What is the je-ne-sais-quoi? How-if at all-can it be put into words? In addressing these questions, Richard Scholar offers the first full-length study of the je-ne-sais-quoi and its fortunes in early modern Europe. He describes the rise and fall of the expression as a noun and as a topic of debate, examines its cluster of meanings, and uncovers the scattered traces of its 'pre-history'. The je-ne-sais-quoi is often assumed to belong purely to the realm of the literary, but in the early modern period it serves to articulate problems of knowledge in natural philosophy, the passions, and culture, and for that reason it is approached here from an interdisciplinary perspective. Placing major figures of the period such as Montaigne, Shakespeare, Descartes, Corneille, and Pascal alongside some of their lesser-known contemporaries, Scholar argues that the je-ne-sais-quoi serves above all to capture first-person encounters with a 'certain something' that is as difficult to explain as its effects are intense. When early modern writers use the expression in this way, he suggests, they give literary form to an experience that twenty-first-century readers may recognize as something like their own.

'Here's a knocking indeed ' says the Porter in Shakespeare's Scottish play (Act II, Scene 3) and immediately puts himself into role in order to deal with the demands of such an early call after a late night of drinking and carousal: 'If a man were porter of hell-gate...'. But what roles does the porter of curriculum-gate take on in order to deal with drama's persistent demands for entry? Ah, that depends upon the temperature of the times. We, who have been knocking for what seems to be a very long time, know well that when evaluation and measurement criteriaare demanded as evidence of drama's ef cacy, an examiner stands as gatekeeper. When the educational landscape is in danger of overcrowding, we meet a territorial governor. And how often has the courtesan turned out to be only a tease because the arts are, for a brief moment, in the spotlight for their abilities to foster out-of-the-box thinkers? In this text, we meet these 'commissionaires' and many more. The gatekeeping roles and what they represent are so familiar that they have become cliches to us. We know them by their arguments, ripostes, dismissals, their brief encouragement and lack of follow-up. And we know that behind each one (however rmly they think they keep the keys) is a nancial and political master whose power controls the curriculum building and everything in it."

Key features of this text: How to study the text Author and historical background General and detailed summaries Commentary on themes, structure, characters, language and style Glossaries Test questions and issues to consider Essay writing advice Cultural connections Literary terms Illustrations Colour design

Key Features: * Study methods * Introduction to the text * Summaries with critical notes * Themes and techniques * Textual analysis of key passages * Author biography * Historical and literary background * Modern and historical critical approaches * Chronology * Glossary of literary terms

'York Notes for GCSE' offers a useful approach to English Literature and aims to help readers achieve a better grade. Updated to reflect the needs of today's students, the new editions are filled with detailed summaries, commentaries on key themes, characters, language and style, illustrations, exam advice and much more.

Encompasses the poetry requirements in National Curriculum programmes of study for Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing. The text identifies eight ways for children to experience poetry: listening; speaking; reading; memorising; conversation; through the arts; writing; and performing. It then shows how teachers can use all these modes to develop pupils' perceptions and responses to poetry, including planning programmes and assessing outcomes.

This superb Grade 9-1 GCSE English Literature Poetry Guide from CGP covers the entire 'Power and Conflict' cluster from the AQA Anthology of Poetry. The full text of every poem is included, with clear, concise notes on the meaning, form, structure and language - plus questions to help students develop their personal responses. It's also very important to be able to compare the poems, so we've included in-depth sections on the themes and poetic techniques found in the cluster. There are practice questions and exam-style questions at the end of each section, and the book is rounded off with plenty of detailed exam advice - including the chance to improve and mark sample answers using a realistic mark scheme. Perfect for getting to grips with exactly what the examiners are looking for!

Includes everything students need for their first encounter with Shakespeare - well-chosen scenes from his most famous plays, plus lively accessible activities for discussion, drama, language study and comparison. It's the ideal starting-point for exploring Shakespeare, his theatre and his language. Extracts from: Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice.

Part of a series of Shakespeare editions, providing the complete original text as well as support materials for teachers and pupils. It features a National Curriculum study programme with activities "before", "during" and "after" encountering the text. Opening double page spreads for each act provide a synopsis of that act and, where appropriate, photographs from productions. Notes are given on left-hand pages, opposite the text.

Which exam? AQA GCSE (9-1) English Literature First teaching: September 2015 First assessment: June 2017 A targeted way to build key skills for the new AQA GCSE (9-1) English Literature exams (assessment from 2017). To create this workbook, we identified the most common barriers that students face when they're studying A Christmas Carol. Target's structured approach develops the key skills you need to overcome these obstacles and work towards your expected grade at GCSE. Target workbooks' unique approach builds, develops and extends key exam skills. Step-by-step exercises get you exam-ready, with each book providing 70+ pages of structured practice. Full of ready-to-use examples and activities. Designed for those working towards Grade 5, but with stretch to reach Grade 6. See your progress easily, with step-by-step exercises and exam-style questions that build key skills. Focus on the parts of the text that you find difficult - each workbook addresses a range of common problems and misconceptions. Use the workbooks in class or at home - the exercises are easy to use independently. Visit our website for the full range of Target English and English Literature workbooks.

