YEAR 13 LESSON TWENTY-SIX [4th May 12]: Homework.

We all jumped back into the world of the gothic with a smile on our faces and our hats displayed at a jaunty gothic angle...well..perhaps not..this was our first session for a while due to moderation and a bank holiday so it was a BIG session. The carnival began with a consideration of Marlowe's Faustus and the focus of class discussion was the question: How significant are the final two scenes in Faustus?

Students were encouraged to focus upon AO 2 as the class need to sharpen their consideration of how language, form and structure is used to shape meaning.Focus was placed upon:

• Considering Faustus's soliloquy as a symbol of his spiritual isolation as well as physical isolation.
• The poetic use of language as Faustus kisses the form of a demon! How might this moment be symbolic? What is Marlowe's aim here? We know that Helen is a demon so what idea is Marlowe attempting to illustrate within this scene?
• The Old Man as symbol. The symbolic significance of the Old Man cannot be overstated. How does Marlowe use this character to illustrate the key philosophical features of the play?
• The significance of the Chorus.

Class discussion was precise and passionate. A 'PROPER' response. Well done. ALL students are advised to produce a written response to this question.

The second session considered the question: If these texts are representative of the gothic genre, what is the nature of a gothic text?

Class discussion explored the thematic nature of a 'our' gothic texts and considered the theme of boundaries within the gothic. We will continue this discussion in the next session.

HOMEWORK: Read texts. Listen/Watch texts. Attempt past questions and fire them down the digital pipe. READ. READ. READ. READ.READ....