Celebrating Author Jean Rhys

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 21 June 2018 > What's On

Jean Rhys (1890-1979) lived and wrote about her extraordinary life in the West Indies, London and Paris before producing her masterpiece, Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel to Jane Eyre, telling the story of Bertha Mason, the Creole wife Mr Rochester married for her fortune, and who in Jane Eyre is portrayed as the madwoman in … Continue reading “Celebrating Author Jean Rhys”

Frankenstein Online

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 17 May 2018 > Webpicks

There are lots of interesting online resources on Mary Shelley and Frankenstein to help you celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of her iconic novel. Here’s a selection. Why not start a sequence on Frankenstein with our downloadable “Who Am I?” quiz about Frankenstein’s monster? (Right-click once the link opens and choose “Save As” … Continue reading “Frankenstein Online”

Frankenstein at 200

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 17 May 2018 > Celebrate

Frankenstein was published in 1818, written by a very unconventional young woman. Its genesis is as intriguing as its lasting influence. Without a volcanic eruption, Frankenstein and the vampire fiction genre may never have seen the day. In 1815 Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted violently, in the largest and most deadly eruption recorded anywhere in … Continue reading “Frankenstein at 200”

Mother of Frankenstein

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 17 May 2018 > Ready to Use

2018 marks the two hundredth anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein, a novel which has gone on to occupy a unique place in the collective imagination. In this A2+ article, your pupils will discover Mary Shelley, the teenage author who lived an exceptional life. These documents about Mary Shelley could be part of a larger … Continue reading “Mother of Frankenstein”

Frederick Douglass on the Web

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 12 March 2018 > Webpicks

On the occasion of Frederick Douglass’s Bicentennial, there are lots of online resources to help you introduce this major figure of the abolition movement to your pupils. This section on Frederick Douglass from the Library of Congress children’s site is suitable from A2. It’s not a very detailed biography but has an excellent quote from … Continue reading “Frederick Douglass on the Web”

Robert Burns Digital Resources

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 25 January 2018 > Webpicks

Scots celebrate their national poet, Robert Burns, on 25 January each year. These ebooks are useful for classroom work about the poet and the event. To find out more about Burns Night, check out Visitscotland’s ebook “Hold Your Own Burns Supper”, which includes recipes, information about the poet and a great video of traditional ceilidh … Continue reading “Robert Burns Digital Resources”

Murder in the Bookshops

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 13 December 2017 > Shine Bright Lycée What's On

As the latest film adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic Murder on the Orient Express hits our screens, Alison Bouhmid investigates women thriller-writers’ works, spanning a century of mystery writing. It is undeniable that British women writers have consistently been attracted to and excelled in detective fiction (though the genre was invented by a man, … Continue reading “Murder in the Bookshops”

Experimental Novel about Abraham Lincoln Wins 2017 Booker Prize

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 19 October 2017 > What's On

The 2017 Man Booker Prize, the UK’s most prestigious literary award, has been awarded to a first novel by American short-story writer George Saunders for Lincoln in the Bardo. Saunders is a veteran author but up till now he has specialised in short stories – Time magazine declared him the best short-story writer alive today. … Continue reading “Experimental Novel about Abraham Lincoln Wins 2017 Booker Prize”