Module 8 Unit 1 The written word
Word power Literature
南京市第三十四中学
田萌
Try to answer several questions：
⑴Are you interested in books?
⑵What kind of books are you
particularly fond of?
⑶How many categories of literature
can you name?
Discuss those questions in
small groups, then write down
all the categories said by
students on the blackboard.
Read the article about different
categories of literature in part
A.
Find out all the types
mentioned in text.
Fill in the chart below
Category of literature
Description
poetry
• has a repeated rhythm
• focuses on feelings
drama
• tells a story through action and speech
• first written and then performed on stage
• only a few characters
• a simple plot
Short story
Fiction
Science fiction • many characters
novel
romance
News article
Non-fiction biography
autobiography
• a complex plot
• popular
• in a newspaper
• reports factual information
Describes the life of a person
Describes the author’s own life
Charles Dickens
Dickens, Charles John
Huffam (1812-1870), English
novelist and one of the most
popular writers in the history of
literature. In his enormous body
of works, Dickens combined
masterly storytelling, humor,
pathos, and irony with sharp
social criticism and acute
observation of people and places,
both real and imagined.
John Keats
Keats， John （1795-1821），
English poet， and an influential figure of
the romantic movement. Keats was born in
London. In 1816 he became a licensed
druggist， but he never practiced the
profession. Keats's first published poems
appeared in 1816 in the Examiner， a
literary periodical edited by the essayist and
poet Leigh Hunt. Keats's first book was
Poems by John Keats （1817）。 His
second volume， Endymion （1818），
was attacked by two of the most influential
critical magazines of the time， the
Quarterly Review and Blackwood's
Magazine.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in
Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 on April
the 23rd. His father was an important
man in town so Shakespeare had a
good upbringing. Shakespeare
probably went to school but not
university. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays
and 154 sonnets (a sonnet is a kind of
poem). He began working in his home
town of Stratford but by 1592 was
writing in London. He became rich
enough to buy a house in the capital
and one in Stratford.
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield was born in
Wellington, New Zealand, into a middle-class
colonial family. At the age of nine she had her
first text published. As a first step to her rebellion
against her background, she withdrew to London
in 1903 and studied at Queen's College, where
she joined the staff of the College Magazine.
Back in New Zealand in 1906, she then took up
music, and had affairs with both men and women.
In 1908 she studied typing and bookkeeping at
Wellington Technical College. Her lifelong friend
Ida Baker persuaded Mansfield's father to allow
Katherine to move back to England, with an
allowance of £100 a year. There she devoted
herself to writing. Mansfield never visited New
Zealand again.
Match the writers with suitable
works according to part B
Katherine Mansfield
Great Expectations
William Shakespeare
Miss Brill
John Keats
Charles Dickens
Ode to Nightingale
Romeo and Juliet
Answers to part C
1.fiction
2.poetry
3.poet
4.drama
5.playwright
6.short story
7.novel
8.romance
9.genres
10.non-fiction
11.biography
12.autobiography
Finish part C on page 7 in
pairs, using part A and B
as reference
Complete part D in pairs.
You may consult a
dictionary when you have
questions.
Part D:
4
5
6
7
1
r ew r i t e
w r i t e
3
c om p os e
2
Consolidation Exercises:
Fill in the blanks with suitable preps
1.It is widely believed Jordan is a famous
basketball player of all time.
2.Science fiction and romance are popular
novel genres which are often found on bestseller lists.
3.Mr Bean’s performances tell a story or a
joke through facial expressions and actons.
4.Poetry often focuses on feelings, so people
say those who are in love can writepoems nicely.
5.Do you know John Keats, famous for the
beautiful poem Ode to a Nightingale?
6.We call a book a person writes about his/her
own life an autobiography.
Complete the sentences below with
these words:
fiction drama poet novel
news biography story genres
1.Literature that is not true or factual is called fiction .
2.Science and romance are popular novel genres .
3.Dramais writing that tells a story through action and speech.
4.Anovel like War and Peace has many characters and a more
complex plot.
5.Li Bai, a famous Chinese poet ,wrote many poems about
nature and life.
6.A book about the life of someone is called a biography
.
7.Ashort work of fiction with only a few characters and a simple
plot is called a short story .
8.I like non-fiction literature, especially news articles in
newspapers.
Group Work:
Try to find more information
about different categories of
English literature and some
literary figures. Then share them
with your partner.
Homework:
Do the part A and B on
page 106, of the workbook
then complete the review
in part C.