Mime - the goblin's castle
Pupils have been captured by the Goblin King and are confined to his dungeons. They have to escape!
You talk them through the escape procedure which they must mime.
* Describe the confined cell (size of a small square) and how they must break out of it, by scrabbling and so on
* Next they creep and crawl through a hole in the wall- very small, very slimy, on their stomachs.
* They walk/crawl through various tunnels filled with all kinds of revolting substances: cold water, rats, slime, hot coals, broken glass, gravel, bones and dead bodies, glue, low ceilings, boiling oil, nails, ice and snow.
* Vary levels and heights when appropriate.
* Freedom- they have to run as the drawbridge is being pulled-up, they must run and jump...will they make it?
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Mime - walking with beasts
In this mime, pupils become creatures in an alien or prehistoric environment. They can do this individually, or several can join to form one large animal. Ask them to contort themselves and make their faces ugly, scary or unusual. You will talk them through a series of activities:
* It is night - they must stay still, so predators cannot see them, but may make occasional strange noises, as they sleep and dream.
* Gradually, light begins to grow as the day breaks - creatures stir and wake.
* Now fully awake animals may move around, mark territory, look for food
* Animals may attack or prey on one another
* It begins to rain - creatures find a place to shelter
* Creatures explore environment, find a mate and so on.
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Silly voices
Give students simple texts to read aloud, say, advertisements, passages from novels, magazine articles or poems. The catch is that they must use someone else's voice. Better still, you can combine two or more voices. Read the text:
* As the Queen
* As a Teletubby
* As someone who is out of breath
* As someone who has inhaled helium
* As someone who is drunk
* As someone who speaks with the accent of a city or region of the UK
* As a French, German or other foreign person
* As a French Teletubby who has inhaled helium and thinks he or she is the Queen
As an extension you can ask students to do things like the Queen's Christmas message, using the Queen's accent but in the style of Ali G.
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Tableaux and movement
Do this in groups of four or five. Each group has three titles:
* The Feather is Falling.
* Moving the Piano.
* Stretch that Jumper.
Encourage the pupils to think laterally and produce frozen moments which are original - avoid the obvious. They should link each picture with movement, counting the steps. Everyone should be in time and synchronized. Think about arms as well as legs and facial movements.
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Titles for spontaneous improvisations
Use titles from this list to inspire or challenge students:
* Quick Change
* Excuses
* Wanted: trainee
* No Smoking
* Pardon me, but could you...?
* Change in status
* Waiting
* Engaged
* Help!
* Room
* Stuck
* Keep off the grass
In groups of two or three pupils devise three short scenes based on a title, each scene should look at the title in a different way. One scene should be mime. Pupils should try to synchronize transitions (movements) between scenes.
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Scenarios for improvisation
These are ideas for scenarios with two performers - so students should work in pairs (or trios, with one directing). The situations work best if the pupils get straight into them and avoid long discussions.
* Director instructing rather useless, awkward, overpaid actor.
* Fortune teller and client.
* Hairdresser and customer (after hair disaster).
* Photographer and awkward supermodel.
* Traffic warden and driver about to get a ticket.
* Married couple watching TV - channel arguments.
* Casualty - nurse informing family of bad news.
* Two tramps arguing over box/newspaper/bench.
* Two strangers on a train - one lights up in a no-smoking compartment.
* Suspect being interviewed by the police.
* Boss giving employee the sack.
* Door-to-door salesman and lonely pensioner.
* Pregnant woman and claustrophobic stuck in a lift.
* Job interview.
* Parent and teenager - teenager three hours late, parent waiting up.
* Two cars meet coming from opposite directions down a narrow country lane. One belongs to farmer, other a wealthy businessman - who moves?
* Boyfriend proposing to girlfriend - she's trying to dump him.
* Pupil sent to head for bad behaviour.
* Doctor and patient, patient is hypochondriac.
* Mime - two wrestlers warming up, or two men on the moon.
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Prop boxes
Students prepare spontaneous (no time for prior discussion or preparation) or polished improvisations in groups of two, three or more using objects in prop boxes as stimulus (can be made up of any object eg hat/book/ball ).
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Titles from teacher
* The Letter
* Good News
* Get Your Hair Cut
* The Doctor and the Patient
* Frou Frou, the Wonder Dog, or The Dog that can do Amazing Tricks
* Crime
* The Eavesdropper
* The Baby
* The Girl with Green Hair
* Kidnapped
* Gangsters
* Marooned on a Desert Island
* The Green Paper Bag
* In the Middle of the Night
* A Fairy Tale
* Family Matters
* The Secret Formula
* The Box of Chemicals
* The Key
* The Door Marked 'Private'
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* Fire
* The Hijacker
* In the Aeroplane
* The Time Machine
* The Secret
* Grandad
* Beauty and the Beast
* The Dream
* The Man from the Council
* Mother and Son
* Father and Son
* The Boy (or Girl) Who Wouldn't Speak
* Old Uncle Bayram
* The Thieves
* Danger at the Zoo
* The American Girl
* Robbery with Violence
* The Stranger at the Door
* The Doctor
* The Forbidden Planet
* The Bomb That Wasn't
* The Birthday Surprise
* The Conflict
* Robots
* Bad News
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* The Bully at the Bus Stop
* Shock
* Gunman City
* The Visitor who came to Tea
* Rat Poison
* In the Year 2100
* Planet X
* Accident
* The Black Box
* The Special Dress
* Incident at the Bus Stop
* The Nagging Mother
* The Monster
* Ebenezer Scrooge
* The Hat
* Dial M for Murder
* Two Workmen
* The Haunted House
* Whodunnit?
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* World War II
* The Gipsy Fortune-Teller
* The Nightmare
* Grandma
* Spoilt Children
* The Truants
* Teacher's Pet
* Mother and Daughter
* Father and Daughter
* I Can Read Your Thoughts
* Pauline and the Pop Star
* Divorce
* The Invisible Man
* Baby-Snatcher
* Poison Gas
* The Man-Eating Plant
* Grandad's Will
* Please Don't Tease
* Round the Flats
* The Telephone
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First or last lines from teacher
* “Money, money, money”
* “It's just not fair!”
* “Why don't you ever listen to me?”
* “My dog's just died ”
* “What's the big idea, then?”
* “Go on! Amaze me ... ”
* “You've been talking about me behind my back, haven't you?”
* “I saw you hit my little brother.”
* “Don't go on and on and on about it.”
* “Please don't tell her I told you.”
* “What ever possessed you to do it?”
* “You jealous or something?”
* “He's/she's packed me in.”
* “Why do you tell so many lies?”
* “That's an excellent piece of work, but there's just one thing ...”
* “You've been chosen for a mission from which you are very unlikely to return ...”
* “I don't want to go to school today.”
* “How can I tell him/her that it's over?”
* “Do you know something? You really get up my nose. Why are you always in such a bad temper? Why did you tell Mum on me?”
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* “Dad's mad with you.”
* “Don't be such a greedy-guts.”
* “Stop pretending to be something you are not!”
* “Don't be a dog in the manger!”
* “Why can't you ever see it from my point of view?”
* “Why did you hurt Mum's feelings like that?”
* “You've got things out of all proportion.”
* “Mum said, 'Never accept lifts from strangers.' ”
* “ What a waste of money!”
* “How dare you treat your pet like that?”
* “I told you before, you must not bunk off school.”
* “You're all mouth and no trousers. ”
* “It's easy to be an armchair critic - don't just sit there, do something.”
* “Why do you give up so easily?”
* “ Why can't you take any criticism?”
* “Haven't you got any manners?”
* “Get up out of that bed immediately!”
* “If you don't mind my saying so, you need to go on a diet.”
* “I hate to say this, but I think you've got anorexia nervosa. ”
* “Look, I'm only giving you a warning.”
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* “Haven't you got any ambition in life?”
* “Let them talk - who cares?”
* “Shouting about it won't help.”
* “This is absolutely the last straw. ”
* “You are so gullible.”
* “I'm going to give you a piece of my mind.”
* “You're getting a bit above yourself.”
* “You haven't been very discreet, have you?”
* “What do you mean by that sexist rubbish?”
* “You're always making excuses! What is it this time?”
* “Mum, I want to go abroad this year.”
* “You really are very, very selfish.”
* Scream! followed by “You frightened the living daylights out of me.”
* “I've had it up to here with you.”
* “Grow up, will you? Act your age!”
* “You're not old enough.”
* “You are under my authority until you are eighteen.”
* “You don't own me.”
* “I'm sick to death of your prejudiced remarks.”
* “Thanks for ruining my reputation.”
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* “You've let the cat out of the bag - that was supposed to be top secret.”
* “Don't be a Scrooge.”
* “Why are you always so nasty? Why can't you ever be nice?”
* “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, didn't you know?”
* “Look, Miss, you've got a grudge against me, haven't you?”
* “What am I going to do? I'm heavily in debt.”
* “Mum/Dad, can I have some more pocket money?” (Second line: “More?”)
* “You're going to ruin your health.”
* “I am not going to Nan's eightieth birthday.”
* “Mum, I'm not coming home for Christmas this year.”
* “You don't appreciate a thing I do.”
* “No foul language in this house!”
* “Sorry's just a word.”
* “Don't be so pessimistic - look on the bright side.”
* “Good grief! How petty can you be?”
* “But, please, Mum ... ”(persuasion against will)
* “How can you be so deceitful?”
* “Promise you won't tell anyone. ”
* “Right! I've caught you now.”
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* “I've got an apology to make.”
* “Please don't do that to me.”
* “I've got a dreadful pain in my stomach.”
* “Excuse me, I hope you don't think I'm being nosey.”
* “I don't expect you had much chance to meet girls when you were at boarding school ...”
* “Trust you to spoil everything!”
* “Is it the measles?”
* “Look, snap out of it!”
* “I don't believe it.”
* “I beg your pardon.”
* “It's disgusting!”
* “Will you lend me .. ”
* “Don't you dare bring my mother into this!”
* “Guess what happened to Mandy.”
* “Chicken!”
* “I'll give you three guesses what happened.”
* “I've just lost Mum's purse.”
* “What has your mum got against me?”
* “I've told you before - the answer is no.”
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* “Stop that at once!”
* “Johnny's been fired - did you know?”
* “Can you keep a secret?”
* “Don't you ever bring up that subject again!”
* “Would you mind repeating that remark?”
* “What on earth is the matter with you today?”
* “Why can't you be punctual just for once?”
* “Don't bite the hand that feeds you.”
* “Why are you always picking on me?”
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Eventually students should be in a position to use skills acquired and their own imaginations to create group improvisation lasting between three and five minutes. If you wish to impose a more rigid structure consider:
* Three-scene performances for all improvisations.
* Freeze frames at beginning and end of performance, and possibly of each scene too.
* A check-list of techniques, for example, one scene must be mime or involve talking to the audience.
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Starters and fill-ups
Use starters for warming up before a session. Fill-ups are useful activities to fill in extra time.
Sometimes warm-up games are useful for starting a session. They can raise the energy level of a group, calm down a boisterous group and improve concentration and focus. They can also be used at the end of a session as a way to bring a class back together, or simply when you have a spare ten minutes because it is not worth starting new work at the end of a session.
You may wish to use some of the games and exercises to help students improve their skills in improvisation, observation, listening or inventiveness for example. If so, make the aim of the exercise clear to the class, as an overdose of seemingly pointless game playing is demotivating for students in the long run. Try to keep a balance between fun and serious activities.
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This section is divided into two parts:
* Games for the whole class (warm-ups and calm downs).
* Starting points for small group work.
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Games for the whole class
Invisible objects | Name that person | Change places | What are you doing? | Status game | Authority | The lost key | Lines and proverbs | Group shapes
Invisible objects
The class are seated in a circle.
One person is chosen to mime holding a cardboard box, placing it on the floor in front of them and opening the lid to take out an imaginary object. The person then handles or uses the object for a moment before placing it back in the box.
The rest of the group are then invited to put their hands up if they think they can guess what the object is. The person who guesses correctly can then open the next box and the game begins again.
As a variation on this, or if the imaginary object is hard to guess, it may be passed around the circle. The leader may give clues as to its identity by making comments such as “Be careful, it can bite” or “Mind, it's slippery/cold/wet/sticky” etc.
This game is very useful for getting to know a new class.
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Name that person
This activity becomes tedious with a group larger than twenty, but it is a surprisingly effective way for a teacher to learn new names. This game is useful for a group getting to know one another.
The class stand in a circle and everyone says their name in turn. One person is chosen to start. This pupil must look at someone in the circle and call that person's name. Once it has been called, the caller walks across to the other person's place.
Meanwhile the person whose name has been called must look at a third person, call that person's name and walk towards her/him. No one must leave his or her place before calling the name of the person whose place they intend to take. Make sure that everyone moves at least once during the game.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Pandora's Box
This section contains guidance on teaching drama, using the classical myth of Pandora's Box. These sessions include activities for individuals and small groups.
Session length
* Two one-hour sessions
Aims
* To reinforce freeze frame, rôle play, thought tracking, reflection and evaluation.
* To introduce mime/gesture/realism and story.
* To introduce polished improvisation.
* To continue the drama diary.
Synopsis or outline for these sessions
The students practise mime skills. Then they use these skills in their improvisation work which is based on finding a box which they are not allowed to open. A moral dilemma is introduced, whether or not to open the box. The story of Pandora's Box is told and the class have to make up a modern day version of the story.
Resources
* Copies of the story of Pandora's Box.
Room layout
* The tables pushed back and the chairs in a circle.
Pandora's Box - session 1
Whole class discussion in a circle. The teacher introduces this with some such statement as:
“Remind me what you did in Drama last week. What did you learn?”
The teacher now introduces the mime:
“I would like each of you to mime an object; it must be small and you must be able to pass the mimed object on to the person on your left. That person has to guess what it is, copy the mime and then change it into something else. If your neighbour cannot guess what is being mimed the rest of the class can try to guess. I will start the mime.”
If no one guesses the mime just ask what it is. Try to avoid making a big issue of it. This is supposed to be a confidence builder not destroyer! Again praise the good mimes i.e. those that are clearly defined and easily recognized.
Extending the mime skills
The teacher continues:
“I am going into the centre of the circle and I will pace out a large treasure box. I want you all to try and remember as much of my mime as possible. For instance what size is the box? Is the lid heavy? What size key did I use to open the box? If you can guess what I have taken out of the box, put your hand up, don't call out, and I will choose someone to answer. If the person is right I will give them the key.”
In mime you pace out the box - say two paces by three - take a key out of your pocket, unlock the box and lift a large heavy lid which you allow to thump to the floor. You root around in the box and take out a crown which you put on your head. You take it off and put it back in the box. Then you ask a person who has guessed the mime correctly to come into the centre of the circle and give this person the key. The student has to repeat the mime of opening the box, keeping the same shape and size, and take something new out of the box. The person in the middle invites someone from the circle to tell him/her what the mime was. Repeat this three or four times.
Rôle play with the emphasis on good mime and gesture
Bring students back in the circle. Now introduce the next stage:
“I would like you to work in groups of three. Imagine you find a box. You have to show clearly by mime, how big/how heavy it is/what it's like. You have three minutes to practise. Remember to start your rôle play with a Freeze frame. I want to see the 30 seconds before the moment that you find the box. Take a few minutes to discuss who you are, where you are and where exactly the box is. You have to give clues in your rôle play that there is something very special/strange about this box. There is an instruction on it saying: DO NOT OPEN.”
Go round the room checking that everyone understands the task and is getting on with it. If in doubt ask the group you are worried about to show you their freeze frame and thirty-second improvisation. If necessary give them advice on how to present their work better. When you have given them enough time to prepare their rôle play, choose a couple of groups to show their work.
Remember to get the freeze frame absolutely still before counting down, “3, 2, 1, GO!” You are reinforcing the control necessary for good drama.
Reflection and evaluation/preparation for the next session
Get the class back into a circle. Ask:
“What have you learned in this session? What makes a successful mime? Is a rôle play effective for the same reasons? Remember to find as much as possible to praise.”
Read the story of Pandora's Box ready for the next session. Think how you can make a modern day version of the Greek myth. What does the box represent? What might be released from the box today?
Pandora's Box - session 2
Recap on last week's session:
“What do you remember from last week? This week we are going to take some time to develop a modern version of Pandora's Box, using some of the ideas we discussed at the end of the last Drama session. What might be let out of the box today?”
List suggestions on the flip chart. Allow students to discuss them.
Planning the drama
Introduce this, as appropriate:
“In groups of four, plan your drama for this week. Take your time. I shall be looking for examples of good improvisation and an imaginative story line. You will need to discuss the improvisation in detail. Start your drama from the point at which you are deciding whether or not to open the box. There should be a great deal of tension at that moment, and then plan and practise what happens next. Each improvisation should last about a minute.”
Go round and question the groups to make sure that they are focusing on the drama. If you are in doubt about a group, make them Freeze frame, and then Thought track them. This helps to keep them on their toes.
