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 William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) English poet and playwright. Famous plays include Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice and Hamlet. Shakespeare is widely considered the seminal writer of the English language.

Jonathan Swift (1667 – 1745) Anglo-Irish writer born in Dublin. Swift was a prominent satirist, essayist and author. Notable works include Gulliver’s Travels (1726), A Modest Proposal and A Tale of a Tub.

Jane Austen (1775 – 1817) English author who wrote romantic fiction combined with social realism. Her novels include Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma (1816).

Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784) British author best-known for his compilation of the English dictionary. Although not the first attempt at a dictionary, it was widely considered to be the most comprehensive – setting the standard for later dictionaries.

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) – English writer and social critic. His best-known works include novels such as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol.

Charlotte Bronte (1816 – 1855) English novelist and poet, from Haworth. Her best-known novel is ‘Jane Eyre’ (1847).

Emily Bronte (1818 – 1848) English novelist. Emily Bronte is best known for her novel Wuthering Heights (1847), and her poetry.

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) Oxford mathematician and author. Famous for Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and poems like The Snark.

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist and poet. Hardy was a Victorian realist who was influenced by Romanticism. He wrote about problems of Victorian society – in particular, declining rural life. Notable works include: Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895).

Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) – Irish writer and poet. Wilde wrote humorous, satirical plays, such as ‘The Importance of Being Earnest‘ and ‘The Picture of Dorian Grey’.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) Irish playwright and wit. Famous works include: Pygmalion (1912), Man and Superman (1903) and Back to Methuselah (1921)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930) British author of historical novels and plays. Most famous for his short stories about the detective – Sherlock Holmes, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) and Sign of Four (1890).

Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943) English conservationist and author of imaginative children’s books, such as the Tales of Peter Rabbit (1902).

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William Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965) British novelist and writer. One of the most popular authors of 1930s. Notable works included The Moon and Sixpence (1916), The Razor’s Edge (1944), and Of Human Bondage (1915)

P.G.Wodehouse (1881 – 1975) English comic writer. Best known for his humorous and satirical stories about the English upper classes, such as Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings Castle.

Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) English modernist writer, a member of the Bloomsbury group. Famous novels include Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928).

James Joyce (1882 – 1941) Irish writer from Dublin. Joyce was one of most influential modernist avant-garde writers of the Twentieth Century. His novel Ulysses (1922), was ground-breaking for its stream of consciousness style. Other works include Dubliners (1914) and Finnegans Wake (1939).

D. H. Lawrence (1885 – 1930) English poet, novelist and writer. Best known works include Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928) – which was banned for many years.

Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976) British fictional crime writer. Many of her books focused on series featuring her detectives ‘Poirot’ and Mrs Marple.

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892 – 1973) – Professor of Anglo-Saxon and English at Oxford University. Tolkien wrote the best-selling mythical trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Other works include The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, and a translation of Beowulf.

Vera Brittain (1893 – 1970) British writer best known for her autobiography – Testament of Youth (1933) – sharing her traumatic experiences of the First World War.

Enid Blyton (1897 – 1968) British children’s writer, known for her series of children’s books – The Famous Five and The Secret Seven. Blyton wrote an estimated 800 books over 40 years.

C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) Irish / English author and professor at Oxford University. Lewis is best known for The Chronicles of Narnia, a children’s fantasy series. Also well known as a Christian apologist.

George Orwell (1903 – 1950) – English author. Famous works include Animal Farm, and 1984. – Both stark warnings about the dangers of totalitarian states, Orwell was also a democratic socialist who fought in the Spanish Civil War, documenting his experiences in “Homage to Catalonia” (1938).

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) Irish avant garde, modernist writer. Beckett wrote minimalist and thought provoking plays, such as ‘Waiting for Godot’(1953) and ‘Endgame‘ (1957). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969.

Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990) English author, best known for his children’s books, such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, James and The Giant Peach and The BFG.

Douglas Adams (1952 – 2001) British writer of humorous and absure science fiction. Adams wrote a best selling trilogy (of five books) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – which began as a BBC play.

