Book Choices - A2 AQA English Literature B UNIT 4

This is a question to all the people who have done AQA English LITB 4 - coursework for A Level. Our teacher has told us to go and think of some book choices over the summer, I just wanted to know what book choices other people have picked and what kind of theme/questions they did it about?

Reply 1

jessicaaellaa

if this is the coursework unit, i have just done it, you can pick whatever you want, you should have been given a critical something booklet (sorry i cant remember) and within that there should be themes, pick a theme, and then pick books, it should be different to your other coursework choice, a different theme that is. i did the scarlet letter and snow flower and the secret fan, and mine was on the expectations of women, and how the women meet their expectations and if it leads to happiness. i would suggest for you to do whatever you think is going to be best for you, i hated the scarlet letter, so do something you love!!

Reply 2

et cetera

10

Well you shouldn't just pick any book - to make it slightly easier for yourself, pick something with strong references to either Feminism, Marxism or Metaphor etc.

For example, I chose Feminism and did Williams' 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' - specifically how the female characters lend themselves to traditional archetypes.

Also, if you chose to do Marxism you could do Orwell's 'Animal Farm' etc. etc.

Reply 3

Kavita10

I did this coursework and chose Atonement and The End of the Affair for one piece, writing about a Catholic perspective on guilt and atonement compared to a secular perspective. For the other piece I chose two short stories - Hairball by Margaret Atwood and Gods and Slaves by Clare Boylan, and wrote about the role of women in the sixties in comparison to modern day.

Reply 4

EarthGirl

I'm a bit confused about this coursework...

We've been given the critical anthology and I've read it.Do I now have to find a book which relates to a theme from the anthology?Can it also be a poem or a short story?

Reply 5

jessicaaellaa

Original post by EarthGirl

I'm a bit confused about this coursework...

We've been given the critical anthology and I've read it.Do I now have to find a book which relates to a theme from the anthology?Can it also be a poem or a short story?

it can be a collection of poems, or a short story, but there has to be enough for you to write about, a collection of poems you can do, like hardy's emma poems.

and you can lightly focus, so like with Gender, you could just do women, or just do men, or just gender difference, say you did hardy's emma poems, you can do symbolism

Reply 6

IL0veBooks_55

6

Original post by lisa96

Does anyone know any good metaphor poems ?

The Lady of Shalott, Tennyson - helped get me an A* and is my favourite poem!!

Reply 7

IL0veBooks_55

6

Original post by lisa96

It's quite a long poem though, did you analyse all of it?

Yeah I did :smile:

Reply 8

AlexKay99

9

Can anyone tell me, can you literally pick books and any topics you want to discuss? Even from texts in translation Eg: Dostoyevsky Crime and Punishment ect? Or does it have to be exclusively english literature?? what about the topics/themes you want to discuss, do you pick them as well? confused here!! :smile:

Reply 9

fatimaja

6

Hi,

So I'm doing this coursework too, and I was thinking of studying 'Alice In Wonderland' in the literary canon theme. What I wanted to ask was do I have to argue why it should be on the canon, so give a balanced argument talking about why it should and then why it shouldn't, or could I just use the whole essay arguing one side? Thanks a lot! Also, does anyone have any general advice having done this coursework? Thanks a lot!! :smile:

Reply 10

SharminaSyeda

I'm definitely going to choose the kite runner, its my favourite all time book and I know it inside out, and for the second book possibly a classic, I was thinking to kill a mockingbird since I love that too and know it pretty well. Hoping this goes well, cos my AS exam messed up, I hate AQA with a passion they're such tight markers!

Reply 11

ladyaudley

I'm studying with ICS (which I'm realising was a poor choice!) and the website says that there are set texts for this unit. Has anyone done this course with them? Can you really only write on the two novels chosen (Austen's Emma and Pride and Prejudice)? Or can you choose more? Because I am going to complain if you don't get to choose - it's the whole point of the unit!

Reply 12

Nicky_888

I am with ICS as well. Tutor is unhelpful! Not sure what is best. What do think? Themes must be the key to AQA English LITB 4. Nicky

Reply 13

privatestudent

7

Original post by Nicky_888

I am with ICS as well. Tutor is unhelpful! Not sure what is best. What do think? Themes must be the key to AQA English LITB 4. Nicky

What did you end up going with? Am in the same boat as you.

Reply 14

Arkasia

19

Can I confirm that we are allowed to pick a short story as one of the two? I want to compare The Great Gatsby and The Vampyre?

Reply 15

privatestudent

7

Is anyone analysing a book instead of a poem for Section B Metaphors? I realise that poems are ideal for studying metaphor but wonder if it's not too difficult to do a book? Generally I'm stronger on books and Sections A and C don't grab me.

Reply 16

Alevelscankill

1

We've actually just started this at school. Our teacher has said in terms of choosing our texts we shouldn't do anything from the gcse or KS3 syllabus for example animal farm and mockingbird. She also said don't do what you have done previously for example I did gatsby and enduring love at AS therefore I can't do them for A2 coursework. Hope that helps. Teachers have guidance provided by the exam board to help you choose your texts. Our teachers actually gave us a suggestion list for inspiration.

Reply 17

karitson

I think we may need to get the critical anthology before we start to think of Unit 4 choices. I am with ICS and they advised me wrongly last year over needing to include a plan of my work in the submitted course work, AQA fed back to me that I didn't need that. AQA also advised that ICS approved a title that did not do me many favours. However, I did get an A overall, though that was because of the exam mark. I am unsure about how to get hold of the anthology quickly because I only have ICS support until December, therefore all the course work must be finished an authenticated by then. If anyone has a link to the anthology that would be really great.

Reply 18

karitson

Original post by ladyaudley

I'm studying with ICS (which I'm realising was a poor choice!) and the website says that there are set texts for this unit. Has anyone done this course with them? Can you really only write on the two novels chosen (Austen's Emma and Pride and Prejudice)? Or can you choose more? Because I am going to complain if you don't get to choose - it's the whole point of the unit!

ICS have chosen books for you in Unit 4 but you don't need to go with those. If you go with your own choice you wont get much help with guidance that's all. I'm not going with those suggestions, but choosing my own. ICS will still carry out the authentication at the end whatever you choose.

Reply 19

karitson

Original post by SharminaSyeda

I'm definitely going to choose the kite runner, its my favourite all time book and I know it inside out, and for the second book possibly a classic, I was thinking to kill a mockingbird since I love that too and know it pretty well. Hoping this goes well, cos my AS exam messed up, I hate AQA with a passion they're such tight markers!

The AQA guidance on Unit 4 suggests specifically that we don't choose To Kill a Mockingbird or Animal Farm unless under extraordinary circumstances. This is because they feel students wont get sufficient stretch and challenge from it. If I were you I would choose a different text. Just a thought :smile:

Book Choices - A2 AQA English Literature B UNIT 4

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