Performance of polished Improvisation:
Get each group to perform their polished improvisations. Make sure every piece begins and ends in a freeze frame. Count all the groups in with, “3, 2, 1, GO!”
Discussion and evaluation
Get the class back into a circle and discuss the moral issues raised within the stories the children explored in their drama. Ask if there were any other stories/ideas that the groups discussed but chose not to use. Discuss why they were not chosen. Start to get the students to understand what the basic requirements for a good piece of drama. For example, some stories work well in writing but not as drama, why? This might be because drama needs tension, conflict and contrast to work well.
Give out the Drama Diary sheet.
The Story of Pandora's Box
Zeus, the father of the gods, was angry that humans had been given the gift of fire by Prometheus, making them far more powerful than he wished. To take the humans down a peg or two he sent his daughter, Pandora, to earth to cause trouble.
There she married Epimetheus, half brother of Prometheus. Epimetheus was given a box by Zeus. Unknown to Pandora, it contained all the diseases which could bring suffering to humans. Pandora's curiosity overcame her desire to obey her husband and to keep the box locked. She opened it and out flew all the diseases and sorrows which trouble humans. However, at the bottom of the box was Hope, who would help humans to overcome their suffering.
Session length
* Two one-hour sessions
Aims
* To reinforce freeze frame, rôle play, thought tracking, reflection and evaluation.
* To introduce mime/gesture/realism and story.
* To introduce polished improvisation.
* To continue the drama diary.
Synopsis or outline for these sessions
The students practise mime skills. Then they use these skills in their improvisation work which is based on finding a box which they are not allowed to open. A moral dilemma is introduced, whether or not to open the box. The story of Pandora's Box is told and the class have to make up a modern day version of the story.
Resources
* Copies of the story of Pandora's Box.
Room layout
* The tables pushed back and the chairs in a circle.
Pandora's Box - session 1
Whole class discussion in a circle. The teacher introduces this with some such statement as:
“Remind me what you did in Drama last week. What did you learn?”
The teacher now introduces the mime:
“I would like each of you to mime an object; it must be small and you must be able to pass the mimed object on to the person on your left. That person has to guess what it is, copy the mime and then change it into something else. If your neighbour cannot guess what is being mimed the rest of the class can try to guess. I will start the mime.”
If no one guesses the mime just ask what it is. Try to avoid making a big issue of it. This is supposed to be a confidence builder not destroyer! Again praise the good mimes i.e. those that are clearly defined and easily recognized.
Extending the mime skills
The teacher continues:
“I am going into the centre of the circle and I will pace out a large treasure box. I want you all to try and remember as much of my mime as possible. For instance what size is the box? Is the lid heavy? What size key did I use to open the box? If you can guess what I have taken out of the box, put your hand up, don't call out, and I will choose someone to answer. If the person is right I will give them the key.”
In mime you pace out the box - say two paces by three - take a key out of your pocket, unlock the box and lift a large heavy lid which you allow to thump to the floor. You root around in the box and take out a crown which you put on your head. You take it off and put it back in the box. Then you ask a person who has guessed the mime correctly to come into the centre of the circle and give this person the key. The student has to repeat the mime of opening the box, keeping the same shape and size, and take something new out of the box. The person in the middle invites someone from the circle to tell him/her what the mime was. Repeat this three or four times.
Rôle play with the emphasis on good mime and gesture
Bring students back in the circle. Now introduce the next stage:
“I would like you to work in groups of three. Imagine you find a box. You have to show clearly by mime, how big/how heavy it is/what it's like. You have three minutes to practise. Remember to start your rôle play with a Freeze frame. I want to see the 30 seconds before the moment that you find the box. Take a few minutes to discuss who you are, where you are and where exactly the box is. You have to give clues in your rôle play that there is something very special/strange about this box. There is an instruction on it saying: DO NOT OPEN.”
Go round the room checking that everyone understands the task and is getting on with it. If in doubt ask the group you are worried about to show you their freeze frame and thirty-second improvisation. If necessary give them advice on how to present their work better. When you have given them enough time to prepare their rôle play, choose a couple of groups to show their work.
Remember to get the freeze frame absolutely still before counting down, “3, 2, 1, GO!” You are reinforcing the control necessary for good drama.
Reflection and evaluation/preparation for the next session
Get the class back into a circle. Ask:
“What have you learned in this session? What makes a successful mime? Is a rôle play effective for the same reasons? Remember to find as much as possible to praise.”
Read the story of Pandora's Box ready for the next session. Think how you can make a modern day version of the Greek myth. What does the box represent? What might be released from the box today?
Pandora's Box - session 2
Recap on last week's session:
“What do you remember from last week? This week we are going to take some time to develop a modern version of Pandora's Box, using some of the ideas we discussed at the end of the last Drama session. What might be let out of the box today?”
List suggestions on the flip chart. Allow students to discuss them.
Planning the drama
Introduce this, as appropriate:
“In groups of four, plan your drama for this week. Take your time. I shall be looking for examples of good improvisation and an imaginative story line. You will need to discuss the improvisation in detail. Start your drama from the point at which you are deciding whether or not to open the box. There should be a great deal of tension at that moment, and then plan and practise what happens next. Each improvisation should last about a minute.”
Go round and question the groups to make sure that they are focusing on the drama. If you are in doubt about a group, make them Freeze frame, and then Thought track them. This helps to keep them on their toes.
Performance of polished Improvisation:
Get each group to perform their polished improvisations. Make sure every piece begins and ends in a freeze frame. Count all the groups in with, “3, 2, 1, GO!”
Discussion and evaluation
Get the class back into a circle and discuss the moral issues raised within the stories the children explored in their drama. Ask if there were any other stories/ideas that the groups discussed but chose not to use. Discuss why they were not chosen. Start to get the students to understand what the basic requirements for a good piece of drama. For example, some stories work well in writing but not as drama, why? This might be because drama needs tension, conflict and contrast to work well.
Give out the Drama Diary sheet.
The Story of Pandora's Box
Zeus, the father of the gods, was angry that humans had been given the gift of fire by Prometheus, making them far more powerful than he wished. To take the humans down a peg or two he sent his daughter, Pandora, to earth to cause trouble.
There she married Epimetheus, half brother of Prometheus. Epimetheus was given a box by Zeus. Unknown to Pandora, it contained all the diseases which could bring suffering to humans. Pandora's curiosity overcame her desire to obey her husband and to keep the box locked. She opened it and out flew all the diseases and sorrows which trouble humans. However, at the bottom of the box was Hope, who would help humans to overcome their suffering.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Starting drama
The session includes activities for pairs and small groups as well as the whole class.
Session length
* You can manage in one hour, but to do this session justice you could take two hours. Make a note of where you finish. Start your second session in a circle and have a brief discussion about what happened in the last session.
Aims
* To introduce the following techniques:
o Freeze frame/bringing the freeze frame to life,
o Rôle-play,
o Thought tracking.
* To establish a good working model (including lots of praise), and to get the group to identify what rules are necessary for Drama to work.
* To develop confidence in using drama
* To learn techniques and self expression.
* To introduce reflection and evaluation, (Drama Diary)
Synopsis or outline for introductory sessions
The students imagine scenes from a photograph album, re-creating them as still Freeze frames and bringing them to life using thought tracking and rôle play. They interview one another in rôle as visitors to a tourist town using rôle play. They are encouraged to reflect on what they have learned during the session and to keep an ongoing diary which records their own learning through Drama.
Resources
* Paper and pens
* Drama diaries
Room layout
* The tables pushed back and the chairs in a circle.
Making a start
In pairs in the circle:
* Talk to the person on your left about your holidays for a few minutes. Are there any volunteers to tell the group briefly about what your partner did over the holidays? Don't worry if no-one feels ready to respond yet. Accept any ideas offered and then carry on.
Brainstorm
What pictures might you find in a family photograph album?
* Go round the circle. Expect each student to suggest an idea but pass on quickly if someone says that they cannot think of anything. You may need to make a few suggestions to start with, for example, holiday snaps. List their ideas on the board.
Introducing freeze-frame
Move away from your chairs and find a space.
The teacher says (adapt this as necessary):
“In a minute I want you to get into the group size which I call out and form a snapshot from our imaginary album. (Use the list you have made on the flip chart paper and adapt it e.g. in fours - a holiday snap; in sixes - a party; whole class - a football match, a community celebration. I will count from ten to one and then say, 'Hold it and freeze'. Hold the picture you have made still, until I say, 'Relax'. ”
Go through about ten freeze frames quickly making comments on any good ones you see. If there are any which particularly impress you by their clear depictions, body language, facial expressions and so on, the ask the rest of the class to relax and look at them and discuss the strengths of the freeze frames.
Freeze-frame
Tableaux: to create simple improvisations from freeze-frames.
* Begin by asking the class to form simple freeze-frames in small groups e.g. typical photo album snaps.
* Ask the whole class to produce 2 large scale freeze-frames e.g. first day at school and end of term (facial expressions are important).
* Split the class into 2 large groups - A and B.
* Ask each group to create a photo freeze-frame from the members of the other group.
* Give each group until the count of 10 to mould the opposite group into the picture and give the finished product a title.
* From the enforced picture each group must produce two minutes' worth of improvisation, either before or after the freeze.
* Perform.
You may repeat the sequence with smaller groups.
Introducing thought tracking
Go back into the last whole class Freeze frame. Introduce the activity with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“I am going to tap some people on the shoulder and when I do you must say what is in your head as the character that you are rôle playing (e.g. at a football match one spectator might say 'What a goal!' another might say 'I wish me dad were 'ere.')”
Some will do this really well. If so, then praise them! You are looking for concentration and imaginative belief in the situation.
Introducing rôle play
Introduce the activity with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“Go back to your chairs. In groups of four talk about a memorable event that happened during the holidays. If nothing interesting happened to you, invent something! Decide on a Freeze frame to start the drama. You are going to bring it to life for 30 seconds and use words this time. You have three minutes to practise it. The events can be quite commonplace (like going shopping with friends), or extraordinary (like witnessing an accident).”
After two minutes stop the class and tell them that they have one minute left to work on their best moment in the drama. During this time you must move about the class helping, questioning and encouraging the students. Your job is to motivate at this early stage. Keeping the student under the pressure of time helps to clarify and focus the rôle play, otherwise it can ramble.
Now you are ready to bring the freeze frames to life. Get the students to relax and ask for volunteers to show their freeze frame and rôle play to the class. Ask each group to hold their freeze frame, count down: “3, 2, 1, GO!”. After about 30 seconds say: “And freeze!”.
Respect for their peers is essential here. Take a bit of time with this. Try and find something good in each group, but do not tolerate showing-off. It will spoil the drama in the long run if the students do not take their work seriously. Do not tolerate chatting while others are showing their work. They are practising their audience as well as performance skills.
Extending the rôle play
Introduce the activity with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“Get into groups of four. One of you works for a local paper or TV company, in a seaside town that is very short of news at the moment. Your job is to go onto the beach and interview tourists. The rest of the group are tourists. All of you need to spend one or two minutes deciding what makes a newsworthy item. Practise this for five minutes. Choose the best moment. Start with a Freeze frame and be ready to bring it to life for 30 seconds. Set this up as before (with preparation time of two minutes). ”
See all the groups. Praise everything you can, but point out things that are obviously wrong and see if the group can identify what would improve it. As their confidence grows, gradually introduce more detailed and constructive criticism.
You are looking for examples of realism, controversy, humour and inventive treatment of the situation.
Reflection and evaluation
Introduce the evaluation with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“Go back into the circle. What have you learnt from the session? What rules do you feel are necessary for drama to work?”
List the rules on the board. Students can brainstorm their own ideas for rules in conjunction with rules you may have given them already (such as the Ground Rules above). The students can copy them into their Drama Diaries.
Session length
* You can manage in one hour, but to do this session justice you could take two hours. Make a note of where you finish. Start your second session in a circle and have a brief discussion about what happened in the last session.
Aims
* To introduce the following techniques:
o Freeze frame/bringing the freeze frame to life,
o Rôle-play,
o Thought tracking.
* To establish a good working model (including lots of praise), and to get the group to identify what rules are necessary for Drama to work.
* To develop confidence in using drama
* To learn techniques and self expression.
* To introduce reflection and evaluation, (Drama Diary)
Synopsis or outline for introductory sessions
The students imagine scenes from a photograph album, re-creating them as still Freeze frames and bringing them to life using thought tracking and rôle play. They interview one another in rôle as visitors to a tourist town using rôle play. They are encouraged to reflect on what they have learned during the session and to keep an ongoing diary which records their own learning through Drama.
Resources
* Paper and pens
* Drama diaries
Room layout
* The tables pushed back and the chairs in a circle.
Making a start
In pairs in the circle:
* Talk to the person on your left about your holidays for a few minutes. Are there any volunteers to tell the group briefly about what your partner did over the holidays? Don't worry if no-one feels ready to respond yet. Accept any ideas offered and then carry on.
Brainstorm
What pictures might you find in a family photograph album?
* Go round the circle. Expect each student to suggest an idea but pass on quickly if someone says that they cannot think of anything. You may need to make a few suggestions to start with, for example, holiday snaps. List their ideas on the board.
Introducing freeze-frame
Move away from your chairs and find a space.
The teacher says (adapt this as necessary):
“In a minute I want you to get into the group size which I call out and form a snapshot from our imaginary album. (Use the list you have made on the flip chart paper and adapt it e.g. in fours - a holiday snap; in sixes - a party; whole class - a football match, a community celebration. I will count from ten to one and then say, 'Hold it and freeze'. Hold the picture you have made still, until I say, 'Relax'. ”
Go through about ten freeze frames quickly making comments on any good ones you see. If there are any which particularly impress you by their clear depictions, body language, facial expressions and so on, the ask the rest of the class to relax and look at them and discuss the strengths of the freeze frames.
Freeze-frame
Tableaux: to create simple improvisations from freeze-frames.
* Begin by asking the class to form simple freeze-frames in small groups e.g. typical photo album snaps.
* Ask the whole class to produce 2 large scale freeze-frames e.g. first day at school and end of term (facial expressions are important).
* Split the class into 2 large groups - A and B.
* Ask each group to create a photo freeze-frame from the members of the other group.
* Give each group until the count of 10 to mould the opposite group into the picture and give the finished product a title.
* From the enforced picture each group must produce two minutes' worth of improvisation, either before or after the freeze.
* Perform.
You may repeat the sequence with smaller groups.
Introducing thought tracking
Go back into the last whole class Freeze frame. Introduce the activity with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“I am going to tap some people on the shoulder and when I do you must say what is in your head as the character that you are rôle playing (e.g. at a football match one spectator might say 'What a goal!' another might say 'I wish me dad were 'ere.')”
Some will do this really well. If so, then praise them! You are looking for concentration and imaginative belief in the situation.
Introducing rôle play
Introduce the activity with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“Go back to your chairs. In groups of four talk about a memorable event that happened during the holidays. If nothing interesting happened to you, invent something! Decide on a Freeze frame to start the drama. You are going to bring it to life for 30 seconds and use words this time. You have three minutes to practise it. The events can be quite commonplace (like going shopping with friends), or extraordinary (like witnessing an accident).”
After two minutes stop the class and tell them that they have one minute left to work on their best moment in the drama. During this time you must move about the class helping, questioning and encouraging the students. Your job is to motivate at this early stage. Keeping the student under the pressure of time helps to clarify and focus the rôle play, otherwise it can ramble.
Now you are ready to bring the freeze frames to life. Get the students to relax and ask for volunteers to show their freeze frame and rôle play to the class. Ask each group to hold their freeze frame, count down: “3, 2, 1, GO!”. After about 30 seconds say: “And freeze!”.
Respect for their peers is essential here. Take a bit of time with this. Try and find something good in each group, but do not tolerate showing-off. It will spoil the drama in the long run if the students do not take their work seriously. Do not tolerate chatting while others are showing their work. They are practising their audience as well as performance skills.
Extending the rôle play
Introduce the activity with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“Get into groups of four. One of you works for a local paper or TV company, in a seaside town that is very short of news at the moment. Your job is to go onto the beach and interview tourists. The rest of the group are tourists. All of you need to spend one or two minutes deciding what makes a newsworthy item. Practise this for five minutes. Choose the best moment. Start with a Freeze frame and be ready to bring it to life for 30 seconds. Set this up as before (with preparation time of two minutes). ”
See all the groups. Praise everything you can, but point out things that are obviously wrong and see if the group can identify what would improve it. As their confidence grows, gradually introduce more detailed and constructive criticism.
You are looking for examples of realism, controversy, humour and inventive treatment of the situation.
Reflection and evaluation
Introduce the evaluation with these words or a variation to suit your own situation:
“Go back into the circle. What have you learnt from the session? What rules do you feel are necessary for drama to work?”
List the rules on the board. Students can brainstorm their own ideas for rules in conjunction with rules you may have given them already (such as the Ground Rules above). The students can copy them into their Drama Diaries.
