare a poster to represent your view of heroism.

ESSAY WRITING • Write an essay (600–800 words) about one member of your family who has had an important role in your growth and education.

STEP 2

PDF

DRAW A CHARACTER MAP

• Divide into three groups. Each group discusses one of these components of characterisation and draws a map on the topic:

Shield Maiden (2023)

by Sharon Emmerichs

1 timeline of the character’s life 2 what he said and thought 3 his legacy (what he left after his death)

TIMELINE

Born in Sweden to American parents, Sharon Emmerichs teaches early British literature and Shakespeare at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her research areas include feminist theory and eco-critical studies. Shield Maiden is her debut novel.

WRITE AN INTERVIEW WITH AETHELFLAED • Read Aethelflaed’s timeline below and organise an interview with this forerunner of feminism.

The title of the interview is: Aethelflaed, the warrior queen who broke the glass ceiling.

886

Aethelflaed marries Aethelred, King of Mercia from 881 to 911.

892–96

Aethelflaed and Aethelred defeat the Vikings attacking Mercia.

902

Can women be great warriors?

Fryda has grown up listening to her uncle King Beowulf’s adventurous stories and is keen to follow in his footsteps. Despite the terrible accident that permanently damaged her hand when she was 13, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to make her dream come true.

“

I’ve had a hard time finding interesting YA novels recently. I was fed up with the boring plots and dumb characters in most of them, so Emmerichs’ new book was a welcome relief!

Shield Maiden definitely stands out from what is currently on the market and I‘m sure fans of YA fantasy romance will enjoy it as a way to learn about the legend of Beowulf from a different POV.

King Aethelred falls ill.

907

Aethelflaed defeats the Vikings at the great Battle of Chester.

Aethelred dies. Aethelflaed becomes monarch in Mercia (known as the Lady of the Mercians.) She builds an alliance with her brother Edward (King of Wessex) for mutual support against the Vikings. Both brother and sister share their father’s ideal of a ‘united England’.

911

912–17

The military alliance with Edward drives the Vikings out of central and southern England, including Wales.

918

Aethelflaed moves north to Derby and Leicester headed for the city of York.

She dies in Tamworth just two weeks before her planned arrival in York.

2 valiant: coraggioso, valoroso

STUDY BOOSTER p. 13

Discover top trending book recommendations

• Read Aethelflaed’s essay and surf the web for further information about Alfred (e.g.

Aethelfled’s essay ends in 885; Alfred died in 899).

STEP 3

Your text explained

#BookTok

• Organise a map of King Alfred’s life and deeds.

the Great in Winchester.

42

4 The scene is highly dramatic. What elements help create this dramatic tension?

The Last Kingdom (2015-2022) based on the history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

DISCUSS 1 Watch the video and listen to Amanda’s review of the book. Discuss the following points:

WEB QUEST / MEDIATION 2 Search the web to find more information about the novel and prepare a multimedia presentation to illustrate the links with the epic poem Beowulf.

• Can women be as strong as men?

• Is physical strength the most important feature of a hero?

• What makes the legend of Beowulf interesting or boring for a YA reader?

43

The Origins

51

L’ATTIVITÀ DIDATTICA L’offerta didattica di Voices è multifunzionale e altamente inclusiva.

• In action: attività per un coinvolgimento attivo su lingua, contenuti e temi presenti in pagina.

• Check out: esercizi di comprensione a risposta chiusa, aperta e con alcuni esempi sul modello delle certificazioni FIRST, IELTS e della prova INVALSI. • Web quest: una personale ricerca online per approfondire autori, opere o temi.

• Thinking routine: attività di analisi e riflessione su immagini a confronto.

• Debate: la classe, divisa in due gruppi, si confronta e dibatte su un tema portante attraverso pro e contro.

• Mediation: attività di passaggio da una lingua/cultura ad un‘altra.

• Project: organizzazione e realizzazione di un progetto su un tema proposto.

• Survey making: organizzazione e realizzazione di una indagine conoscitiva.

Particolare attenzione è posta all’attività didattica relativa ai brani antologici: • Step in: attività che prevede un video di Emotional learning per un’introduzione emozionale al brano, seguita da un esercizio di pre-comprensione.

• Understand: capire quanto viene detto nel brano.

• Analyse: analizzare personaggi, temi e caratteristiche stilistiche del brano.

• Interpret: interpretare personalmente il brano, anche con attività di discuss, debate e work creative.

LITERATURE AND CULTURE LEARNING DIGITAL • The English Renaissance • The sonnet PPT

The Renaissance: Literature and Culture

PDF

The courtier

PDF

Edmund Spenser DT4 Ye tradeful Merchants

Renaissance: a term of French origin meaning ‘rebirth’.

The English Renaissance The English Renaissance (1485–1625) was a cultural and artistic movement in England which reached its height during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). It is associated with the European Renaissance that began in Italy in the late 14th century, with its interest in the development of the individual and a flourishing of literature and of all the arts. However, visual arts in the English Renaissance were much less significant than in the Italian Renaissance, as Protestantism rejected religious depictions. Instead, the loss of a ritual dimension in religiosity was compensated by the exuberant vitality of court life and drama.

Reformation in England made contact with the Catholic world difficult or impossible; however, it contributed in part to the growth of New Learning, the philological study of a refined and classical Latin style, which advanced translations from Latin and Greek into the vernacular. Language development reached the phase of Early Modern English, becoming increasingly similar to todays’ English and enriching its vocabulary. William Shakespeare alone coined almost 2,000 new words and many expressions.

Renaissance Humanism meant the revival of interest in classical culture and its imitation. With the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, Greek refugees brought the masterpieces of Greek literature (Plato, Homer, Sophocles) to Italy. From there, Humanism spread to other countries; its main representatives on the Continent were Erasmus von Rotterdam (1466?–1536), a Dutch philosopher and Catholic priest who prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, and Michel de Montaigne in France (1533–92). His Essays showed his scepticism after the radical transformation brought to France by the Calvinist Reformation, religious persecution and the Wars of Religion (1562–98). In England, the most influential Humanist was Sir Thomas More (1478–1535).

IN ACTION

IN ACTION

Renaissance poetry: the sonnet

Key words

The wave of anti-Catholicism inflamed by the Anglican Reformation (Act of Supremacy, 1534 p. 98) put a stop to contact with the continent. Fortunately, Sir Thomas Wyatt’s voyages to Italy in 1526–27 had already introduced the Petrarchan sonnet into England.

2 Read the examples, and write what ‘euphuism’ means today. Look for more examples from social media or political writing.

• Poor thing, her father has just passed away / kicked the bucket (= died).

• The British troops were killed by friendly fire (= by their own allies, not my enemies).

The form of the Petrarchan sonnet was an octave, consisting of two quatrains with lines of eleven syllables rhyming ABBA/ABBA, or ABBA/CDCD, and a sestet consisting of two tercets CDE/CDE or CDC/DCD.

The greatest model was Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374) with his sonnet collection Canzoniere, dedicated to a young lady called Laura. Following the conventions of courtly love ( p. 72) she is presented as beautiful but also cruel to her lover. He is torn between revolt and acceptance, and between his love for her and his sense of guilt for not dedicating himself to God; contrasting feelings and introspection dominate in the poems.

The first phase of development of the sonnet tradition in England was of imitation as it consisted in translating Italian sonnets into English: the comparative scarcity of rhymes in the English language encouraged Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503–42) and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517–47) (whose works were published in Tottel’s Miscellany in 1557), to introduce a modified version of the original Petrarchan model: the so-called Elizabethan/Shakespearean scheme.

The Elizabethan/Shakespearean scheme consisted of three quatrains and a final couplet rhyming ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and measured in iambic pentameters.

▲ Peter Lely, Portrait of a Lady (said to be Lady Diana Sidney, Spenser’s wife).

The main practitioners of the Elizabethan sonnet sequence were Edmund Spenser (1552–99), Sir Philip Sidney (1554–86) and William Shakespeare (1564–1616) ( p. 124). Probably composed in the 1580s, Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella was a sonnet sequence presenting his love for Stella; it was followed by Spenser’s Amoretti (1595), dedicated to his own wife. The collections reflect the Petrarchan ideal of an angelic woman to be adored while Shakespeare’s Sonnets, which were published for the first time in 1609, brought significant innovations in themes and codified the socalled Shakespearean sonnet.

MIND MAP

Renaissance prose

They said of this...

The English Renaissance

In 1529 Sir Thomas More was appointed Lord High Chancellor of England; he refused to recognise Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England and the annulment of the King’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon New Renaissance ( p. 98). More was accused of high treason and executed in 1535. He Renaissance Learning Humanism is remembered as the author of Utopia (published in Latin in 1516); the work was translated into English in 1551 as the English language flourishing translations was increasingly seen as a vehicle for artistic communication. In the of literature and art of literature and art imaginary island of Utopia the government promotes harmony and order, Erasmus von and the views presented in the work are quite radical (communal property, classical culture Rotterdam mostly based on monastic life, the abolition of lawyers in a land of perfect justice, and gender equality, associated with a plain clothing style with no Michel Norfolk: I’m not a scholar, as Master Cromwell never extravagant luxury). Utopia is also a satirical attack on existing European de Montaigne tires of pointing out, and frankly, I don’t know whether the governments and was much admired by Erasmus von Rotterdam. It marriage was lawful or not. But damn it, Thomas, look at inspired similar satirical works in the Age of the Enlightenment, both in those names. ... You know those men! Can’t England and France ( p. 220), and utopian (and dystopian) fiction in the you do what I did, and come with us, for fellowship?

20th century ( Voices 2 – The Cold War Age) More: And when we stand before God, and you are CHECK OUT One of the works most popular with the aristocracy and Queen Elizabeth sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, 1 Choose all the correct statements. herself was Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit (1578) by John Lyly (c. 1554– and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will 1606). This love story offered a new model with an enriched rhythmic you come with me – for “fellowship”?

1 The European Renaissance and the English Renaissance developed simultaneously. prose characterised by elaborate sentences, witty plays on words and (From A Man of All Seasons, Robert Bolt, 1960) 2 After the fall of Constantinople, England was the first European an incredible rhetorical wealth. It created a unique style known as 1 Answer the questions. country to be involved in Humanism.

‘Euphuism’.

1 What caused Norfolk to accept the king’s will, and 3 Thesymbolised most important were Erasmus William Blake abhorred he his Humanists view in the figure of von Rotterdam, Sir The religious ferment connected with the English Reformation gave cold science and as an artist More to oppose it?

Thomas becomes More, and the Michel de Montaigne.

Isaac Newton, eponymous work. The figure of Newton symbol of blind immense popularity to the Translation of the Bible (1525) in bythe William 2 Do you think More is a good role model in today’s 4 Sir Thomas More’s Utopia waslife published in Latin in 1516 and never science, onlyfrom focused on its own methods and results and thus ignoring the rich of nature.

Tyndale (c. 1494–1538); he was the first to draw directly Hebrew world?

English.

Other artists reacted differently to the preponderance oftranslated science,into from the Romantic painter and Greek.

William Turner’s ambiguity about it in his depiction of the train, one of the most important 106 3 The Renaissance and the Puritan Age – The English Renaissance innovations of the Industrial Revolution, to its exaltation in Futurism, an avant-garde movement of the early 20th century. The Futurists made the train one of the symbols of the perfection of machinery and technology, together with the car and the plane.

A mAn with A conscience

Robert Bolt (1924–1995, playwright and screenwriter) presented ◀ Thomas More as a man refusing to disobey not his king, but his conscience.

Even Henry VIII admired his honesty and integrity in a world where “there is a mass that follows me because it follows anything that moves”. In this extract the Duke of Norfolk and all the court have accepted Henry VIII’s second marriage to Ann Boleyn, but More refuses to.

Does science make wonders?

THE ARTS

Newton (1795)

by William Blake

Poetry – the sonnet

Prose Sir Thomas More’s Utopia

Petrarchan/ Shakespearean sonnet

John Lyly’s Euphues: the Anatomy of Wit

translations – imitations – collections

William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible

5

Sir Thomas Wyatt – Henry Howard Earl of Surrey – Edmund Spenser – Philip Sidney – William Shakespeare

‘Euphuism’ in Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit is characterised by simple diction and a search for clarity and economy.

6

The Renaissance was delayed in England because the Anglican Reformation made contact with any Catholic country quite difficult and at times almost impossible.

7

The Petrarchan sonnet was introduced by Sir Thomas Wyatt after 1527.

