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Howards End (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: E.M. Forster, David Lodge

April 27, 2006
I was FORCED to study this novel for a-level english literature and LOATHED it! I found it very difficult to stay awake when reading it due to the dull and unrealistic storylines.

I would by no means recommend this novel to anyone. Looking back on the time spent reading and re-reading the book only reminds me of the days I wasted! Now that I have completed my a-levels, nothing would bring me greater satisfaction than to burn the book that bored me to death!

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York Notes on William Shakespeare's "King Lear" (York Notes Advanced)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: William Shakespeare

August 29, 2003
I brought this book to help me on my AS King Lear coursework. It was such a help! It had all the major themes and ideas as well as language and act-by-act notes. It has some complex ideas but easy to work through. The feature I like the most is that in the margins of the books it has further reading or websites to go to for more information on the topic you're looking at. This study guide is a must!

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The Old Harry's Game: Complete Series 1 and 2 (BBC Audio)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Andy Hamilton

September 11, 2008
At last the Beeb has reissued series 1 +2 in their entirety to replace the 50% selection they previously served up in "collection one". Consisting of 2 plastic boxes of 3 CDs each in a superfluous cardboard cover, we finally get to revisit the full narrative of this inventive series.

In series one, the Devil, assisted by the demon, Gary, starts to question his reason for being when an amiable Physics professor (who sees only the best in people) is condemned to the infernal regions solely on the basis of his atheism. The person who killed the Professor and died in the same car crash, Thomas Crimp, is a more typically nasty minded human. A water board chairman who really did sell his own grandmother, Satan has no issue with inflicting ... Read More:

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Thomas Hardy: Everyman Poetry

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Thomas Hardy

April 20, 1998
At last the Beeb has reissued series 1 +2 in their entirety to replace the 50% selection they previously served up in "collection one". Consisting of 2 plastic boxes of 3 CDs each in a superfluous cardboard cover, we finally get to revisit the full narrative of this inventive series.

In series one, the Devil, assisted by the demon, Gary, starts to question his reason for being when an amiable Physics professor (who sees only the best in people) is condemned to the infernal regions solely on the basis of his atheism. The person who killed the Professor and died in the same car crash, Thomas Crimp, is a more typically nasty minded human. A water board chairman who really did sell his own grandmother, Satan has no issue with inflicting ... Read More:

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Sarah Kane: Complete Plays (Methuen Contemporary Dramatists) (Contemporary Dramatists)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Sarah Kane

May 01, 2001
I got this book by complete chance. A friend of mine wanted to buy me a book for christmas and i was drawn to this selection of plays. I am an avid theatre goer and reader but had never heard of Sarah Kane so it was a bit of a chance buy. What a book. I could not put it down from start to finish. I stayed up all night reading it as it was absolutely gripping. It is supremely dark but written with intelligence and thought. It is an abstract representation on her own view of life and i believe that it is truly brilliant work. What a shame that the world has lost a writer such as Sarah Kane.

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Six Characters in Search of an Author (Drama Classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Luigi Pirandello

March 28, 2003
Luigi Pirandello kicked theatre convention out the door with "Six Characters in Search of an Author." Illusion and reality get a bit bent out of shape, as fictional characters stroll about and converse with managers and actors. It's a brilliant piece of existentialist work, and one that had a distinct effect on theatre after that.

It opens with several unnamed theatre people -- the Manager, the Leading Man, the Prompter -- rehearsing a play in an empty theatre. "During this manoeuvre, the Six CHARACTERS enter, and stop by the door at back of stage," Pirandello tells us: a florid Father, timid Mother, equally timid Boy, arrogant Son, sexy Step-Daughter and too-young-to-have-much-personality Child.

"As a ... Read More:

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The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Christopher Booker

November 10, 2005
There are only three kinds of journey: the ones when you start out, and finish somewhere else; the ones where you finish back where you started; and the journeys where you go from one place, and then go on to another. With that you have what you need to understand the essence of travel. Or perhaps you don't, because you just might think that there are some other important issues to bear in mind - like where you're going, what you see or what you do on the way. That's the central problem with Christopher Booker's work. Booker does say something worthwhile about many stories, and he does point to things that many stories have in common: but it's a moot point whether what he tells us about stories is what actually matters about them.

If we take Booker's ... Read More:

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GCSE "An Inspector Calls" (Letts Explore)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: J B Priestley

April 01, 2004
I achieved an A grade using this guide, so I will firstly state that is guide is a fantastic resource for revsion.
I like the language within the guide, as it was not too simple or too complex which usually puts me off revising.
The guide is easy to digest and the interpretations within the guide gain higher grades for the user within the exam, as it is interpretations that the examiner looks for.
I like the size of the guide, as the small size meant that I could easily pop it in my tote bag while travelling meaning that if I had a few minutes spare, I could revise from the guide.
I also liked the techniques that advised the reader what to do within the book, which I found useful as I often found that teacher jargon was too vauge.
I would highly reccomend ... Read More:

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Arcadia

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Tom Stoppard

May 10, 1993
Set in present day and the 18th century, it involves chaos thoery, and the complex and dangerous job of decifering history. i would go into more detail but no short paragraph coul do justice to this masterful work that as only written in 1993!
when i first read the play i found it entertaining, but diffecult at times when dealing with the complex chaos and iteration theories Stoppar has chosen to add. However, after re-reading it, the shere mastery of the play came through. the complex scietific theories do dominate when people think about Arcadia, but there are great characters the way the play is set up is remarkable. The whole play can be seen as a mixture of chaos an order, with each character from the present having their 'twin' in the past.
The play is effectively a ... Read More:

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The Twentieth Century Performance Reader

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
from: Routledge

July 18, 2002
although its a bit on the expensive side it has information on lots of diffirent practioners sometimes with interviews and experts from lots of diffirent books. i didnt use it much at first but i keep refering back to it everyso offten and its a good start point to get rough ideas of what there methods were and offers further reading as well. a keeper