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    Taming IGCSE English Literature
    Taming IGCSE English Literature
    Taming IGCSE English Literature
    Ebook81 pages51 minutes

    Taming IGCSE English Literature

    By Ishani Ganguly

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    About this ebook

    The goal of this book is to make preparation for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) English Literature exam simple, methodical and fun.
    Literary Analysis brings up an image of abstruse complexity, and many of the textbooks on the topic of literary analysis are inaccessible to the ninth-grader starting his or her IGCSE English Literature course. Yet this skill is necessary for getting top grades in the final examination. This book introduces a fun way to learn the basic techniques of literary analysis with several examples to guide you along the way.
    This book also helps you with the logistics of the exam – how to manage time, how to prepare for the three genres (poems, drama and prose), how to write essays within the allotted time, how to use checklists before exam day, etc. A companion website with free downloadable worksheets makes it easy to manage all these tasks. In addition, a companion blog allows you to connect with and learn from other readers who are also beginning their journey into the exciting realm of IGCSE English Literature.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherIshani Ganguly
    Release dateOct 15, 2015
    ISBN9781310115912
    Taming IGCSE English Literature

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      Book preview

      Taming IGCSE English Literature - Ishani Ganguly

      Taming IGCSE English Literature

      By Ishani Ganguly

      Copyright 2015 Ishani Ganguly. All rights reserved.

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      1. Preface

      2. Nature of the beast

      3. Staring into the heart of the beast

      4. The first foray: Tools and terms

      5. More training drills: Tools and Techniques

      6. Literary Terms

      7. Structural devices for the entire piece

      8. Question Types

      9. How to analyze a poem

      10A. Poem analysis example: A Birthday by Christina Rossetti

      10B. Poem analysis example: The Woodspurge by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

      10C. Poem analysis example: Horses by Edwin Muir

      10D. Poem analysis example: Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins

      11. How to analyze a play

      12. Example of analysis of a play

      13. How to analyze a novel

      14. Analyzing a novel: An example: The Great Gatsby

      15. Bringing it all together: Writing the essay

      16. Scheduling and Checklists

      Appendix 1: Response to leading questions in Chapter 5

      Appendix 2: Outside Resources

      1. Preface

      The secret to getting ahead is getting started.

      - Mark Twain.

      The goal of this book is to make preparation for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) English Literature exam simple, methodical and fun.

      While studying for this course, I did a lot of research on the techniques of literary analysis and the expectations of IGCSE. I read lots of fat books, and I found that my biggest challenge was to select the portions that are relevant for IGCSE English Literature course. This book brings you the result of my research. It is not my intention to write a book that contains everything that could be written about literary analysis. My intention here is to include only the steps and insight relevant for the IGCSE exam.

      The most difficult part of the IGCSE English Literature course is to write the essays under exam conditions. There are many well-meaning and actually good advices on how to write good essays. But theoretical knowledge is one thing, applying it under strict time constraint is quite another. In this book I will give you practical, down-to-earth tips on how to write the essays under exam conditions based on my own direct experience in writing these exams.

      You will need access to the internet to utilize this book fully. A dictionary of literary terms (See Appendix 2) is not required, but can be helpful.

      A companion site for this book is at http://IGCSEEngLit.esmallmall.com. You can download useful worksheets from that site.

      2. Nature of the beast

      That, my lad, was a dragon.

      - Balin, in the film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

      There are quite a few myths that make rounds about IGCSE English Literature. These myths make the subject sound scarier that it is in reality. Let’s debunk the top 5 myths.

      Myth: You have to write like F. Scott Fitzgerald to get the top grade.

      Reality: IGCSE English Lit is primarily a reading course and not a writing course.

      At one extreme, if your writing is unclear and you are unable to communicate your ideas to the examiner, then you will not score highly. But beyond that the examiners don’t expect you to produce a piece of literature on your exam script; they expect you to show them that you understand the literature being discussed. The questions ask you to comment on the literary techniques used by the author. Responding to such questions needs close reading of the text.

      Myth: You have to write a summary of the story in the novel or the play.

      Reality: It is less about the story and more about how the author uses language.

      You do need to know the subject matter – it is the substrate on which your essay will be based. You should refer to the story in your essay, but you should never re-tell the story in your essay. You should assume that the examiner knows the story already. You are engaging in a discussion with the examiner about the literary tools used by the author.

      Myth: You have to compare the assigned text with similar or contemporary texts.

      Reality: You are expected to focus on the text, and not discuss related texts.

      You have only 45 minutes to write the response to a question. There will be enough material that you will have a hard time fitting in all the relevant points that directly answer the question. You

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