8Treno In Petrarch’s Canzoniere, the woman always returns the man’s love, notturno though in secret.

in corsa (Night Train The Elizabethan or Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains Running) (1926) with various forms of alternate rhyme plus a final rhyming couplet.

by Pippo Rizzo

9

Ideas for your map: LOVE

This Futurist painting represents a night train moving at full speed, its wheels reddened by the force of its acceleration in a geometrically defined landscape.

p. 203

107

Blake represents the scientist sitting on a rock at the bottom of the ocean and drawing his diagrams on a scroll1 by his feet; behind him, the rock is covered with rich flora and fauna.

1 scroll: pergamena

THINKING ROUTINE Newton

Night Train Running 4 Mediation

1 Match each compositional element (1–7) in the picture to the correct description (a–g).

LEARNING DIGITAL Newton: interactive analysis

1

the rock

a triangular in shape; an image of the Trinity

2

flora and fauna

b with straight lines and sharp angles

3

Newton’s gaze

c naked d hunched

4

Newton’s posture

5

Newton’s body

6

Newton’s profile

f brightly coloured; with soft lines; rich and varied

7

diagram

g iridescent and textured

e cold and callous

2 Answer the questions.

1 What does Newton use his compass for?

2 Where does the scroll seem to emanate from?

Summarise what Marinetti says in two sentences.

3 What is Newton looking at, and what is he ignoring?

Rain, Steam and Speed (1844)

by William Turner

5 Answer the questions.

4 Focus on Newton’s face and posture. Does he look passionate or cold?

1 Is Rizzo’s painting a good example of the poetics of Futurism?

Why?

Rain, Steam and Speed

2 What colours are present in the painting? Which one attracts your attention the most?

3 Answer the questions.

AUTHORS AND WORKS Romantic poetry

LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

• Full poem • Visual analysis • Translation

An early steam train crosses the River Thames over Maidenhead Railway Bridge; its black silhouette with blazing headlights2 comes out at full speed from the pouring rain, in an indistinguishable As Shelley himself wrote, the inspiration for this poem came from a storm he saw in a “wood that background. skirts the Arno, near Florence”. The poem takes up the themes of political change, revolution and the role of the poet, like his other poems written at the 2 blazing headlights: farisame time, such as Prometheus splendenti Unbound, and England in 1819. Ode to the West Wind is written as a sequence of five sonnets, each presented as a self-contained stanza, but the rhyme scheme follows Dante’s ‘terza rima’ Romantic Age addresses the Wind and calls it 298 5TheThe except for the final rhyming-pair couplet. poet passionately “Spirit”, “Destroyer and Preserver”, spreading death and giving life in the cycle of the seasons while its actions touch the three realms of nature, the Earth, the sky and the waters. After evoking the Wild West Wind and its actions, the poet asks the Wind to make him its “lyre” and the instrument of a prophecy of regeneration which is presented in vivid symbolic imagery. The poem allegorises the role of the poet as the voice of change and revolution.

20

The poet wishes that he were one of the (1)

elements that the West Wind so easily carries

the time of his boyhood, when he felt he could be faster than 25

of time that has passed, and that he is no longer as

(4)

and fierce as the wind is. He asks the wind to make him its “lyre” – its

(5)

, and spread his thoughts all over the world to start a new beginning, which is as

inevitable as the spring that arrives after (6) Now read the extract and check your answers.

5

1 What does the poet wish he were? Why?

ANALYSE

The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven, As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed Scarce seem’d a vision3; I would ne’er have striven4

1 mightest: might 2 pant: che palpiti

334

5

The Romantic Age – Authors and works

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

3 to outstrip... vision: superare la tua celeste velocità non pareva un sogno

Group A believe that science and inventions are for the best advancement of mankind.

Group B believe that they are harmful and dangerous.

Ideas for your map: SCIENCE

p. 379

3 What is autumn like?

4 What prophecy will the poet give?

12 wither’d: appassite 13 quicken: affrettare 14 Scatter... sparks: spargi, come cenere e lapilli da un focolare inestinguibile 15 unawaken’d: dormiente 16 trumpet: tromba

INTERPRET

3 Answer the questions.

4 Discuss

1 Which words are used to describe the wind?

The ode can be interpreted as a hymn to the power of nature, or as a prophecy of political and social revolution, under the veil of a naturalistic description. Which view is most convincing in your opinion? Why?

2 How different is the condition of the poet in the past and now?

3 Is the wind a physical reality, or a symbol, or both? Give reasons for your answer.

4 striven: lottato

Science and technology are neceSSary for the progreSS of the world

Scatter, as from an unextinguish’d hearth Ashes and sparks14, my words among mankind!

Be through my lips to unawaken’d15 earth

5 sore: estremo 6 thorns: spine 7 I bleed: sanguino 8 chain’d... bow’d: incatenato e piegato 9 tameless: indomito 10 lyre: lira, il simbolo della poesia 11 What if: Cosa importa se

UNDERSTAND 2 Answer the questions.

The impulse of thy strength, only less free Than thou, O uncontrollable! If even I were as in my boyhood, and could be

Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone, Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce, My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

The trumpet16 of a prophecy! O Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

.

IV If I were a dead leaf thou mightest1 bear; If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee; A wave to pant2 beneath thy power, and share

Debate 6 Debate the statement in groups.

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe Like wither’d12 leaves to quicken13 a new birth!

And, by the incantation of this verse,

instrument • free • misses • winter • weight • natural

the wind; now he feels the (3)

3 Is the natural world clearly outlined, or are its contours vague and undetermined?

V 15 Make me thy lyre10, even as the forest is: What if11 my leaves are falling like its own!

The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Ode to the West Wind

all over the world. He (2)

2 Are there any human figures in the painting? Where? How big are they?

environment.

Does the train look threatening?

As thus with thee in prayer in my sore5 need.

2 How great is the poet’s need Do you think the artist wanted to celebrate the train, the greatest of freedom?

Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a5 cloud! technological innovation of the time, or was he hinting at some bleed7!danger coming from modern technology?

I fall upon the thorns6 of life! Ipotential

A heavy weight of hours has chain’d and bow’d8 One too like thee: tameless9, and swift, and proud.

1 Complete the summary with the given words.

EMOTIONAL LEARNING

3 Is the train presented as a dynamic or static reality?

4 Apart from the train, can you identify any other objects or any person?

4 The train and the bridge are the only straight dark lines in a fluid 10

T63 Oh, if I were like you, Spirit! 73

STEP IN

1 What is the darkest thing in the painting?

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ode to the West Wind (1820)

In the Futurist Manifest (1909) Marinetti writes:

Noi canteremo il vibrante fervore notturno degli arsenali e dei cantieri incendiati da violente lune elettriche; le stazioni ingorde, divoratrici di serpi che fumano le officine appese alle nuvole pei contorti fili dei loro fumi; i ponti simili a ginnasti giganti che scavalcano i fiumi, balenanti al sole con un luccichio di coltelli; i piroscafi avventurosi che fiutano l’orizzonte, le locomotive dall’ampio petto che scalpitano sulle rotaie, come enormi cavalli d’acciaio imbrigliati di tubi, e il volo scivolante degli aeroplani, la cui elica garrisce al vento come una bandiera e sembra applaudire come una folla entusiasta.

4 Find a few examples of metaphors and similes. How important is the figurative language to the development of the poet’s message?

5 Check the rhyme scheme; is it regular? What scheme is used?

PDF

Your text explained

STUDY BOOSTER p. 60 335

5

299

Voices • Contenuti digitali integrativi Voices offre un ricco apparato digitale per consolidare e ampliare l’apprendimento e potenziare la competenza digitale.

VIDEOPRESENTAZIONI Video introduttivi in apertura di capitolo, contesto e per ogni autrice e autore con attività di Flipped classroom.

POWERPOINT

PPT

Lezioni in PowerPoint che identificano gli aspetti fondamentali di avvenimenti e personaggi del periodo.

ANALISI VISUALI

PDF

Per tutti i testi antologizzati sono disponibili analisi per un apprendimento visuale.

ANALISI INTERATTIVE • Di un’ampia selezione di brani antologici.

6

• Di un’ampia selezione di opere artistiche.

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

The Elizabethan/Shakespearean scheme consisted of three quatrains and a final couplet rhyming ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and measured in iambic pentameters.

The main practitioners of the Elizabethan sonnet sequence were Edmund Spenser (1552–99), Sir Philip Sidney (1554–86) and William Shakespeare (1564–1616) ( p. 124). Probably composed in the 1580s, Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella was a sonnet sequence presenting his love for Stella; it was followed by Spenser’s Amoretti (1595), dedicated to his own wife. The collections reflect the Petrarchan ideal of an angelic woman to be adored while Shakespeare’s Sonnets, which were ▲ Peter Lely, Portrait of a Lady UNDERSTAND published for the first time in 1609,ANALYSE brought significant innovations in themes and codified the so(said to be Lady Diana Sidney, Shakespearean sonnet.

Spenser’s wife).

2 Put the sentences that describecalled Faustus’ fears and wishes into 4 Answer the questions.

MAPPE INTERATTIVE

the correct order.

He calls for Lucifer to spare him.

1 Consider Faustus’ last words. What ambition has caused his damnation?

MIND

MAP He wishes that the earth would cover him.

2 How does Faustus feel as he perceives the inexorable passing of time?

The English Renaissance Choose all the correct options. anguished hopeful confident miserable

He wishes that the sun would rise again.

Tutte le Mind map sono modificabili e espandibili per favorire una didattica realmente inclusiva.

He gives up asking for more time.

He pleads to the devil not to harm him for naming Christ.

New He wishes he had never been born.

Renaissance Learning

He wishes his body could be turned to air or water.

Prose

4 Repentance consists of giving up the path of evil and for God’s theasking sonnet forgiveness. Does Faustus repent or not? Give evidence.

He wishes that his suffering in Hell could have a limit. flourishing translations

5 What advantage Faustus gain from all his knowledge and Sir does Thomas Petrarchan/ erudition now, in hisUtopia last hour?

More’s Shakespearean sonnet

He wishes that heart were an animal with of no literature soul to damn. of literature and and art

6 Faustus speaks to himself using his own name, and also addresses himself using different pronouns (thou,/thee, “you” – I/me).

To what effect? translations – imitations – John Lyly’s

He wishes that his last hour could be stretched out.

Erasmusthat vonGod Heclassical fears that God is angry with him and concludes culture Rotterdam won’t forgive him.

collections 7 Blank verse consists unrhymed iambic pentameters. Listen to the Euphues: theofAnatomy recording of the of soliloquy Wit again; is this blank verse?

He wishes that midnight would never come.

Michel de Montaigne

He curses his parents, but then curses himself and Lucifer.

3 Answer the questions.

INTERPRET

William Tyndale’s translation

Sir Thomas Wyatt – Henry Howard Earl of Surrey –

Spenser – Philip Sidney 5 Faustus’ inability to repent of his sinsEdmund is psychologically of the Bible – William Shakespeare convincing; having served Lucifer for so long, he has reached a point at which he cannot imagine breaking free. He can’t repent. Can you think of situations when one ‘sells his soul to the devil’ in an obsession that cannot be cured and is self5 ‘Euphuism’ in Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit is characterised by deluding?

1 Who keeps Faustus company in his last hour?

2 What are Faustus’ last words?

3 Who arrives to drag Faustus to Hell? Do they come before or after Faustus’ CHECK OUTlast words?

1 Choose all the correct statements.

simple diction and a search for clarity and economy.

PDF

Your text explained

STUDY BOOSTER p. 19

The European Renaissance and the English Renaissance developed simultaneously.

6

3

recommendations The most important Humanists were Erasmus von Rotterdam, Sir Thomas More, and Michel de Montaigne.

8

In Petrarch’s Canzoniere, the woman always returns the man’s love, though in secret.

4

Another Faust translated into English.

(2009) by Dina and Daniel Nayeri

Sir Thomas More’s Utopia was published in Latin in 1516 and never

9

The Elizabethan or Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains

1 2

VIDEO DI BOOKTOK

The Renaissance was delayed in England because the Anglican Reformation made contact with any Catholic country quite difficult and at times almost impossible.

After the fall of Constantinople, England was the first European 7 The Petrarchan sonnet was introduced by Sir Thomas Wyatt after 1527. country to be involved in Humanism. Discover top trending book

#BookTok

Originally from Iran, Daniel and Dina Nayeri were just children when they left the country with their family as refugees and fled to the US. Daniel has always had jobs around books including secondhand bookshop sales assistant, children’s librarian, even bookshelf maker. He is now a writer and editor in New York City and also a professional pastry chef. Dina graduated from Harvard and Princeton Universities and is an essayist, novelist and short story writer.

