Final revision Section A and Section B- AQA Lit B Paper 1.pptx

Revision reminders for A-Level Literature B (AQA)

1. Structuring a Response to Section B STRUCTURE Mini Introduction – engage with the debate set up in the task and offer your overarching argument focused on task Idea One – Argument 1 (pinned to text AO2/AO3) that supports your overarching argument then evaluate if appropriate Idea Two – Argument 2 (pinned to text AO2/AO3) that supports your overarching argument then evaluate if appropriate Idea Three – Argument 3 (pinned to text AO2/AO3) that supports your overarching argument then evaluate if appropriate Brief Conclusion

2. Comedy Terminology/Dramatic Methods Bawdy humour: Sexual puns/jokes Allowed fool: Comedy jester who is permitted to make entertaining but often truthfully critical comments Agent of resolution: A force, event or character which brings about the resolution of the play Caricatured: made fun of through exaggerating the appearance or characteristics of someone Catalyst: a character or event which brings about change Comedic problem: the obstacle or issue that the characters must overcome in order to find happiness Pathos: the feelings of pity or sadness Bathos: an effect of anti-climax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous. Resolution: The part of the story where problems are overcome Revelation: the part of the story where a truth or secret is revealed Satire: humour that pokes fun at people in order to make a point Schadenfreude: the cruel pleasure taken from the downfall of others Archetype: a typical example Climax: The high point of a narrative Soliloquy: a speech delivered by a character alone on stage Aside: Lines spoken by the character that others on stage do not hear Deepen Understanding

3. Words related to comedy Comic problem Deception Physical comedy Subversion Resolution Dark Humour Schadenfreude Complication Tragedy Averted Turning point Dramatic irony Antagonist Fools Master/servant Resolution Comic Villain Word play Disguise Slapstick Satire Social hierarchy

4. How to approach the extract Here are a list of rules that I want us all to stick to when doing Paper 1 Section A. This will allow you to access the full range of the mark scheme and this is advice from the Principal Examiner. Read the full extract. Think about HOW it starts and why this is significant; think about the ending point and why that is significant; think about who knows what on stage; think about any problems/complications that are introduced to us at this point; consider who knows what (including the audience Choose 3 of the best parts of the extract to write about. Consider the methods that Shakespeare uses at each of these points. Annotate this on the extract Write an opening paragraph where you explain briefly: - WHERE the extract has come from and what had happened just before -WHAT is happening in the extract, using key terminology -WHAT happens directly afterwards

5. Twelfth Night or What You Will Festivity and Carnival The play takes its nae from the day which falls on 6 th January which is the end of the twelve days of Christmas. It is generally regarded as the last opportunity to celebrate during the holiday period before returning to ‘normality’. The time setting is indeterminate referencing both ‘midsummer madness’ (Act 3 Scene 4) and ‘the twelfth day of December’ (Act 2 Scene 3). It has a sense of festive playfulness in which the normal patterns of every day life are suspended. The spirit of carnival can be seen in the text. The festive period was given over to the consumption of food and drink. Frivolity was the norm rather than the sober behaviour of the working week. A lord of misrule was appointed who organised lively, hedonistic behaviour; pranks, trickery and deception were commonplace. Power and Misrule In some ways, the festive period was a rejection of the strictures of work and authority with the Lord of Misrule having power over the household and flouting rules which were in lace for the rest of the year. “Although the main meaning of the word will in the play’s title is ‘wish’ or ‘want’, in Elizabethan usage it could also signal irrational desire, unbridled passion, as Shakespeare’s persistent pun on the word in his sonnets to the dark lady testify. This sense lurks in ‘What You Will’ too adumbrating the play’s concern with characters seized by blink infatuation or consuming emotion. In this respect, the alternative title reinforces the carnivalesque connotations of Twelfth Night; it primes us to expect sexual impropriety. Deepen Understanding

