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”
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”
JRR Tolkien’s stories of Middle Earth, hobbits, wizards and dragons have captured the imagination of generations. A new film looks at his experiences of friendship, love and war as a young man, and how they may have influenced the man and work. Tolkien the film opens with a young officer, Tolkien, ill with a fever, … Continue reading “Tolkien the Storyteller”
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”
Reading romance novels is a relaxing activity for millions around the world. But could it also be a way for computers and robots to become more human? Researchers at Google’s Brain division have been feeding thousands of romance novels into working an artificial intelligence (AI) system to try to encourage the system used in search … Continue reading “Computers Learn from the Language of Love”
Valentine’s Day, 14 February, is the day to spread some love. Not necessarily romance, friendship is also celebrated. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries. Its origins date back to Roman times, spring fertility festivals and two early Christian martyrs associated with love. But each country has its own variations, and special quirks. I Love … Continue reading “With Love from Loveland on Valentine’s Day”
Talking about emotions can be hard when you are a teenager — even more so when the feelings are about love and romance, and you have to talk about it in another language! This video of American teenagers talking about crushes is an excellent conversation starter for A2-A2+ classes. Why not use it for Valentine’s … Continue reading “Valentine’s Day: Talking about Feelings”
Brooklyn is a beautiful coming-of-age story about a young Irish woman emigrating to the U.S.A. Colm Tóibín’s 1989 novel has now been adapted as a film. It is perfect for working on themes of immigration, family duty and love. For more about the film, and the trailer, see our article. The film’s website has several … Continue reading “Brooklyn Webpicks”