Suggerimenti di lettura fatti da e rivolti a young adults.

Marlowe and Goethe’s myth with various forms of alternate rhyme plus a final rhyming couplet. in the 21st century Another Faust tells about five children mysteriously Ideas for your map: LOVE vanishing from their families in Europe and reappearing five years later at one of the best New York prep schools, where they make incredible progress thanks to their strange, special gifts. But nothing in life is free and that’s what the five teenage protagonists will find out for themselves when they realise what they have traded for those gifts.

“

In this life, you have winners and losers. the more you win, the higher you go.

2 What kind of goals do today’s teenagers set themselves?

3 What would you ask for if you could make one wish come true?

3

107

If you enjoy books that are food for thought and deal with moral issues like the drawbacks of greed and ambition, then this is the right novel for you. I loved how the authors hinted at the Faustian deal and how the old myth perfectly fit into the storyline, making it more fun and enjoyable for a YA reader like me.

1 Is there anything you want so badly that you’d do whatever it takes to get it?

122

p. 203

“

DISCUSS 1 Watch the video and listen to Amanda’s review of the book, then answer the questions.

MATERIALI EXTRA

desperate panic-stricken

3 How does Faustus see damnation, the devil and God? Poetry –

Renaissance Humanism

WEB QUEST / MEDIATION 2 Search the web to find more information about the novel and prepare a multimedia presentation to illustrate the links with Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus.

The Renaissance and the Puritan Age – Authors and works

PDF

oices offre numerosi documenti di approfondimento V su temi, personaggi, autrici e autori, opere. Il canone letterario si arricchisce di nuovi contributi ampliando l’offerta autoriale e antologica.

LITERATURE AND CULTURE

The Augustan Age (1714–1776)

LEARNING DIGITAL • The Augustan Age • “The Tatler” and “The Spectator” PPT PDF PDF

The Augustan Age: Literature and Culture The Ancients vs the Moderns Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock DT12 Belinda’s toilet DT13 The mortal offence

The term ‘Augustan Age’ comes from the imitation of the original Augustan writers of Latin literature, seen as examples of perfect style. Literature was affected by the new spirit of the time, with reason, self-control and balance as ideals towards the perfectly rational man and society of the Enlightenment, a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries that revolutionised art, philosophy, and politics.

The method of reason was applied to religion itself in Deism, which believes in the existence of one God on the basis of reason and evidence. Deists saw God as a sort of architect who administered rewards and punishments, and they believed in the need for humans to be virtuous and pious.

The two dominant genres of the age were satire and the realistic novel.

Literary models

PER L’INCLUSIONE

• The Classics

• Un’ampia selezione di esercizi a risposta chiusa sono resi interattivi con autocorrezione per l’autovalutazione e l’apprendimento.

• Tutti i testi antologici e i commenti negli Study Booster sono registrati.

▲ Antonio Canova, Cupid and Psyche (1793).

It is regarded as a masterpiece of Neoclassical sculpture.

The Latin authors Virgil, Horace and Ovid were studied and imitated. Cato and his noble suicide, became a cult object as he represented the highest ideals of stoicism. The emperor Augustus was viewed as an ideal ruler, at the head of a powerful empire that the English were replicating in their own colonial expansion ( p. 104); Augustus and his friend Maecenas, an important patron for Augustan poets, became the model for literary patronage.

• The French The France of Louis XIV (1643–1715), the Sun King, and Louis XV (1715–74) offered the model of Neoclassicism of Nicolas Boileau (1636–1711), of the works of the philosophers Voltaire (1694– 1778) and Montesquieu (1689–1755), who helped to spread the ideas of tolerance, democracy and anti-slavery, and of the contributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–80). The Encyclopédie of Sciences, Arts and Trades was a showcase for the Enlightenment and its ideas; it was the result of the effort of several contributors under the direction of Denis Diderot (1713–84).

Audience and style Most readers were from the middle classes and they appreciated clear and precise language. The spread of journals and circulating libraries helped to increase the number of potential readers among the urban middle classes. Neoclassical theories, with their focus on “clarity, precision, order, harmony and universality”, also affected language, which became refined and elegant, clear and precise, in order to meet the requirements of commerce and science.

The female reading public also increased since women of the upper classes had leisure time to read and were also admitted to the public coffee houses ( p. 213). They joined the debates concerning the issues of the time: their demand for education and information grew.

Silvia Ballabio

Alessandra Brunetti

Voices in Literature, Art and Global Issues

Study Booster 1

PER L‘APPROFONDIMENTO PDF

Non-fiction prose The growing importance of the middle classes and their need to be informed gave rise to journalism and essay writing.

Study Booster: uno strumento utile per l’approfondimento della competenza letteraria, con i • Journalism The first half of the 18 century was the ‘Golden Age of British Journalism’ with the rise and spread commenti dettagliati di tutti i testi antologici (Your texts explained). of the first periodicals and newspapers. The abolition of censorship in 1695 greatly contributed to the diffusion of newspapers. The two most important periodicals of the time were “The Tatler” In Study Booster 1 è presente inoltre una trattazione cronologica dei generi letterari (Genres in and “The Spectator”, published by Richard Steele (1672–1729) and Joseph Addison (1672–1719). time), mentre in Study Booster 2 viene presentata la Seconda prova dell’Esame di Stato e sono 220 4 The Restoration and the Augustan Age – The Augustan Age (1714–1776) proposti testi e attività utili per l’Orientamento. th

YOUR TEXTS EXPLAINED Commenti dettagliati di tutti i testi antologici YOUR VOICE Attività per l’interpretazione personale GENRES IN TIME Evoluzione nel tempo dei generi letterari

Il piacere di apprendere

Gruppo Editoriale ELi

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

7

Contents GENRES

My study skills

16

How to develop oracy skills How to develop thinking skills How to work with StoryTelling

16 18 19 LEARNING DIGITAL

Fiction Explore fiction

20 22

T1 Parker and Sarah Ruth

22

• Explore texts with tips

T2 A special name for a special man

23

• Explore texts with tips

T3 Parker’s name

23

• Explore texts with tips

Poetry Explore poetry

24

• Poetry in detail

T4 A Mariner’s voyage to the South Pole

27

• Explore texts with tips

Drama Explore drama

28 29

• Drama in detail

T5 The missed moment

29

• Explore texts with tips

PDF • Fiction in detail

from Parker’s Back by Flannery O’Connor

27

from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by S.T. Coleridge

from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

1 THE ORIGINS

6 century–1066 th

30

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

LEARNING DIGITAL

Migrations and first invasions

32

• Doggerland • Stonehenge • The Celts PPT The Origins: History and Society

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Buildings that love the sun

34

Roman and Anglo-Saxon invasions

36

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

We all love a good fight!

39

WOMEN THAT MADE HISTORY

Britain‘s first women warriors

RIGHTS FOR ALL

Wise men build bridges, fools build barriers

• Hadrian’s Wall • King Alfred the Great • The Vikings PDF • The Sutton Hoo helmet • Royal dynasties: The Celts, the Danes, the Anglo-Saxons

40

StoryTelling My father, King Alfred the Great

41 42

LITERATURE AND CULTURE

Anglo-Saxon literature

44

AUTHORS AND WORKS

• Anglo-Saxon prose • Anglo-Saxon poetry PPT The Origins: Literature and Culture

Beowulf

Beowulf

46

T6 The fight with Grendel

48

T7 Beowulf’s death 8

THE IDEA OF THE TIME The hero and the dragon

50

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

PPT Beowulf

PDF • Full plot • Beowulf: a long-lasting hero

• Beowulf, epic or elegiac?

Interactive analysis PDF Visual analysis PDF Visual analysis

#BookTok

LEARNING DIGITAL

Can women be great warriors?

51

Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Heroes and anti-heroes

52

T8 Beowulf, our greatest hero from Sarum by Edward Rutherford

52

T9 They would kill me!

2

from Grendel by John Gardner

53

T10 The Wanderer

54

REVISION AREA IDEAS FOR YOUR MAP

56 57

THE MIDDLE AGES 1066–1485

58

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

The Norman Conquest and feudalism RIGHTS FOR ALL

Steps to civil rights

WOMEN THAT MADE HISTORY

An anchoress and a woman writer ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Are pilgrimages and crusades here to stay?

The crises of the 14th and early 15th centuries THE ARTS

The rich arts of the Middle Ages

Map store

THE IDEA OF THE TIME Invasion and conquest LEARNING DIGITAL

60 62

Society in the Middle Ages

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

64

• The Norman Conquest • The feudal system • Magna Carta PPT The Middle Ages: History and Society PDF Royal dynasties: The Normans and the

Plantagenets PDF Rights of today

66 67 68

The Wars of the Roses

70

LITERATURE AND CULTURE Medieval literature Poetry

72 72

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

Knights and ladies, what a passion!

RIGHTS FOR ALL

Poverty, the greatest evil of all times

T11 The hard life of the poor

75

• Medieval literature • Romances • Ballads PPT The Middle Ages: Literature and Culture PDF • The Cuckoo Song

• Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur DT1 The sword in the stone

76

from Piers Plowman by William Langland

76

Medieval drama

78

Medieval drama

AUTHORS AND WORKS T12 Lord Randal

80

StoryTelling The strange case of Lord Randal

82

T13 Geordie

84

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Interactive analysis PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

9

LEARNING DIGITAL #BookTok Death penalty and racial disparity

85

This Is My America by Kim Johnson

Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales

86

T14 General Prologue

90

T15 The Wife of Bath

91

88

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Why Chaucer’s tales now?

PDF • DT2 The Knight

• DT3 The Doctor of Medicine PDF Visual analysis

Interactive analysis

PDF Visual analysis

93

REVISION AREA IDEAS FOR YOUR MAP

3

eoffrey Chaucer G and The Canterbury Tales PPT Geoffrey Chaucer

94 95

THE RENAISSANCE AND THE PURITAN AGE 1485–1660

96

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

Map store

THE IDEA OF THE TIME The power of illusion LEARNING DIGITAL

Strong monarchs for a young nation

98

THE ARTS

Portraits of power from past to present

102

The age of exploration and economic growth 104

LITERATURE AND CULTURE

• Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy • Elizabeth I’s reign • Defeat of the Spanish Armada PPT The Renaissance and the Puritan Age: History and Society • James I’s Bible • The Pilgrim Fathers • Execution of Charles I during the Civil War PDF Royal dynasties: The Tudors and the Stuarts • The English Renaissance • The sonnet

The English Renaissance

106

PPT The Renaissance: Literature and Culture PDF • The courtier

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Where did all this English come from?

108

•E dmund Spenser DT4 Ye tradeful Merchants

Renaissance drama

110

Renaissance drama

The Jacobean and Puritan Age

114

The Jacobean and Puritan Age

Christopher Marlowe Doctor Faustus

116

hristopher Marlowe C and Doctor Faustus

T16 Faustus’ last hour

120

AUTHORS AND WORKS

#BookTok

118

Marlowe and Goethe’s myth in the 21st century Another Faust by Dina and Daniel Nayeri

PDF Full plot

Interactive analysis

PDF Visual analysis

122

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Faustus, damned or saved?

123

William Shakespeare Shakespeare’s Sonnets

124 126

William Shakespeare and the Globe PPT William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Sonnets PDF DT5 Let me not to the marriage of true minds

10

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

LEARNING DIGITAL

T17 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

127

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

T18 That time of year thou mayst in me behold T19 My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun

128

• Interactive analysis PDF • Visual analysis • Translation PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

The sonnet survives the Modernist revolution

T20 When all the others were away at Mass

129 130

by Seamus Heaney

131

Shakespeare’s plays

132

Shakespeare’s plays PPT Shakespeare’s plays

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

In love with Shakespeare

136

PDF Julius Caesar DT6 Brutus’ speech

Romeo and Juliet

138

PDF • Full plot • DT7 Goodbye, my lord

T21 With a kiss I take you T22 The balcony scene

140

PDF Visual analysis

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

144

PDF • Full plot • DT8 The magic juice

T23 Doting for an ass

146

PDF Visual analysis

141

THE ARTS

Shakespearean women fall in love

The Merchant of Venice RIGHTS FOR ALL

Discrimination makes black matter not matter at all

Interactive analysis PDF Visual analysis

148 150

PDF Full plot

152

T24 Destroying the black body from Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

T25 Am I not human?

T26 Are we not all in need of mercy?

154

PDF • Visual analysis

155

PDF • Visual analysis

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

157

T27 Hamlet, the man of inaction

160

T28 Oh fair Ophelia! Oh wicked mother!

