- Analysing how texts are influenced by earlier texts
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This teaching topic relates to:
- Framework progression strands: 6.1 Relating texts to the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were written; 5.3 Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts.
- AF7: Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical traditions.
What to teach
- How certain forms have developed over time
- The concept of literary heritage and the unique status of Shakespeare within that heritage
Ideas and examples
- Combine the study of a Shakespeare play with sections of a contemporary film, such as Ten Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew), or a novel, such as Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (Romeo and Juliet), to uncover how the plots of Shakespeare's plays continue to reverberate in modern culture, and significantly influence modern writers and directors.
- Investigate the beginnings and rise of the novel form. Pupils could compare extracts from the earliest epistolary novels with extracts from modern novels, including novels which have continued to use and adapt the epistolary form. As part of this investigation, extracts from Austen's Pride and Prejudice could be compared with its earlier draft as a novel in letters First Impressions, or extracts from Richardson's Pamela and Fielding's parody Shamela could be read alongside each other.
- Construct a timeline of sonnets by Petrarch, Wyatt, Shakespeare, Milton, Keats, etc. Don Paterson's 101 sonnets contains examples of the form from a wide range of poets, times and places. Look at how writers of sonnets have used and adapted the sonnet form and how the form has evolved over time.
- Find out about writers who influenced a particular writer to see what light this sheds on a particular text or texts. For example, consider not only the very direct impact of Siegfried Sassoon on Wilfred Owen's war poetry (particularly Anthem for Doomed Youth) but also the influence of earlier poets such as Keats and Shelley on his developing style. Or pupils could find out about the source(s) Shakespeare was inspired by, perhaps in relation to a particular play you are studying.
- Use a suitable selection of the many words or phrases in everyday use that owe their origin or longevity to their existence in Shakespeare's plays, for example: 'in a pickle'; 'green-eyed monster'; 'the game is up'; 'make your hair stand on end'. (A useful source is: Phrases from Shakespeare. If internet access is available, ask pupils to research the site to find other phrases.)
Examples and background information
For further examples and background information, see:
- Exploring the context of a text
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This teaching topic relates to:
- Framework progression strands: 6.1 Relating texts to the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were written; 5.3 Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts.
- AF7: Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical traditions.
What to teach
- Social, historical and cultural context
- The impact of context on text and the way it is read
Ideas and examples
- Ask pupils to note all preconceptions they have about a culture being studied, then to use these to work out which are stereotypes and which are rooted in the text.
- After reading a text such as Of Mice and Men, ask pupils to take a range of roles to explore how different readers might respond to the book. Roles could include: a black person, a young woman, a disabled person, an orphan, a person with learning difficulties; and each of these roles could have two incarnations: here and now and in the time and place of Steinbeck's writing.
- Model how to create hyperlinks in text, by using 'Insert Hyperlink' and show how this links to other information sources, Word documents, PowerPoints or web pages. Give pupils a piece of text where understanding is dependent on understanding an unfamiliar setting, such as the opening of East of Eden or a Lawrence Ferlinghetti poem. Pupils should work in pairs to create hyperlinks to other reference texts to demonstrate unfamiliar meanings, places or vocabulary.
- Give pupils examples of texts where there is an audio tape of the text read by the author. Before pupils hear the audio tape, ask them to look at the text and consider relevant factors such as age, gender and cultural background. Take feedback and discuss the likely range of choices. Then listen to the audio tape and compare the cultural features evident in oral presentations: were these as expected? Texts that are of use here are those such as extracts from Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, where it is difficult to identify the context of decontextualised text, but where the audio tape is of substantial support in identifying the cultural context of the text. Similarly, film versions of text make the cultural context immediately clear in a way that print versions often do not. Here, pupils may wish to explore the openings of novels and their film adaptations. How do films make cultural contexts clear in a way that novels may not?
- Study the narrative form of Rabbit-Proof Fence and explore the style of the author. Discuss how the writer's heritage has impacted on the style of the text. Discuss how different viewpoints of land help us understand the perspective of the Aborigine people in Australia. Explore the incident where the Aborigine people dress to suit the cultural requirements of the British colonisers and discuss how the writer puts forward an alternative viewpoint. The text can also be used to explore views of property, family, modesty, land, religion and narrative.
- Compare alternative viewpoints of events from two perspectives, such as an American news report of an event in comparison with an English news report. Explore how differing cultural demands play a part in determining how the news is reported. This can work on a local or national level. Pupils may also explore more political versions, comparing accounts from the Australian press on events such as the turning away of boats of immigrants, with the way it was reported in other national news sources.
Examples and background information
For further examples and background information, see:
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