American English · C1 · Unit 13
Literature
Literature
By the end you can
- Analyse a text's themes and style
- Discuss the choices an author made
- Understand a literary passage
Words and phrases
| American English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the protagonist | the main character | The protagonist never leaves Mississippi. |
| the novel explores | the book examines (a theme) | The novel explores grief and guilt. |
| an unreliable narrator | a narrator you can't fully trust | Nick Carraway may be an unreliable narrator. |
| I read it as | I interpret it as | I read it as a story about class. |
| a recurring motif | an image or idea that comes back again and again | The green light is a recurring motif. |
| the author's choice to | why the writer decided to | I question the author's choice to end it there. |
| symbolize | represent (an idea) | The river seems to symbolize freedom. |
| open to interpretation | can be understood in different ways | The last line is open to interpretation. |
| foreshadowing | early hints of what will happen | The storm is clear foreshadowing. |
| sparse prose | simple, minimal writing | Hemingway is known for his sparse prose. |
| a coming-of-age story | a story about growing up | It's a coming-of-age story set in 1960s Detroit. |
| the Great American Novel | the ideal novel that captures the US | Is it the Great American Novel? |
Then talk it through
A literature seminar discussing the ending of a novel. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.