J.K.Rowling (1965 – ) British author of the Harry Potter Series – which has become the best selling book series of all time. Her first book was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997). Rowling has also published adult fiction, such as The Casual Vacancy (2012) and The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013)

«Alice in Wonderland» by Lewis Carroll

Chapter 1 – Down the Rabbit Hole: Alice is feeling bored and drowsy while sitting on the riverbank with her older sister, who is reading a book with no pictures or conversations. She then notices a talking, clothed White Rabbit with a pocket watch run past. She follows it down a rabbit hole, but suddenly falls a long way to a curious hall with many locked doors of all sizes. She finds a small key to a door too small for her to fit through, but through it she sees an attractive garden. She then discovers a bottle on a table labelled «DRINK ME», the contents of which cause her to shrink too small to reach the key, which she has left on the table. She eats a cake with «EAT ME» written on it in currants as the chapter closes.

Chapter 2 – The Pool of Tears: Chapter Two opens with Alice growing to such a tremendous size that her head hits the ceiling. Alice is unhappy and, as she cries, her tears flood the hallway. After shrinking down again due to a fan she had picked up, Alice swims through her own tears and meets a Mouse, who is swimming as well. She tries to make small talk with him in elementary French (thinking he may be a French mouse) but her opening gambit «Où est ma chatte?» («Where is my cat?») offends the mouse and he tries to escape her.

Chapter 3 – The Caucus Race and a Long Tale: The sea of tears becomes crowded with other animals and birds that have been swept away by the rising waters. Alice and the other animals convene on the bank and the question among them is how to get dry again. The Mouse gives them a very dry lecture on William the Conqueror. A Dodo decides that the best thing to dry them off would be a Caucus-Race, which consists of everyone running in a circle with no clear winner. Alice eventually frightens all the animals away, unwittingly, by talking about her (moderately ferocious) cat.

Chapter 4 – The Rabbit Sends a Little Bill: The White Rabbit appears again in search of the Duchess’s gloves and fan. Mistaking her for his maidservant, Mary Ann, he orders Alice to go into the house and retrieve them, but once she gets inside she starts growing. The horrified Rabbit orders his gardener, Bill the Lizard, to climb on the roof and go down the chimney. Outside, Alice hears the voices of animals that have gathered to gawk at her giant arm. The crowd hurls pebbles at her, which turn into little cakes. Alice eats them, and make her smaller again.

Chapter 5 – Advice from a Caterpillar: Alice comes upon a mushroom; sitting on it is a blue Caterpillar smoking a hookah. The Caterpillar questions Alice and she admits to her current identity crisis, compounded by her inability to remember a poem. Before crawling away, the caterpillar tells Alice that one side of the mushroom will make her taller and the other side will make her shorter. She breaks off two pieces from the mushroom. One side makes her shrink smaller than ever, while another causes her neck to grow high into the trees, where a pigeon mistakes her for a serpent. With some effort, Alice brings herself back to her normal height. She stumbles upon a small estate and uses the mushroom to reach a more appropriate height. Chapter 6 – Pig and Pepper: A Fish-Footman has an invitation for the Duchess of the house, which he delivers to a Frog-Footman. Alice observes this transaction and, after a perplexing conversation with the frog, lets herself into the house. The Duchess’s Cook is throwing dishes and making a soup that has too much pepper, which causes Alice, the Duchess, and her baby (but not the cook or grinning Cheshire Cat) to sneeze violently. Alice is given the baby by the Duchess and to her surprise, the baby turns into a pig. The Cheshire Cat appears in a tree, directing her to the March Hare’s house. He disappears, but his grin remains behind to float on its own in the air, prompting Alice to remark that she has often seen a cat without a grin but never a grin without a cat.

Chapter 7 – A Mad Tea-Party: Alice becomes a guest at a «mad» tea party along with the March Hare, the Hatter, and a very tired Dormouse who falls asleep frequently, only to be violently woken up moments later by the March Hare and the Hatter. The characters give Alice many riddles and stories, including the famous «Why is a raven like a writing desk?». The Hatter reveals that they have tea all day because Time has punished him by eternally standing still at 6 pm (tea time). Alice becomes insulted and tired of being bombarded with riddles and she leaves, claiming that it was the stupidest tea party that she had ever been to.

