The Set Books for the Cambridge exams will be changing for 2012, so if you are taking one of the exams in 2012 be sure to choose the correct one.
I will be updating this blog with all the information for 2012 books in the near future.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
WELCOME!
You have probably come to this page because you are taking one of the Cambridge exams and are interested in the Set Books options.
In this blog you can find (or will find in the future):
An introduction to the set books exam options
Current list of books for FC, CAE and CP.
Links to websites, podcasts and other resources for studying your set books
Essay titles.
Sample essays.
As this is work in progress check back regularly to see what’s new. I hope you can find things here that will help you prepare your set book writing for FC, CAE or CP. Please leave a comment – if you have any suggestions for websites or articles, please share them.
SET BOOKS FOR 2010
MAKE SURE YOU ARE READING THE CORRECT BOOK
BELOW IS A LIST OF THE BOOKS FOR FC, CAE and CP for 2010
FC
Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White (Black Cat or any edition)Michael Crichton: Jurassic Park (Macmillan or any edition)
CAE
John Steinbeck: Of Mice and MenDonna Leon: Through a Glass, Darkly
CPE
Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard: Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay
Philip K. Dick Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)
You have probably come to this page because you are taking one of the Cambridge exams and are interested in the Set Books options.
In this blog you can find (or will find in the future):
An introduction to the set books exam options
Current list of books for FC, CAE and CP.
Links to websites, podcasts and other resources for studying your set books
Essay titles.
Sample essays.
As this is work in progress check back regularly to see what’s new. I hope you can find things here that will help you prepare your set book writing for FC, CAE or CP. Please leave a comment – if you have any suggestions for websites or articles, please share them.
SET BOOKS FOR 2010
MAKE SURE YOU ARE READING THE CORRECT BOOK
BELOW IS A LIST OF THE BOOKS FOR FC, CAE and CP for 2010
FC
Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White (Black Cat or any edition)Michael Crichton: Jurassic Park (Macmillan or any edition)
CAE
John Steinbeck: Of Mice and MenDonna Leon: Through a Glass, Darkly
CPE
Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard: Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay
Philip K. Dick Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)
Shakespeare in Love
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Tom Stoppard has always had an ear for the Bard, stretching back to his surreal and hilarious early plays Rosencrantz and Guildernstein are Dead and Dogg's Hamlet and Cahoots Macbeth. For those who have already seen the film of Shakespeare in Love, this screenplay offers a chance to savour Stoppard's exuberant collaboration with the renowned screenwriter Marc Norman. The result gives us amongst many other things a dog, Hamlet, Kit Marlowe, Elizabeth I and probably one of the best screenplays based around Shakespeare in modern cinema.The pace of the script, from its opening long shot of London in 1593, to the final shot of Viola (played in the film by Gwyneth Paltrow) walking off into her brave new world, is breathtaking. The verbal fireworks and Shakespearean borrowings are not only worthy of the Bard himself, but perfectly recreate the conditions of the Elizabethan theatre. The jokes and allusions fly thick and fast, often straining the agility of even the most nimble Shakespeare scholar, but at the heart of the screenplay is both a compelling love story and an ingenious perspective on the inspiration behind both Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night. A wonderful piece of writing--long may Shakespeare in Love keep the Bard in fashion! --Jerry Brotton
Tom Stoppard has always had an ear for the Bard, stretching back to his surreal and hilarious early plays Rosencrantz and Guildernstein are Dead and Dogg's Hamlet and Cahoots Macbeth. For those who have already seen the film of Shakespeare in Love, this screenplay offers a chance to savour Stoppard's exuberant collaboration with the renowned screenwriter Marc Norman. The result gives us amongst many other things a dog, Hamlet, Kit Marlowe, Elizabeth I and probably one of the best screenplays based around Shakespeare in modern cinema.The pace of the script, from its opening long shot of London in 1593, to the final shot of Viola (played in the film by Gwyneth Paltrow) walking off into her brave new world, is breathtaking. The verbal fireworks and Shakespearean borrowings are not only worthy of the Bard himself, but perfectly recreate the conditions of the Elizabethan theatre. The jokes and allusions fly thick and fast, often straining the agility of even the most nimble Shakespeare scholar, but at the heart of the screenplay is both a compelling love story and an ingenious perspective on the inspiration behind both Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night. A wonderful piece of writing--long may Shakespeare in Love keep the Bard in fashion! --Jerry Brotton
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
A comparison of the book and film at: http://www.phildick.com/Blade_Runner
A comparison of the book and film at: http://www.phildick.com/Blade_Runner
Through A Glass Darkly
Through a Glass Darkly
Book Review
Springtime, Dante, and Glass Making Lore!
Donna Leon’s fifteenth mystery is set on the island of Murano where her hero, Commissario Guido Brunetti, investigates a murder at a glass furnace (fornace) there. Prior to the murder, Brunetti started snooping around Murano because of suspicion that one of the factory owners may be out to do bodily harm to his son-in-law, an environmental activist and good friend of Brunetti’s sidekick, Vianello.