Which exam? AQA GCSE (9-1) English Literature First teaching: September 2015 First assessment: June 2017 A targeted way to build key skills for the new AQA GCSE (9-1) English Literature exams (assessment from 2017). To create this workbook, we identified the most common barriers that students face when they're studying Romeo and Juliet. Target's structured approach develops the key skills you need to overcome these obstacles and work towards your expected grade at GCSE. Target workbooks' unique approach builds, develops and extends key exam skills. Step-by-step exercises get you exam-ready, with each book providing 70+ pages of structured practice. Full of ready-to-use examples and activities. Designed for those working towards Grade 5, but with stretch to reach Grade 6. See your progress easily, with step-by-step exercises and exam-style questions that build key skills. Focus on the parts of the text that you find difficult - each workbook addresses a range of common problems and misconceptions. Use the workbooks in class or at home - the exercises are easy to use independently. Visit our website for the full range of Target English and English Literature workbooks.

Build up to better results With its flexible and progressive approach, this unique 3-Step Test Booster book is the ultimate way to help children test their reading skills whilst efficiently and effectively preparing them for the official tests. Practise and prepare for SATs success Fast 10-minute tests will help children get to grips with SATs-style questions. As they advance to the more challenging 15- and 20-minute tests they'll quickly begin to build their stamina and feel pride in their progress as they get plenty of practise putting their reading and comprehension to the test. Boost skills and confidence Children can mark and track their achievements throughout using the expert answer key and feedback notes to identify their weaknesses and build on their strengths. As they work step-by-step through each test they'll finish feeling confident, prepared and ready to sit their KS2 English SATs.

When Tom Headley enlists underage in the Great War, he and his childhood friends head straight to the front line as tunnellers. In tragic circumstances, Tom is blamed for the deaths of his comrades. His family and sweetheart back home are shunned by the community. Eighty years later, a young schoolgirl sets out to research her great grandparents as part of a Poppy Day project. She uncovers shocking truths, and in doing so rights a wrong that has lasted for generations, and rewrites history...* Engaging accessible dialogue * Many cross-curricular links * Perfect for exploring the relevance of history today.

Gary Paulsen, a three-time Newbery Honor winner, has written over 175 books for young adults and adults for over twenty years. His stories of adventure and survival are beloved by readers, teachers, librarians, and critics. This volume examines a sample of the most widely-known and widely-studied books by Paulsen. A biographical chapter demonstrates how Paulsen's life experiences, notably the Iditarod, have influenced his writing. Each book is analyzed for plot, characterization, setting, and themes, written at a level that is accessible for young readers, yet providing in-depth information for older readers. Books analyzed in this volume include: -Brian's Winter -Dogsong -Hatchet -The Island -Winter Room

Feel confident, ready and fully prepared for the 2021 assessments and 2022 exams. Feel confident, prepared and totally ready for any test, exam or assessment. Beat your nerves by getting familiar with test and assessment-style questions. Seven sample tests for you to work through so you can eliminate your worries and feel ready to impress. Maximise your full potential and aim for the best possible assessment grade by comparing your work against the sample answers provided. York Notes are the long-established experts in English Literature, and we take your success seriously. So if you're studying Macbeth by William Shakespeare for your GCSE and are looking for some essential test practice before you're fully assessed, you can trust this book to get you up to speed. Proper practice is crucial if you want to perform at your best in formal tests, exams or assessments, and this is the only book of practice tests dedicated solely to Macbeth. Use it to test all your skills and knowledge, to target your revision, and to make sure you are as ready, prepared and confident as possible when it comes to assessment time. Why not use these GCSE Practice Tests with a York Notes Study Guide and Workbook for the most complete study, practice and revision solution? Just search for 9781447982203 for the Study Guide, and 9781292100814 for the Workbook.