Chapter 8 – The Queen’s Croquet Ground: Alice leaves the tea party and enters the garden, where she comes upon three living playing cards painting the white roses on a rose tree red because The Queen of Hearts hates white roses. A procession of more cards, kings and queens and even the White Rabbit enters the garden. Alice then meets the King and Queen. The Queen, a figure difficult to please, introduces her trademark phrase «Off with his head!», which she utters at the slightest dissatisfaction with a subject. Alice is invited (or some might say ordered) to play a game of croquet with the Queen and the rest of her subjects, but the game quickly descends into chaos. Live flamingos are used as mallets and hedgehogs as balls, and Alice once again meets the Cheshire Cat. The Queen of Hearts then orders the Cat to be beheaded, only to have her executioner complain that this is impossible since the head is all that can be seen of him. Because the cat belongs to the Duchess, the Queen is prompted to release the Duchess from prison to resolve the matter.

Chapter 9 – The Mock Turtle’s Story: The Duchess is brought to the croquet ground at Alice’s request. She ruminates on finding morals in everything around her. The Queen of Hearts dismisses her with the threat of execution and she introduces Alice to the Gryphon, who takes her to the Mock Turtle. The Mock Turtle is very sad, even though he has no sorrow. He tries to tell his story about how he used to be a real turtle in school, which the Gryphon interrupts so that they can play a game.

Chapter 10 – Lobster Quadrille: The Mock Turtle and the Gryphon dance to the Lobster Quadrille, while Alice recites (rather incorrectly) «‘Tis the Voice of the Lobster». The Mock Turtle sings them «Beautiful Soup» during which the Gryphon drags Alice away for an impending trial. Chapter 11 – Who Stole the Tarts?: Alice attends a trial in which the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen’s tarts. The jury is composed of various animals, including Bill the Lizard; the White Rabbit is the court’s trumpeter; and the judge is the King of Hearts. During the proceedings, Alice finds that she is steadily growing larger. The dormouse scolds Alice and tells her she has no right to grow at such a rapid pace and take up all the air. Alice scoffs and calls the dormouse’s accusation ridiculous because everyone grows and she cannot help it. Meanwhile, witnesses at the trial include the Hatter, who displeases and frustrates the King through his indirect answers to the questioning, and the Duchess’s cook.

Chapter 12 – Alice’s Evidence: Alice is then called up as a witness. She accidentally knocks over the jury box with the animals inside, and the King orders the animals to be placed back into their seats before the trial continues. The King and Queen order Alice to be gone, citing Rule 42 («All persons more than a mile high to leave the court»), but Alice disputes their judgement and refuses to leave. She argues with the King and Queen of Hearts over the ridiculous proceedings, eventually refusing to hold her tongue. The Queen shouts her familiar «Off with her head!» but Alice is unafraid, calling them out as just a pack of cards, just as they start to swarm over her. Alice’s sister wakes her up from a dream, brushing what turns out to be some leaves, and not a shower of playing cards, from Alice’s face. Alice leaves her sister on the bank to imagine all the curious happenings for herself.

