A-Level English Literature
Our first unit in Year 12 is called ‘Love through the Ages’, we will study a range of texts based around the
theme of love.
These texts include:
 The Great Gatsby
 The Taming of the Shrew
 A selection of pre 1900 poetry.
In order to be successful in this unit, you will need to have a good understanding of the context that the
texts were produced in. Therefore, in order to prepare you for the demands of the A-level course, we
would like you to complete the following tasks:
Task 1: The Great Gatsby
 1a. Read through the copy of ‘The Great Gatsby’.

1b. Write chapter summaries for each of the nine chapters of
‘The Great Gatsby’.

1c. Research life in America in the 1920s and use this
information to compile a Powerpoint presentation containing
slides on each of the following areas: F Scott Fitzgerald, The
Prohibition, Organised Crime in the 1920s, The rise of the
Automobile, Technological advances in the 1920s, Consumerism in the 1920s.
Task 2: The Taming of the Shrew
 Read ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ (free on kindle) or a summary of the play. Create a character map
of the characters, their attributes and relationships.

It will help you to have a better understanding of the text, if you have an understanding of ‘Love
and Marriage customs’ from the Elizabethan era. Use the web links below to research this topic
and then compile this information into a Powerpoint presentation. You should ensure that you
have covered the following areas in your research: family relationships, money and marriage,
domestic violence and the change in how marriage was perceived during the sixteenth century
compared to present day.
Resources:
http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/
home.html
http://www.bardweb.net/
http://www.elizabethanera.org.uk/elizabethanmarriages-and-weddings.htm