AQA A2 English Literature B (LITB3): Elements of the Gothic 11th June 2015

Original post by naimah_786

Hi I'm also doing wuthering heights, how are you going about revision with it? What themes do you think would come up? Is your board WJEC or EDEXCEL?

Its such a hard text to revise. So far I have read the text whilst noting down any significant quotes for the story/ gothic. I have made a brief mind map for structure / form/ language , characters and themes. I have made a list of all the things I think could come up ( based on every question asked on every text so far, sounds so tedious haha) So my next task will be to try and make an essay plan for each potential question . Eventually, all the quotes I will have gathered I will put onto flashcards, and use these to make links and piles for each potential question. Thats the plan anyway, whether or not it will happen is another question haha. Im with AQA

Reply 283

BOWE

Original post by Nerdy_Birdy96

hey, this is really good!

As someone else has said there needs to be more AO4 in there, as your AOs need to be balanced. I'd also look for at least one 'meaty' quote that you can analyse in detail, as the mark scheme sates "specific aspects of" language, form and structure. So look for similes, metaphors, personification etc.. as this helps you get higher marks. For structure look for mirroring, for example in your paragraph about loneliness you can talk about how the monster mirrors Frankenstein as they both live in isolation, suggesting they are doubles. That way you could also get AO3 in there and say that arguably they are different, and therefore not doubles, as Victor's isolation is self-inflicted whereas the monster's if forced upon him.

But it's great, well done!

Thank you so much for your feedback :smile:

This was my first attempt at a practice essay since coming back to this unit, so it's definitely a confidence boost to know where I am and what needs to be done, thank you :smile:

Reply 284

Nerdy_Birdy96

OP

Original post by BOWE

Its such a hard text to revise. So far I have read the text whilst noting down any significant quotes for the story/ gothic. I have made a brief mind map for structure / form/ language , characters and themes. I have made a list of all the things I think could come up ( based on every question asked on every text so far, sounds so tedious haha) So my next task will be to try and make an essay plan for each potential question . Eventually, all the quotes I will have gathered I will put onto flashcards, and use these to make links and piles for each potential question. Thats the plan anyway, whether or not it will happen is another question haha. Im with AQA

Hey, could you possibly put the list up of what you think could come up?

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Reply 285

SoccerSarah

Anyone doing Bloody Chamber - what do you think the Erl King's about? I personally see it as very similar to the Bloody Chamber in that it's about how the protagonist is complicit in her own submission by realising the danger she is in but relishing being on the brink and the fear of falling - standing close to the fire and enjoying the idea of being burnt. Women as a whole are complicit in their own subjugation, Carter's saying - she is feeding the man that traps the birds. She sees the danger she is in and longs to make a change, but the ending is totally hypothetical and you don't know if she ever does these things so much as longs to free the girls and birds and allow them to play their own songs on the violin...

Reply 286

kikess_

3

someone help mee pleaseee :frown:

so not ready for this exam. dreading it

Reply 287

ammaarah01x

8

Original post by kikess_

someone help mee pleaseee :frown:

so not ready for this exam. dreading it

Second this

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Reply 288

Original post by SoccerSarah

Anyone doing Bloody Chamber - what do you think the Erl King's about? I personally see it as very similar to the Bloody Chamber in that it's about how the protagonist is complicit in her own submission by realising the danger she is in but relishing being on the brink and the fear of falling - standing close to the fire and enjoying the idea of being burnt. Women as a whole are complicit in their own subjugation, Carter's saying - she is feeding the man that traps the birds. She sees the danger she is in and longs to make a change, but the ending is totally hypothetical and you don't know if she ever does these things so much as longs to free the girls and birds and allow them to play their own songs on the violin...

That's an interesting point.
About the ending, you could also argue that she is likely to have killed him and freed the birds, since the repetition of "will", portrays her determination to put an end to the suffering.
I do like the idea of it being hypothetical, you could bring in stuff about the unconscious desires. :colone:

a bit of freud.

Btw, in The Bloody Chamber, what does carter mean when she describes the Marquis as a "sentient vegetable"? on page 3, when she is comparing the Marquis to a Lily. I understand the lily part, but the vegetable just throws me off. :s-smilie:

Reply 289

Original post by skelac

A question for those doing the Bloody Chamber, are you learning all the stories and quotations for each of them or focusing on a select few?

It depends if you are doing it for section A.
If so, best to learn most of them.
If not, you could get away with 5 maybe?

Reply 290

Original post by Giroud12

Anybody got any predictions?

If anyone replies to this, let me know please :s-smilie:

Reply 291

aliceiona_xx

Original post by I Procrastinate

If anyone replies to this, let me know please :s-smilie:

Religion and women/presentation of women haven't come up in a while, but really there is no way we can predict the questions :frown:

Reply 292

Original post by aliceiona_xx

Religion and women/presentation of women haven't come up in a while, but really there is no way we can predict the questions :frown:

Thanks.

aqa is just :colonhash:

Reply 293

thelaughingsam

Hey, I'm doing The Pardoners Tale, The Bloody Chamber and Dr Faustus. Relatively confident on everything except TBC because of the 10 stories! Thoughts anyone?

Reply 294

aliceiona_xx

Original post by thelaughingsam

Hey, I'm doing The Pardoners Tale, The Bloody Chamber and Dr Faustus. Relatively confident on everything except TBC because of the 10 stories! Thoughts anyone?

I'm going to be focusing on TBC, The Tiger's Bride, The Snow Child and Wolf Alice as my main four but am aiming to also have The Courtship of Mr Lyon and The Werewolf up my sleeve if I can apply them to the question!

TBC is great for everything Gothic - and context - Marquis is based on a real person etc so you can add that in there amongst stuff like family relationships. Also at the end there is a positive spin on it when the mother fires a "single, irreproachable bullet into my (her) husband's head" - showing female agency is needed in society, females cannot be passive as they have been for so many years.

TTB - I just really like this one - again it's Gothic as it comments directly on the theme of transgression. Also I like it as although it is not the most positive story, the line "The lamb must learn to run with the tigers" just really hits home to me and explains what Carter's writing is all about!

TSC- Gothic and short - has loads of language points that you can talk easily about + if anything about subconscious desires comes up you can talk about the Count: necrophilia, incest and pedophilia are all Gothic taboos.

Wolf Alice - Has quite a lot of religious references in it (all anti-religion of course) so good to have that as it has been suggested that religion is a theme that may come up. Wolf Alice represents the theme that Carter loves of animalistic qualities in humans. She is still compassionate towards the Duke - Carter is showing although animalistic, she has human morals which is a cute little point aha! Positive story in all!

I suggest learn around 10 quotes for each story that can be used broadly, and that answer AO2 :smile:

Reply 295

carrellii

7

Does anyone have any tips on writing a good introduction quickly? I always waste so much time because I spend so long trying to write a good one!

Reply 296

lsills

Hi Everyone! Doing Pardoner for Sec A (is anyone else)? and Pardoner, Wuthering Heights and Blood Chamber for Sec B.
In terms of Section B is anyone else doing Bloody Chamber just focusing on like 2/3 main gothic texts to revise (The BC, Snow Child and Lady of H O L?) I have this ****! Thanks x

Reply 297

romolasgarai

Hi guys,

Does anyone know of any way that I can get my hands on the 2009/2010/2011 papers for this exam (that is, if the Gothic paper was running then - I don't know if it was)?

Is there a website where you can find them? If any of you have the titles, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you could post them on here.

Thanks a lot, good luck revising!

Reply 298

aliceiona_xx