Ground rules for teaching drama
* Be as strict in your drama session as you would in any other lesson.
* Encourage students to have self-control and self-discipline.
* Each session should have a clear structure:
o start and end in a circle
o start a new session by reflecting on the last one
o end a session with an evaluation (encourage students to give their opinions)
* Praise as often as you can - everyone thrives on encouragement!
* Insist on quiet during all performance work.
* Discuss the rôle of the audience
* Ensure that all students know the rules of the performance space
* Encourage students to have self-control and self-discipline.
* Each session should have a clear structure:
o start and end in a circle
o start a new session by reflecting on the last one
o end a session with an evaluation (encourage students to give their opinions)
* Praise as often as you can - everyone thrives on encouragement!
* Insist on quiet during all performance work.
* Discuss the rôle of the audience
* Ensure that all students know the rules of the performance space
Drama diary evaluation
Use this text as a model for your students' work. You can copy and paste it into any text or word processed document.
Topic Date (Enter date dd/mm/yy)
My performance was called --(give details)--
It was about --(give details)--
--(give details)--
--(give details)--
The best moment of my performance was --(give details)--
This was because --(give details)--
The part I would change was --(give details)--
I would change it because (give details)
To improve my performance I would --(give details)--
Topic Date (Enter date dd/mm/yy)
My performance was called --(give details)--
It was about --(give details)--
--(give details)--
--(give details)--
The best moment of my performance was --(give details)--
This was because --(give details)--
The part I would change was --(give details)--
I would change it because (give details)
To improve my performance I would --(give details)--
Assessment, recording and reporting of drama(The student's rôle | The teacher's rôle )
The assessment of drama falls into two main categories:
* student self-assessment
* teacher assessment
The student's rôle
* Drama diary: a weekly journal in which students record their Drama lessons and personal progress. This should also contain a skills checklist , theatrical definitions and rules of the performance or teaching area.
* Oral evaluation after a performance: students brainstorm ideas about their performances and appropriate vocabulary for an evaluation.
* Writing frames: these can provide guidance for students' first self-analysis(particularly useful for students with learning difficulties or special educational needs).
* Video self-assessment: students should be given the opportunity to video at least one of their performances during each academic year of KS3. Students would then produce a written evaluation after a group feedback session in which the teacher would provide a skills' checklist as guideline.
The teacher's rôle
* Make verbal comment at the end of each performance or activity (formal or informal).
* Give praise, encouragement and constructive criticism.
* Audience skills: encourage each member of the group to be constructive about others' work - reward performers with your applause but offer them ideas for improvement too. For example, ask them
o what was enjoyable about this?
o what could make it even better?
* Drama diaries: check these regularly and give effort grades using a scale the students understand.
* Performance evaluation: give students a performance grade for practical work based on an attainment scale used in your school.
* Termly assessment for each module of work: use effort and attainment data for individual pieces of performance and written evaluations plus some comments (where appropriate) about Technical skills. Produce overall grades for that module or unit of work.
* Checklist: provide students with guidelines and vocabulary necessary to evaluate their own performances (and other students) in a helpful and constructive way.
This course is designed to provide teachers with schemes of work which allow flexibility for individuals whilst ensuring that all Year 7 students follow a common curriculum and have the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills.
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* student self-assessment
* teacher assessment
The student's rôle
* Drama diary: a weekly journal in which students record their Drama lessons and personal progress. This should also contain a skills checklist , theatrical definitions and rules of the performance or teaching area.
* Oral evaluation after a performance: students brainstorm ideas about their performances and appropriate vocabulary for an evaluation.
* Writing frames: these can provide guidance for students' first self-analysis(particularly useful for students with learning difficulties or special educational needs).
* Video self-assessment: students should be given the opportunity to video at least one of their performances during each academic year of KS3. Students would then produce a written evaluation after a group feedback session in which the teacher would provide a skills' checklist as guideline.
The teacher's rôle
* Make verbal comment at the end of each performance or activity (formal or informal).
* Give praise, encouragement and constructive criticism.
* Audience skills: encourage each member of the group to be constructive about others' work - reward performers with your applause but offer them ideas for improvement too. For example, ask them
o what was enjoyable about this?
o what could make it even better?
* Drama diaries: check these regularly and give effort grades using a scale the students understand.
* Performance evaluation: give students a performance grade for practical work based on an attainment scale used in your school.
* Termly assessment for each module of work: use effort and attainment data for individual pieces of performance and written evaluations plus some comments (where appropriate) about Technical skills. Produce overall grades for that module or unit of work.
* Checklist: provide students with guidelines and vocabulary necessary to evaluate their own performances (and other students) in a helpful and constructive way.
This course is designed to provide teachers with schemes of work which allow flexibility for individuals whilst ensuring that all Year 7 students follow a common curriculum and have the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills.
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Drama at KS4 - GCSE Drama and Theatre Arts (Aims | Assessment objectives | Scheme of assessment )
Aims
The aims set out below describe the educational purposes of following a course in Drama and Theatre Arts for the GCSE examination. Some of these aims are reflected in assessment objectives; others are not because they cannot readily be translated into measurable assessment objectives. The aims are not stated in any order of priority.
The aims of the GCSE Drama and Theatre Arts course are to enable candidates to develop
* an enjoyment and appreciation of live theatre;
* an involvement in the exploration and enactment of human experience through drama and theatre;
* practical abilities in related skills;
* the research skills necessary to acquire relevant information;
* an appreciation of the technical and historical aspects of drama and theatre;
* an understanding of the place and function of Drama and Theatre Arts in modern society;
* a capacity for self-evaluation;
* the ability to appreciate and evaluate the work of others;
* the ability to work together as a group displaying awareness of and sensitivity to others;
* related social skills such as self-confidence, concentration, self-discipline and communication;
* the ability to carry out further study of theatre.
Assessment objectives
The GCSE Drama and Theatre Arts syllabus will assess the candidates' ability to:
* demonstrate knowledge and understanding of practical skills and techniques relevant to Drama and Theatre Arts;
* respond imaginatively and relevantly to a given stimulus in a dramatic context;
* demonstrate practical skills and techniques associated with Drama and Theatre Arts;
* evaluate work carried out in studies relating to Drama and Theatre Arts.
Scheme of assessment
* Controlled Test 40%
* Coursework 60%
The table below shows the weighting of the assessment objectives.
Objective Controlled Test Practical Coursework Written Coursework
Knowledge and understanding of practical skills and techniques 10% 10%
Imaginative and relevant response to a given stimulus 10% 10%
Demonstration of practical skills and techniques 30% 20%
Students' evaluation of their own work 10%
Total 40% 40% 20%
The aims set out below describe the educational purposes of following a course in Drama and Theatre Arts for the GCSE examination. Some of these aims are reflected in assessment objectives; others are not because they cannot readily be translated into measurable assessment objectives. The aims are not stated in any order of priority.
The aims of the GCSE Drama and Theatre Arts course are to enable candidates to develop
* an enjoyment and appreciation of live theatre;
* an involvement in the exploration and enactment of human experience through drama and theatre;
* practical abilities in related skills;
* the research skills necessary to acquire relevant information;
* an appreciation of the technical and historical aspects of drama and theatre;
* an understanding of the place and function of Drama and Theatre Arts in modern society;
* a capacity for self-evaluation;
* the ability to appreciate and evaluate the work of others;
* the ability to work together as a group displaying awareness of and sensitivity to others;
* related social skills such as self-confidence, concentration, self-discipline and communication;
* the ability to carry out further study of theatre.
Assessment objectives
The GCSE Drama and Theatre Arts syllabus will assess the candidates' ability to:
* demonstrate knowledge and understanding of practical skills and techniques relevant to Drama and Theatre Arts;
* respond imaginatively and relevantly to a given stimulus in a dramatic context;
* demonstrate practical skills and techniques associated with Drama and Theatre Arts;
* evaluate work carried out in studies relating to Drama and Theatre Arts.
Scheme of assessment
* Controlled Test 40%
* Coursework 60%
The table below shows the weighting of the assessment objectives.
Objective Controlled Test Practical Coursework Written Coursework
Knowledge and understanding of practical skills and techniques 10% 10%
Imaginative and relevant response to a given stimulus 10% 10%
Demonstration of practical skills and techniques 30% 20%
Students' evaluation of their own work 10%
Total 40% 40% 20%
Drama at KS3(Objectives | Starting a drama lesson | Games and warm-ups )
Objectives
Each student should
* identify with characters and actions through rôle-play, (for example, a dramatized story/and as spectators of a performance);
* have the confidence and ability to put across a particular point of view;
* learn how to work with others to solve human and practical problems;
* create and take part in improvised scenes in order to explore issues;
* invent and develop convincing rôles in specific situations;
* know how to structure dramatic sequences in order to convey meaning;
* be aware of the need for dramatic conventions (eg. light, dark, movement, pause, sound, silence);
* be aware of and use a variety of dramatic forms and techniques, to express ideas and feelings (eg. mime, movement, costume, make-up, props, set-design);
* appreciate drama in performance, both as participants and as spectators;
* understand the educational, cultural and social purposes of drama;
* develop a vocabulary of theatre/drama;
* explore the variety of human emotions through drama;
* learn to listen and concentrate;
* learn to respect and where appropriate, depend on, others (e.g. trust skills);
* develop awareness (sensitivity) and enjoyment of the ways groups work (e.g. decision-making, problem solving, negotiation), willingness to accept responsibility, a democratic approach;
* evaluate his or her achievements as an individual and through groups in which he or she works; learn critical awareness;
* appreciate the values and attitudes of their own and other communities, recognize social conventions and stereotypes - be prepared to examine them;
* explore cross-curricular themes;
Good drama requires a clear sense of discipline and direction from both teachers and students; all are equally responsible for the quality of learning that takes place.
Starting a drama Lesson
This is a suggested or example procedure or routine. Teachers should adapt it to the local needs of your own students.
* Take shoes off
* Put coats and bags on rack or other storage area
* Stack chairs (clear the room)
* Close curtains or blinds where possible
* Stand or sit in a circle
* Pupils register with teacher
Games and warm-ups
Use games and exercises, physical and/or verbal, for one or more of the following reasons:
* to introduce the main theme of the lesson
* to remove inhibitions
* to increase concentration
* to help pupils listen
* to develop imagination, creativity, personal, social or emotional values of the group
* to arrange groupings to reflect differences of sex, aptitude and ability
These games will typically last from five to ten minutes.
Alternatively, a teacher may introduce the main theme immediately, (for example, the teacher may enter the circle in rôle).
As a teacher, you can gauge the classes' moods subjectively on entry, using eye-contact or body language as criteria. Take this into account in choosing your introduction.
Each student should
* identify with characters and actions through rôle-play, (for example, a dramatized story/and as spectators of a performance);
* have the confidence and ability to put across a particular point of view;
* learn how to work with others to solve human and practical problems;
* create and take part in improvised scenes in order to explore issues;
* invent and develop convincing rôles in specific situations;
* know how to structure dramatic sequences in order to convey meaning;
* be aware of the need for dramatic conventions (eg. light, dark, movement, pause, sound, silence);
* be aware of and use a variety of dramatic forms and techniques, to express ideas and feelings (eg. mime, movement, costume, make-up, props, set-design);
* appreciate drama in performance, both as participants and as spectators;
* understand the educational, cultural and social purposes of drama;
* develop a vocabulary of theatre/drama;
* explore the variety of human emotions through drama;
* learn to listen and concentrate;
* learn to respect and where appropriate, depend on, others (e.g. trust skills);
* develop awareness (sensitivity) and enjoyment of the ways groups work (e.g. decision-making, problem solving, negotiation), willingness to accept responsibility, a democratic approach;
* evaluate his or her achievements as an individual and through groups in which he or she works; learn critical awareness;
* appreciate the values and attitudes of their own and other communities, recognize social conventions and stereotypes - be prepared to examine them;
* explore cross-curricular themes;
Good drama requires a clear sense of discipline and direction from both teachers and students; all are equally responsible for the quality of learning that takes place.
Starting a drama Lesson
This is a suggested or example procedure or routine. Teachers should adapt it to the local needs of your own students.
* Take shoes off
* Put coats and bags on rack or other storage area
* Stack chairs (clear the room)
* Close curtains or blinds where possible
* Stand or sit in a circle
* Pupils register with teacher
Games and warm-ups
Use games and exercises, physical and/or verbal, for one or more of the following reasons:
* to introduce the main theme of the lesson
* to remove inhibitions
* to increase concentration
* to help pupils listen
* to develop imagination, creativity, personal, social or emotional values of the group
* to arrange groupings to reflect differences of sex, aptitude and ability
These games will typically last from five to ten minutes.
Alternatively, a teacher may introduce the main theme immediately, (for example, the teacher may enter the circle in rôle).
As a teacher, you can gauge the classes' moods subjectively on entry, using eye-contact or body language as criteria. Take this into account in choosing your introduction.
Drama activities
To participate in a range of drama activities and to evaluate their own and others' contributions, pupils should be taught to:
* use a variety of dramatic conventions to explore ideas, issues, texts and meanings;
* use different ways to convey action, character, atmosphere and tension in scripting and performing plays, eg through dialogue, movement, pace;
* appreciate how the structure and organization of scenes and plays contribute to dramatic effect;
* evaluate critically the intentions and performance of dramas in which they have participated or have watched.
Key skills: Communication and working with others.
* use a variety of dramatic conventions to explore ideas, issues, texts and meanings;
* use different ways to convey action, character, atmosphere and tension in scripting and performing plays, eg through dialogue, movement, pace;
* appreciate how the structure and organization of scenes and plays contribute to dramatic effect;
* evaluate critically the intentions and performance of dramas in which they have participated or have watched.
Key skills: Communication and working with others.
Why teach drama?
Drama has an important rôle to play in the personal development of our students. The skills and qualities developed by students in drama, such as teamwork, creativity, leadership and risk-taking are assets in all subjects and all areas of life. Drama stimulates the imagination and allows students to explore issues and experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
It is vital to create an atmosphere of security, trust and concentration. Drama promotes self-esteem and provides all students with a sense of achievement regardless of academic ability.
It's about social skills, communication skills and having fun - we learn by doing!
It is vital to create an atmosphere of security, trust and concentration. Drama promotes self-esteem and provides all students with a sense of achievement regardless of academic ability.
It's about social skills, communication skills and having fun - we learn by doing!
Drama techniques-4
Alter ego
The actor remains silent whilst one or more people speak her/his thoughts
Character profile
A written description of a character's details (such as age, interests, likes/dislikes) which helps an actor to play that rôle.
Dramatic moment
A crucial point in the drama where the tension has built towards a climax which leads to a choice or the possibility of change.
Evaluation
Making judgements and assessing dramatic activities. At this stage the formulation and understanding of ideas is more important than the “quality” of the dramatic performance. This can be achieved through discussions, through individual or group writing in the form of diary extracts, reports, letters, by drawing, or by characters thinking aloud.
Forum theatre
Students perform an improvisation which is stopped and the audience intervenes to change the direction/emphasis of the drama. This may then involve members of the audience taking an active rôle in the continuation of the improvisation. Freeze frame
Stopping the action in order to get a still visual image.
Hot-seating
A person in rôle sits away from the rest of the group and answers questions in rôle.
Improvisation
Taking on an unscripted rôle and acting as if you are in a make-believe situation.
Mime
Portraying a character, or telling a story by body movement (usually without words).
Reflection
Assessing and thinking about dramatic activities. This is essential if the students are going to get the maximum benefit from these sessions.
Rôle play
Taking on the “persona” (imagined personality) of another character.
Rôle on the wall
A technique used to build up a character profile for a chosen person from a group. “Brainstorm”, recording all the ideas on flipchart paper.
Rolling drama
A method of presenting work in which groups perform quickly in sequence, to show detailed scenes within a larger frame.
Scenario
The details of a dramatic situation, setting the scene.
Shared brain
Similar to Hot-seating, but using two or more actors to answer the questions. Sociogram
The actors place themselves physically as near or as far from a given character in the drama as they feel emotionally.
Stimulus
An event, piece of art or activity that leads to drama. It can be in the form of a poem, story, an artefact, a letter, a diary extract, a picture, a newspaper report and so on.
Teacher in rôle
The teacher takes on a rôle within the drama and leads the session as if she or he were that person.
Thought tracking
Tapping the students on the shoulder in order to prompt them into vocalizing their thoughts whilst remaining in character.
Thought tunnel
A way of helping students experience emotions. Position the students in two lines down the centre of the room to form a tunnel. A volunteer walks down the tunnel in rôle while people from either side speak “thoughts” to him or her. The aim is to force the student walking down the centre to experience a variety of opinions or emotions. The student is then asked to communicate how the different emotions made him or her feel.
The actor remains silent whilst one or more people speak her/his thoughts
Character profile
A written description of a character's details (such as age, interests, likes/dislikes) which helps an actor to play that rôle.