«Hamlet» by William Shakespeare

Act I The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his father’s brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlet’s widow, Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, and took the throne for himself. Denmark has a long-standing feud with neighboring Norway, which culminated when King Hamlet slew King Fortinbras of Norway in a battle years ago. Although Denmark defeated Norway, and the Norwegian throne fell to King Fortinbras’s infirm brother, Denmark fears that an invasion led by the dead Norwegian king’s son, Prince Fortinbras, is imminent. On a cold night on the ramparts of Elsinore, the Danish royal castle, the sentries Bernardo and Marcellus and Hamlet’s friend Horatio encounter a ghost that looks like the late King Hamlet. They vow to tell Prince Hamlet what they have witnessed. As the Court gathers the next day, while King Claudius and Queen Gertrude discuss affairs of state with their elderly adviser Polonius, Hamlet looks on glumly. After the Court exits, Hamlet despairs of his father’s death and his mother’s hasty remarriage. Learning of the Ghost from Horatio, Hamlet resolves to see it himself. As Polonius’s son Laertes prepares to depart for a visit to France, Polonius gives him contradictory advice that culminates in the ironic maxim «to thine own self be true». Polonius’s daughter, Ophelia, admits her interest in Hamlet, but both Polonius and Laertes warn her against seeking the prince’s attention. That night on the rampart, the Ghost appears to Hamlet, telling the prince that he was murdered by Claudius and demanding that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet agrees and the Ghost vanishes. The prince confides to Horatio and the sentries that from now on he plans to «put an antic disposition on» and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret. Privately, however, he remains uncertain of the Ghost’s reliability. Act II Soon thereafter, Ophelia rushes to her father, telling him that Hamlet arrived at her door the prior night half-undressed and behaving crazily. Polonius blames love for Hamlet’s madness and resolves to inform Claudius and Gertrude. As he enters to do so, the king and queen finish welcoming Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two student acquaintances of Hamlet, to Elsinore. The royal couple has requested that the students investigate the cause of Hamlet’s mood and behavior. Additional news requires that Polonius wait to be heard: messengers from Norway inform Claudius that the King of Norway has rebuked Prince Fortinbras for attempting to re-fight his father’s battles. The forces that Fortinbras conscripted to march against Denmark will instead be sent against Poland, though they will pass through a portion of Denmark to get there. Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his theory regarding Hamlet’s behavior, and speaks to Hamlet in a hall of the castle to try to uncover more information. Hamlet feigns madness but subtly insults Polonius all the while. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet greets his friends warmly, but quickly discerns that they are spies. Hamlet becomes bitter, admitting that he is upset at his situation but refusing to give the true reason why, instead commenting on «what a piece of work» humanity is. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet that they have brought along a troupe of actors that they met while traveling to Elsinore. Hamlet, after welcoming the actors and dismissing his friends-turned-spies, plots to stage a play featuring a death in the style of his father’s murder, thereby determining the truth of the Ghost’s story, as well as Claudius’s guilt or innocence, by studying Claudius’s reaction. Act III Polonius forces Ophelia to return Hamlet’s love letters and tokens of affection to the prince while he and Claudius watch from afar to evaluate Hamlet’s reaction. Hamlet is walking alone in the hall as the King and Polonius await Ophelia’s entrance, musing whether «to be or not to be». When Ophelia enters and tries to return Hamlet’s things, Hamlet accuses her of immodesty and cries «get thee to a nunnery,» though it is unclear whether this, too, is a show of madness or genuine distress. His reaction convinces Claudius that Hamlet is not mad for love. Shortly thereafter, the court assembles to watch the play Hamlet has commissioned. After seeing the Player King murdered by his rival pouring poison in his ear, Claudius abruptly rises and runs from the room: proof positive for Hamlet of his uncle’s guilt. Gertrude summons Hamlet to her room