161

StoryTelling Ophelia and I The heroine and the model

164

King Lear

166

PDF • Full plot • Shakespeare’s fools

T29 The sweet and bitter fool T30 The storm scene

168

PDF Visual analysis

Macbeth

172

T31 I have done the deed

174

T32 A tale told by an idiot

177

PDF • Full plot • The three pigs and the three

170

RIGHTS FOR ALL

Shakespeare’s women claim their independence

avengers • Hamlet in the bush • The hero and the foil • DT9 Remember me Interactive analysis PDF Visual analysis PDF Visual analysis

Interactive analysis PDF Visual analysis PDF • Full plot • Witchcraft and King James

• DT10 The dagger scene Interactive analysis PDF Visual analysis PDF Visual analysis

178

The Tempest

180

PDF Full plot

T33 Master and servant T34 We are such stuff as dreams are made on

183

PDF Visual analysis

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Giorgio Strehler’s La Tempesta

185 187

John Donne

188

T35 The Sun Rising

190

Interactive analysis

PDF Visual analysis

J ohn Donne and Songs and Sonnets and Holy Sonnets PDF DT11 A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning Interactive analysis

PDF • Visual analysis

• Translation © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

11

LEARNING DIGITAL

T36 Batter My Heart

192

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Donne and Michelangelo

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

193

John Milton Paradise Lost

John Milton and Paradise Lost

194 195

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Satan the rebel for William Blake

PDF Full plot

197

T37 Satan’s speech

198

RIGHTS FOR ALL

Will censorship ever die out?

Interactive analysis

PDF • Visual analysis

• Translation

200

T38 No censorship among free people from Areopagitica by John Milton

REVISION AREA IDEAS FOR YOUR MAP

4

202 203

THE RESTORATION AND THE AUGUSTAN AGE 1660–1776

204

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

Map store

THE IDEA OF THE TIME Social life LEARNING DIGITAL

Politics and institutions

206

RIGHTS FOR ALL

The English Bill of Rights (1689)

Global conflicts and commercial expansion

209 210

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Scotland and England, a long and difficult marriage

212

A new world over a coffee and a paper

213

StoryTelling A glimpse of 17th–century London

• The Restoration • The Glorious Revolution • The Bill of Rights • The Act of Union PPT The Restoration and the Augustan Age: History and Society PDF Royal dynasties: The Hanoverians • The Jacobite rebellions • The War of the Spanish Succession • The War of the Austrian Succession • The Seven Years’ War

214

LITERATURE AND CULTURE The Restoration Age

216

The Restoration Age PPT The Restoration and the Augustan Age:

RIGHTS FOR ALL

Literature and Culture

Do we care about our cities?

T39 Proposals for a sustainable development from Fumifugium by John Evelyn

T40 After the hurricane

218

from The Water Will Come by Jeff Goodell

219

The Augustan Age

220

The novel

224

THE ARTS

Living in mansions but enjoying nature

226

• The Augustan Age • “The Tatler” and “The Spectator” PDF • The Ancients vs the Moderns

• Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock DT12 Belinda’s toilet DT13 The mortal offence The novel PDF • Samuel Richardson, Clarissa

DT14 Clarissa’s death • Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy DT15 Tristram’s breeches

AUTHORS AND WORKS William Congreve 12

228 © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

illiam Congreve W and The Way of the World

LEARNING DIGITAL

The Way of the World

228

PPT Full plot

T41 Provisos

230

PDF Visual analysis

#BookTok

Lost – and found – in the mail To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

THE ARTS

Marriage, the affair of a lifetime

232 233

Aphra Behn Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave

234

phra Behn and Oroonoko, or The A Royal Slave PDF • Full plot • Slave trade through the centuries

234

PDF Visual analysis

T42 We are men, not brutes and not slaves

234

Daniel Defoe Robinson Crusoe

236

T43 Are cannibals like us?

239

T44 Friday, the ideal ‘savage’

240

238

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

A man for all worlds

Daniel Defoe and Robinson Crusoe PPT Daniel Defoe PDF A Journal of the Plague Year

DT16 Shutting people in their homes PDF • Full plot • Robinson Crusoe, the economic man PDF Visual analysis

Interactive analysis

242

PDF Visual analysis

Jonathan Swift and Gulliver’s Travels PPT Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift Gulliver’s Travels

244 246

PDF • Full plot • DT17 Yahoos and Houyhnhnms

T45 The right way to break an egg

248

PDF Visual analysis

T46 Slaves of perfect reason

250

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Satire will never die

PDF Swift, politics and satire

Interactive analysis

PDF Visual analysis

252

T47 A cockroach rules the country from The Cockroach by Ian McEwan

Henry Fielding The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

254 255

PDF Full plot

T48 The foundling

257

PDF Visual analysis

Henry Fielding and The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

The picaresque and transgression from Cervantes to Fielding

5

259

REVISION AREA IDEAS FOR YOUR MAP

260

THE ROMANTIC AGE

261

1776–1837

262

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

Map store

THE IDEA OF THE TIME Nature: love it, or fear it?

LEARNING DIGITAL

The American Revolution

264

The American Revolution PPT The Romantic Age: History and Society

RIGHTS FOR ALL

The Social Contract theory

266

The French Revolution

268

The First Industrial Revolution

270

The French Revolution PDF Key terms of the French Revolution

The First Industrial Revolution PDF Technology of the past

RIGHTS FOR ALL

A house for all

272 © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

13

LEARNING DIGITAL

LITERATURE AND CULTURE Pre-Romanticism

274

Pre-Romanticisim PPT The Romantic Age: Literature and Culture

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

The poetry of the tombs

276

T49 George Gray from Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters

277

WOMEN THAT MADE HISTORY

A new world for women

PDF • Thomas Gray DT18 Elegy Written in a

Country Churchyard • Robert Burns DT19 Auld Lang Syne DT20 A Red, Red Rose • Sir Walter Scott, Waverly DT21 The Highlander

T50 Education for women makes for a better society from A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

by Mary Wollstonecraft

278

The Romantic movement

280

The Romantic movement PDF The noble savage

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

Mother Pandora and the myth of the good savage

Romantic poetry

283 284

Romantic fiction

286

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

The Historical novel lives on

289

Romantic poetry PDF Romantic poets redefine poetry

Romantic fiction PDF Social conventions in the early 19th century

AUTHORS AND WORKS 292 293

PDF • DT22 The Blossom • DT23 The Sick Rose

T51 The Lamb

295

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

T52 The Tyger

296

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

T53 London

297

THE ARTS

Does science make wonders?

300

T54 I wandered lonely as a cloud

303

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

The art of contemplation

304 305

Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

306 308

T56 The killing of the Albatross

310

T57 Lost in the land of the bright sun

313

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

The Albatross myth

Interactive analysis

PDF • Visual analysis

• Translation

298

William Wordsworth T55 Composed upon Westminster Bridge

William Wordsworth and Lyrical Ballads PPT William Wordsworth PDF DT24 The new poetry DT25 My heart

leaps up DT26 Tintern abbey PDF • Visual analysis • Translation PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

S amuel T. Coleridge and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner PPT Samuel T. Coleridge PDF • Full plot • The mystery of a sea story

• The Rime, a Reverie Interactive analysis PDF • Visual analysis • Translation PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

315

T58 Life-in-Death. The horror! The horror!

316

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

T59 Kubla Khan: or, a Vision in a Dream. A Fragment

318

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

George Gordon Byron Oriental Tales – Lara

320

George G. Bryon, the Grand Tour and the Byronic hero PDF DT27 Sunset in Venice DT28 To the Ocean

T60 The Byronic hero

322

Don Juan

324

PDF Full plot

T61 Donna Julia cuckolds Don Alfonso

325

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

322

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Don Juan, an everlasting myth 14

William Blake and Songs of Innocence and of Experience

William Blake Songs of Innocence and of Experience

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

329

Interactive analysis PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

LEARNING DIGITAL

Percy Bysshe Shelley

330

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Fighting for freedom with words

P ercy B. Shelley and Ode to the West Wind

332

T62 Ozymandias

333

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

Ode to the West Wind

334

PDF Full poem

T63 Oh, if I were like you, Spirit!

334

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

John Keats

336

T64 Ode on a Grecian Urn

338

John Keats and Ode on a Grecian Urn PPT John Keats

Interactive analysis

Eternity and time

341

T65 La Belle Dame sans Merci

342

Ann Radcliffe The Mysteries of Udolpho

344 344

PDF Full plot

T66 A love for nature

346

PDF Visual analysis

T67 A Gothic world is born

347

PDF Visual analysis

Mary Shelley Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus

348

T68 The miserable wretch T69 Will you love me, father?

351

348 352

PDF • Visual analysis • Translation

nn Radcliffe A and The Mysteries of Udolpho

ary Shelley and Frankenstein, or the M Modern Prometheus PPT Mary Shelley PDF • Full plot • DT29 The mystery of life unveiled PDF Visual analysis Interactive analysis

#BookTok

PDF • Visual analysis

• Translation

THE ARTS

A prequel to Mary Shelley’s Gothic classic This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Science Fiction or Sci-Fi

PDF Visual analysis

354 355

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

The monster and the author

356

Edgar Allan Poe The Black Cat

358

T70 The spirit of perverseness

361

T71 The final horror

362

360

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

The masters of horror stories

Jane Austen

E dgar Allan Poe and Tales of Mystery and Imagination PPT Edgar Allan Poe PDF • Poe’s everywhere • Rationality and irrationality

• DT30 The Raven PDF • Full plot PDF Visual analysis

Interactive analysis

PDF Visual analysis

365 366

Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice PDF Sense and Sensibility

RIGHTS FOR ALL

Marriages today, still a difficult reality

368

DT31 How miserable I am!

Pride and Prejudice

370

PDF • Full plot • DT32 The difficult art of

T72 Mr and Mrs Bennet, an old couple

372

PDF Visual analysis

T73 Know yourself

374

StoryTelling You should have been less cautious, Jane!

376

REVISION AREA IDEAS FOR YOUR MAP

378 379

Glossary of literary terms

conversation Interactive analysis

PDF Visual analysis

Map store

380 © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

15

My study skills How to develop oracy skills DEBATE

A debate is a discussion about an issue. Group A argues for the issue (pro team), Group B against the issue (con team); each group member has a role (coordinator, researcher, opening speaker, rebuttal speaker, concluding speaker).

Before the debate Each group prepares the main points that will be debated. To support your claims you should use reliable sources and data (articles, books, websites, interviews with experts on the topic, etc.); you can also refer to your personal experience. Groups must be ready to think on their feet to respond to the opposing side’s counterarguments.

During the debate The debate develops with groups presenting their arguments and having them rebutted. Time limits (between two and five minutes) are set for each turn.

• Pro position [Pro Team] • Rebuttal [Con Team] • Con position [Con Team] • Rebuttal [Pro Team] • Teams question each other [Both teams] • Closing statements [Both teams, the con team first and the pro team second] After the debate The class (or the teacher) chooses the winner on the basis of who communicated most clearly and refuted the opponent’s arguments best.

PRESENTATION

Choose a computer program that you know well for your presentation, and follow these suggestions: • Focus on your topic clearly: write a good title and subtitle • Do your research: study your topic well: check details and provide sources • Plan your presentation: organise your slides logically and make a conclusion • Rehearse your presentation: check your timing • Speak clearly and confidently, and keep eye contact with the audience • Use proper language: avoid colloquialisms, and include explanations of key words • Sum up your main points • Provide a proper conclusion • Leave some time for questions

PROJECT

Engaging in a campaign Step 1 Gather information on the document/topic/issue that you have been assigned.

Step 2 Prepare an action plan which includes: Objectives: What are you trying to achieve with your material? (Inform, convince, engage, etc. the target audience.)

Audience: Who is the material you will prepare aimed at?

Content: What themes do you want to focus on?

Campaign materials: What kind of materials do you intend to prepare? Slogans, articles, information sheets, posters, videos (either digital – PowerPoint presentation, Instagram stories, Prezis, etc. – or tangible – brochures, billboards, etc.)?

Step 3 Present your action plan to the rest of the class with at least one sample of the campaign materials.

16

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

My study skills SURVEY MAKING

In a survey you need to focus on a clear topic you want to investigate, and choose a specific group of respondents.

Step 1 Prepare your questions carefully so that they help you to understand the crucial points you want to investigate. Here are some examples of question types from a survey about immigrants in a local community.

1 multiple-choice questions – respondents choose only one option Where were you born? a

b

in Italy

outside Italy but in Europe

c

outside Europe

2 1 to 5 Likert scale (for example from very bad to excellent) – respondents choose only one option How good are the Italian language courses in your community?