Dramatic moment
A crucial point in the drama where the tension has built towards a climax which leads to a choice or the possibility of change.
Evaluation
Making judgements and assessing dramatic activities. At this stage the formulation and understanding of ideas is more important than the “quality” of the dramatic performance. This can be achieved through discussions, through individual or group writing in the form of diary extracts, reports, letters, by drawing, or by characters thinking aloud.
Forum theatre
Students perform an improvisation which is stopped and the audience intervenes to change the direction/emphasis of the drama. This may then involve members of the audience taking an active rôle in the continuation of the improvisation. Freeze frame
Stopping the action in order to get a still visual image.
Hot-seating
A person in rôle sits away from the rest of the group and answers questions in rôle.
Improvisation
Taking on an unscripted rôle and acting as if you are in a make-believe situation.
Mime
Portraying a character, or telling a story by body movement (usually without words).
Reflection
Assessing and thinking about dramatic activities. This is essential if the students are going to get the maximum benefit from these sessions.
Rôle play
Taking on the “persona” (imagined personality) of another character.
Rôle on the wall
A technique used to build up a character profile for a chosen person from a group. “Brainstorm”, recording all the ideas on flipchart paper.
Rolling drama
A method of presenting work in which groups perform quickly in sequence, to show detailed scenes within a larger frame.
Scenario
The details of a dramatic situation, setting the scene.
Shared brain
Similar to Hot-seating, but using two or more actors to answer the questions. Sociogram
The actors place themselves physically as near or as far from a given character in the drama as they feel emotionally.
Stimulus
An event, piece of art or activity that leads to drama. It can be in the form of a poem, story, an artefact, a letter, a diary extract, a picture, a newspaper report and so on.
Teacher in rôle
The teacher takes on a rôle within the drama and leads the session as if she or he were that person.
Thought tracking
Tapping the students on the shoulder in order to prompt them into vocalizing their thoughts whilst remaining in character.
Thought tunnel
A way of helping students experience emotions. Position the students in two lines down the centre of the room to form a tunnel. A volunteer walks down the tunnel in rôle while people from either side speak “thoughts” to him or her. The aim is to force the student walking down the centre to experience a variety of opinions or emotions. The student is then asked to communicate how the different emotions made him or her feel.
Prop stories
Put class into groups of four or five.
Place up to three props in their circle, for example: hat, soft toy, pen.
Give group three minutes to devise a story, using the props, in which everyone must utter at least one line.
It must be a story (not an improvisation).
Share with the class
The above may be used as preparation for freeze-frames, tableaux or improvisation
Place up to three props in their circle, for example: hat, soft toy, pen.
Give group three minutes to devise a story, using the props, in which everyone must utter at least one line.
It must be a story (not an improvisation).
Share with the class
The above may be used as preparation for freeze-frames, tableaux or improvisation
Drama techniques - A to Z
The admiral's cat (ABC)
Sit in a circle
Teacher begins story, “The admiral's cat is an angry cat.”
Student to left of teacher continues using next letter of alphabet as initial letter of adjective and so on until someone reaches Z.
Variation: “I went shopping and I bought an apple.”
As above until Z but students must repeat the previous items before adding one that starts with their own letter.
Fortunately/unfortunately
Sit in a circle.
Teacher begins story.
Each member of the circle must add one line to the story but it must begin alternately “Fortunately” or “Unfortunately”.
Students can add any new event but must not repeat or contradict established storyline.
Sit in a circle
Teacher begins story, “The admiral's cat is an angry cat.”
Student to left of teacher continues using next letter of alphabet as initial letter of adjective and so on until someone reaches Z.
Variation: “I went shopping and I bought an apple.”
As above until Z but students must repeat the previous items before adding one that starts with their own letter.
Fortunately/unfortunately
Sit in a circle.
Teacher begins story.
Each member of the circle must add one line to the story but it must begin alternately “Fortunately” or “Unfortunately”.
Students can add any new event but must not repeat or contradict established storyline.
Thought tunnel
A way of helping students experience emotions. Position the students in two lines down the centre of the room to form a tunnel. A volunteer walks down the tunnel in rôle while people from either side speak “thoughts” to him or her. The aim is to force the student walking down the centre to experience a variety of opinions or emotions. The student is then asked to communicate how the different emotions made him or her feel.
BBDO Sex Tape Scandal Spawns Netflix Drama Starring Baywatch Actor
A cellphone video that ended up on the internet last November featuring a couple having sex in a cubicle at Atmosphere BBDO has resurfaced to haunt the agency in the form of a Netflix competition (see video below).
The events are a reminder to companies that even the most trivial of office scandals can go viral within minutes and live forever on the internet, in increasingly weird ways.
The scandal had apparently reached its conclusion last November when the guy who recorded the couple was fired, but the couple who were doing it on company time kept their jobs.
Now the episode has inspired a “short film” that was entered in a Netflix promo contest. It was created by freelancers who have regularly worked at BBDO.
The movie is titled “Hatchet Man.” Gawker has the video. It is safe for work — the actors all remain fully clothed (see image). It stars Billy Warlock of Baywatch.
The main character is an HR type whose job it is to fire people. Late one night in the office, he sees a couple going at it and records the event on his cell phone. With the scandal all over the place, his boss orders him to find and fire the person responsible for distributing the video. Unsurprisingly, the IT department traces an email to our hero — and he’s jobless.
The original “ad agency sex tape” can be found here. It is NOT safe for work, but don’t be too disappointed — the blurry, pixelated action underlines the difference between real life sex and movie sex in the most dispiriting way possible (and the limited capabilities of cellphone video cameras).
The events are a reminder to companies that even the most trivial of office scandals can go viral within minutes and live forever on the internet, in increasingly weird ways.
The scandal had apparently reached its conclusion last November when the guy who recorded the couple was fired, but the couple who were doing it on company time kept their jobs.
Now the episode has inspired a “short film” that was entered in a Netflix promo contest. It was created by freelancers who have regularly worked at BBDO.
The movie is titled “Hatchet Man.” Gawker has the video. It is safe for work — the actors all remain fully clothed (see image). It stars Billy Warlock of Baywatch.
The main character is an HR type whose job it is to fire people. Late one night in the office, he sees a couple going at it and records the event on his cell phone. With the scandal all over the place, his boss orders him to find and fire the person responsible for distributing the video. Unsurprisingly, the IT department traces an email to our hero — and he’s jobless.
The original “ad agency sex tape” can be found here. It is NOT safe for work, but don’t be too disappointed — the blurry, pixelated action underlines the difference between real life sex and movie sex in the most dispiriting way possible (and the limited capabilities of cellphone video cameras).
More Future of Advertising
Future of Ads is a recently launched blog about, well, future of ads with a focus on creative. Also by the same author: Didn't You Hear, where you will find out about how Amazon is fighting the cause of wrap rage.
Earlier:
"Unboxing" Documents Out-Of-The-Box Experience
Earlier:
"Unboxing" Documents Out-Of-The-Box Experience
Five Things For Monday Morning
Colorful balconies promote Ikea's storage bins in Germany (- ads of the world)
How a supermarket chain in Switzerland got local singles to model for underwear -- and printed their contact info. (-- Neatorama)
A story about Jesus, Tiger Woods, and a game bug that turned into a feature (-- Derek Powazek). To quote the recent but already instant classic, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."
Vending machine dispenses real men (-- Future of Ads).
How to improve design of queues: CNN highlights work by MIT's Richard Larson. Related: The Future of Crossing the Street (in Boston Globe); Standing in the Invisible Line.
How a supermarket chain in Switzerland got local singles to model for underwear -- and printed their contact info. (-- Neatorama)
A story about Jesus, Tiger Woods, and a game bug that turned into a feature (-- Derek Powazek). To quote the recent but already instant classic, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."
Vending machine dispenses real men (-- Future of Ads).
How to improve design of queues: CNN highlights work by MIT's Richard Larson. Related: The Future of Crossing the Street (in Boston Globe); Standing in the Invisible Line.
The other drama
www.kottke.org 5/27/2009 — During the TV coverage of the NBA playoffs, the NBA is running commercials showing great moments in playoff history that have been edited to isolate the players from the crowd. There's Bird stealing the inbound pass , Dr. J's improbable behind-the-backboard reverse layup , and Kobe lobbing the ...
During the TV coverage of the NBA playoffs, the NBA is running commercials showing great moments in playoff history that have been edited to isolate the players from the crowd. There's Bird stealing the inbound pass , Dr. J's improbable behind-the-backboard reverse layup , and Kobe lobbing the ...
During the TV coverage of the NBA playoffs, the NBA is running commercials showing great moments in playoff history that have been edited to isolate the players from the crowd. There's Bird stealing the inbound pass , Dr. J's improbable behind-the-backboard reverse layup , and Kobe lobbing the ...
45 Lessons for Life
Cleveland, Ohio :
“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught
me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled
over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:”
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught
me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled
over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:”
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Bangla natok
At the time of post liberation in Bangladesh, bangla natok has extreamly populated. Stage drama and TV drama are equally popular. We see a lots of bangla natok created by the famous director like Abdullah al Mamun, Humayun ahmed, Afjal hussaion Mamunur Rashid Gajirakaet, Saidul anam tutul, Anantahira, Abul hayat and many more.
In TV media we have watched superb bangala natok like sangsoptok, jonaki jole, aisob dinratri, ronger manush satpoure kabob,etc. On the other hand, we also watch on the stage Nuroldiner sara jibon, konjus, jaibati konnar mon, ekhane nongor, meraj fokirer ma, swadeshi, shayma prem , kokilara etc.
Now many bangla natok is playing on stage and TV which has become popular like ganer manush praner manush on BTV. Tomtom channel 1. lokonayak, roktokorobi(prangonemor), pragaitihashik, raja, etc these are on the stage.
Viddiaysagor is the latest bangla natok on the stage playing by Aronnok. Up coming TV bangla natok is “chayabithi” directed by Famous actor Humayun Faridi, adopted from the novel of Humayun ahmed, “ditio jibon” written and directed by Al Hussain Piaru, Sesh bikeler rod,written by Nasir Islam Sutopa and directed by Shamsuddin khan Hiru.
Besides, Stage director, script writer and good actress Nuna Afroz has written two TV bangla natok named Krishnochura and biprotip. This bangla natok will shoot for March.
The month of March is the month of liberation to the people of Bangladesh.
In TV media we have watched superb bangala natok like sangsoptok, jonaki jole, aisob dinratri, ronger manush satpoure kabob,etc. On the other hand, we also watch on the stage Nuroldiner sara jibon, konjus, jaibati konnar mon, ekhane nongor, meraj fokirer ma, swadeshi, shayma prem , kokilara etc.
Now many bangla natok is playing on stage and TV which has become popular like ganer manush praner manush on BTV. Tomtom channel 1. lokonayak, roktokorobi(prangonemor), pragaitihashik, raja, etc these are on the stage.
Viddiaysagor is the latest bangla natok on the stage playing by Aronnok. Up coming TV bangla natok is “chayabithi” directed by Famous actor Humayun Faridi, adopted from the novel of Humayun ahmed, “ditio jibon” written and directed by Al Hussain Piaru, Sesh bikeler rod,written by Nasir Islam Sutopa and directed by Shamsuddin khan Hiru.
Besides, Stage director, script writer and good actress Nuna Afroz has written two TV bangla natok named Krishnochura and biprotip. This bangla natok will shoot for March.
The month of March is the month of liberation to the people of Bangladesh.
It’s Time to Learn From Frogs
Some of the first eerie signs of a potential health catastrophe came as bizarre deformities in water animals, often in their sexual organs. Frogs, salamanders and other amphibians began to sprout extra legs. In heavily polluted Lake Apopka, one of the largest lakes in Florida, male alligators developed stunted genitals.
In the Potomac watershed near Washington, male smallmouth bass have rapidly transformed into “intersex fish” that display female characteristics. This was discovered only in 2003, but the latest survey found that more than 80 percent of the male smallmouth bass in the Potomac are producing eggs. Now scientists are connecting the dots with evidence of increasing abnormalities among humans, particularly large increases in numbers of genital deformities among newborn boys. For example, up to 7 percent of boys are now born with undescended testicles, although this often self-corrects over time. And up to 1 percent of boys in the United States are now born with hypospadias, in which the urethra exits the penis improperly, such as at the base rather than the tip.Apprehension is growing among many scientists that the cause of all this may be a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. They are very widely used in agriculture, industry and consumer products. Some also enter the water supply when estrogens in human urine — compounded when a woman is on the pill — pass through sewage systems and then through water treatment plants.
These endocrine disruptors have complex effects on the human body, particularly during fetal development of males.
“A lot of these compounds act as weak estrogen, so that’s why developing males — whether smallmouth bass or humans — tend to be more sensitive,” said Robert Lawrence, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “It’s scary, very scary.”
The scientific case is still far from proven, as chemical companies emphasize, and the uncertainties for humans are vast. But there is accumulating evidence that male sperm count is dropping and that genital abnormalities in newborn boys are increasing. Some studies show correlations between these abnormalities and mothers who have greater exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy, through everything from hair spray to the water they drink.
Endocrine disruptors also affect females. It is now well established that DES, a synthetic estrogen given to many pregnant women from the 1930s to the 1970s to prevent miscarriages, caused abnormalities in the children. They seemed fine at birth, but girls born to those women have been more likely to develop misshaped sexual organs and cancer.
There is also some evidence from both humans and monkeys that endometriosis, a gynecological disorder, is linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors. Researchers also suspect that the disruptors can cause early puberty in girls.
A rush of new research has also tied endocrine disruptors to obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, in both animals and humans. For example, mice exposed in utero even to low doses of endocrine disruptors appear normal at first but develop excess abdominal body fat as adults.
Among some scientists, there is real apprehension at the new findings — nothing is more terrifying than reading The Journal of Pediatric Urology — but there hasn’t been much public notice or government action.
This month, the Endocrine Society, an organization of scientists specializing in this field, issued a landmark 50-page statement. It should be a wake-up call.
“We present the evidence that endocrine disruptors have effects on male and female reproduction, breast development and cancer, prostate cancer, neuroendocrinology, thyroid, metabolism and obesity, and cardiovascular endocrinology,” the society declared.
“The rise in the incidence in obesity,” it added, “matches the rise in the use and distribution of industrial chemicals that may be playing a role in generation of obesity.”
The Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward screening endocrine disrupting chemicals, but at a glacial pace. For now, these chemicals continue to be widely used in agricultural pesticides and industrial compounds. Everybody is exposed.
“We should be concerned,” said Dr. Ted Schettler of the Science and Environmental Health Network. “This can influence brain development, sperm counts or susceptibility to cancer, even where the animal at birth seems perfectly normal.”
The most notorious example of water pollution occurred in 1969, when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and helped shock America into adopting the Clean Water Act. Since then, complacency has taken hold.
Those deformed frogs and intersex fish — not to mention the growing number of deformities in newborn boys — should jolt us once again.
I invite you to comment on this column on my blog, On the Ground. Please also join me on Facebook, watch my YouTube videos and follow me on Twitter.
In the Potomac watershed near Washington, male smallmouth bass have rapidly transformed into “intersex fish” that display female characteristics. This was discovered only in 2003, but the latest survey found that more than 80 percent of the male smallmouth bass in the Potomac are producing eggs. Now scientists are connecting the dots with evidence of increasing abnormalities among humans, particularly large increases in numbers of genital deformities among newborn boys. For example, up to 7 percent of boys are now born with undescended testicles, although this often self-corrects over time. And up to 1 percent of boys in the United States are now born with hypospadias, in which the urethra exits the penis improperly, such as at the base rather than the tip.Apprehension is growing among many scientists that the cause of all this may be a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. They are very widely used in agriculture, industry and consumer products. Some also enter the water supply when estrogens in human urine — compounded when a woman is on the pill — pass through sewage systems and then through water treatment plants.
These endocrine disruptors have complex effects on the human body, particularly during fetal development of males.
“A lot of these compounds act as weak estrogen, so that’s why developing males — whether smallmouth bass or humans — tend to be more sensitive,” said Robert Lawrence, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “It’s scary, very scary.”
The scientific case is still far from proven, as chemical companies emphasize, and the uncertainties for humans are vast. But there is accumulating evidence that male sperm count is dropping and that genital abnormalities in newborn boys are increasing. Some studies show correlations between these abnormalities and mothers who have greater exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy, through everything from hair spray to the water they drink.
Endocrine disruptors also affect females. It is now well established that DES, a synthetic estrogen given to many pregnant women from the 1930s to the 1970s to prevent miscarriages, caused abnormalities in the children. They seemed fine at birth, but girls born to those women have been more likely to develop misshaped sexual organs and cancer.
There is also some evidence from both humans and monkeys that endometriosis, a gynecological disorder, is linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors. Researchers also suspect that the disruptors can cause early puberty in girls.