Leon writes her novels in the third person, and thus, almost everything is seen through Brunetti’s thoughts and judgments. Through Brunetti’s eyes, we experience a wonderful springtime in Venice and superb descriptions of glassware and the age-old art of glass making. Leon has done a lot of research for this book which is a primer on glass making lore and the operation of the factories on Murano. There also is biting social commentary on the effects of industrial pollution on the lagoon by not only the glass factories but also by the chemical and oil industries in nearby Margera. As is often the case, the murderer is motivated by Leon’s old standbys--vanity, greed, and lust for power.
In a less serious vain, we get to enjoy selections from Dante’s Inferno, the antics of Signorina Elletra, the stupidity of Vice-Questore Patta, and the usual immersion in Italian language, food, and culture.
Leon introduced a new character in this book--Paolo Foa. He is the boat pilot for the Questura and plays a key role in the solution of the crime. Foa replaces Bonsuan who was killed in book ten. He’s an interesting guy and hopefully will appear in future books.
- Carlo Vennarucci - May, 2006
Book Review
Springtime, Dante, and Glass Making Lore!
Donna Leon’s fifteenth mystery is set on the island of Murano where her hero, Commissario Guido Brunetti, investigates a murder at a glass furnace (fornace) there. Prior to the murder, Brunetti started snooping around Murano because of suspicion that one of the factory owners may be out to do bodily harm to his son-in-law, an environmental activist and good friend of Brunetti’s sidekick, Vianello.
Leon writes her novels in the third person, and thus, almost everything is seen through Brunetti’s thoughts and judgments. Through Brunetti’s eyes, we experience a wonderful springtime in Venice and superb descriptions of glassware and the age-old art of glass making. Leon has done a lot of research for this book which is a primer on glass making lore and the operation of the factories on Murano. There also is biting social commentary on the effects of industrial pollution on the lagoon by not only the glass factories but also by the chemical and oil industries in nearby Margera. As is often the case, the murderer is motivated by Leon’s old standbys--vanity, greed, and lust for power.
In a less serious vain, we get to enjoy selections from Dante’s Inferno, the antics of Signorina Elletra, the stupidity of Vice-Questore Patta, and the usual immersion in Italian language, food, and culture.
Leon introduced a new character in this book--Paolo Foa. He is the boat pilot for the Questura and plays a key role in the solution of the crime. Foa replaces Bonsuan who was killed in book ten. He’s an interesting guy and hopefully will appear in future books.
- Carlo Vennarucci - May, 2006
Of Mice and Men CAE
Of Mice and Men
This is a Link to a site where US students have commented on the novel:
http://www.ambrit-rome.com/clasproj/mslit/plenty0910/mice.html
This is a Link to a site where US students have commented on the novel:
http://www.ambrit-rome.com/clasproj/mslit/plenty0910/mice.html
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Synopsis of Jurassic Parkby Michael Crichton, Ballentine Books, 1990
In Jurassic Park scientists successfully extract dinosaur DNA from prehistoric mosquitoes. They clone it and make a variety of dinosaurs to inhabit theme park. People are amazed by this until something goes horribly wrong. The novel makes us think about the motives and responsibility for the experiment, as well as the consequences.
The story opens in a remote village of Costa Rica. Several individuals, in separate incidents, have been seriously injured by what one of the victims calls a "raptor". The velociraptor is one of the most vicious and dangerous of the dinosaurs inhabiting the tiny country, and the animals are part of a project of John Alfred Hammond, a billionaire capitalist.
John Hammond started with the idea of developing "consumer biologicals" which involved duplicating rare or genetically engineered animals for a profit. Between 1983 and 1985 he had raised $870 million from investors to fund his proposed corporation, International Genetic Technologies, Inc. At the same time, he insisted on absolute secrecy about the project. What Hammond, through his researchers, had done was to develop what he called, "the most advanced amusement park in the world, combining the latest in electronic and biological technologies." To make his project more efficient, Hammond used as few people as possible in the park, investing instead in computer technology and automation wherever possible. Hammond planned to make money by charging people very high prices to visit the park.
Hammond's amusement park never makes a public opening, as terrible things happen during a visit by private parties. The scientists' cloned and newly created life forms --the dinosaurs-- get out of control, injuring and killing the visitors. Scientists find they are unable to predict the behaviors, abilities, and adaptations of their creations. As the novel ends, many of the visitors to the park have died. What is so disturbing to the survivors and investigators is the evidence that some of the creatures have developed the ability to reproduce and to survive outside of the park setting.
A blogger’s comment on the book and the film:
Jurassic Park is an excellent movie and an excellent book. It helped a lot that the book's author, Michael Crichton, co-wrote the screenplay and was willing to change things around to suit the film media. He made the action of the story move faster and gave the characters more depth and emphasis on a personality trait to create better tension on the screen.The movie version of Alan Grant wasn't too fond of children (he claimed they were "smelly"), but the book made it clear that Grant was someone who didn't mind kids and recognized a shared excitement for dinosaurs. The movie version of Grant worked well for adding some tension in the movie, as Grant got stuck with the kids, and provided a challenge for the character that was funny to watch at times.Steven Spielberg was the perfect passionate director to channel all of these elements. He made the action and characters faster, crisper, and tighter. The flawless, careful casting for the movie contributed to its success. I am not be ashamed to admit that I hear Sam Neill's voice whenever I read Alan Grant's dialogue in the novel.