1

2

3

4

5

very bad excellent 3 rating questions – respondents number options from 1 to 5 (1 most important, 5 least important) Which resource/condition is the most and the least important for immigrants? (1 most important, 5 least important) free health care a place for religious worship Italian language courses fair salaries housing at affordable prices

Step 2 Hand out your questionnaire to the people you have selected. Online surveys are very convenient.

Step 3 Gather your results and decide how you want to present them to the class. Infographics with pie and bar charts are useful to visualise information.

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

17

My study skills How to develop thinking skills Thinking skills are useful in your study. They can be simpler (describe or explain) or more complex (compare or assess).

DESCRIBE

The Great Plague and the Great Fire were terrible events.

Step 1 Identify your topic – What should I talk about?

The Great Plague and the Great Fire Step 2 What is the opinion that I will follow?

That they were terrible events Step 3 What features should I include to make a good description? when, where, how, why, who

EXPLAIN

The French Revolution caused mixed reactions in the UK. Step 1 Identify your topic – What should I talk about?

The French Revolution Step 2 Identify your point – What key word(s) need(s) to be explained? caused – mixed reactions

JUSTIFY

“Hamlet” is a problem play.

Step 1 Identify your topic – What should I talk about?

Hamlet Step 2 Identify the opinion – What should I prove?

That it is a problem play Step 3 Develop your opinion – Why is it correct?

Give reasons in favour of the opinion

COMPARE

The Gothic novel and the novel of Manners have opposite characteristics.

Step 1 Identify your topic – What should I talk about?

The Gothic novel and the novel of Manners Step 2 Identify your area of comparison – What should I compare? their characteristics Step 3 Identify your opinion – similarity or opposition, or both? opposition

ASSESS

French models were a more important influence than Italian ones in the development of Chaucer’s art.

Step 1 Identify your topic – What should I talk about?

Chaucer’s art Step 2 Identify the issue that you need to talk about – What should I assess?

The influences of various models on Chaucer’s art Step 3 Develop and assess the validity of the various points concerning your issue.

18

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

My study skills How to work with StoryTelling TELL ME A STORY! Using storytelling to create new digital stories in the classroom In this section of the book you will be guided through the experience of storytelling and you will learn ways to use this form of expression in combination with history or literature.

WHAT IS STORYTELLING?

Storytelling is an essential trait of human beings. “We tell stories because we are human,” says young American poet Amanda Gorman. “But we are also made more human because we tell stories.”

From bards’ oral histories in ancient courts, to the works of poets and novelists, to newspapers, cinema, television, and now the Internet, narrative has been used to pass down knowledge, arouse emotions and ideas and inspire new visions. Stories can create other worlds, and make the everyday seem incredible. They can teach us empathy and take us on incredible journeys.

That’s the aim of this session. Stimulate you to use your imagination to develop new stories.

WHO CAN TELL STORIES?

We all can and we all do. We tell stories every day, describing our experiences to another person, using our imagination to enrich our narrative with details, describing the characters of our stories and placing them into specific contexts.

HOW WILL I WORK?

You will first be presented with some examples of storytelling and then guided to create your own stories using digital storytelling. Thanks to today’s technologies we can interact with the digital world to convey stories, information and ideas through videos, audio, images, music — that’s what makes up digital storytelling. This allows you turn a story into a multidimensional experience. You have certainly already used your smartphone to create videos on your favourite social media, haven’t you?

You will work in pairs or in groups because digital storytelling encourages you to communicate, collaborate, do research and learn together with your friends.

SOME EXAMPLES

You can use digital storytelling to produce audio/videos. You can: • create/rewrite a story in a different format (dialogue, reportage, newspaper article, letter/email, text message, etc.); • create impossible interviews with authors, historic/fictional/imaginary characters, etc.; • create an autobiography/a biography of a character (a character from literature, history, fiction, even an imaginary character); • imagine alternative endings to a text (poem/novel/play/document, etc.); Are you ready? We’re looking forward to reading, watching, listening to your stories!

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

19

GENRES Fiction Genres in time STUDY BOOSTER p. 4 LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Fiction in detail

The meaning of fiction is ‘to form’, ‘to shape’ something. It includes any form of narrative to be found not only in literature (for example in myth, epic, drama, the novel and the short story) but also in other forms of art (such as painting or the cinema) and in daily life, in the continuous flow of interaction and conversation among people ‘narrating their everyday life’.

Fiction is defined by a series of elements: narrative, narrator, character, theme and narrative modes.

NARRATIVE ‘the telling of a story’ with meaning and conflict

meaning

conflict

events in a cause-and-effect relation

the main issue/problem that creates suspense or surprise, to be solved in the end

NARRATOR the speaking voice that narrates the text

first-person/internal

reliable

intrusive

inside the narrative

what he/she tells the reader is correct

he/she directly addresses the reader

third-person/external

non-reliable/unreliable

non-intrusive narrator

outside the narrative

what he/she tells the reader is not correct or is deliberately ambiguous

he/she never addresses the reader directly

omniscient he/she knows everything about the narrative non-omniscient he/she only knows what one or more characters know

FOCALISATION the perspective in which the narrated events are presented narrator focaliser

internal/character focalisation

the events are seen through the narrator’s eyes

the events are seen through a character’s eyes

20

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

CHARACTER the fictional agent in the narrative

protagonist

antagonist

round

flat

at the centre of conflict

the protagonist‘s main opponent

characters change and grow acquiring complexity

characters do not grow and are reduced to one characteristic; they are types

THEME main idea or underlying meaning

it can be stated directly or indirectly

the way the author espresses his/her views

NARRATIVE MODES the ways a narrative is created

comment

report

to interpret events

to narrate events

speech/thought for the characters' speech/ thought

direct speech/thought

indirect speech/thought

the characters’ words/thoughts are presented exactly as they were expressed or thought, with reporting expressions

the characters’ words/thoughts are reported and accompanied by reporting expressions

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

description the place and the time of the narrative are set, sometimes in symbolic terms

free indirect speech/ thought the characters’ words/thoughts are reported in the third person with no reporting expressions

21

GENRES FICTION

Explore fiction In this section you will read three extracts from a modern short story. The most important features of fiction are highlighted in different colours.

Parker’s Back (1965)

by Flannery O’Connor LIFE • Flannery O’Connor (1925–64), an American writer, mainly wrote short stories which were published in the collection The Complete Short Stories in 1971.

• A Catholic, she spent almost all her life in Georgia, in the area known as ‘The Bible Belt’, the Protestant South, breeding her beloved peacocks.

• She died of lupus, a very painful illness, at the age of 39.

T1 LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Explore texts with tips

external non-omniscient/nonintrusive reliable narrator Report Description Free indirect thought Narrator’s comment

Indirect thought

Parker and Sarah Ruth

1

This is the very beginning of the short story, set in Georgia; it focuses directly on the relationship between Parker, the protagonist of Parker’s Back, and his wife Sarah.

Parker’s wife was sitting on the front porch door, snapping beans1. Parker was sitting on the step, some distance away, watching her sullenly2. She was plain3, plain. The skin on her face was thin and drawn4 as tight as the skin on an onion and her eyes were gray and sharp like the points of two icepicks5. Parker understood why he had married her – he couldn’t have got her any other way – but he couldn’t understand why he stayed with her 5 now. She was pregnant and pregnant women were not his favorite kind. Nevertheless, he stayed as if she had him conjured6. He was puzzled and ashamed7 of himself.

The house they rented sat alone save for8 a single tall pecan tree on a high embankment9 overlooking a highway. At intervals a car would shoot past10 below and his wife’s eyes would swerve11 suspiciously after the sound of it and then come back to rest on the newspaper 10 full of beans in her lap. One of the things she did not approve of was automobiles. In addition to other bad qualities, she was forever sniffing up sin12. She did not smoke or dip13, drink whiskey, use bad language or paint her face14, and God knew some paint would have improved it, Parker thought. Her being against color, it was the more remarkable she had married him. Sometimes he supposed she had married him because she meant to save him.

At other times he had a suspicion that she actually liked everything she said she didn’t. He 15 could account for her15 one way or another; it was himself he could not understand.

1 snapping beans: a sgranare piselli 2 sullenly: cupo 3 plain: scialba 4 drawn: tesa 5 icepicks: bastoncini rompighiaccio 6 conjured: incantato (È come se

22

The stories written by Flannery O’Connor deal with hard conflicts and often have unpredictable endings, Parker’s Back is a typical example of her style.

Parker fosse incantato, e non se lo spiega.)

7 puzzled and ashamed: confuso e pieno di vergogna 8 save for: eccetto 9 embankment: terrapieno 10 would shoot past: passava veloce

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

11 swerve: sterzavano 12 was… sin: (informale) stava sempre a cercare puzza di peccato 13 Il “dip” è un passo di danza.

14 paint her face: si truccava 15 account for her: spiegarselo

T2 LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Explore texts with tips

Direct speech Report

Narrator’s comment

A special name for a special man

The narrator shows a flashback and presents the moment in which Sarah convinced Parker to reveal the secret of his first and middle names to her.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“O.E. Parker,” he said.

“What does the O.E: stand for?”[…]

“Never mind,” Parker said. “What’s yours?”

“I’ll tell you when you tell me what them letters are the short for1,” she said. There was 5 just a hint of flirtatiousness2 in her tone and it went rapidly to Parker’s head. He had never revealed the name to any man or woman. […] Then he reached for the girl’s neck, drew her ear close to his mouth and revealed the name in a low voice.

“Obadiah,” she whispered3. Her face slowly brightened4 as if the name came as a sign to 10 her. […]

5 6 “Obadiah Elihue ” she said in a reverent voice.

1 them letters… for: these letters stand for – il narratore riproduce la parlata del Deep South 2 a hint of flirtatiousness: una traccia di civetteria (Sarah è

T3 LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Explore texts with tips

Sarah says that God has no face, no ‘look’ “And they shall see his face” (from Revelation 22, a Book from the Bible) contradicts Sarah’s words

2

bigotta e flirtare è una cosa insolita per lei.)

3 whispered: sussurrò 4 brightened: si illuminò

Parker’s name

5 In ebraico Obadiah significa “servo di Yah” e Elihue “Yah è il mio Dio”. Il nome di Parker significa “servo del mio Dio”.

6 reverent: riverente

3

Parker becomes more and more dissatisfied with his life. One day he drives a tractor into the only tree in a field, and the tree catches fire. Full of desire to become a ‘sincere believer’ like his wife, he has an austere Christ tattooed on his back, as a ‘voice’ orders him. He runs back home, sure Sarah will approve of his attempt at ‘redeeming’ himself. He takes his shirt off and shows his back to Sarah.

“He don’t look.” Sarah Ruth said. “He’s a spirit. No man shall see his face.”

1 “Aw listen,” Parker groaned, “this is just a picture of him.”

2 3 “Idolatry!” Sarah Ruth screamed […] and she grabbed up the broom and began to trash 4 him across the shoulders with it.

5 Parker was too stunned to resist. He sat there and let her beat him until she had nearly 6 knocked him senseless and large welts had formed on the face of the tattooed Christ. Then 7 he staggered up and made for the door . […] There he was – who called himself Obadiah Elihue – leaning against the tree, crying like a baby.

1 Aw: esclamazione che esprime debole sorpresa e protesta 2 screamed: strillava

3 grabbed up the broom: afferrò la scopa 4 trash him: (informale) pestarlo 5 stunned: stupefatto

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

5

6 welts: flagellature 7 staggered… door: si alzò barcollando e andò faticosamente verso la porta

23

GENRES

Poetry Poetry is, first of all, evocative rather than descriptive or narrative, and it is often ambiguous, i.e. the poet’s use of language gives the reader access to multiple meanings. It has rhythm, which is based on the natural cadence of speech.

Its main features are line, layout and figures of speech.

Genres in time STUDY BOOSTER p. 6 LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Poetry in detail

LINE the basic unit of poetry, based on stress

foot

run-on line/enjambment

end-stopped line

the association of one stressed syllable (x) to a varying number of unstressed syllables (˘), in any order

meaning and syntax continue from one line into the next

meaning and syntax are complete in one line

iamb ˘x

trochee x˘

spondee xx

anapeast ˘˘x

dactyl x˘˘

iambic pentameter

unstressed + stressed syllable

stressed + unstressed syllable

two stressed syllables

two unstressed syllables + stressed syllable

stressed syllable + two unstressed syllables

a line with five iambic feet (variations with other feet are possible)

x

˘

˘

x

Bat-

ter

my

heart

In English, content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs) are usually stressed.

