The Tempest in a chart

http://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-tempest

This is really, really useful. 

The Tempest - In Our Time

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03h6px5


Here are your categories of topic as they appear in the programme.
Write them down in boxes, or with some space underneath them. You'll only need two or three bullet points per category.


They appear in roughly this order but sometimes you'll want to jump back to add info to an earlier box. It's a conversation so it jumps around a bit.


In case you ever want to reference this (which you will), note that the speakers are:
Katherine Duncan-Jones (terrifying posh woman)
Erin Sullivan (youngish, normalish sounding woman)
Jonathan Bate (man not asking questions)
And the whole thing is with Melvyn Bragg on In Our Time on BBC Radio 4, November 2013.


Overview

Political background

Theatrical advances

Exploration and discovery

Lamontaigne's essays　

Utopia　

Structure　

Characters (Prospero, Caliban etc)

Magic　

Law, order, government

The Nature of Theatre

Texts inspired by the Tempest

Michel de Montaigne - big influence on Shakespeare?

New Statesman article on Shakespeare's debt to de Montaigne:
http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/07/montaigne-and-shakespeare-two-great-writers-one-mind


Summary of de Montaigne's essays and ideas:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/montaign/

Frankenstein: Gothic, Romantic, or Sci Fi?

Frankenstein and Gothic Horror (Cliff notes)


Frankenstein and Sci Fi (Hard but excellent)

How a teenager invented science fiction

Useful reminder of Mary Shelley's life up to and after writing Frankenstein.... More about the teenager than about the science fiction, but still good biographical context:


http://qwiklit.com/2014/07/28/how-a-teenager-invented-science-fiction-the-story-of-mary-shelleys-frankenstein/

The Tempest - useful A Level study site

http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/shakespeare/tempest.htm#2

The War Correspondent - full poem and bio of Carson here

http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3423000024/war-correspondent.html

The best sci-fi site in the world?

http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/

Literary Science fiction...

The most literary science fiction novels? Then maybe Frankenstein should be on here!
https://litreactor.com/columns/17-of-the-most-literary-science-fiction-novels


Defining science fiction:
http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/SF-Defined.htm


Also: in defence of science fiction:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/18/genre-debate-science-fiction-speculative-literary

Wordle for the Waste Land: most frequent words are biggest

Science and society - holiday homework

Holiday homework

 

Pick at least one film, one tv show and one book from the list below. In each case, consider the following questions as you watch… then answer them when you’re done.

 

Note down your answers and bring them into school for discussion.

 

How has science progressed in this film from the current world you live in?

Which current, actual scientific advances does this film exaggerate?

Which current social problems become exaggerated as a result?

Are there any individual humans whose character traits make things worse, or better? What are those character traits and what effect do they have on other people?

 

 

TV shows:

 

Black Mirror  - you’ll find it here

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/on-demand

Watch:

Series 1 episode 2

Series 1 episode 3

Series 2 all the way through

And the Christmas special.

 

Films:

Ex Machina

Never Let Me Go

Her

Children of Men

Terminator 1 and 2

 

Books:

Make sure you read  The Handmaid’s Tale, and answer the questions above.
There will be a test on your reading of the Handmaid's Tale during the first lesson back.

Philosophy in a Nutshell

Huge philosophical ideas squeezed into tiny little nutshells:
http://curiosophy.org/2014/03/19/philosophy-in-a-nutshell/