A rush of new research has also tied endocrine disruptors to obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, in both animals and humans. For example, mice exposed in utero even to low doses of endocrine disruptors appear normal at first but develop excess abdominal body fat as adults.
Among some scientists, there is real apprehension at the new findings — nothing is more terrifying than reading The Journal of Pediatric Urology — but there hasn’t been much public notice or government action.
This month, the Endocrine Society, an organization of scientists specializing in this field, issued a landmark 50-page statement. It should be a wake-up call.
“We present the evidence that endocrine disruptors have effects on male and female reproduction, breast development and cancer, prostate cancer, neuroendocrinology, thyroid, metabolism and obesity, and cardiovascular endocrinology,” the society declared.
“The rise in the incidence in obesity,” it added, “matches the rise in the use and distribution of industrial chemicals that may be playing a role in generation of obesity.”
The Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward screening endocrine disrupting chemicals, but at a glacial pace. For now, these chemicals continue to be widely used in agricultural pesticides and industrial compounds. Everybody is exposed.
“We should be concerned,” said Dr. Ted Schettler of the Science and Environmental Health Network. “This can influence brain development, sperm counts or susceptibility to cancer, even where the animal at birth seems perfectly normal.”
The most notorious example of water pollution occurred in 1969, when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and helped shock America into adopting the Clean Water Act. Since then, complacency has taken hold.
Those deformed frogs and intersex fish — not to mention the growing number of deformities in newborn boys — should jolt us once again.
I invite you to comment on this column on my blog, On the Ground. Please also join me on Facebook, watch my YouTube videos and follow me on Twitter.
The Way We Love Now
It’s been a good month for reckless romance in America. The nation’s most famous reality-television father, Jon Gosselin of “Jon and Kate Plus Eight,” threw over his marriage for a fling with a 23-year-old schoolteacher. Not one but two prominent conservative politicians torpedoed their careers with public confessions of adultery — with Mark Sanford’s Argentine disappearing act eclipsing John Ensign’s accusation of extortion against his lover’s spouse.These irrepressible passions make a fascinating counterpoint to the complaint, advanced this month by two of the nation’s finest essayists, that modern relationships have been drained of danger and purged of eros.In her new polemic “A Vindication of Love,” an assault on the idea of safety in romance, Cristina Nehring complains that contemporary couplings have so restrained true passion that “the poor beast has become as impotent as it is domestic.” In a post-divorce essay for The Atlantic, Sandra Tsing Loh autopsies not only her own marriage but those of her peers, a cohort of middle-aged Los Angelenos who’ve let the quest for security turn them into sexless drudges.Both writers depict a country where pragmatic anxieties — think of the children! think of the mortgage! — are forever trumping romance and dulling the libido. Theirs is a nation of nesters who have clipped their own wings.So which is the real America? Is it Tsing Loh’s dystopia, where everyone “works” grimly on their relationships, and post-feminist husbands happily cook saffron-infused porcini risotto but rarely practice seduction on their wives? Or is it tabloid country: The land of Jon minus Kate, and governors who vanish to “hike the Appalachian Trail” — not to mention gossip-column fixtures like Britney Spears (rumored last week to be contemplating her third marriage in six years) and the mistress-parading Mel Gibson?
One possible answer is that our stars and politicians are a species apart — more impulsive and incautious than the average Dick and Jane, and more libidinous as well.
But the evidence suggests the opposite. The high-wire love lives of a Jon Gosselin or a Mark Sanford — or a Spears, or even a Lindsey Lohan — are remarkably true to the America that watches their shows, buys their CDs, and votes them into office. It’s the highly-educated, highly risk-averse milieu lamented by Nehring and Tsing Loh that’s a world unto itself.
Their complaints about this world’s romance deficit are substantially overstated, obviously — and shot through with a dash of self-justification. (Tsing Loh had an affair; Nehring recently became an unwed mother.) But both do put their finger on a post-sexual revolution paradox — namely, that the same overclass that was once most invested in erotic experimentation ended up building the sturdiest walls against the passions it unleashed.
As Nehring observes, our hyper-educated, socially-liberal elite is considerably more romantically conservative than its blasé attitude toward pornography or premarital sex would lead you to expect. The difficult scramble up the meritocratic ladder tends to discourage wild passions and death-defying flings. For bright young overachievers, there’s often a definite tameness to the way that collegiate “safe sex” segues into the upwardly-mobile security of “companionate marriages” — or, if you’re feeling more cynical, “consumption partnerships.”
This tameness has beneficial social consequences: When it comes to divorce rates and out-of-wedlock births, Americans with graduate degrees are still living in the 1950s. It’s the rest of the country that marries impulsively, divorces frequently, and bears a rising percentage of its children outside marriage. Indeed, if you’re looking for modern-day Percy Shelleys or Mary Wollstonecrafts (to pluck a pair of Nehring’s romantic risk-takers), you’re more likely to find them in Middle America than among the environmental lawyers and documentary filmmakers who populate Tsing Loh’s depressing social world.
Better, perhaps, if this dynamic were reversed. Our meritocrats could stand to leaven their careerism with a little more romantic excess. (Though such excess is more appropriate in the young, it should be emphasized, than in middle-aged essayists and parents.) But most Americans, particularly those of modest means, would benefit from greater caution and stability in their romantic entanglements.
Maybe this reversal could start with some creative matchmaking across lines of class and politics. The dutiful, somewhat-boring husbands from Sandra Tsing Loh’s Los Angeles, for instance, sound like ideal soulmates for Kate Gosselin, the soon-to-be-single mother of eight.
And as for Cristina Nehring, who can’t live without being “derailed by love, hospitalized by love, flung around five continents, shaken, overjoyed, inspired and unsettled by love” — well, maybe someone should introduce her to Mark Sanford.
One possible answer is that our stars and politicians are a species apart — more impulsive and incautious than the average Dick and Jane, and more libidinous as well.
But the evidence suggests the opposite. The high-wire love lives of a Jon Gosselin or a Mark Sanford — or a Spears, or even a Lindsey Lohan — are remarkably true to the America that watches their shows, buys their CDs, and votes them into office. It’s the highly-educated, highly risk-averse milieu lamented by Nehring and Tsing Loh that’s a world unto itself.
Their complaints about this world’s romance deficit are substantially overstated, obviously — and shot through with a dash of self-justification. (Tsing Loh had an affair; Nehring recently became an unwed mother.) But both do put their finger on a post-sexual revolution paradox — namely, that the same overclass that was once most invested in erotic experimentation ended up building the sturdiest walls against the passions it unleashed.
As Nehring observes, our hyper-educated, socially-liberal elite is considerably more romantically conservative than its blasé attitude toward pornography or premarital sex would lead you to expect. The difficult scramble up the meritocratic ladder tends to discourage wild passions and death-defying flings. For bright young overachievers, there’s often a definite tameness to the way that collegiate “safe sex” segues into the upwardly-mobile security of “companionate marriages” — or, if you’re feeling more cynical, “consumption partnerships.”
This tameness has beneficial social consequences: When it comes to divorce rates and out-of-wedlock births, Americans with graduate degrees are still living in the 1950s. It’s the rest of the country that marries impulsively, divorces frequently, and bears a rising percentage of its children outside marriage. Indeed, if you’re looking for modern-day Percy Shelleys or Mary Wollstonecrafts (to pluck a pair of Nehring’s romantic risk-takers), you’re more likely to find them in Middle America than among the environmental lawyers and documentary filmmakers who populate Tsing Loh’s depressing social world.
Better, perhaps, if this dynamic were reversed. Our meritocrats could stand to leaven their careerism with a little more romantic excess. (Though such excess is more appropriate in the young, it should be emphasized, than in middle-aged essayists and parents.) But most Americans, particularly those of modest means, would benefit from greater caution and stability in their romantic entanglements.
Maybe this reversal could start with some creative matchmaking across lines of class and politics. The dutiful, somewhat-boring husbands from Sandra Tsing Loh’s Los Angeles, for instance, sound like ideal soulmates for Kate Gosselin, the soon-to-be-single mother of eight.
And as for Cristina Nehring, who can’t live without being “derailed by love, hospitalized by love, flung around five continents, shaken, overjoyed, inspired and unsettled by love” — well, maybe someone should introduce her to Mark Sanford.
Just plain fun to read
Sherlock Holmes books are straight up, pure fun to read. They are never vague or hard to follow (except, maybe, for the case itself), and they are good at staying away from some of the more preposterous explanations that mystery novels often resort to. I love how Holmes often knows what's going on the entire time, but will not reveal it to either the reader OR other characters in the book--if you figure out what's going on before he reveals the plot, you feel like you are in on the secret with the great detective, and the author never has to make him clueless to preserve the mystery.
All in all a great read, won't leave you enlightened or thinking about the world differently, just good fun.
All in all a great read, won't leave you enlightened or thinking about the world differently, just good fun.
Sherlock Holmes - Perfect Kindle tales at the perfect price!
This free Kindle download is the second half of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless tales are perfect for Kindle and, actually, the Kindle's electronic voice does an admirable job of reading them to you!
The only downside is that the free Kindle downloads don't have linked Table of Contents. So how do you quickly skip to a chapter later in the book?
Elementary my dear Watson! (-:
Pick a unique word from the story title. Click MENU > "Search this book"
Then type the most unique words from the title. Alas, this doesn't always work, and I can't figure out why. A new mystery! In the meantime, enjoy the classics....
The Adventure of the Empty House
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
The Adventure of the Dancing Men
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
The Adventure of the Priory School
The Adventure of Black Peter
The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
The Adventure of the Three Students
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
The Adventure of the Second Stain
The only downside is that the free Kindle downloads don't have linked Table of Contents. So how do you quickly skip to a chapter later in the book?
Elementary my dear Watson! (-:
Pick a unique word from the story title. Click MENU > "Search this book"
Then type the most unique words from the title. Alas, this doesn't always work, and I can't figure out why. A new mystery! In the meantime, enjoy the classics....
The Adventure of the Empty House
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
The Adventure of the Dancing Men
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
The Adventure of the Priory School
The Adventure of Black Peter
The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
The Adventure of the Three Students
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
The Adventure of the Second Stain
my life
i loved it i am 11 when i was young i whached the tape all the time know the book i can relate it to my younger years
Stands the test of time!
Back in my younger days I had read the complete series of three Musketeers books and enjoyed them immensely! When I saw that I could down load the original for free I decided to give it a go and see how it held up to my adult sensibilities. Many times have gone back to read some favorite from childhood only to find it no longer measured up. This time however I think I enjoyed this book even more as an adult! This is a true swashbuckling adventure. The rousing story of Armis, Athos, Porthos and D'Artaganan. The humor, the suspense, and the adventure hold well against any modern thriller I have read recently. Best adventure book I have read since
Sex sells
Seeing all the good reviews for this show proves the point that sex sells. After all, that's all this show is really about. There isn't really a plot and the characters are too over the top to form any real connection with. What a great way to ruin a really interesting premise: vampires out in the open! All that's left to say is.........could have..........should have...................
80% Soft Porn / 20% Plot or Storyline
I was looking forward to a great, new vampire series and eagerly rented the first season of "True Blood". The concept of a blood substitute that will sustain vampires, allowing them to co-exist with humans was intriguing. Throw in a clairvoyant, a very old vampire and a shape shifter and this show should rock.
Instead of the great new vampire series I was expecting, the majority of the show is base on Ryan Kwanten's sexcapades. Lots of nudity and soft porn with very LITTLE real plot or vampire story thrown in. Typical of creator and executive producer Alan Ball; it seems his HBO programming formula equals 80% pornography / 20% storyline.
Instead of the great new vampire series I was expecting, the majority of the show is base on Ryan Kwanten's sexcapades. Lots of nudity and soft porn with very LITTLE real plot or vampire story thrown in. Typical of creator and executive producer Alan Ball; it seems his HBO programming formula equals 80% pornography / 20% storyline.
Is no better show on now
I just got into this show on dvd and I strongly recommend it. I have no idea why I never heard more word of mouth about True Blood because it's the best show I have seen in awhile. It's a lot like Twilight...except there's nudity, sex and it's a hell of a lot more violent. It's about a mind reading Waitress named Sookie (Anna Paquin) who falls hard for a vampire named Bill (Stephen Moyer). Vampires are well known to the world, but no one trusts them. Some, prefer just to drink True Blood which is a blood drink sold for them even if it doesn't exactly fill their thirst completely. Bill is a peaceful vampire that drinks True Blood and who has never turned a human into a vampire. Kind of like Bella in Twilight, Sookie can read everyone's mind, except Bill. She likes that about him though, since she hears thoughts of others way too much.
While there may be more to her boss Sam (Sam Tremmell) who has a big crush on her. He barks in his sleep and runs around the woods naked. He also isn't supportive to her relationship with Bill. Is he the person killing vampire supporters close to Sookie ? The police think he's a suspect, while her brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is also a suspect since he slept with 2 of the victims.
Jason also gets hooked on vampire blood which is just called V by it's users. It has a strong trippy effect that he gets hooked to. He gets so hooked though that it starts to put a strain on his relationships with people close to him. His addiction also causes him more trouble than it's worth as the season goes on.
True Blood is a smart and well acted show that has a lot going for it. Twilight fans may find it to be a total rip-off from the sound of my review but there's a lot of originality to this show as well. There's not really too much to compare between the 2. Except what I mentioned already. The Twilight books are pretty good but this show is way better than the movie that's extremely over-rated by it's fans. If you haven't started watching it...then start! Anna Paquin doing nude scenes is a plus too lol.
While there may be more to her boss Sam (Sam Tremmell) who has a big crush on her. He barks in his sleep and runs around the woods naked. He also isn't supportive to her relationship with Bill. Is he the person killing vampire supporters close to Sookie ? The police think he's a suspect, while her brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is also a suspect since he slept with 2 of the victims.
Jason also gets hooked on vampire blood which is just called V by it's users. It has a strong trippy effect that he gets hooked to. He gets so hooked though that it starts to put a strain on his relationships with people close to him. His addiction also causes him more trouble than it's worth as the season goes on.
True Blood is a smart and well acted show that has a lot going for it. Twilight fans may find it to be a total rip-off from the sound of my review but there's a lot of originality to this show as well. There's not really too much to compare between the 2. Except what I mentioned already. The Twilight books are pretty good but this show is way better than the movie that's extremely over-rated by it's fans. If you haven't started watching it...then start! Anna Paquin doing nude scenes is a plus too lol.
A fun and adventurous take on vampires and the supernatural,
I'm not sure that any good series on the supernatural has ever tried as hard to be simply good fun. It isn't the masterpiece that BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER was, but I don't think Alan Ball set his sights that high. While Joss Whedon strove in BUFFY to create an icon and redefine television narrative, Ball just seems to want to tell a compelling story filled with memorable moments.
TRUE BLOOD is, of course, based on the series of novels written by Arkansas writer Charlaine Harris. The series was originally known as the Southern Vampire Mysteries, but has since come to be better known as The Sookie Stackhouse novels. The premise is that a Japanese corporation has successfully created artificial blood, a product so like the real thing that vampires, previously relegated to feeding off humans in the dark, come "out of the coffin" and into society, intent on living off the new fake blood. The series' title comes from the name of the artificial blood marketed and sold in stores. The television series wisely does not try to hew too closely to the novels, though for the most part Sookie's story does. And the way things turn at the end of the season, it is clear that Season Two (the show was renewed very early in the season) is going to pick up with the second novel in the series, though the action most likely will be in Bon Temps and not in Dallas (the second novel is entitled LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS).
The major difference between the novels and the TV series is that while the novels focus almost entirely on Sookie, the series has elevated a number of secondary characters and padded out their story. The focus on Sookie in the books is inevitable given that she is the narrator. But since few shows attempt to tell a story primarily from one character's point of view (an exception is Season One of VERONICA MARS, in which the title character features in very nearly every scene), elevating several characters was a necessity. Tara is a very minor character in the books (and white to boot), but on the show she is black and one of the most important characters. Sookie's brother Jason is a moderately important character in the books, but definitely not as central as Bill, Eric, or Sam. Tara was promoted on the show partly to balance out the show in terms of race and gender. I'm not quite sure why Jason was made more important. The story arcs that are given to these characters are not always successful, but they do give the show some diversity. Lafayette, Tara's flamboyantly gay cousin and short order cook at Merlotte's, the tavern where Sookie is a barmaid, likewise is a major character on the TV series, but barely makes an appearance in the novels.
I'm not always comfortable with the additions the show makes to the story and they usually are the weakest part of the show. For instance, the long story of Tara's mother and her demon possession is an addition that I feel clutters the show, even as it raises the question of why Tara herself struggles with relationships. The character of Amy, who is weirdly involved with Jason in the latter half of the season, sits on the rest of the story like a weird, disconnected appendage. In fact, the entire obsession with V (or vampire blood, which is taken like a drug) is unique to the show and not the books, I think to the show's detriment. Terry Bellefleur is a slightly more important character in the series, and about 20-30 years younger (and played by Todd Lowe, who played Zack, Lane's band mate/boyfriend/husband in THE GILMORE GIRLS), and a veteran of the Gulf War instead of the Vietnam War. I don't expect for a show to be especially true to its source material. I don't look for a scene-by-scene recreation. But I do think that the additions show actually add something of value to the story. All in all, I do not think the completely original aspects improved the overall story.