Foot 1

|

Iamb 1

|

˘

x

three

per-

˘ |

Iamb 2

x

soned God Iamb 3

|

˘

x

for

you

Iamb 4

variation (a trochee) in a regular iambic pentameter

LAYOUT

stanza

the visual organisation of lines usually in association with rhymes

24

a regular number of lines coming all together

couplet

tercet

quatrain

sestet

octave

a 2-line stanza (AA, BB)

a 3-line stanza (ABC/ABC/…)

a 4-line stanza (ABAB/ABBA/ ABCB/…)

a 6-line stanza

an 8-line stanza

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

FIGURES OF SPEECH

FIGURES OF SOUND/ SOUND DEVICES repetition of sounds in regular patterns

rhyme

alliteration

consonance

the terminal sound(s) of two words is (are) the same

the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in close words

the repetition of consonants in a line (or lines)

rhyme scheme

assonance

onomatopoeia

rhymes appear in a regular pattern

the repetition of vowels in a line (or lines)

the use of words whose sound can be associated with the objects or actions they refer to

end rhymes at the end of lines internal rhyme in the line

pair rhyme

alternate rhyme

enclosed rhyme

historical rhymes

half rhymes

(AA)

(ABAB)

(ABBA)

words that used to rhyme when the poem was written

only the final consonant sound rhymes

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

25

GENRES POETRY FIGURES OF RESEMBLANCE/ FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE words or phrases used in their figurative meaning

simile

metaphor

metonymy

a comparison between two unlike things introduced by ‘like’, ‘as’

an implied comparison between two unlike things

word/expression substituted for another it is closely associated with

vehicle

ground

tenor

repetition/parallelism repetition of the same word/s or identical structures

what is common to the two terms of the comparison

anaphora repetition of the same word(s) at the beginning of consecutive lines

FIGURES OF EMPHASIS OR UNDERSTATEMENT an exaggerated or diminished point

26

hyperbole

rhetorical question

an exaggeration of ideas

a question where the answer is obvious

litote

verbal irony

a positive statement expressed by negating its opposite expression

what is meant is the opposite of what is being said

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Explore poetry You are going to read part of a ballad by a Romantic author. The most important features of poetry are highlighted in different colours.

LIFE Samuel T. Coleridge (1772–1834) p. 306

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798)

by Samuel T. Coleridge

In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner S.T. Coleridge tells the incredible journey of a Mariner whose ship is first driven to the South Pole, and which after that goes through a series of mysterious events till the Mariner gets back to his homeland.

T4 LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Explore texts with tips

A Mariner’s voyage to the South Pole

4

Part I tells the beginning of the Mariner’s voyage; his ship is driven south by a storm and reaches the South Pole.

And now there came both mist and snow And it grew wondrous1 cold: And ice, mast-high2, came floating by, As green as emerald 3.

5

And through the drifts4 the snowy clifts5 Did send a dismal sheen6: Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken7 The ice was all between —

The ice was here, the ice was there, 10 The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled8, Like noises in a swound 9

Rhyme scheme ABCB hyperbole anaphora metaphor

Internal rhyme

parallelism onomatopoeia

(From Part 1)

˘ x ˘ x / ˘ x ˘ x Nor shapes | of men | nor beasts | we ken ˘ x x ˘ ˘ x The ice | was all | between.

The lines are: 4 and 3 foot long, and iambic in rhythm

1 wondrous: incredibilmente 2 mast-high: alti come alberi 3 emerald: smeraldo 4 drifts: blocchi

5 clifts: crepacci 6 dismal sheen: luccichio inquietante 7 ken: (knew) riconoscemmo

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

8 It… howled: si incrinava e ruggiva ed ululava 9 in a swound: in chi svenga

27

GENRES

Drama

Genres in time STUDY BOOSTER p. 10

Drama is the only form of art where what is written really happens: drama is at the same time real (something is really happening) and illusory (what is happening is not real). It is written to be performed by actors on a stage in a theatre before an audience.

The main elements to consider in a play are its structure and script.

LEARNING DIGITAL Drama in detail

PDF

STRUCTURE how the acts and scenes in a play develop conflict and meaning

exposition

complication

crisis

resolution

it provides information about the initial situation and creates expectation about conflict

the event(s) that prevent(s) the action from taking the expected course

the moment of highest tension

the final moment in the play, coherent with the exposition

CRISIS

I LICAT COMP

ON

RE

SOL U

EXPOSITION

SCRIPT the play as written by the dramatist

28

dialogue

stage directions

language

highly informative direct speech, with also pauses and silences

guidelines for the performance provided by the dramatist

usually prose, in the past verse

monologue

soliloquy

a character alone on stage talks aloud to the audience

a character talks aloud to the audience while one or more characters are present on the stage

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

TION

Explore drama In this section you will see some mechanisms of a play at work. The most important features of drama are highlighted in different colours.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966)

by Tom Stoppard LIFE

• Tom Stoppard (1937) is one of the most prominent author among the living English dramatists.

• Author of ingenious and surreal plays rich in wit, humour, intelligence, which he often used to support absurd argument.

T5 LEARNING DIGITAL PDF

Explore texts with tips

stage directions about characters’ moods, actions and gestures dialogue

monologue

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead shows the tragic end of two minor characters from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Prince’s friends Rosencrantz (Ros) and Guildenstern (Guil). They are killed at the end of both Shakespeare’s and Stoppard’s play when they arrive in England.

The missed moment

5

Ros and Guil are alone on stage, in half-darkness; it is almost the end of the play.

Ros (A cry) We’ve done nothing wrong! We didn’t harm1 anyone. Did we?

Guil I can’t remember. (ROS pulls himself together 2) Ros All right, then. I don’t care. I’ve had enough. To tell you the truth, I’m relieved3.

(And he disappears from view. GUIL does not notice.)

Guil Our names shouted in a certain dawn4… a message… a summons5… there must have 5 been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said – no. But somehow we missed it. (He looks around and sees he is alone.)

Rosen –?

Guil –?

10

(He gathers himself 6)

Well. We’ll know better next time. Now you see me, now you – (And disappears.)

1 didn’t harm: non abbiamo fatto male 2 pulls himself together: si riprende 3 relieved: sollevato 4 dawn: alba 5 summons: comando 6 gathers himself: si riprende

▶ Tim Roth and Gary Oldman in the 1994 film version of the novel directed

by Tom Stoppard.

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

29

1

THE ORIGINS (6th century–1066) THE IDEA OF THE TIME

The hero and the dragon

THINKING ROUTINE 1 Heroism can wear different masks. Look at the images on these pages. What do they make you feel and think of? Add more words if you want to. courage / bravery / fear / fearlessness / valiance / cunning / determination / temerity / powerlessness / sacrifice / strength 2 Look at the pictures and answer the questions.

The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug 1 Where is Bilbo walking, and what shadow can you see behind him?

2 Do you think Bilbo would have a chance of winning against the dragon if he attacked it with weapons?

3 Bilbo’s words anger Smaug, which then leaves the mountain to destroy the nearby town. A townsman kills it with a special arrow. Can Bilbo be considered heroic in the way Beowulf is?

Beowulf: The Graphic Novel 4 Summarise what happens in the strips.

5 Compare the dragon to the two attacking warriors. What effect does the artist want to create?

6 The fire-breathing dragon comes from Norse mythology, where it is killed by a hero, Siegfried.

How different is the dragon’s destiny in Beowulf?

Which is which?

3 Strong, or cunning, or both? Choose.

• Beowulf: • Achilles: • Hercules: • Ulysses: • Hector: Key words • epic poem = a narrative verse form of great length and elevated language which tells of a hero’s actions • lof (Old English) = fame and glory for heroes in Anglo-Saxon culture • wyrd (Old English) = fate and personal destiny in Anglo-Saxon culture 30

▲ Scene from The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug (2013), film adaptation from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit (1937).

Bilbo, a hobbit – a race like short humans – goes on a long journey with a group of dwarves to help them try and steal back their home, the Lonely Mountain, and their treasure from Smaug, a fire-breathing dragon. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel Bilbo confronts Smaug with riddles and cryptic names. The dragon is fascinated and for a while it does not try to kill him. © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

LEARNING DIGITAL I nteractive mind maps Visual mapping of key ideas Interactive ideas for your map Key ideas of contexts, authors and works

Interactive texts A detailed analysis of texts

Video presentations

Overviews of contexts, authors and works Emotional learning Stepping in texts through moods and emotions #BookTok Discover top trending book recommendations

PPT PowerPoint presentations

A step-by-step presentation of contexts and main authors

Listening Listening tasks, tracks of all texts and of their comments

PDF

Visual analysis of texts ey features of texts made clear K

Text bank Extra texts of authors

Depth-in bank Learning/reading more about contexts, authors and works

▼ Beowulf: The Graphic Novel, by L. Stern, C. Steininger and C. Studabaker (2007).

The graphic novel is a retelling of Beowulf, a poem about the first epic hero in Anglo-Saxon literature. In old age he dies facing a fire-breathing dragon with his sword and the help of only one boy, Wiglaf. So Beowulf meets his wyrd (destiny in Old English) and gains lof (fame and glory in Old English).

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Ideas for your map: HEROISM

p. 57

31

HISTORY AND SOCIETY LEARNING DIGITAL • Doggerland • Stonehenge • The Celts The Origins: History and Society

PPT

IN ACTION Web quest 1 Search the web for today’s evidence of the Doggerlanders’ nomadic presence.

Migrations and first invasions The first inhabitants: from hunting to farming The ‘Pioneer men’, the first humans, lived in Britain more than a hundred thousand years ago, but they were totally destroyed by the Ice Age. Britain was once joined to mainland Europe by a narrow piece of land, the ‘Doggerland’, and later a new group of humans migrated across this land bridge to Britain. Some 20,000 years ago, the climate became warmer, and sea levels started to rise, covering part of Doggerland. 12,000 years ago, the area became a tundra and several Mesolithic populations lived there, hunting and fishing.

After the last Ice Age, some 8,000 years ago, the sea level rose again and more land was covered by water. Around 6,200 BCE a huge underwater landslide off the coast of Norway created an enormous tsunami, definitively cutting Britain off from Europe. Many of these Ancient Britons died in the tsunami. Others moved to higher ground in what is now known as England. They lived by hunting and fishing. They built special monuments for the dead and stone circles, like Stonehenge ( p. 34), probably for religious ceremonies.

Around 4,500 BCE a new group of Neolithic immigrants arrived from north-western and central Europe; they settled in southern England and Ireland. Among them, the ‘Beaker folk’ brought a wide knowledge of metallurgy and great skill in ceramics.

Migratory movements continued for centuries. The different groups of people gradually cleared the forests to make more and more land for crops and animals. Hill forts were built as defences.

The Celts (1200–c. 50 BCE)

English in action 2 Choose the correct alternative.

1 to migrate = to leave/stay in your country 2 to separate = to cut out/off 3 to settle = to move to/ establish 4 to clear a forest = to let it grow/cut it down

The word ‘Celt’ was first used by the Ancient Greeks. They called Keltoi (’barbarians‘) the different peoples who were united by a similar language, religion, military methods and art, and who inhabited a vast area of continental Europe (from Portugal to today’s Turkey) from the late Bronze Age. It is not known for sure when the Celts arrived in Britain. They probably began raiding the British coasts during the early Iron Age and gradually settled as isolated tribes. It is believed that one of these tribes, the Gaels, sailed to Ireland via Galicia (in northern Spain); from Ireland they then crossed the sea to Scotland and reached the west and south-west of Britain. There they mixed with the indigenous populations. They created a distinct Celtic-British culture, introducing the Celtic language that still lives on today as Welsh in Wales and Gaelic in Ireland.

On the European Continent, instead, the Gauls (a Celtic population who lived in modern-day France, western Germany and northern Italy) came to an end with Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul (55–51 BCE).

5 to raid = to defend/attack 6 adviser = counselor/priest

▲ Celtic bowl from the second century BCE.

32

1

The Origins – Migrations and first invasions

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

IN ACTION

• Society

Key words

The Celts were a warlike people organised into clans led by a chief; the chief was elected by the descendants of the preceding chiefs. Clans were united with other clans into tribes guided by a leader. The Celts lived in a farm-based economy: they raised cattle, grew mainly wheat (to make bread) and barley (to produce beer). They lived in farmhouses inside hill forts that gave refuge to people and animals.