6. Twelfth Night or What You Will Festivity and Carnival The play takes its nae from the day which falls on 6 th January which is the end of the twelve days of Christmas. It is generally regarded as the last opportunity to celebrate during the holiday period before returning to ‘normality’. The time setting is indeterminate referencing both ‘midsummer madness’ (Act 3 Scene 4) and ‘the twelfth day of December’ (Act 2 Scene 3). It has a sense of festive playfulness in which the normal patterns of every day life are suspended. The spirit of carnival can be seen in the text. The festive period was given over to the consumption of food and drink. Frivolity was the norm rather than the sober behaviour of the working week. A lord of misrule was appointed who organised lively, hedonistic behaviour; pranks, trickery and deception were commonplace. Power and Misrule In some ways, the festive period was a rejection of the strictures of work and authority with the Lord of Misrule having power over the household and flouting rules which were in lace for the rest of the year. “Although the main meaning of the word will in the play’s title is ‘wish’ or ‘want’, in Elizabethan usage it could also signal irrational desire, unbridled passion, as Shakespeare’s persistent pun on the word in his sonnets to the dark lady testify. This sense lurks in ‘What You Will’ too adumbrating the play’s concern with characters seized by blink infatuation or consuming emotion. In this respect, the alternative title reinforces the carnivalesque connotations of Twelfth Night; it primes us to expect sexual impropriety. Deepen Understanding

7. Twelfth Night or What You Will Sir Toby and the spirit of misrule Sir Toby and Sir Andrew could be seen as a typical comic pairing echoing the classic comic double act. He could be seen as an embodiment of the spirit of misrule linked to the Twelfth Night festivities. Cl Barber noted that ‘in customs which center on a Lord of Misrule, the rougher pleasures of defiance and mockery are uppermost.’ However, it could be argued that there is more to this comedy pairing. We could feel sympathy for Sir Andrew for the ways in which he is ,manipulated by Sir Toby. Answer: Which characters embody the spirit of misrule? Which actions in the play might be deemed rebellious, defiant or cruel? Where in the play do servants enjoy power over their superiors? Do superior characters willingly accept attempts to subvert their power? Is there any sense that the playful actions are tinged with sadness? Task: Consider Sir Toby’s character arc. Could he be considered anything more than a comic character? Deepen Understanding

8. Exploring the comic character arc: a working example To be able to write about character, we must first see how they fit within the genre of comedy; what function do they serve? Are they are character who develops in character or do they undergo no personal growth. Why might a writer do this? Look at this example for Viola: As the protagonist of this comedy, Viola’s character arc traces the journey from sadness to fulfilment. She is shown to be a resourceful protagonist who behaves in a way which allows her to rise above her worries : “I’ll serve this duke. Thou shalt present me as a eunuch to him” Shakespeare positions her as a romantic heroine to the audience and we are willing fortune to favour her. Malvolio acknowledges that she is ‘very well favoured’. She is shown to be someone with who characters easily form attachments “he hath known you but three days and already you are no stranger”. Despite the upbeat and resourceful presentation, we are offered moments of pathos from Viola which allow the audience to connect with her on an emotional level. She calls herself ‘poor monster’ and the ‘make me a willow cabin’ speech strengthens the notion that she is one of the few characters who know what genuine love feels like. In particular, she sharply contrasts with empty words of Orsino as the satirised Petrarchan lover. The comic ending for Viola is one of happiness. She is reunited with what is arguably her true love-her brother Sebastian and rewarded with marriage to Orsino. However, the relationship could still appears hollow as he refers to her as Cesario and is yet to see her in her ‘woman’s weeds’ Deepen Understanding

9. Exploring the comic character arc: a working example Look at this example for Viola: As the protagonist of this comedy, Viola’s character arc traces the journey from sadness to fulfilment. She is shown to be a resourceful protagonist who behaves in a way which allows her to rise above her worries : “I’ll serve this duke. Thou shalt present me as a eunuch to him” Shakespeare positions her as a romantic heroine to the audience and we are willing fortune to favour her. Malvolio acknowledges that she is ‘very well favoured’. She is shown to be someone with who characters easily form attachments “he hath known you but three days and already you are no stranger”. Despite the upbeat and resourceful presentation, we are offered moments of pathos from Viola which allow the audience to connect with her on an emotional level. She calls herself ‘poor monster’ and the ‘make me a willow cabin’ speech strengthens the notion that she is one of the few characters who know what genuine love feels like. In particular, she sharply contrasts with empty words of Orsino as the satirised Petrarchan lover. The comic ending for Viola is one of happiness. She is reunited with what is arguably her true love-her brother Sebastian and rewarded with marriage to Orsino. However, the relationship could still appears hollow as he refers to her as Cesario and is yet to see her in her ‘woman’s weeds’ Task: As part of your revision Add to this quotations and terminology related to comedy Do the same for the other two lovers Orsino and Viola Deepen Understanding

10. Disguise, Deception and Misunderstanding In Comedy deception can provoke humour. The deliberate misleading of others can cause laughter. In Twelfth Night those forms of deception are acted out Deepen Understanding