Professional hunter, Obsessed with hunting, Privileged class, Classist,
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Characterization: the general
• Why is the general so obsessed with hunting? • How do you understand his choice of men as prey? • Do his profession and social class help to explain his belief and behavior?
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Evaluation of the story
‘On one level it is adventure and high drama. On another it tackles questions about man's relation to the lower animals. On still another it evaluates existentialism.’ Characterized by lofty or thrilling --- Dave McCourt events/themes
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Plot
• How is tension built up? suspense (study para.19) sentence length and type (compare paras. 18, 34--36, 38 )
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Characterization
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Day 2
• Check on preview: language • Detailed study: part by part Activities: blank filling, paraphrasing, translation, etc.
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N W S Ship-trap Island
Ugandan trick
E
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Death swamp
Background information
I: Introduction to the author & his work
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Achievements
One of the most prolific short story writers of the 20th century--- over 300 short stories published in top magazines of the time Successful screenwriter and novelist Dozens of movies and TV series based on his stories http://www.intercoursewiththedead. com/concrit.htm
Teaching demo -A Short Story
By Wang We/06 WANG
Importance of the work
Best-remembered and • (1924) winning the O’Henry Memorial Prize, themost-studied， top short story prize in America One of the world’s best short stories • Included as a classic into American primary school and high school textbooks and the world’s best short fiction anthologies • Adapted into a dozen of films--- the latest one: Lethal Woman (1998); the best-known one: The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Richard Connell (1893 - 1949)
Age 10: covered baseball games for his father’s newspaper at the payment of 10 cents for each game Age 16: became city editor of the paper Age 22: graduated from Harvard Age 26: married and turned a professional writer
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Preclass work: Venn Diagram
Rainsford Zaroff
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Preclass work
• Individual work:
2) stylistic analysis: This hunting story is described as a gripping horror narrative loaded with action. What stylistic features can you find in the text to support this description? (verbs, syntax variation, imagery in setting and characterization, suspense, etc.)
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Outline: day 1
• Lead-in activities: task sheets • Objectives • Background information • Plot, characterization, setting, themes • Further questions for discussion: (for day 3)
Stereotype, Zaroff Cossack Russian, aristocratic, military, maniac, demonic KindredRainsford spirits 志趣相投 American, (democratic) civilian Still “normal”, human
Day 3:
• Discussion • Sum-up • Extra exercise/ Quiz
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Preclass work
• Group Work: Please draw a map of the ship-trap island and mark out Rainsford’s escape route according to the text. Study para. 27 and para. 36 carefully. Try to figure out how Rainsford’s tricks work. Demonstrate them in class.
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Preclass work
• Individual work:
2) stylistic analysis: This hunting story is described as a gripping horror narrative loaded with action. What stylistic features can you find in the text to support this description? (verbs, syntax variation, imagery in setting and characterization, suspense, etc.)
(reading technique：close reading)
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Objectives: language & writing
• style: verbs, syntax, imagery, irony, personification… • suspense • step-up: repetition, comparison and contrast
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Historical background: 1920s
Big game hunting in African and South American countries is popular with wealthy Europeans and Americans. In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt and his son killed 512 animals on an African safari. Right after WWI, “a war to end all wars”, the Bolshevik revolution that topples the old hierarchy of classes.
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Preclass work
• Individual work:
1) Produce a Venn Diagram to compare Rainsford and Zaroff. Do you think the villain and the hero are radically different? If not, what do they have in common?
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Objectives: genre study (review)