Celtic women could choose their husbands freely, could own property such as jewellery, cattle and land, and they were free to sell or buy them. Women also had the right to carry weapons and fight; they could even lead men into war. A famous Celtic female warrior was Queen Boudicca, the leader of one of the Celtic tribes, the Iceni. She led a rebellion against the Romans when they took away her people’s rights ( p. 40).

3 Match each word (1–4) with its definition (a–d).

1

clan

3

tribe

2

chief

4

leader

a a group of clans b a group of families c the head of a tribe d the head of clan Web quest 4 What may the Celtic triple spiral have been a symbol of?

• Religion and culture The Celts’ religion was based on the natural elements: their most important divinities were the Sun, Fire and some sacred trees like the oak and the ash tree. They believed in immortality, and buried food, weapons, and ornaments with their dead.

Religion was in the hands of Druids, an educated class of powerful priests who acted as political advisers, teachers, healers and, in wartime, ambassadors. They made animal and human sacrifices to their gods; the ceremonies were held in woods, generally near sacred water.

The Celts were skilled at making jewellery in gold and bronze; these objects were decorated with repetitive patterns, spirals, leaves, and animal forms. Celtic literature was passed down orally; bards sang verses celebrating the Celts‘ ancient world full of magic, heroes, gods and marvellous birds and beasts.

MIND MAP

Pioneer men

First inhabitants

Mesolithic populations – Doggerland

Ancient Britons – Stonehenge

Neolithic immigrants

Celtic language

the Celts

clans and tribes

religion – Druids

natural elements

CHECK OUT

jewellery – carving

immortality

INVALSI

1 Are these statements True (T) or False (F)? Correct the false ones.

2

1 Doggerland is the name of the first people who lived in Britain.

T F

3 Listen again. Are these statements true (T) or false (F)?

2 Britain was cut off from Europe more than 8,000 years ago.

T F

3 Neolithic farmers arrived from Asia around 4,500 BCE.

T F

4 The Celts started settling across much of Britain and Ireland from Central Europe.

5 The Druids were powerful Roman priests who acted as political advisers, teachers, healers and ambassadors.

oral literature

6 LISTEN to “The biggest revolution in history”. What revolution does the text refer to?

1 The first humans who arrived in Britain were Mesolithic people.

T F

2 Nomadic people lived in Britain for over 25,000 years.

T F

3 They lived by hunting, fishing and eating wild plants.

T F

4 Primeval forests were burnt down in order to build houses.

T F

T F

5 Moorlands are the product of soil exhaustion, which started in the Mesolithic period.

T F

T F

6 Farming was introduced into Britain during the Neolithic period.

T F

Ideas for your map: MIGRATION

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

p. 57

33

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

Buildings that love the sun The movement of the sun has inspired and intrigued architects for centuries. Some places of historical or cultural importance, from ancient sites to modern cities, change with the annual path of the sun.

IN ACTION

Stonehenge, UK

English in action

Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain was probably constructed in several phases between 3,000 and 1,900 BCE. It is an outer circular bank and large earthwork1 probably for Neolithic worship2 and burial3. The site is located on a small hill in a flat valley with a view of the horizon in all directions, and the enormous sarsen stones4 and smaller bluestones from the Preseli Mountains in Wales are precisely arranged to frame two particular events in the year: the sunrise at summer solstice, and the sunset at winter solstice. The people who built Stonehenge were farmers, so the changing seasons would have been of immense significance to them.

Stonehenge is likely to have been much more than simply a calendar, and probably also had religious and ritual importance.

You are here!

The purpose of all this work remains mysterious.

1 Find the verb from the noun.

1 worship = to worship 2 burial = to 3 location = to 4 arrangement = to 5 movement = to Key words 2 Choose the correct alternative.

1 sunrise = the Sun disappears/ appears on the horizon in the evening/morning 2 sunset = the Sun disappears/ appears on the horizon in the evening/morning 3 summer solstice = the longest/ shortest day of the year 4 winter solstice = the longest/ shortest day of the year

1 earthwork: terrapieno 2 worship: culto 3 burial: sepoltura 4 sarsen stones: blocchi di arenaria

Manhattanhenge, USA Twice a year, close to the winter and summer solstice, the sun sets exactly between the eastwest streets in the Manhattan grid. The result is a perfectly framed sun between high-rise buildings. An astrophysicist from the American Museum of Natural History suggested that if ancient ruins of Manhattan were to be dug up in the distant future, people would assume some form of astrological significance.

Similar phenomena can be seen in other cities in North America cities such as Montreal, Chicago and Toronto.

34

1

The Origins

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

You are here!

READ, WATCH AND THINK 1 Answer the questions.

1 It is believed that Stonehenge was built to frame the sun in a very special way. How? How is the Manhattan grid similar?

2 Search the web and find a video showing a day at Stonehenge in time lapse.

Look for pictures of a special place for you and create a slideshow that reveals how it changes from sunrise to sunset.

Show it in class. Which slideshow shows the effects of light on the landscape best?

DISCUSS 2 The sun is present is many cultures as a powerful reality and a religious symbol.

Search the web for some examples of its role in ancient and contemporary cultures, and discuss with your friends the reasons for its significance.

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Ideas for your map: RELIGION

p. 57

35

HISTORY AND SOCIETY LEARNING DIGITAL

PDF

Roman and Anglo-Saxon invasions

• Hadrian’s Wall • King Alfred the Great • The Vikings

Roman Britain (55 BCE–410 CE)

The Sutton Hoo helmet

Before the invasion by Julius Caesar in 55 BCE there were trading contacts between the Celtic nobility of chiefs and leaders and the Roman merchants; they traded high quality goods, wine and ceramics from Italy. In 54 BCE. Caesar invaded Britain again, but a rebellion in Gaul forced him to leave Britain with his troops without completing his conquest.

• The first invasion

• The second invasion In 43 CE Rome’s Emperor Claudius decided to invade Britain again; the new conquered territories were called Britannia. His troops occupied the south and south-west of the country, but Wales and Scotland resisted. In 60 BCE Boudicca ( p. 40), Queen of the Iceni tribe, led a rebellion that ended with a terrible massacre and the defeat of the Britons. By 77, the Romans had achieved total control of most parts of British land. They were unable to subdue Scotland, and in the end the Romans moved back from the north. In 122 they started building a gigantic wall, Hadrian’s Wall, and completed it in six years.

• Roman heritage The Romans built an incredible network of roads (most of which are still in use today) and canals, cleared the land and created large areas for farming. Gradually, Britannia adopted Roman law and ways. The Romans also introduced schools, and with them a new language, Latin.

Towns were built following Roman architecture. Colchester became the province’s first capital but soon London (Londinium) started serving as the administrative capital.

Christianity was introduced into Britain by Alban, a Roman soldier who was martyred around 303. After the eclipse of Roman control, some communities of Christians continued to exist, especially in the West. In 410 the last Roman troops left Britannia because they were needed to defend Italy from barbarian invaders.

Anglo-Saxon settlement (410–1066)

▲ The Sutton Hoo helmet is a

decorated Anglo-Saxon helmet found during a 1939 excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. This is a replica of the helmet showing its original form.

The Germanic tribes of the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes from Northern Europe and Scandinavia led numerous attacks on British coasts before the end of the 4th century, and after the Romans’ departure the invaders subdued the Romanised Britons. They pushed the Celtic tribes mainly to the west (to Cornwall and Wales), and to the north.

The Anglo-Saxon advance, however, was not always successful. Sometime between 490 and 517 the Britons defeated the Saxons in the Battle of Mount Badon. Some sources say that King Arthur was the

IN ACTION Web quest 1 Ceaster (‘town, city’) comes from Latin castra (‘fort’ or ‘military camp’), and later mutated to chester, caster and cester. Search the web for cities and towns in todays’ UK which end these ways.

Which is which?

2 Look at the map and complete.

1 The least diffused group: 2 The three groups of the Angles:

3 The people that lived in Wales: 4 The people that lived in Cornwall: 36

1

The Origins – Roman and Anglo-Saxon invasions © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

leader of the British and Celtic forces at Mount Badon, but the only contemporary description of the battle makes no mention of him. With time, the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons intermarried.

The Anglo-Saxons were organised in families and united into tribes. Each tribe was under the leadership of a chieftain – the ‘cyning’ (pronunciation: koo-ning, from cyn + -ing meaning ‘son of’).

When the territories of the tribes became bigger, the term ‘cyning‘ became ‘king‘. In the course of the 7th and 8th centuries, the strongest lords occupied their neighbouring territories and created larger kingdoms, traditionally known as Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, East Anglia, Kent, Essex, and Sussex.

By 850 three large Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex, were consolidated.

IN ACTION English in action 3 Choose the correct alternative.

1 to subdue = sottomettere/ liberare 2 to depart = rimanere/partire 3 to seize = donare/depredare

• Anglo-Saxon society

4 livestock = bestiame/fauna selvatica Across time and space

The Witanagemot The Witanagemot, or Witan, was the ‘meeting of wise men’. When the king needed advice to make important decisions, he called the men he wanted to come to the Witan, but the final decision was his. The men were consulted to give the king their approval and support.

4 How similar are today’s Parliaments to the Witan?

MIND MAP

The Anglo-Saxons distributed among their people what they seized by conquest: the former inhabitants (who became slaves), their possessions, livestock and agricultural land. Their villages were small, with fewer than twenty homes. Each home had a private area and some land in the main field for cultivation, but no one, not even the cyning, owned land.

The right to use land implied obligations of mutual support in the community. They also had national obligations of service and food rent. Each landholder had to participate in the national army and to assist with building or repairing fortifications or bridges. Each village provided an annual food rent for the king and his entourage.

Anglo-Saxon women had property rights and were allowed to take part in judicial proceedings.

However, they were subject to the authority of their father first and then of their husband.

• Religion and culture The Anglo-Saxons were pagan and polytheistic: they believed in supernatural entities like elves, monsters and dragons.

The conversion to Christianity had an enormous social and cultural impact on Anglo-Saxon England. In the 5th century, Christianity had already been brought to Ireland by St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. In 597, Pope Gregory I sent a monk, Augustine, to convert the Anglo-Saxons to the Christian faith. King Aethelbert of Kent allowed Augustine and his missionaries to settle in Canterbury, where St Augustine later became the first Archbishop. Churches, cathedrals and monasteries were built and written culture in Latin started. Monks produced and kept manuscripts in monasteries, and English kings used the Latin alphabet to create the first written laws and charters.

MIND MAP

Roman Britain

Anglo-Saxon settlement

Angles, Saxons and Jutes

invasion attempts

Hadrian’s Wall

Julius Caesar

Emperor Claudius

Latin language

roads and canals

Christianity

from Northern Europe and Scandinavia

tribes cyning

Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex kingdoms

conversion to Christianity

pagan polytheistic

CHECK OUT 1 Are these statements true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false ones.

1 Julius Caesar led two campaigns in Britain, both unsuccessful.

T F

4 The invasion of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes started soon after the Romans left in the 6th century CE.

T F

2 Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni tribe, successfully opposed the Romans.

T F

3 The Romans left important traces of their presence in England in law, architecture and lifestyle.

5 The Vikings, who came from today’s Scandinavia, first invaded England in the 8th century.

T F

T F

6 There were seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England at the time of the Danish invasion.

T F

Ideas for your map: LEADERSHIP

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

p. 57

37

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

The Vikings’ invasion (8th–10th centuries)

LEARNING DIGITAL Royal dynasties: The Celts, the Danes, the Anglo-Saxons

PDF

IN ACTION Across time and space

Weapons over time The Vikings carried daggers, swords, axes and spears in battle, and wore wooden shields and iron or leather helmets with nose and eye protection.Todays’ soldiers use rifles, machine guns, grenades, and so much more.

1 Which weapons are more violent in your view?

The Vikings were raiders and they came from today’s Denmark, Norway and Sweden in search of gold, animals and slaves; they began raiding the coasts of Britain in about 700. They started by attacking unprotected monasteries and in 793 they destroyed Lindisfarne monastery, the most important centre of Christianity in Northumbria. They killed the monks and stole their treasure.

In the early 9th century, Vikings from Norway raided Ireland, and the Danes, Vikings from Denmark, attacked East Anglia and the south coast of Britain; they occupied East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria. By the end of the 870s they controlled Danelaw, a vast territory that extended across the entire north-eastern area of England. The Vikings were also expert sailors and travelled in fast, narrow, long ships, each carrying up to 200 warriors. In battle they used a variety of weapons.

In 871, Alfred the Great became King of Wessex; that year the Vikings attacked his kingdom.