to demand an explanation. Meanwhile, Claudius talks to himself about the impossibility of repenting, since he still has possession of his ill-gotten goods: his brother’s crown and wife. He sinks to his knees. Hamlet, on his way to visit his mother, sneaks up behind him, but does not kill him, reasoning that killing Claudius while he is praying will send him straight to heaven while the Ghost is stuck in purgatory. In the queen’s bedchamber, Hamlet and Gertrude fight bitterly. Polonius, spying on the conversation from behind a tapestry, makes a noise. Hamlet, believing it is Claudius, stabs wildly, killing Polonius, but pulls aside the curtain and sees his mistake. In a rage, Hamlet brutally insults his mother for her apparent ignorance of Claudius’s villainy, but the Ghost enters and reprimands Hamlet for his inaction and harsh words. Unable to see or hear the Ghost herself, Gertrude takes Hamlet’s conversation with it as further evidence of madness. After begging the queen to stop sleeping with Claudius, Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius’s corpse away. Hamlet jokes with Claudius about where he has hidden Polonius’s body, and the king, fearing for his life, sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England with a sealed letter to the English king requesting that Hamlet be executed immediately. Act IV Demented by grief at Polonius’s death, Ophelia wanders Elsinore. Laertes arrives back from France, enraged by his father’s death and his sister’s madness. Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet is solely responsible, but a letter soon arrives indicating that Hamlet has returned to Denmark, foiling Claudius’s plan. Claudius switches tactics, proposing a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet to settle their differences. Laertes will be given a poison-tipped foil, and Claudius will offer Hamlet poisoned wine as a congratulation if that fails. Gertrude interrupts to report that Ophelia has drowned, though it is unclear whether it was suicide or an accident exacerbated by her madness. Act V Horatio has received a letter from Hamlet, explaining that the prince escaped by negotiating with pirates who attempted to attack his England-bound ship, and the friends reunite offstage. Two gravediggers discuss Ophelia’s apparent suicide while digging her grave. Hamlet arrives with Horatio and banters with one of the gravediggers, who unearths the skull of a jester from Hamlet’s childhood, Yorick. Hamlet picks up the skull, saying «alas, poor Yorick» as he contemplates mortality. Ophelia’s funeral procession approaches, led by Laertes. Hamlet and Horatio initially hide, but when Hamlet realizes that Ophelia is the one being buried, he reveals himself, proclaiming his love for her. Laertes and Hamlet fight by Ophelia’s graveside, but the brawl is broken up. Back at Elsinore, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he had discovered Claudius’s letter with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s belongings and replaced it with a forged copy indicating that his former friends should be killed instead. A foppish courtier, Osric, interrupts the conversation to deliver the fencing challenge to Hamlet. Hamlet, despite Horatio’s advice, accepts it. Hamlet does well at first, leading the match by two hits to none, and Gertrude raises a toast to him using the poisoned glass of wine Claudius had set aside for Hamlet. Claudius tries to stop her, but is too late: she drinks, and Laertes realizes the plot will be revealed. Laertes slashes Hamlet with his poisoned blade. In the ensuing scuffle, they switch weapons and Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own poisoned sword. Gertrude collapses and, claiming she has been poisoned, dies. In his dying moments, Laertes reconciles with Hamlet and reveals Claudius’s plan. Hamlet rushes at Claudius and kills him. As the poison takes effect, Hamlet, hearing that Fortinbras is marching through the area, names the Norwegian prince as his successor. Horatio, distraught at the thought of being the last survivor, says he will commit suicide by drinking the dregs of Gertrude’s poisoned wine, but Hamlet begs him to live on and tell his story. Hamlet dies, proclaiming «the rest is silence». Fortinbras, who was ostensibly marching towards Poland with his army, arrives at the palace, along with an English ambassador bringing news of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s deaths. Horatio promises to recount the full story of what happened, and Fortinbras, seeing the entire Danish royal family dead, takes the crown for himself.

