Unit 1 Appreciating Literature

Four famous Chinese classics A Dream of Red Mansions 1 A Dream of Red Mansions /The Story of the Stone /The Story of the Stone 2 Romance of Three Kingdoms All Men Are Brothers 3 All Men Are Brothers 4 Journey to the West

Foreign classics Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe Tess of the d'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain Gone with the wind Margaret Mitchell Les Miserables Victor Hugo

Today, we’ll focus on the novel Great Expectations written by Charles Dickens, an example of ___________. classics

Skimming 1.What is classic literature? 2.Who is Charles Dickens? 3.Who is the main character in the novel Great Expectations?

1.Classics are the antiques of the literary world including novels, plays and poems that were written a long time ago and were well written and received. 2. Dickens is England’s greatest writer. 3. Pip is the main character in the novel Great Expectations.

The structure of the text Part one: information about Part two: information about Part three: information about classic literature Charles Dickens the book Great Expectations

Listen to the tape and finish some exercises:

Part one Part one Multiple choice 1. The writer wrote the passage mainly to __. A. convince us to change our attitude( 态度 ) to classics B. introduce Charles Dicken’s novels to us C. suggest that we should read more classics D. make a summary of Great Expectations A

2. Some people think that classics are old- fashioned because of the following statements except __________. A. they were written a long time ago. B. the language used in them is quite different from the language used today. C. they are difficult for people to understand. D. They can only be found in bookshops and libraries. D

3. Which of the following is Not true according to the text? A. Classics are also worth reading today. B. We can find the value of writing and wisdom in classics. C. Classics have nothing to do with life today. D. Some classics have been adapted for movies. C

Part two: 1. When and where was Charles Dickens born? 3. What is written on his gravestone (tomb)? 2. What books did he write?

Works by Charles Dickens 《雾都孤儿》 《圣诞颂歌》 《双城记》 《艰难时世》 《远大前程》 《大卫 · 科波菲尔》 《 Great Expectations 》 《 Oliver Twist 》 《 A Christmas Carol 》 《 Hard Times 》 《 A Tale of Two Cities 》 《 David Copperfield 》

What is written on Charles Dickens’s gravestone? On his gravestone it reads, “By his death, one of England’s greatest writers is lost to the world.”

1. What are the main elements of a novel? Read part three and match the elements on the left with the correct examples on the right. Part three

The main elements of the novel 1. setting a. mist 2. symbol b. what it means to be a gentleman 3. plot c. England in the early 1800s 4. theme d. Pip, Joe, Estella e. a stranger gives Pip a lot 5 characters of money, then Pip moves to London and becomes a snob

2. What does Pip learn by the end of the novel? He learns that wealth does not buy happiness and that friends are more important than a fancy education.

This is an example of character development in Great Expectations, that is, it is the change in Pip from ____________________________ to_______________________________ _________________________________. being concerned only with money seeing that money is not the most important thing in life.

Discussion Can you think of some possible endings for the novel?

Consolidation

Matching exercise 2 1 备受欢迎 soap operas 2 在世上占一席之地 would rather…than… 3 每次 have prejudice against 4 肥皂剧 have a place in the world 5 情愿 …… 而不愿 …… be well received 6 使 …… 免受 …… at a time 7 对 …… 有偏见 … change(s) in... 8 一心想 …… character development 9 性格发展 set … free from 10 …… 的变化 be bent on

Fill in the blanks with the following words shallow husband fortune symbol gentleman Pip novel authors theme England Great Expectations is my favorite book. It was written by one of England’s greatest _______, Charles Dickens, and is now seen as classic literature. The main character in the novel is ________, a poor boy from England. He lives with his mean sister and her ________, Joe. authors Pip husband

The story is set in _______ in the early 1800s. It is misty night when the story begins. Mist is a ______ for danger and uncertainty used throughout the _______. Later in the story, Pip receives a large sum of money from a stranger. He uses the _____ to move to London without any companions. He settles there so he can become an educated _________. Pip changes from a pleasant young man into a very _________ one. What it means to be a gentleman is an important _______ in Great Expectations. Pip is not really a gentleman because he is prejudiced against Joe. England symbol novel fortune gentleman shallow theme

Homework: 1. Read the text again and try to retell the story of Great Expectations..