There is a lot of controversy on boards where fans of the books linger about Anna Paquin. Physically she isn't quite like how Sookie is described in the books, where she is far curvier and extremely busty. I personally love Anna Paquin's performance. She has a haunted, hunted look that someone who has had to struggle for years of hearing the thoughts of others might have. She does very much seem to embody "Crazy Sookie," as she is known to everyone in Bon Temps. I also like all the actors who played the three other major characters from the books, Stephen Moyer as Bill, Alexander Skarsgaard as Eric (who will, given his stature as an actor and the precedent of the books, become a more important character in Season Two -- and let me just add, could anyone have been found more perfect to play Eric?), and Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte. My favorite performer to play a major role on the show but a minor one in the books is Nelsan Ellis, who also had a recurring role on the sadly short-lived THE INSIDE and was on an excellent episode of VERONICA MARS, and who on TRUE BLOOD plays Lafayette. Though I have to add that he is s completely unbelievable character. I've lived three years in a town not terribly distinct from Bon Temps and I can assert that you simply will not find many if any openly gay people and definitely not one a flamboyant one.
All in all I really enjoyed the series TRUE BLOOD, though on the one hand I prefer the books (and I strongly recommend anyone who loves TRUE BLOOD to give the books a try, though I also warn them that the show does seem to be following to a greater or lesser degree the books -- Season Two is already set up to follow many of the second novel's storylines) and on the other I prefer Alan Ball's earlier show SIX FEET UNDER. Still, it is a good, fun show.
And can I just add that this show has my all time favorite opening credits. It is filled with one astonishing image after another, from a coiled water moccasin to a Holy Ghost inspired preacher doing a 180 jump in church to lasciviously dancing strippers, all to a wonderfully appropriate song by country performer Jace Everett entitled "Bad Things."
TRUE BLOOD is, of course, based on the series of novels written by Arkansas writer Charlaine Harris. The series was originally known as the Southern Vampire Mysteries, but has since come to be better known as The Sookie Stackhouse novels. The premise is that a Japanese corporation has successfully created artificial blood, a product so like the real thing that vampires, previously relegated to feeding off humans in the dark, come "out of the coffin" and into society, intent on living off the new fake blood. The series' title comes from the name of the artificial blood marketed and sold in stores. The television series wisely does not try to hew too closely to the novels, though for the most part Sookie's story does. And the way things turn at the end of the season, it is clear that Season Two (the show was renewed very early in the season) is going to pick up with the second novel in the series, though the action most likely will be in Bon Temps and not in Dallas (the second novel is entitled LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS).
The major difference between the novels and the TV series is that while the novels focus almost entirely on Sookie, the series has elevated a number of secondary characters and padded out their story. The focus on Sookie in the books is inevitable given that she is the narrator. But since few shows attempt to tell a story primarily from one character's point of view (an exception is Season One of VERONICA MARS, in which the title character features in very nearly every scene), elevating several characters was a necessity. Tara is a very minor character in the books (and white to boot), but on the show she is black and one of the most important characters. Sookie's brother Jason is a moderately important character in the books, but definitely not as central as Bill, Eric, or Sam. Tara was promoted on the show partly to balance out the show in terms of race and gender. I'm not quite sure why Jason was made more important. The story arcs that are given to these characters are not always successful, but they do give the show some diversity. Lafayette, Tara's flamboyantly gay cousin and short order cook at Merlotte's, the tavern where Sookie is a barmaid, likewise is a major character on the TV series, but barely makes an appearance in the novels.
I'm not always comfortable with the additions the show makes to the story and they usually are the weakest part of the show. For instance, the long story of Tara's mother and her demon possession is an addition that I feel clutters the show, even as it raises the question of why Tara herself struggles with relationships. The character of Amy, who is weirdly involved with Jason in the latter half of the season, sits on the rest of the story like a weird, disconnected appendage. In fact, the entire obsession with V (or vampire blood, which is taken like a drug) is unique to the show and not the books, I think to the show's detriment. Terry Bellefleur is a slightly more important character in the series, and about 20-30 years younger (and played by Todd Lowe, who played Zack, Lane's band mate/boyfriend/husband in THE GILMORE GIRLS), and a veteran of the Gulf War instead of the Vietnam War. I don't expect for a show to be especially true to its source material. I don't look for a scene-by-scene recreation. But I do think that the additions show actually add something of value to the story. All in all, I do not think the completely original aspects improved the overall story.
There is a lot of controversy on boards where fans of the books linger about Anna Paquin. Physically she isn't quite like how Sookie is described in the books, where she is far curvier and extremely busty. I personally love Anna Paquin's performance. She has a haunted, hunted look that someone who has had to struggle for years of hearing the thoughts of others might have. She does very much seem to embody "Crazy Sookie," as she is known to everyone in Bon Temps. I also like all the actors who played the three other major characters from the books, Stephen Moyer as Bill, Alexander Skarsgaard as Eric (who will, given his stature as an actor and the precedent of the books, become a more important character in Season Two -- and let me just add, could anyone have been found more perfect to play Eric?), and Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte. My favorite performer to play a major role on the show but a minor one in the books is Nelsan Ellis, who also had a recurring role on the sadly short-lived THE INSIDE and was on an excellent episode of VERONICA MARS, and who on TRUE BLOOD plays Lafayette. Though I have to add that he is s completely unbelievable character. I've lived three years in a town not terribly distinct from Bon Temps and I can assert that you simply will not find many if any openly gay people and definitely not one a flamboyant one.
All in all I really enjoyed the series TRUE BLOOD, though on the one hand I prefer the books (and I strongly recommend anyone who loves TRUE BLOOD to give the books a try, though I also warn them that the show does seem to be following to a greater or lesser degree the books -- Season Two is already set up to follow many of the second novel's storylines) and on the other I prefer Alan Ball's earlier show SIX FEET UNDER. Still, it is a good, fun show.
And can I just add that this show has my all time favorite opening credits. It is filled with one astonishing image after another, from a coiled water moccasin to a Holy Ghost inspired preacher doing a 180 jump in church to lasciviously dancing strippers, all to a wonderfully appropriate song by country performer Jace Everett entitled "Bad Things."
True Blood is Television at Its Bloody Best.
"Thou Shall Not Crave Thy Neighbour."
True Blood ponders the question: Why do good girls fall for bad boys? Alan Ball is perhaps best known for his originality and aesthetics in writing the Academy-Award-winning screenplay for American Beauty, and for creating the HBO television show Six Feet Under. Based on Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, Ball's new HBO series, True Blood (which recently premiered on HBO on September 7, 2008), is another good reason to own a television these days. Set in Bon Temps, Louisiana, the Southern Vampire television series tells the gothic love story of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress, who falls in love with the town vampire, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Sookie is a virgin, "cursed" with the ability to hear people's thoughts. Bill is a 173-year-old vampire who, despite his Southern charms, has only one thing on his mind when it comes to Sookie. Meanwhile, as religious leaders and government officials debate the safety issues surrounding the co-existence of vampires and humans, "Bad Things" (as the show's theme song suggests) are happening to the residents of Bon Temps. The show's soundtrack (by Gary Calamar) is equal parts "swampy, bluesy and spooky." Ryan Kwanten plays Sookie's brother, Jason Stackhouse, a sex addict who is also addicted to "V" (vampire blood) for its viagra-ecstasy-like effects. William Sanderson and Chris Bauer play the small town's rather inept investigating law enforcement officers. Much like Six Feet Under, True Blood reveals Alan Ball's genius for original storytelling. True Blood is not only television with fangs, it is television at its bloody best.
12/12/08 Update: True Blood received a Golden Globe nomination this week.
True Blood ponders the question: Why do good girls fall for bad boys? Alan Ball is perhaps best known for his originality and aesthetics in writing the Academy-Award-winning screenplay for American Beauty, and for creating the HBO television show Six Feet Under. Based on Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, Ball's new HBO series, True Blood (which recently premiered on HBO on September 7, 2008), is another good reason to own a television these days. Set in Bon Temps, Louisiana, the Southern Vampire television series tells the gothic love story of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress, who falls in love with the town vampire, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Sookie is a virgin, "cursed" with the ability to hear people's thoughts. Bill is a 173-year-old vampire who, despite his Southern charms, has only one thing on his mind when it comes to Sookie. Meanwhile, as religious leaders and government officials debate the safety issues surrounding the co-existence of vampires and humans, "Bad Things" (as the show's theme song suggests) are happening to the residents of Bon Temps. The show's soundtrack (by Gary Calamar) is equal parts "swampy, bluesy and spooky." Ryan Kwanten plays Sookie's brother, Jason Stackhouse, a sex addict who is also addicted to "V" (vampire blood) for its viagra-ecstasy-like effects. William Sanderson and Chris Bauer play the small town's rather inept investigating law enforcement officers. Much like Six Feet Under, True Blood reveals Alan Ball's genius for original storytelling. True Blood is not only television with fangs, it is television at its bloody best.
12/12/08 Update: True Blood received a Golden Globe nomination this week.
Completely addictive. Even if you don't watch television,
Rabbit ears on pawn shop televisions are about my speed; needless to say, I don't watch television. However, kind friends mainline this series two or three shows at a time, and they got me hooked: were I to be completely honest, I might have to admit to giving serious thought to obtaining this by less-than-legal-means. It actually might be worth jail time.
Speaking as someone who was born in America's deep South, this series captures everything about Louisiana that is appealing. (Spanish Moss, vampires, latent racism and homophobia, the dichotomy between Christian Southern values and patriarchal, brutality-enforced poverty, sassy Southern women who know how to fight with chains, etc.)
What it makes it really stand out, though, is the casting: there isn't a bad actor in the bunch--and they are all believable as Southern archetypes. Nelsan Ellis as the short order cook/drug dealer Lafayette and Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin as the romantic leads give mesmerizing performances.
True Blood, or possibly the original series of books from which it arose, is an arresting set of stories: Faulkner says that the only thing really worth writing about (or thinking about, by extension) is the human heart in conflict with itself. The Southern United States depicted in True Blood is conflict embodied--you are a supposed to be a good Christian, and follow the rules of an established society, but you live in the middle of a swamp so dense and wild that it believably could be home to minions of Satan, like vampires.
It's a lot to think about. If you are one of those artistic/professional types with too much to do, don't start watching this; it becomes an obsession.
And Now: A Short Review of the Actual DVD--this is the regular, not Blu-Ray version, as my $100.00, cigarette-burned, pawn shop t.v. doesn't do Blu-Ray.
Price: $10.00 less than my local electronics store.
Extras: There is some very funny stuff here that was not on the original websites for the series: ads for lawyers for vampires; vampire hotels; vampire dating, all done with the appropriate levels of fake bad acting and camp.
Don't be afraid to look at the French language ad as well. It uses all of six French words which you probably already know.
There is also a short video parody of someone like Hugh Downs doing an in-depth report on vampires. Complete with bad video backgrounds for foreign locales and hokey vampire internet conspiracies, this is a well-done, satirical background take on some of the 'vampire movement's more glossed-over history.
One negative: the commentary tracks play over the original episodes; it's neat to watch for about five minutes, and then it's a little bit like dissecting a romantic relationship--the mystery dies once the magic involved gets out into the bright light of day.
However, overall, True Blood Season One is well worth watching again--particularly in the pilot episode, the acting, and the effort the cast and crew put into characterization and detail, is even more obvious the second time around.
Speaking as someone who was born in America's deep South, this series captures everything about Louisiana that is appealing. (Spanish Moss, vampires, latent racism and homophobia, the dichotomy between Christian Southern values and patriarchal, brutality-enforced poverty, sassy Southern women who know how to fight with chains, etc.)
What it makes it really stand out, though, is the casting: there isn't a bad actor in the bunch--and they are all believable as Southern archetypes. Nelsan Ellis as the short order cook/drug dealer Lafayette and Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin as the romantic leads give mesmerizing performances.
True Blood, or possibly the original series of books from which it arose, is an arresting set of stories: Faulkner says that the only thing really worth writing about (or thinking about, by extension) is the human heart in conflict with itself. The Southern United States depicted in True Blood is conflict embodied--you are a supposed to be a good Christian, and follow the rules of an established society, but you live in the middle of a swamp so dense and wild that it believably could be home to minions of Satan, like vampires.
It's a lot to think about. If you are one of those artistic/professional types with too much to do, don't start watching this; it becomes an obsession.
And Now: A Short Review of the Actual DVD--this is the regular, not Blu-Ray version, as my $100.00, cigarette-burned, pawn shop t.v. doesn't do Blu-Ray.
Price: $10.00 less than my local electronics store.
Extras: There is some very funny stuff here that was not on the original websites for the series: ads for lawyers for vampires; vampire hotels; vampire dating, all done with the appropriate levels of fake bad acting and camp.
Don't be afraid to look at the French language ad as well. It uses all of six French words which you probably already know.
There is also a short video parody of someone like Hugh Downs doing an in-depth report on vampires. Complete with bad video backgrounds for foreign locales and hokey vampire internet conspiracies, this is a well-done, satirical background take on some of the 'vampire movement's more glossed-over history.
One negative: the commentary tracks play over the original episodes; it's neat to watch for about five minutes, and then it's a little bit like dissecting a romantic relationship--the mystery dies once the magic involved gets out into the bright light of day.
However, overall, True Blood Season One is well worth watching again--particularly in the pilot episode, the acting, and the effort the cast and crew put into characterization and detail, is even more obvious the second time around.
A disappointing outing for Sookie fans, and what is with the continuity errors?,
Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries was such a fun and creatively written series for a while. But the humor and wit that characterized the first four or five books seems to have completely run out by this ninth book, leaving with the reader a disconnected palette of characters, and a hectic pace in which the author seems to have been determined to get in every minor character at the expense of any clarity or reflection by the major characters.
The characters, including Sookie herself, seem to be in a fog in this book, and to be speaking out of character. Even big scary vampire Eric, always one of the most fun to read, just seems off. (Spoiler: he is willing to discuss his painful personal history out in the open in a public place, his bar???) Tossed off personal revelations are never absorbed by the characters and never revisited. The pace of the book is such that it is actually counterproductive in terms of feeling any empathy for the central characters.
Readers should be forewarned about the tremendous violence in the book. (Spoiler: Are the multiple deaths of pregnant women just a heavy-handed device signaling lost promise or hope? Maybe they are the stunted hopes for this book?)
The dragging issue of suitor resolution and the lack of development, if not regression, of Sookie's character on the issue of relationships is disappointing. As a reader who has followed the series for some time, I'm virtually at the point where I no longer care who she ends up with. Not a good place for an author to be finding herself with her readers. Does she really intend to make her readers NOT care about her heroine or give the impression that her heroine is incapable of evolving?
The number of continuity errors for a book with this sales base is truly astonishing. From the fact that Eric no longer remembers that Sookie was never paid for her work in book 7, to the fact that Sookie doesn't remember her grandfather and great-uncle were twins, to the fact that Claude and Claudine's deceased sister was Claudia and not Claudette, to the fact that Chow and not Clancy killed Hallow the witch's representative back in book 4, to the fact that Eric says he `remembers' but seems to have forgotten what he remembers at a rather delicate moment. The writing, continuity wise, or even factwise, seems not to have been proofread at all!
The book reads like a rough draft and has a sense of disconnectedness that is disheartening in comparison to others in the series. Was the goal just to get this one knocked out before the new season of True Blood? Did the publisher and editor think the series fans wouldn't notice? It reads, frankly, like a sellout. And as a reader of the series, I'm seriously hoping this isn't the next Anita Blake series in terms of steady deterioration of quality and content. This book makes me wonder. The editor seems to have done Ms. Harris a great injustice by letting it go out in such disconnected form and with so many continuity errors.
The characters, including Sookie herself, seem to be in a fog in this book, and to be speaking out of character. Even big scary vampire Eric, always one of the most fun to read, just seems off. (Spoiler: he is willing to discuss his painful personal history out in the open in a public place, his bar???) Tossed off personal revelations are never absorbed by the characters and never revisited. The pace of the book is such that it is actually counterproductive in terms of feeling any empathy for the central characters.
Readers should be forewarned about the tremendous violence in the book. (Spoiler: Are the multiple deaths of pregnant women just a heavy-handed device signaling lost promise or hope? Maybe they are the stunted hopes for this book?)
The dragging issue of suitor resolution and the lack of development, if not regression, of Sookie's character on the issue of relationships is disappointing. As a reader who has followed the series for some time, I'm virtually at the point where I no longer care who she ends up with. Not a good place for an author to be finding herself with her readers. Does she really intend to make her readers NOT care about her heroine or give the impression that her heroine is incapable of evolving?