«Mowgli» by Rudyard Joseph Kipling

The two-year-old woodcutter's son was lost in the jungle. The tiger Sher Khan follows him and wants to make him his prey.  The child crawls to the wolf's lair. The father and mother wolves accept him into the family and protect against Sher Khan. They call it Mowgli, which means  "a froggie". The Council of wolves allows Mowgli to live among wolves. Mowgli grew strong, fearless and ruthless to villains. He defeated the Sher Khan tiger and became the leader of a pack of wolves, and then the ruler of tropical forests... All the jungle animals were his friends because all the jungle animals were afraid of him. But at the same time Mowgli had a kind and sympathetic heart. This is evident in his attitude to the wolf Akela, the bear Baloo, Bagira the Panther, the python Kaa. Mowgli with his human mind managed to comprehend the laws of the jungle.  "We're one blood, you and me," he says to the rainforest people. And so he is surrounded by universal love. Mowgli is generous and noble. He wasn't angry with humans, despite the fact that they threw stones at him, shouting "Go away!". After some time, Mowgli according to the laws of the jungle returned to the people and  forgave them.

«Romeo and Juliet» by William Shakespeare

The play, set in Verona, Italy, begins with a street brawl between Montague and Capulet servants who, like their masters, are sworn enemies. Prince Escalus of Verona intervenes and declares that further breach of the peace will be punishable by death. Later, Count Paris talks to Capulet about marrying his daughter Juliet, but Capulet asks Paris to wait another two years and invites him to attend a planned Capulet ball. Lady Capulet and Juliet’s nurse try to persuade Juliet to accept Paris’s courtship. Meanwhile, Benvolio talks with his cousin Romeo, Montague’s son, about Romeo’s recent depression. Benvolio discovers that it stems from unrequited infatuation for a girl named Rosaline, one of Capulet’s nieces. Persuaded by Benvolio and Mercutio, Romeo attends the ball at the Capulet house in hopes of meeting Rosaline. However, Romeo instead meets and falls in love with Juliet. Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, is enraged at Romeo for sneaking into the ball, but is only stopped from killing Romeo by Juliet’s father, who doesn’t wish to shed blood in his house. After the ball, in what is now called the «balcony scene», Romeo sneaks into the Capulet orchard and overhears Juliet at her window vowing her love to him in spite of her family’s hatred of the Montagues. Romeo makes himself known to her and they agree to be married. With the help of Friar Laurence, who hopes to reconcile the two families through their children’s union, they are secretly married the next day. Tybalt, meanwhile, still incensed that Romeo had sneaked into the Capulet ball, challenges him to a duel. Romeo, now considering Tybalt his kinsman, refuses to fight. Mercutio is offended by Tybalt’s insolence, as well as Romeo’s «vile submission», and accepts the duel on Romeo’s behalf. Mercutio is fatally wounded when Romeo attempts to break up the fight. Grief-stricken and wracked with guilt, Romeo confronts and slays Tybalt. Montague argues that Romeo has justly executed Tybalt for the murder of Mercutio. The Prince, now having lost a kinsman in the warring families’ feud, exiles Romeo from Verona, under penalty of death if he ever returns. Romeo secretly spends the night in Juliet’s chamber, where they consummate their marriage. Capulet, misinterpreting Juliet’s grief, agrees to marry her to Count Paris and threatens to disown her when she refuses to become Paris’s «joyful bride». When she then pleads for the marriage to be delayed, her mother rejects her. Juliet visits Friar Laurence for help, and he offers her a potion that will put her into a deathlike coma for «two and forty hours».  The Friar promises to send a messenger to inform Romeo of the plan, so that he can rejoin her when she awakens. On the night before the wedding, she takes the drug and, when discovered apparently dead, she is laid in the family crypt. The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, Romeo learns of Juliet’s apparent death from his servant Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt. He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two «star-cross’d lovers». The families are reconciled by their children’s deaths and agree to end their violent feud. The play ends with the Prince’s elegy for the lovers: «For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

