Tolkien’s World

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 22 October 2019 > Shine Bright Lycée What's On

Anyone who has read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings knows that JRR Tolkien was a past master at creating astonishing  worlds and civilisations. A new exhibition in Paris shows that his published work was merely the tip of the iceberg. Detailed maps, chronologies, and dozens of illustrations give a glimpse of the … Continue reading “Tolkien’s World”

Language and Literature: English Speciality

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 31 July 2019 > Pedagogy Shine Bright Lycée

Are you teaching LLCER this year? We can help! Shine Bright 1e has four sequences covering both themes. Look out for LLCER resources on Speakeasy-news. And in November we’ll be publishing reading guides to four of the literary works on the curriculum. Watch our video to find out more!   You can find up-to-date resources … Continue reading “Language and Literature: English Speciality”

WWI: They Shall Not Grow Old

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 10 July 2019 >

To mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, Peter Jackson has restored old black-and-white archive footage of British servicemen’s life in the trenches. “They Shall Not Grow Old” takes its title from a 1914 poem and this resource fits perfectly into Shine Bright 1re Advanced File 2: “War will Not Tear … Continue reading “WWI: They Shall Not Grow Old”

Virginia Woolf Love Story

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 10 July 2019 > Shine Bright Lycée What's On

A new biopic, Vita and Virginia, tells the story of author Virginia Woolf’s relationship with aristocrat Vita Sackville-West, which resulted in one of the most innovative novels of the early twentieth century, Orlando. Apart from an interest in literature and writing, nothing destined Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West to meet, never mind form a relationship. … Continue reading “Virginia Woolf Love Story”

Tolkien, War and Fellowship

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 21 June 2019 >

The trailer for the biopic Tolkien is perfect to add to Shine Bright 1re Advanced File 2 “War will not tear us apart” or File 1 “Biopics in Hollywood”. It draws parallels between Tolkien’s childhood friendships and love, his experience of World War I and his later heroic fantasy novels The Hobbit and Lord of … Continue reading “Tolkien, War and Fellowship”

Festival America: Reading Ideas for Literature Classes

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 17 October 2018 > Pedagogy

Cécile Sempere-Brun recommends: The Verdun Affair, by Nick Dybeck A novel about love and loss, forgetting and remembering. Reading A Verdun Affair is like travelling through space and time. The novel is set immediately after WWI, in France and Italy, as well as against the more glamorous background of 1950s Los Angeles. As the story … Continue reading “Festival America: Reading Ideas for Literature Classes”

“The Mothers”, a Coming-of-Age Story

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 17 October 2018 > What's On

We asked several teachers and authors who attended Festival America book festival in Vincennes in September to give us their favourite picks amongst the authors and books they encountered. Isabelle Brefort, who teaches at Lycée Jean-Baptiste Corot, Savigny-sur-Orge (91), recommends: The Mothers by Brit Bennett Can a secret ruin lives? Can our choices shape our … Continue reading ““The Mothers”, a Coming-of-Age Story”

“The Verdun Affair”, Love and Loss in WWI

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 17 October 2018 > What's On

We asked several teachers and authors who attended Festival America book festival in Vincennes in September to give us their favourite picks amongst the authors and books they encountered. Cécile Sempéré-Brun, who teaches at Lycée Raynouard, Brignoles (83), recommends: The Verdun Affair, by Nick Dybeck A novel about love and loss, forgetting and remembering. Reading … Continue reading ““The Verdun Affair”, Love and Loss in WWI”

“The Barrowfields”, a Haunting Family Tale from North Carolina

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 17 October 2018 > What's On

We asked several teachers and authors who attended Festival America book festival in Vincennes in September to give us their favourite picks amongst the authors and books they encountered. Gerald Kenny, who teaches at Lycée Saint-Sernin, Toulouse (31), recommends: The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis Nobody gets the parents they deserve, and Henry Aster is no … Continue reading ““The Barrowfields”, a Haunting Family Tale from North Carolina”