The number of continuity errors for a book with this sales base is truly astonishing. From the fact that Eric no longer remembers that Sookie was never paid for her work in book 7, to the fact that Sookie doesn't remember her grandfather and great-uncle were twins, to the fact that Claude and Claudine's deceased sister was Claudia and not Claudette, to the fact that Chow and not Clancy killed Hallow the witch's representative back in book 4, to the fact that Eric says he `remembers' but seems to have forgotten what he remembers at a rather delicate moment. The writing, continuity wise, or even factwise, seems not to have been proofread at all!
The book reads like a rough draft and has a sense of disconnectedness that is disheartening in comparison to others in the series. Was the goal just to get this one knocked out before the new season of True Blood? Did the publisher and editor think the series fans wouldn't notice? It reads, frankly, like a sellout. And as a reader of the series, I'm seriously hoping this isn't the next Anita Blake series in terms of steady deterioration of quality and content. This book makes me wonder. The editor seems to have done Ms. Harris a great injustice by letting it go out in such disconnected form and with so many continuity errors.
Beyond Disappointing...I feel so let down, I think I'm depressed
I wanted to give the book atleast three stars bc i love the series so much, but I have to agree with the majority of the negative reviews on this one and say,"what happened?". The last book, from dead to worse, was so detailed and long, it was wonderful! I felt like I was reading a short hand version, or an extremely edited down piece that had to fit into a certain number of words. If CH had kept the same story line for this book and just given us the plot detail and character depth evidenced in the last book, this book would have been simply phenomenal! As a fan, I find that not only disappointing, but extremely frustrating.
OK, so the two stars were basically for giving us atleast SOME progression with the whole Eric/Sookie relationship, although it still basically went NOWHERE. So he tricks her into what is basically a vampire form of marriage and she barely reacts - she had more of a hissy fit when he yelled at her for dancing with barry bellhop in rhodes! She blames her lack of anger on her blood bond, but she also states that she hasn't seen him for months and that should lessen a little over time...it just seemed weird. And as neat as that story line is, it wasn't even addressed or reacted to by anyone (except sam, but barely). I mean, come on! I don't know why it matters though, bc I figure in the next book she will find something to be mad at him for and he will be on the outs like bill, quinn, and everyone else she get's involved with - I just feel like the whole Eric thing has been building up over so many books that there should be more time devoted to finally developing that before it get's ruined for further plot development - we've been "teased" enough. Give us something more than a few scenes!
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book, for me, was sookie's lack of initiative in seeking supe support and protection for herself! Especially after the last book ended recapping her strong favor with the vamps and weres! It was ridiculous that she knew she was being targeted to be killed (or worse), actually ends up killing a fairy sent to kill her, and she takes days to ask for any real assistance or call in her supe markers with the vamps or Alcide. When she finally does ask for help, it's lame coverage that falls through and she doesn't ask for back up? The coverage doesn't tell their bosses that they have left her unprotected? She doesn't want to worry her friends, who could help her, or at the very least be warned that being around sookie can be dangerous,so she doesn't tell them? She doesn't tell her brother that he is also a potential target, until after that fairies approach him?!
And why does Eric leave her bed, knowing the issue of her safety is unresolved? Yeah, he suggested maybe she stay at his place, but the whole issue of her safey is sidetracked by "what are you looking for in this relationship", vs. "hey, killer fairies are out to get my lover whom i've just officially claimed in the supe community, even tried to murder her today, and I'm out the door with a 'see ya soon'?" That doesn't seem at all like Eric. Mister, possessive vampire guy who always sends Bubba over the moment he has ANY concerns?! I mean really he had Pam DATE Sookie's roommate Amelia, just to get Pam even closer to protect Sookie, but he leaves her completely unprotected after knowing a fairy tried to KILL her?? Why would he leave w/o having her safety arranged for? Why the heck hasn't Niall arranged safety for her from the beginning, or even after the first attempt on her life? Why doesn't Claudine, who shows up when sookie falls asleep at the wheel of a car, show up when faries are trying to kill her? What the heck? And why, in God's name, would you be out running errands when you need a body gaurd bc killer fairies are out to assassinate you - do you really need to go to the post office that badly? Come on!
Also, the violence. Torture? Killing pregnant women? That added nothing to the story and was simply disturbing and unecessary. The characters she killed off - why? And more detail was given to sookie's reaction to octavia leaving than to the second pregnant woman's murder, which was just completely a waste - what a loss of a great character under such horrible circumstances.
And then, to top it all off, the whole amazing world of fae is just closed down in the end anyway, after all that - what a waste of plot and characters. I'm hoping that's not the case, and more will be done with it in the next book? Honestly, I would have loved it if Sookie had called in her marks almost immediately and all her supe friends & fairy family took the threat serioulsy, but were simply smacked down by how ruthless the fairies were, resulting in Eric becomming uber protective and rallying all the supes to work and fight together against the faires as a common threat to their common bond, our gal sookie! Yeah!! Atleast there would have been more action and the character deaths would have felt justified!
Quinn is in one scene and then is gone for the rest of the book - why bother? Heck, how bout if he had found out that Sookie was in trouble and insisted on staying to gaurd her regardless of Eric - the guy's a weretiger and a pit fighter trying to prove himself! That would have been kinda cool, and interesting from a love triangle point of view too!
We were told Hunter was in this book - what, one mention in a phone call? And then sookie just assumes the kid's not a target bc she THINKS Niall doesn't know about him? Give the kid's dad a warning, something, "get the kid away for awhile, be careful, look out for bad guys, stock up on lemon juice" - something!
Ok, obviously I found this book frustrating and I think my review has turned into more of a cathartic threapeutic venting session than a commentary. I'm not giving up on sookie, just hoping this is an anomaly, and hoping for more of CH's great writing in the future (please). Although, if the book continues to average 4 out of 5 stars (geez, are we reading the same book here people?), I can't believe that would give the author any incentive to give us better in the future! Why put more work into something when the readers are 4/5 happy with less?
This is such a wonderful series, I'd hate for it to deterioate!
OK, so the two stars were basically for giving us atleast SOME progression with the whole Eric/Sookie relationship, although it still basically went NOWHERE. So he tricks her into what is basically a vampire form of marriage and she barely reacts - she had more of a hissy fit when he yelled at her for dancing with barry bellhop in rhodes! She blames her lack of anger on her blood bond, but she also states that she hasn't seen him for months and that should lessen a little over time...it just seemed weird. And as neat as that story line is, it wasn't even addressed or reacted to by anyone (except sam, but barely). I mean, come on! I don't know why it matters though, bc I figure in the next book she will find something to be mad at him for and he will be on the outs like bill, quinn, and everyone else she get's involved with - I just feel like the whole Eric thing has been building up over so many books that there should be more time devoted to finally developing that before it get's ruined for further plot development - we've been "teased" enough. Give us something more than a few scenes!
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book, for me, was sookie's lack of initiative in seeking supe support and protection for herself! Especially after the last book ended recapping her strong favor with the vamps and weres! It was ridiculous that she knew she was being targeted to be killed (or worse), actually ends up killing a fairy sent to kill her, and she takes days to ask for any real assistance or call in her supe markers with the vamps or Alcide. When she finally does ask for help, it's lame coverage that falls through and she doesn't ask for back up? The coverage doesn't tell their bosses that they have left her unprotected? She doesn't want to worry her friends, who could help her, or at the very least be warned that being around sookie can be dangerous,so she doesn't tell them? She doesn't tell her brother that he is also a potential target, until after that fairies approach him?!
And why does Eric leave her bed, knowing the issue of her safety is unresolved? Yeah, he suggested maybe she stay at his place, but the whole issue of her safey is sidetracked by "what are you looking for in this relationship", vs. "hey, killer fairies are out to get my lover whom i've just officially claimed in the supe community, even tried to murder her today, and I'm out the door with a 'see ya soon'?" That doesn't seem at all like Eric. Mister, possessive vampire guy who always sends Bubba over the moment he has ANY concerns?! I mean really he had Pam DATE Sookie's roommate Amelia, just to get Pam even closer to protect Sookie, but he leaves her completely unprotected after knowing a fairy tried to KILL her?? Why would he leave w/o having her safety arranged for? Why the heck hasn't Niall arranged safety for her from the beginning, or even after the first attempt on her life? Why doesn't Claudine, who shows up when sookie falls asleep at the wheel of a car, show up when faries are trying to kill her? What the heck? And why, in God's name, would you be out running errands when you need a body gaurd bc killer fairies are out to assassinate you - do you really need to go to the post office that badly? Come on!
Also, the violence. Torture? Killing pregnant women? That added nothing to the story and was simply disturbing and unecessary. The characters she killed off - why? And more detail was given to sookie's reaction to octavia leaving than to the second pregnant woman's murder, which was just completely a waste - what a loss of a great character under such horrible circumstances.
And then, to top it all off, the whole amazing world of fae is just closed down in the end anyway, after all that - what a waste of plot and characters. I'm hoping that's not the case, and more will be done with it in the next book? Honestly, I would have loved it if Sookie had called in her marks almost immediately and all her supe friends & fairy family took the threat serioulsy, but were simply smacked down by how ruthless the fairies were, resulting in Eric becomming uber protective and rallying all the supes to work and fight together against the faires as a common threat to their common bond, our gal sookie! Yeah!! Atleast there would have been more action and the character deaths would have felt justified!
Quinn is in one scene and then is gone for the rest of the book - why bother? Heck, how bout if he had found out that Sookie was in trouble and insisted on staying to gaurd her regardless of Eric - the guy's a weretiger and a pit fighter trying to prove himself! That would have been kinda cool, and interesting from a love triangle point of view too!
We were told Hunter was in this book - what, one mention in a phone call? And then sookie just assumes the kid's not a target bc she THINKS Niall doesn't know about him? Give the kid's dad a warning, something, "get the kid away for awhile, be careful, look out for bad guys, stock up on lemon juice" - something!
Ok, obviously I found this book frustrating and I think my review has turned into more of a cathartic threapeutic venting session than a commentary. I'm not giving up on sookie, just hoping this is an anomaly, and hoping for more of CH's great writing in the future (please). Although, if the book continues to average 4 out of 5 stars (geez, are we reading the same book here people?), I can't believe that would give the author any incentive to give us better in the future! Why put more work into something when the readers are 4/5 happy with less?
This is such a wonderful series, I'd hate for it to deterioate!
I Love My Sweet Heart
I really, really fell in love with this series, and I had read each of the preceding books four or five times in the past 10 months. There were great books and some just "good" books, but I have to say, in my opinion, the quality of the writing and the plot and story of "Dead and Gone" fell way below that of the previous books in the Sookie series.
To be specific, like many of the other reviewers I do think the appearance and disappearance of characters was rushed, and Harris didn't adequately give Sookie time to make emotional sense of the many different events. It felt as if Harris was writing in shorthand - and while that may be okay for the introductory descriptions of characters and places at the beginning of each book, it does the reader a disservice for the substantive action. (SPOILER) Just one example was the moving out of Octavia - it was so stunted and never referred to again, an obvious device to get the room across from Sookie's empty again so Sookie could have more "intimate moments" shall we say...
I also thought Harris fell completely short in expanding the mythology of the series. In each of the previous novels we've found out something new about the structure of the supernatural world. There was nothing new in this book, and worse, Harris neglected the dangling issues from previous books entirely: e.g. the complication of Eric finding out that Sookie can read his mind intermittently (or of Sookie at least examining or enhancing that skill in some way or figuring out the origin of the ability - beyond the fairy blood), the expansion and increase of Sookie's telepathic powers (as we saw in previous books that she has tried to not just read minds but actually DIRECT them or speak to them) and greater telepathic powers that were hinted at in All Together Dead and other books, the greater mystery of pure shapeshifters (who can turn into anything) and the magic behind that, and, of course whether Eric and Sookie have an emotional connection beyond the blood bond or whether that can be broken, etc. Even that promised Eric backstory was just a little encapsulated drop into the book - no further development of Sookie even wondering, let alone discussing, more about Eric's sire and whether he's still around, etc, whether he ever tracked down his descendants, etc. It is also an amazingly short book compared to most of the others - like she reached 300 pages this time and simply said "Done"!
I think I'm being generous giving the book 3 stars, but I'm still committed to the series - now. After reading and re-reading all of the Sookie books and Harris' "Grave Sight" books I moved on to the Anita Blake series (by Laurel Hamilton, NOT Harris, but often recommended as similar genre reading) only to get more and more disgusted by the inconsistencies and poorer and poorer writing after the first book that I eventually didn't care anymore what happened to Ms. Blake and completely stopped reading after #12. Harris has a long way to go before anyone should give up on her - the books were getting BETTER from the first book with just a few dips along the way. That's why this one is such a disappointment for me. I'll be here for the next few books for sure, because I'm a glutton for punishment and Sookie hasn't been pushed off the rails yet. And yes, I would still recommend this to anyone reading the series just to bide their time until the next one (or the Harper Connelly coming out in the fall). I am just HOPING that the next books bring back the storytelling and plot structure we've come to expect from Charlaine Harris.
To be specific, like many of the other reviewers I do think the appearance and disappearance of characters was rushed, and Harris didn't adequately give Sookie time to make emotional sense of the many different events. It felt as if Harris was writing in shorthand - and while that may be okay for the introductory descriptions of characters and places at the beginning of each book, it does the reader a disservice for the substantive action. (SPOILER) Just one example was the moving out of Octavia - it was so stunted and never referred to again, an obvious device to get the room across from Sookie's empty again so Sookie could have more "intimate moments" shall we say...
I also thought Harris fell completely short in expanding the mythology of the series. In each of the previous novels we've found out something new about the structure of the supernatural world. There was nothing new in this book, and worse, Harris neglected the dangling issues from previous books entirely: e.g. the complication of Eric finding out that Sookie can read his mind intermittently (or of Sookie at least examining or enhancing that skill in some way or figuring out the origin of the ability - beyond the fairy blood), the expansion and increase of Sookie's telepathic powers (as we saw in previous books that she has tried to not just read minds but actually DIRECT them or speak to them) and greater telepathic powers that were hinted at in All Together Dead and other books, the greater mystery of pure shapeshifters (who can turn into anything) and the magic behind that, and, of course whether Eric and Sookie have an emotional connection beyond the blood bond or whether that can be broken, etc. Even that promised Eric backstory was just a little encapsulated drop into the book - no further development of Sookie even wondering, let alone discussing, more about Eric's sire and whether he's still around, etc, whether he ever tracked down his descendants, etc. It is also an amazingly short book compared to most of the others - like she reached 300 pages this time and simply said "Done"!
I think I'm being generous giving the book 3 stars, but I'm still committed to the series - now. After reading and re-reading all of the Sookie books and Harris' "Grave Sight" books I moved on to the Anita Blake series (by Laurel Hamilton, NOT Harris, but often recommended as similar genre reading) only to get more and more disgusted by the inconsistencies and poorer and poorer writing after the first book that I eventually didn't care anymore what happened to Ms. Blake and completely stopped reading after #12. Harris has a long way to go before anyone should give up on her - the books were getting BETTER from the first book with just a few dips along the way. That's why this one is such a disappointment for me. I'll be here for the next few books for sure, because I'm a glutton for punishment and Sookie hasn't been pushed off the rails yet. And yes, I would still recommend this to anyone reading the series just to bide their time until the next one (or the Harper Connelly coming out in the fall). I am just HOPING that the next books bring back the storytelling and plot structure we've come to expect from Charlaine Harris.
Book List
Bangladesh Stamp and Postal History
By: Siddique Mahmudur Rahman
Price: Taka 60.00/ US$ 6.00
Bangladeshe Nazrul Nazruler Bangladesh
(Biography)
By: Abdul Hai Sikdar
Pages:104
Price: US $ 16.00
Muktijudder Golpa
(FreedomFight)
By: Sirajul Islam Munir
Pages96
Price:US $ 2.00
Akanta Samakaler
(Essay)
By: Ahmed Musa
Pages:192
Price:US $ 5.00
Manusher Adi Probritti o Onnaonna
(Philosophy )
By: Dewan Mohammad Azraf
Pages: 96
Price: US $ 3.00
Amar Sakhho
(Biography)
By: Syed Ali Ahsan
Pages: 128
Price: US $ 4.00
Birds of Bangladesh
(Research)
By: Prof. Kazi Zaker Husain
Pages: 96
Price: US $ 6.00
Bangladesh : Somaj Sonskriti Rajniti Protikria (Research)
By: Ibn Golam Samad
Pages: 448
Price: US $ 9.00
Upanash Samagra (Novel)
By: Monir Uddin Yusuf
Pages: 368
Price: US $ 7.00
By: Siddique Mahmudur Rahman
Price: Taka 60.00/ US$ 6.00
Bangladeshe Nazrul Nazruler Bangladesh
(Biography)
By: Abdul Hai Sikdar
Pages:104
Price: US $ 16.00
Muktijudder Golpa
(FreedomFight)
By: Sirajul Islam Munir
Pages96
Price:US $ 2.00
Akanta Samakaler
(Essay)
By: Ahmed Musa
Pages:192
Price:US $ 5.00
Manusher Adi Probritti o Onnaonna
(Philosophy )
By: Dewan Mohammad Azraf
Pages: 96
Price: US $ 3.00
Amar Sakhho
(Biography)
By: Syed Ali Ahsan
Pages: 128
Price: US $ 4.00
Birds of Bangladesh
(Research)
By: Prof. Kazi Zaker Husain
Pages: 96
Price: US $ 6.00
Bangladesh : Somaj Sonskriti Rajniti Protikria (Research)
By: Ibn Golam Samad
Pages: 448
Price: US $ 9.00
Upanash Samagra (Novel)
By: Monir Uddin Yusuf
Pages: 368
Price: US $ 7.00
History of Bangla Literature
Bangla Literature dates back to at least the 7th century with three development periods are:ancient, medieval, and modern. Ancient period from 650-1200, medieval period from 1200-1800, and the modern period from 1800 to the present.