Jurassic Park is an excellent movie and an excellent book. It helped a lot that the book's author, Michael Crichton, co-wrote the screenplay and was willing to change things around to suit the film media. He made the action of the story move faster and gave the characters more depth and emphasis on a personality trait to create better tension on the screen.The movie version of Alan Grant wasn't too fond of children (he claimed they were "smelly"), but the book made it clear that Grant was someone who didn't mind kids and recognized a shared excitement for dinosaurs. The movie version of Grant worked well for adding some tension in the movie, as Grant got stuck with the kids, and provided a challenge for the character that was funny to watch at times.Steven Spielberg was the perfect passionate director to channel all of these elements. He made the action and characters faster, crisper, and tighter. The flawless, careful casting for the movie contributed to its success. I am not be ashamed to admit that I hear Sam Neill's voice whenever I read Alan Grant's dialogue in the novel.
THE WOMAN IN WHITE
The Woman in White is a novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, published in 1860. It is considered among the first mystery novels and is widely regarded as one of the best in sensational novel genre.
The protagonist in the story is Walter Hartright. The story can be considered as an early detective fiction as he uses many sleuthing techniques. Throughout the story the characters encounter a mysterious woman in white, whose own sad story seems connected to those of Laura and her husband. She is the mysterious Anne Catherick, who apparently plays a crucial role in the main events. Hartright first met Anne Catherick on his last night in London but she reappears, having escaped from the mental asylum. Actually, she was committed by Sir Percival since Anne and her mother know a dark secret about him.
The story is told through the accounts by the main characters. Walter Hartright, is a poor artist, a drawing master employed to teach two young women, Laura Fairlie and Marian Halcombe, in Limmeridge House in Cumberland, owned by Frederick Fairlie, a selfish invalid and owner of Limmeridge House in Cumberland. He is Laura's Uncle. Laura's his supposed heir.
Hartright falls in love with pretty and fair Laura Fairlie. His feelings are returned, but she is already engaged to marry Baronet Sir Percival Glyde. Hartright and Laura are parted and she marries Glyde.
The real motive of Sir Percival Glyde appeared after his marriage to Laura. He is determined to gain control over her Laura's wealth and he plans to steal her fortune and identity. Glyde enlists the help of Count Fosco, a fat and sinister Italian, who greatly admires Marian for her intellect. By this Anne, "the woman in white," has died. They then exploit the resemblance between Laura and Anne Catherick. They bury Anne under Laura's name and commit her to an asylum under the name of Anne. As a result, Laura is stripped of her name and money, and almost of her sanity. She is rescued by Marian and with the help of faithful Hartright. He and Marian battle to reclaim Laura's identity, fortune and position in society, and expose the fraud of her husband, Sir Percival Glyde. Laura and Walter marry. Anne Catherick, the woman in white, has always worn white because of advice she received as a child from Laura's late mother, whom she loved for her kindness.
The protagonist in the story is Walter Hartright. The story can be considered as an early detective fiction as he uses many sleuthing techniques. Throughout the story the characters encounter a mysterious woman in white, whose own sad story seems connected to those of Laura and her husband. She is the mysterious Anne Catherick, who apparently plays a crucial role in the main events. Hartright first met Anne Catherick on his last night in London but she reappears, having escaped from the mental asylum. Actually, she was committed by Sir Percival since Anne and her mother know a dark secret about him.
The story is told through the accounts by the main characters. Walter Hartright, is a poor artist, a drawing master employed to teach two young women, Laura Fairlie and Marian Halcombe, in Limmeridge House in Cumberland, owned by Frederick Fairlie, a selfish invalid and owner of Limmeridge House in Cumberland. He is Laura's Uncle. Laura's his supposed heir.
Hartright falls in love with pretty and fair Laura Fairlie. His feelings are returned, but she is already engaged to marry Baronet Sir Percival Glyde. Hartright and Laura are parted and she marries Glyde.
The real motive of Sir Percival Glyde appeared after his marriage to Laura. He is determined to gain control over her Laura's wealth and he plans to steal her fortune and identity. Glyde enlists the help of Count Fosco, a fat and sinister Italian, who greatly admires Marian for her intellect. By this Anne, "the woman in white," has died. They then exploit the resemblance between Laura and Anne Catherick. They bury Anne under Laura's name and commit her to an asylum under the name of Anne. As a result, Laura is stripped of her name and money, and almost of her sanity. She is rescued by Marian and with the help of faithful Hartright. He and Marian battle to reclaim Laura's identity, fortune and position in society, and expose the fraud of her husband, Sir Percival Glyde. Laura and Walter marry. Anne Catherick, the woman in white, has always worn white because of advice she received as a child from Laura's late mother, whom she loved for her kindness.
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