READING AND WATCHING MODERN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
Dne 27. 1. 2010, se studenti čtvrtých ročníků zúčastnili semináře „Čteme a sledujeme moderní
literaturu v angličtině“. Své znalosti týkající se britské a americké literatury si vyzkoušeli
prostřednictvím testu, který potvrdil záměr semináře, tj. potřebu rozvíjet povědomí studentů o
současném a nedávném dění v literatuře anglicky mluvících zemí. Tématem semináře byl John
Updike ( 18.3.1932/ 27.1 2009 ) a Woody Allen. (1. 12. 1935).
Autor: Jana Tabášková
JOHN UPDIKE was one of the finest stylists in contemporary American literature. His versatility is astonishing:
apart from writing prose, he is also a poet,essayist and serious literary critic. His work has tested the realistic
traditions of American fiction and also the traditions of romance; his realism is open to experiments.Updike is
also an important regionalist. His prose is usually set in Pennsylvania and New York, but also in New England.
The Witches of Eastwick (1984) is an ironic rendition of modern feminism in which the world of women from
seventeenth-century Salem is replaced by the divorced emancipated witches of the late 1960s, and Roger’s
Version (1986) offers another version of Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter but from the point of view of the late
twentieth century.
WOODY ALLEN- (satire and absurdity)-Woody Allen is one of the most well known and respected names in
the movie industry. His career of being a writer, director, actor and producer spans over 30 years and still
thrives. His films have linked the boarders of drama and comedy, while continually being entertaining and
honest gives an ironic insight into the life of New York intellectuals: Without Feathers 1975, Side Effects 1980.
Pro všechny milovníky testů je tady trochu zábavy: četli jste,
znáte je? Říká VÁM TO NĚCO? Odpovězte prosím.
REALISTIC TENDENCIES IN
CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FICTION
Realism, realistic tendencies, the common, the average,
modernism, postmodernism, middle classes, suburbia, The New
Yorker, revolt, conformism, escapism, Puritanism, disillusionment,
World War II, Holocaust, Vietnam War, absurdity, skepticism
1. More than anything else, Holden Caulfield hates
a) old people
b) children
c) phonies
d) baseball players
2. The title The Catcher in the Rye refers to the protagonist’s wish
a) to protect children
b) to imitate his dead brother Allie
c) to prove his worth to his parents
d) to become a farmer
3. Catch-22 in its final effect means
a) you will have to catch your enemy at all costs
b) you have to obey your commanding officer in any case
c) you managed to win the battle
d) you managed to desert the army
4. “The New Yorker” writers mostly depicted
a) the underclass
b) blue-collar workers
c) middle classes
d) upper classes
5. The writers dealing with the Second World War emphasized
a) the heroism of ordinary soldiers
b) the moral credit of American commanders
c) the cowardice of the enemy
d) the absurdity of the war
6. Updike’s protagonist Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom in his growing
conformism can remind us of the title character portrayed by
a) Ernest Hemingway
b) Sinclair Lewis
c) Sherwood Anderson
d) Francis Scott Fitzgerald
7. American writers began to respond to the Holocaust
a) immediately after the revelation of the terror of the Holocaust
b) in the fifties
c) in the sixties
d) in the seventies
8. The pioneer of the American Holocaust novel is
a) Edward Lewis Wallant
b) William Styron
c) Saul Bellow
d) Philip Roth
9. Yossarian, Cacciato and Holden Caulfield have what in common?
a) all of them fought in World War II
b) all of them fought in the Vietnam War
c) they were rebels against authority
d) they escaped to the woods
10. The name of Halina Pawlovská’s popular TV-show „Banánové rybičky“
may have been inspired by a story by
a) Irwin Shaw
b) John Irving]
c) Washington Irving
d) Jerome David Salinger
True or False?
11. _____James Jones and Norman Mailer became famous with their novels
about the Second World War in Europe.
12. _____If Updike’s Harry is a rabbit, George Caldwell is a horse and the
teacher’s story is a story of sacrifice.
13. _____Rural New York State is a frequent setting for the novels of Joyce
Carol Oates.
14. _____The Catcher in the Rye is narrated in the third person.
15. _____Isaac Bashevis Singer as a survivor of Auschwitz had first hand
experience of the Holocaust.
If you reached 14-15 points, accept my warmest congratulations. Even 12-13
points are a very good result. If you had only 9 or less correct answers, you should
try GOOGLE SEARCH 
Zdroj: MODULE 2A – MODERN LITERATURE
Autoři: Mgr. Petr Filip, Stanislav Kolář, Ph.D.
Vydání: první, 2004
ATTENTION PLEASE   , TO BE CONTINUED:THX FOR EXCELLENT
CATERING - I MEAN PAVLA AND SO ON…. -The food was delicious and was delivered on
time . BTW, IT WAS NICE TO C YOUR FRIENDLY .
C U SOON.
DŽEJ TÝ, VÍ ES AND ENGLISH WITH FUN 