While the history of Bangladeshi and Bengali literature goes back hundreds of years. It is impossible (and undesirable) to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the pre-independence period. Post independent Bangladesh has given birth to it's own distinct set of literateurs and literature.
The earliest available specimen of Bengali literature is about a thousand years old. During the mediaeval period Bengali literature developed considerably with the patronage of Muslim rulers, particularly Sultan Alauddin Hussein Shah, his son Nasrat Shah and commander-in-chief, paragal khan , in promoting Bangla literature is specially noteworthy. The 45-year rule of the Hussein Shah dynasty (1493-1538) in Bengal not only led to political, social and cultural prosperity, but also nurtured bangla language and literature.
Several Muslim poets were Chand Kazi (15th century), and Afzal Ali (17th century). Chand Kazi was the Kazi of Nabadwip under Sultan Hussein Shah (1493-1519). Syed Sultan (c 1550-1648, Nabi Bangsha , Shab-i-Miraj , Rasulbijay , Ofat-i-Rasul , Jaykum Rajar Ladai , Iblisnama , Jnanachautisha , Jnanapradip , marfati gan , padavali), Sheikh Paran (c 1550-1615, Nurnama , Nasihatnama ), Haji Muhammad (c 1550-1620, Nur Jamal , Suratnama ), Nasrullah Khan (c 1560-1625, janganama , Musar Sawwal , Shariatnama , Hidayitul Islam ), Muhammad Khan (c 1580-1650, Satya-Kali-Vivad-Sangbad , Hanifar Ladai , Maktul Husein ), Syed Martuza (c 1590-1662, Yog-Kalandar , padavali), Sheikh Muttalib (c 1595-1660, Kifayitul-Musallin ), Mir Muhammad Shafi (c 1559-1630, Nurnama , Nurkandil , Sayatnama ), Abdul Hakim (c 1620-1690, Lalmati-Sayfulmulk , Nurnama ). Poets who composed between 1600 and 1757 include nawajis khan , Qamar Ali, Mangal (Chand), Abdul Nabi, Muhammad Fasih, Fakir Garibullah, Muhammad Yakub, Sheikh Mansur, Muhammad Uzir Ali, Sheikh Sadi and Heyat Mamud. Syed Sultan's Nabibamsa , Muhammad Khan's Maktul Husein and sheikh chand 's Rasulbijay are known as Islamic Puranas.
Shah Muhammad Sagir (c 1400) was one of the earliest of the Bengali Muslim poets. Though his romance Yusuf-Zulekha contains no signature piece identifying him, he is generally regarded as being from East Bengal as copies of his poems have been found in the Chittagong-Comilla-Tripura region. Other epic poets include Jainuddin, Muzammil, Sheikh Faizullah, Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan. Jainuddin became famous with Rasulbijay , his only epic. Muzammil became famous mainly for his three poetic works: Nitishastravarta, Sayatnama and Khanjancharita .
In the period of 1700-1800 the main literary productions of the period include padavali and mangalkavya. Padavali Padavali writers in the 18th century include Narahari Chakravarti, Natavar Das, Dinabandhu Das, Chandrashekhar-Shashishekhar and Jagadananda. Their poems were, however, more full of ornamentation than meaning. Mangalkavya Versions of Chandimangal continued to be composed, an important version being that by Ramchandra Yati written 1766-67.
Bharatchandra , perhaps the greatest poet of the 18th century, wrote Nagastak and Gangastak in Sanskrit and, in Bangla, Satyanarayaner panchali , Rasamanjari as well as Annadamangal. Some other poets of this genre were Radhakanta Mishra (perhaps the first poet of Kolkata), Kavindra Chakravarti and Nidhiram Acharya of chittagong. The first Bangla books were those by Christian missionaries. Dom Antonio's Brahmin-Roman-Catholic-Sangbad , for example, was the first Bangla book to be printed towards the end of the 17th century.
Raja Rammohan Roy (1772/4-1833) also contributed to the further development of Bangla prose. Some of his well-known books are translations: Vedanta Grantha (1815), Vedantasar (1815), Kenopanisad (1816) and Ishopanisad (1816). His original books include Bhattacharyer Sahit Vichar (1817), Gosvamir Sahit Vichar (1817), Sahamaran Virodhi Pustika , Sahamaran Visay (1828) , Gaudiya Vyakaran ( 1833) etc. The main themes of these books are religious and didactic. The first modern Bangla novelist was Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1894) whose fourteen novels include Durgeshnandini , Kapalkundala , Krishnakanter Will , Bisbrksa and Ananadamath.
In the 19th century. Prominent among them were Mir Mosharraf Hossain (1847-1912), Moulvi Mohammad Naimuddin (1832-1907), Dad Ali (1852-1936), Kaikobad (1857-1951), Sheikh Abdur Rahim, Reazuddin Ahmad Mashadi, Mozammel Huq, Munshi Muhammad Reazuddin Ahmad (1862-1933), Moulvi Mearajuddin Ahmad (1852-1929), Munshi Muhammad Zamiruddin (1870-1930), Abdul Hamid khan Yusufzai (1864-1924) and Maulana Mohammad Moniruzzaman Islamabadi (1875-1950). Mir Mosharraf Hossain wrote nearly 30 books including novels, plays, Satire , poetry, musical plays, and essays. His best known writing is, however, Bisad-Sindhu , based on the incidents at Karbala.
The first Bangla biography of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was written by Sheikh Abdur Rahim. Michael Madhusudan Dutt Michael Madhusudan dutt (1824-1873) began writing in English but soon moved to writing in Bangla by his English readings
In 1890-1930, Rabindranath Tagore was an extraordinary man who made major contributions to all genres of Bangla literature. He wrote an immense range of rich and varied forms of poetry, plays, dance dramas, novels, short stories, essays and over two thousand songs. Although he was known as 'Vishvakavi' (world poet) and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for his book of poems Gitanjali. The most popular novelists of this period was Sharat chandra chattopadhyay (1876-1938), Pramatha Chowdhury (1868-1946), Probhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (1873-1932),
The pioneering role in introducing ultra-modernism in Bangla poetry was played by Achinta Kumar Sengupta, Buddhadev Bose, Premendra Mitra, Jibanananda das (1899-1954), Sudhindranath dutta (1901-1960), Bishnu de (1909-1982).
In the period of 1947-1971 well known writers were Mohammad Najibar Rahman (1860-1923), Ekramuddin ahmad (1872-1940), Roquiah Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), Kazi Imdadul Huq (1882-1926), Shahadat hossain (1893-1953), Golam Mostafa (1897-1964), Abul Hussain (1896-1938), Kazi Abdul Wadud (1894-1970), Mohammad Akram Khan, Dr Muhammad Shahidullah (1885-1969), Dr Muhammad Lutfar Rahman (1889-1936), S Wazed Ali (1890-1951), Ibrahim Khan (1894-1978), Nurunessa Khatun Vidyavinodini (1894-1975), Sheikh Muhammad Idris Ali (1895-1945), Akbaruddin (1895-1979), Mohammad Barkatullah (1898-1974), Abul Kalam Shamsuddin (1897-1978), Qazi Motahar Hossain, Abul Mansur Ahmed (1898-1979), Benajir Ahmed (1903-1983), abul fazal (1903-1983), Motaher Hossain Chowdhury (1903-1956), Muhammad Mansuruddin (1904-1987), Abdul Quadir (1906-1984), Bande Ali Miah (1906-1979), Mahmuda Khatun Siddiqua (1906-1977), Habibullah Bahar Choudhury (1906-1966), Mahbub-ul Alam (1906-1982), Dr Muhammad Enamul Huq, Sufi Motahar Hosen (1907-1975), Begum Sufia Kamal (1911-1999) and Raushan Yazdani (1917-1967).
The liberation war of 1971 and the independence of Bangladesh marks the third phase of the literature of this region. Fiction The fiction of this phase records the saga of the liberation war, the hellish face of the war, the dream of a free and egalitarian Bangladesh and thereafter the realization of independence.
While the history of Bangladeshi and Bengali literature goes back hundreds of years. It is impossible (and undesirable) to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the pre-independence period. Post independent Bangladesh has given birth to it's own distinct set of literateurs and literature.
The earliest available specimen of Bengali literature is about a thousand years old. During the mediaeval period Bengali literature developed considerably with the patronage of Muslim rulers, particularly Sultan Alauddin Hussein Shah, his son Nasrat Shah and commander-in-chief, paragal khan , in promoting Bangla literature is specially noteworthy. The 45-year rule of the Hussein Shah dynasty (1493-1538) in Bengal not only led to political, social and cultural prosperity, but also nurtured bangla language and literature.
Several Muslim poets were Chand Kazi (15th century), and Afzal Ali (17th century). Chand Kazi was the Kazi of Nabadwip under Sultan Hussein Shah (1493-1519). Syed Sultan (c 1550-1648, Nabi Bangsha , Shab-i-Miraj , Rasulbijay , Ofat-i-Rasul , Jaykum Rajar Ladai , Iblisnama , Jnanachautisha , Jnanapradip , marfati gan , padavali), Sheikh Paran (c 1550-1615, Nurnama , Nasihatnama ), Haji Muhammad (c 1550-1620, Nur Jamal , Suratnama ), Nasrullah Khan (c 1560-1625, janganama , Musar Sawwal , Shariatnama , Hidayitul Islam ), Muhammad Khan (c 1580-1650, Satya-Kali-Vivad-Sangbad , Hanifar Ladai , Maktul Husein ), Syed Martuza (c 1590-1662, Yog-Kalandar , padavali), Sheikh Muttalib (c 1595-1660, Kifayitul-Musallin ), Mir Muhammad Shafi (c 1559-1630, Nurnama , Nurkandil , Sayatnama ), Abdul Hakim (c 1620-1690, Lalmati-Sayfulmulk , Nurnama ). Poets who composed between 1600 and 1757 include nawajis khan , Qamar Ali, Mangal (Chand), Abdul Nabi, Muhammad Fasih, Fakir Garibullah, Muhammad Yakub, Sheikh Mansur, Muhammad Uzir Ali, Sheikh Sadi and Heyat Mamud. Syed Sultan's Nabibamsa , Muhammad Khan's Maktul Husein and sheikh chand 's Rasulbijay are known as Islamic Puranas.
Shah Muhammad Sagir (c 1400) was one of the earliest of the Bengali Muslim poets. Though his romance Yusuf-Zulekha contains no signature piece identifying him, he is generally regarded as being from East Bengal as copies of his poems have been found in the Chittagong-Comilla-Tripura region. Other epic poets include Jainuddin, Muzammil, Sheikh Faizullah, Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan. Jainuddin became famous with Rasulbijay , his only epic. Muzammil became famous mainly for his three poetic works: Nitishastravarta, Sayatnama and Khanjancharita .
In the period of 1700-1800 the main literary productions of the period include padavali and mangalkavya. Padavali Padavali writers in the 18th century include Narahari Chakravarti, Natavar Das, Dinabandhu Das, Chandrashekhar-Shashishekhar and Jagadananda. Their poems were, however, more full of ornamentation than meaning. Mangalkavya Versions of Chandimangal continued to be composed, an important version being that by Ramchandra Yati written 1766-67.
Bharatchandra , perhaps the greatest poet of the 18th century, wrote Nagastak and Gangastak in Sanskrit and, in Bangla, Satyanarayaner panchali , Rasamanjari as well as Annadamangal. Some other poets of this genre were Radhakanta Mishra (perhaps the first poet of Kolkata), Kavindra Chakravarti and Nidhiram Acharya of chittagong. The first Bangla books were those by Christian missionaries. Dom Antonio's Brahmin-Roman-Catholic-Sangbad , for example, was the first Bangla book to be printed towards the end of the 17th century.
Raja Rammohan Roy (1772/4-1833) also contributed to the further development of Bangla prose. Some of his well-known books are translations: Vedanta Grantha (1815), Vedantasar (1815), Kenopanisad (1816) and Ishopanisad (1816). His original books include Bhattacharyer Sahit Vichar (1817), Gosvamir Sahit Vichar (1817), Sahamaran Virodhi Pustika , Sahamaran Visay (1828) , Gaudiya Vyakaran ( 1833) etc. The main themes of these books are religious and didactic. The first modern Bangla novelist was Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1894) whose fourteen novels include Durgeshnandini , Kapalkundala , Krishnakanter Will , Bisbrksa and Ananadamath.
In the 19th century. Prominent among them were Mir Mosharraf Hossain (1847-1912), Moulvi Mohammad Naimuddin (1832-1907), Dad Ali (1852-1936), Kaikobad (1857-1951), Sheikh Abdur Rahim, Reazuddin Ahmad Mashadi, Mozammel Huq, Munshi Muhammad Reazuddin Ahmad (1862-1933), Moulvi Mearajuddin Ahmad (1852-1929), Munshi Muhammad Zamiruddin (1870-1930), Abdul Hamid khan Yusufzai (1864-1924) and Maulana Mohammad Moniruzzaman Islamabadi (1875-1950). Mir Mosharraf Hossain wrote nearly 30 books including novels, plays, Satire , poetry, musical plays, and essays. His best known writing is, however, Bisad-Sindhu , based on the incidents at Karbala.
The first Bangla biography of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was written by Sheikh Abdur Rahim. Michael Madhusudan Dutt Michael Madhusudan dutt (1824-1873) began writing in English but soon moved to writing in Bangla by his English readings
In 1890-1930, Rabindranath Tagore was an extraordinary man who made major contributions to all genres of Bangla literature. He wrote an immense range of rich and varied forms of poetry, plays, dance dramas, novels, short stories, essays and over two thousand songs. Although he was known as 'Vishvakavi' (world poet) and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for his book of poems Gitanjali. The most popular novelists of this period was Sharat chandra chattopadhyay (1876-1938), Pramatha Chowdhury (1868-1946), Probhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (1873-1932),
The pioneering role in introducing ultra-modernism in Bangla poetry was played by Achinta Kumar Sengupta, Buddhadev Bose, Premendra Mitra, Jibanananda das (1899-1954), Sudhindranath dutta (1901-1960), Bishnu de (1909-1982).
In the period of 1947-1971 well known writers were Mohammad Najibar Rahman (1860-1923), Ekramuddin ahmad (1872-1940), Roquiah Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), Kazi Imdadul Huq (1882-1926), Shahadat hossain (1893-1953), Golam Mostafa (1897-1964), Abul Hussain (1896-1938), Kazi Abdul Wadud (1894-1970), Mohammad Akram Khan, Dr Muhammad Shahidullah (1885-1969), Dr Muhammad Lutfar Rahman (1889-1936), S Wazed Ali (1890-1951), Ibrahim Khan (1894-1978), Nurunessa Khatun Vidyavinodini (1894-1975), Sheikh Muhammad Idris Ali (1895-1945), Akbaruddin (1895-1979), Mohammad Barkatullah (1898-1974), Abul Kalam Shamsuddin (1897-1978), Qazi Motahar Hossain, Abul Mansur Ahmed (1898-1979), Benajir Ahmed (1903-1983), abul fazal (1903-1983), Motaher Hossain Chowdhury (1903-1956), Muhammad Mansuruddin (1904-1987), Abdul Quadir (1906-1984), Bande Ali Miah (1906-1979), Mahmuda Khatun Siddiqua (1906-1977), Habibullah Bahar Choudhury (1906-1966), Mahbub-ul Alam (1906-1982), Dr Muhammad Enamul Huq, Sufi Motahar Hosen (1907-1975), Begum Sufia Kamal (1911-1999) and Raushan Yazdani (1917-1967).
The liberation war of 1971 and the independence of Bangladesh marks the third phase of the literature of this region. Fiction The fiction of this phase records the saga of the liberation war, the hellish face of the war, the dream of a free and egalitarian Bangladesh and thereafter the realization of independence.
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