Alfred fought a long-lasting war against them and he defeated their King, Guthrum, at the Battle of Edington in 878.

Alfred the Great (871–899) Alfred is famous not only for his military successes but also for his social and educational reforms.

He founded cities, introduced new coinage and established law and government. He had important books translated from Latin to Anglo-Saxon, and in 890 he commissioned the compilation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ( p. 44), the main source for the history of the whole Anglo-Saxon period.

Alfred’s son Edward the Elder and his daughter Aethelflaed ( p. 40/42) completed the ring of fortresses around Wessex and Mercia, and in 912, they won back Essex, East Anglia and other Danelaw territories from the Vikings. This was the first step towards the unification of the four Kingdoms of Wessex, Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia, which came during Edward the Confessor’s reign (1042–1066).

MIND MAP

the Vikings’ invasion

raiders from today’s Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Danelaw

Alfred the Great, King of Wessex

Edward the Confessor

Battle of Edington

unification of Wessex, Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia

CHECK OUT 1 Complete the text with the given words. kingdoms • defeated • departure • unified • raids • Vikings

Anglo-Saxons and Vikings After the Roman (1)

2 Complete the table with the different migrations to Britain from the origins to 1066.

Date

Group migrating

From

Causes/Effects

in 410 CE, Britain was invaded

by tribes from Northern Europe (the Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons) who settled on the island, establishing several independent (2)

, the most important of which were those of

Wessex, East Anglia and Northumbria. At the end of the 8th century, the (3)

started to make regular (4)

along the coasts of England, plundering treasures and other goods, and capturing people as slaves. In 878, the English King, Alfred the Great, (5)

the Vikings at the Battle of Edington and

forced them to sign a treaty. The four main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were later (6)

38

1

under Edward the Confessor.

The Origins – Roman and Anglo-Saxon invasions © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Ideas for your map: INVASION

p. 57

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

We all love a good fight!

The two series Vikings and The Last Kingdom give a fascinating view of the Anglo-Saxon-Viking long-lasting conflict, their cultures and values. The popularity of the TV series lies in people’s fascination with the myths of the birth of a nation, swords, epic battles and the fight for freedom.

Vikings (2013–2020, six seasons plus a 2022 spin-off Vikings: Valhalla) Vikings was generally inspired by the 13th century Nordic sagas about legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his descendants. He is a Viking warrior and farmer who wants to explore and raid more and more lands, and the series opens with one of the most significant events in the Viking invasion, the raid and destruction of Lindisfarne monastery in 793.

The Last Kingdom (2015–2022, five seasons plus a 2023 sequel) The Last Kingdom, an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s novels The Saxon Stories, is set around 800–900, when King Alfred’s Wessex stands alone, resisting the invading Danes.

Uhtred, born a Saxon but raised by Vikings, is a fictional character in this violent era. In the hope of regaining his home, he decides to unite with King Alfred to combat the continuous Viking incursions. The dream of a single kingdom, England, appears for the first time in history.

SURVEY MAKING 1 Organise a survey about the popularity of a TV series with teenagers, especially one about a mythical past with epic battles. The purpose of the survey is to understand what makes a TV series popular with young people.

Step 1 Prepare at least five questions. Use either multiple-choice questions, or a 1 to 5 scale (from very bad to excellent), for example: Multiple-choice question How old are you? a 15 or younger b between 16–17

c

18 or older

1–5 scale question How good is the acting in the TV series?

1 2 3 4 very bad not so bad satisfying good

5 excellent

Step 2 Give out your questions to as many teenagers as you can.

Step 3 Compare your findings; which age group (a, b, or c) is fonder of the TV series, and why?

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Ideas for your map: HEROISM

p. 57

39

WOMEN THAT Britain‘s first women MADE HISTORY warriors IN ACTION

Boudicca, the warrior Queen

They said of this...

Boudicca (33–61 CE) was the wife of Prasutagus, the Celtic King of the Iceni (a tribe in eastern Britain) and an ally of Rome. On his death in 61 CE, the Romans stopped respecting all the rights of the Iceni. When Boudicca opposed this, she was flogged1 and her two daughters raped2.

Consequently, she brought together an army and led an attack that destroyed the Roman towns of Londinium, Camulodunum (Colchester) and Verulamium (St Albans).

Over 70,000 Roman citizens died.

Boudicca lost the final battle, and it is said that she committed suicide. Her statue shows her and her daughters riding into battle. She is celebrated as a universal symbol of freedom and fight against injustice.

A free woman Boudicca, mounted in a chariot with her daughters before her, rode up to clan after clan and delivered her protest: — “It was customary, she knew, with Britons to fight under female captaincy; but now she was avenging, not, as a queen of glorious ancestry, her ravished realm and power, but, as a woman of the people, her liberty lost, her body tortured by the lash, the tarnished honour of her daughters.

(Tacitus, Annals, 114–120 CE)

1 Tacitus reports Boudicca’s actions but also her own words; what is he highlighting about her?

AGENDA 2030

▲ Statue of Boudicca, Westminster Bridge, London.

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians Aethelflaed (872?–918 CE) was the daughter of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. Her marriage with Aethelred, Lord of Mercia, facilitated an alliance between Mercia and Wessex, the last Saxon kingdom to resist a complete Viking victory. When Aethelflaed’s husband died, she became ‘the Lady of the Mercians’, de facto queen of Mercia. She was a brilliant diplomat and made important treaties. She also led armies, built fortresses, beat back Viking attacks and led several successful campaigns into Danelaw. Today, more than 1,100 years after her death, one of the great forgotten figures in British history is emerging from the shadows. ▶ Statue of Aethelflaed, Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire.

1 flogged: frustata 2 raped: violentate

WORK CREATIVE 1 Boudicca’s revolt was ferocious and devastating, but she was the victim of brutal violence, too. Aethelflaed was a military leader, but she also used the art of diplomacy. Write a short text following these guidelines: • How important is a person’s upbringing in shaping their future choices, including the negative ones? Draw your list of five key factors (parents, friends, gender, wealth, etc.), and compare them.

• Identify the two most mentioned factors, and imagine the life of a person shaped by these factors in a short text, or a cartoon.

40

1

The Origins

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Ideas for your map: LEADERSHIP

p. 57

RIGHTS FOR ALL

Wise men build bridges, fools build barriers

AGENDA 2030

For centuries, barriers have defined territorial borders of ancient states, cities, and districts. For some, they keep ‘the barbarians’ out, and protect the country; for others, they divide peoples and create inequality. Hadrian’s Wall was built in 128 CE to protect north-western Britain from barbarians. In Emperor Hadrian‘s words, they wanted to “separate the Romans from the barbarians” to the north. Historians believe the wall may have also served as a means of restricting immigration and smuggling1 into and out of Roman territory.

The end of the Cold War and fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) appeared to confirm the end of a world of borders and state territories. But things have changed for the worse in the 21st century after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the increasing flow of migrating peoples and the 2019 Covid pandemic. About seventy border walls exist across the globe, and there are plans to build many more in the coming years. Most are designed to offer post-war security, stop illegal immigration, terrorist attacks and smuggling. Yet walls have limited effects in blocking unwanted movements of people; instead they lead to migrants finding other paths.

Late 2021 building of walls 1 smuggling: contrabbando

• Poland: border with Belarus • Texas: border with Mexico

• Israel: border with Gaza • Turkey: border with Iran • Greece: border with Turkey

▲ From left to right: Hadrian’s Wall, the Berlin Wall, wall at the Mexican border.

WEB QUEST 1 Search the web for examples of recently built barriers, like those built in late 2021. Take notes about the reasons why they were built, and try and find out if they have been effective.

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

Revolution Map of the Ideas for your map: INVASION p. 57

41

StoryTelling My father, King Alfred the Great • An old document dating back to 885 has been recently discovered in the archives of the parish of Wantage, in Oxfordshire, where Alfred the Great was born. The document is an essay that Aethelflaed, Alfred’s daughter, wrote about her father when she was a 15-year-old teenager.

November 12th, 885

▲ Statue of King Alfred

Most of us believe that their father is special, and so do I. However, this conviction is not only based on the love I have for him, but also on the fact that my father is Alfred, King of Wessex! He was born in 849 at Wantage, 13 miles south-west of Oxford. His father (my grandfather) was King Aethelwulf, and Alfred was his fifth son. Aethelwulf died in 858 and his eldest son, my uncle Aethelbald, became king.

Unfortunately, uncle Aethelbald died that same year and was succeeded by my uncle Aethelbert. He passed away in 865 and my third uncle, Aethelred, then ascended the throne. Those were hard times for Wessex and the other Anglo-Saxon reigns because the Vikings were raiding our towns and villages.

Sometimes they were paid off (that is they accepted money, animals and jewels to go away) but more often they killed people, stole and destroyed everything they found in their way.

It was in 868, right in the middle of the Viking attacks, that my father, Alfred, married my mother, Ealhswith, the daughter of a Mercian noble.

I was born two years later and soon after my birth four important battles against the Vikings took place.

Our King, uncle Aethelred, was killed in the last one, the Battle of Meretum. Then my father Alfred became King of Wessex in 871. I was only one year old, but I became a sort of a princess.

For the next five years, the Vikings attacked us and occupied parts of Mercia and East Anglia.

Meanwhile, my sister Aelfthryth and my brother Edward were born. My father was forced to buy the Vikings off, and they promised not to attack Wessex, but they did not keep to the deal1.

Guthrum, their leader, made further raids on Wessex and marched on Chippenham, where we lived. Most of the town’s inhabitants were killed and we had to seek refuge in Somerset at Athelney in 878. What terrible times! Luckily a peasant family helped us, although they did not recognise us. One day the peasant’s wife asked Father to watch some cakes she had put in the oven, but he was so lost in his thoughts about the Vikings that the cakes were burnt. The woman got angry with my father for that. Isn’t it funny? Though exiled, Alfred did not give up. Instead, he gathered an army, which defeated Guthrum’s troops at the Battle of Edington. At that point Guthrum was forced to accept my father’s peace terms.

In 880, when my brother Aethelweard was born, my father had reorganised his own army and navy, which helped him to defeat the Vikings on land and on sea. In the last few years, he has also started to build fortresses all around our territories to defend them from the Vikings.

At this point you may think he is just a skilled general. Wrong! He is also a man of letters (he is surrounding himself with the smartest intellectuals in Europe) and believes education is very important, not only for the noble and the rich but for all the people. He has Latin books translated into English so that everybody can read them and has founded schools where a king’s daughter like me sits side by side with common students.

Being the King’s daughter is not easy these days, but I must admit that I am much luckier than many of today’s teenagers. My father is an extraordinary man, strong and valiant2 in the battlefield but also loving and gentle at home. He has taught me the importance of education, justice, pride for my land and care for my people.

I am sure his exemplary existence will always influence my future choices.

the Great in Winchester.

42

1 to keep to the deal: mantenere l’accordo 1

The Origins

© Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

2 valiant: coraggioso, valoroso

▶ Scene from the BBC series The Last Kingdom (2015-2022) based on the history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

STEP 1

ESSAY WRITING • Write an essay (600–800 words) about one member of your family who has had an important role in your growth and education.

STEP 2

DRAW A CHARACTER MAP • Organise a map of King Alfred’s life and deeds.

• Read Aethelflaed’s essay and surf the web for further information about Alfred (e.g.

Aethelfled’s essay ends in 885; Alfred died in 899).

• Divide into three groups. Each group discusses one of these components of characterisation and draws a map on the topic: 1 timeline of the character’s life 2 what he said and thought 3 his legacy (what he left after his death)

STEP 3 TIMELINE 886 892–96 902 907

911

WRITE AN INTERVIEW WITH AETHELFLAED • Read Aethelflaed’s timeline below and organise an interview with this forerunner of feminism.

The title of the interview is: Aethelflaed, the warrior queen who broke the glass ceiling.

Aethelflaed marries Aethelred, King of Mercia from 881 to 911.

Aethelflaed and Aethelred defeat the Vikings attacking Mercia.

King Aethelred falls ill.

Aethelflaed defeats the Vikings at the great Battle of Chester.

Aethelred dies. Aethelflaed becomes monarch in Mercia (known as the Lady of the Mercians.) She builds an alliance with her brother Edward (King of Wessex) for mutual support against the Vikings. Both brother and sister share their father’s ideal of a ‘united England’.

912–17

The military alliance with Edward drives the Vikings out of central and southern England, including Wales.

918

Aethelflaed moves north to Derby and Leicester headed for the city of York.

She dies in Tamworth just two weeks before her planned arrival in York. © Casa Editrice G. Principato SpA

43