The complete and comprehensive way to support your studies and assessments in 2021 and exams in 2022. Get to the heart of every poem with crystal-clear notes, focused analysis and expert summaries. Quickly demystify historical contexts and get to grips with the poems' form, language and structure. Build confidence with unique sections on comparing poems and approaching 'unseen' poems. Power up your essay-writing skills, learn how to write top-grade answers and feel fully ready and equipped to excel in any test or assessment. York Notes are the long-established experts in English Literature, and we take your success seriously. So whether you're studying the AQA Love and Relationships Anthology for GCSE at home, online or in the classroom, York Notes is your best bet for the best grades. Packed with more powerful features than any other guide, this essential AQA Love and Relationships Anthology study companion is easy to use, brimming with essential info and will quickly become your go-to buddy as you navigate your GCSE course, build your confidence, stay motivated and get ready to impress in any test, assessment or exam. To make sure you feel really ready for the unique challenges of assessment and to get the grades you know you deserve, why not use this Study Guide with the York Notes Workbook for the AQA Love and Relationships Anthology? Just search for 9781292236803. Looking for a speedier way to refresh and remember what really matters? Our unique Rapid Revision Cards are fast, fun and have all the answers. Just search now for 9781292273693.

Feel confident, ready and fully prepared for the 2021 assessments and 2022 exams. Feel confident, prepared and totally ready for any test, exam or assessment. Beat your nerves by getting familiar with test and assessment-style questions. Seven sample tests for you to work through so you can eliminate your worries and feel ready to impress. Maximise your full potential and aim for the best possible assessment grade by comparing your work against the sample answers provided. York Notes are the long-established experts in English Literature, and we take your success seriously. So if you're studying Macbeth by William Shakespeare for your GCSE and are looking for some essential test practice before you're fully assessed, you can trust this book to get you up to speed. Proper practice is crucial if you want to perform at your best in formal tests, exams or assessments, and this is the only book of practice tests dedicated solely to Macbeth. Use it to test all your skills and knowledge, to target your revision, and to make sure you are as ready, prepared and confident as possible when it comes to assessment time. Why not use these GCSE Practice Tests with a York Notes Study Guide and Workbook for the most complete study, practice and revision solution? Just search for 9781447982203 for the Study Guide, and 9781292100814 for the Workbook.

Exam Board: SQA Level: National 5 and Higher Subject: English First teaching: September 2017 (N5) / September 2018 (Higher) First exams: Summer 2018 (N5) / Summer 2019 (Higher) Understand, analyse, evaluate, succeed. This study and revision guide takes you through every aspect of The Cone-Gatherers, with exam advice for the National 5 and Higher English Critical Reading papers. Fully up to date with SQA's latest exam requirements, this book is written by an expert who knows what exam success looks like. > Develop understanding of plot, structure, characterisation, themes and language. Clear explanations and detailed commentary are supported by definitions of key terms and unfamiliar words > Build critical and analytical skills. Students are encouraged to think more deeply about the text and consider the writers' ideas, choices and techniques > Receive advice on the Scottish Texts section of the exam. Sample questions with model answers and examiner-style commentary are supported by additional practice questions for students to do > Prepare for the Critical Essay section of the exam. With tips and examples for planning, structuring and writing a top-grade essay, plus practice essay questions for students to answer > Remember key quotations. A selection of quotes are highlighted throughout, so students can use them in the exam to make comparisons between different parts of the text > Review your learning. Quick questions at the end of each chapter check students' understanding of the text

This brilliant Targeted Question Book is packed with Reading Comprehension practice for Year 6 pupils! It contains fifteen engaging texts - including fiction, non-fiction and poetry - that cover a diverse range of styles and eras, from well-known classics to modern authors. Each text is accompanied by practice questions to help build pupils' Reading Comprehension skills, and there are full answers at the back. There are also handy online extras, including a pupil progress chart. For more Year 6 Reading Comprehension practice, we also have a Book 2 (9781782947028) and challenging Stretch Book (9781782947899).

Walter Dean Myers, acclaimed author of African American books for children and young adults, published his first book, "Where Does the Day Go?" in 1969. He is most widely known for his coming-of-age novels including the Newbery Honor books Scorpions (1989) and Somewhere in the Darkness (1993). A prolific author of both fiction and nonfiction, novels and historical works examined here include Fallen Angels, The Glory Field, Monster, and Shooters. Myers has written over 70 books, the most recent also illustrated by his son Christopher. He volunteers at local schools to encourage students in their reading and writing.

Explains how the study of poetry, by providing experiences similar to those produced by poetry therapy, can help students discover themselves and develop their potential to effect change in the world.

This CGP Text Guide contains everything you need to write top-grade essays about George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'. It's suitable for all GCSE English exams, including the new ones starting in summer 2017. Inside, you'll find clear, thorough notes on the novel's context, plot, characters, themes and the writer's techniques - with quick questions, in-depth questions and exam-style questions included at the end of every section. There's also detailed exam advice to help you improve your grades, plus a cartoon-strip summary to remind you of all the important plot points!

This series of unabridged Shakespeare titles is based on the premise that students can reach a clear understanding of their work only through a close and careful reading of the text. The commentary facing each page of the text has been designed to suggest a critical interpretation of the play.