«The picture of Dorian gray» by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray begins on a beautiful summer day in Victorian era England, where Lord Henry Wotton, an opinionated man, is observing the sensitive artist Basil Hallward painting the portrait of Dorian Gray, a handsome young man who is Basil’s ultimate muse. While sitting for the painting, Dorian listens to Lord Henry espousing his hedonistic world view, and begins to think that beauty is the only aspect of life worth pursuing. This prompts Dorian to wish that the painted image of himself would age instead of himself. Under the hedonist influence of Lord Henry, Dorian fully explores his sensuality. He discovers the actress Sibyl Vane, who performs Shakespeare plays in a dingy, working-class theatre. Dorian approaches and courts her, and soon proposes marriage. The enamoured Sibyl calls him «Prince Charming», and swoons with the happiness of being loved, but her protective brother, James warns that if «Prince Charming» harms her, he will murder Dorian Gray. Dorian invites Basil and Lord Henry to see Sibyl perform in Romeo and Juliet. Sibyl, too enamoured with Dorian to act, performs poorly, which makes both Basil and Lord Henry think Dorian has fallen in love with Sibyl because of her beauty instead of her acting talent. Embarrassed, Dorian rejects Sibyl, telling her that acting was her beauty; without that, she no longer interests him. On returning home, Dorian notices that the portrait has changed; his wish has come true, and the man in the portrait bears a subtle sneer of cruelty. Conscience-stricken and lonely, Dorian decides to reconcile with Sibyl, but he is too late, as Lord Henry informs him that Sibyl killed herself by swallowing prussic acid. Dorian then understands that, where his life is headed, lust and good looks shall suffice. Dorian locks the portrait up, and over the following eighteen years, he experiments with every vice, influenced by a morally poisonous French novel that Lord Henry Wotton gave him. [The narrative does not reveal the title of the French novel, but, at trial, Wilde said that the novel Dorian Gray read was À Rebours (‘Against Nature’, 1884), by Joris-Karl Huysmans.[6]] One night, before leaving for Paris, Basil goes to Dorian’s house to ask him about rumours of his self-indulgent sensualism. Dorian does not deny his debauchery, and takes Basil to see the portrait. The portrait has become so hideous that Basil is only able to identify it as his work by the signature he affixes to all his portraits. Basil is horrified, and beseeches Dorian to pray for salvation. In anger, Dorian blames his fate on Basil, and stabs him to death. Dorian then calmly blackmails an old friend, the scientist Alan Campbell, into using his knowledge of chemistry to destroy the body of Basil Hallward. Alan later kills himself over the deed. To escape the guilt of his crime, Dorian goes to an opium den, where James Vane is unknowingly present. James had been seeking vengeance upon Dorian ever since Sibyl killed herself, but had no leads to pursue: the only thing he knew about Dorian was the name Sibyl called him, «Prince Charming». In the opium den however he hears someone refer to Dorian as «Prince Charming», and he accosts Dorian. Dorian deceives James into believing that he is too young to have known Sibyl, who killed herself 18 years earlier, as his face is still that of a young man. James relents and releases Dorian, but is then approached by a woman from the opium den who reproaches James for not killing Dorian. She confirms that the man was Dorian Gray and explains that he has not aged in 18 years. James runs after Dorian, but he has gone. James then begins to stalk Dorian, causing Dorian to fear for his life. However during a shooting party, one of the hunters accidentally kills James Vane who was lurking in a thicket. On returning to London, Dorian tells Lord Henry that he will be good from then on; his new probity begins with not breaking the heart of the naïve Hetty Merton, his current romantic interest. Dorian wonders if his new-found goodness has reverted the corruption in the picture, but when he looks he sees only an even uglier image of himself. From that, Dorian understands that his true motives for the self-sacrifice of moral reformation were the vanity and curiosity of his quest for new experiences. Deciding that only full confession will absolve him of wrongdoing, Dorian decides to destroy the last vestige of his conscience, and the only piece of evidence remaining of his crimes — the picture. In a rage, he takes the knife with which he murdered Basil Hallward, and stabs the picture. The servants of the house awaken on hearing a cry from the locked room; on the street, passers-by who also heard the cry call the police. On entering the locked room, the servants find an unknown old man, stabbed in the heart, his face and figure withered and decrepit. The servants identify the disfigured corpse by the rings on its fingers which belonged to their master; beside him is the picture of Dorian Gray, restored to its original beauty.

«Sherlock Holmes» by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The main characters of the stories are a brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes, who can solve the most complicated cases, and his loyal friend Doctor John Watson. Sherlock Holmes always pays attention to every detail and can expose the craftiest criminals.

My favourite story is entitled “A Scandal in Bohemia”. In this story the King of Bohemia visited Sherlock Holmes under an assumed name. He told Sherlock that some years ago he had had an affair with an opera singer Irene Adler. The King was going to get married to a Scandinavian princess and he was afraid that Irene, who had compromising letters and photographs, could send them to his fiancée’s family. So he wanted Sherlock to get them for him.

Finally, using disguise, Holmes got into Irene’s house and figured out where the photographs were hidden. But when he wanted to get them, the photographs were not in place. There was a letter from Irene and her photograph. She unveiled his plans, but she promised not to use the photographs and letters against the King. So the famous detective was beaten by the clever woman.

«Charlie and the chocolate factory» by Roald Dahl

Charlie Bucket is a poor boy who lives near the Wonka Candy Company. He lives with his mother, his father (who works in a toothpaste factory), and his four bedridden grandparents. The company's owner, Willy Wonka, has for long closed access to his factory due to problems concerning industrial espionage that ultimately led him to fire all his employees, among them Charlie's Grandpa Joe. One day, Wonka informs the world of a contest, in which five Golden Tickets have been placed in five random Wonka Bars worldwide, and the winners will be given a full tour of the factory as well as a lifetime supply of chocolate, while one ticket holder will be given a special prize at the end of the tour.

Wonka's sales subsequently skyrocket, and the first four tickets are found fairly quickly. The recipients are Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous German boy; Veruca Salt, a very spoiled English girl; Violet Beauregarde, a competitive gum chewer, gymnast and karate champion, and Mike Teavee, an arrogant television and video game addict. Charlie tries twice to find a ticket, but both bars come empty. After overhearing that the final ticket was found in Russia, Charlie finds a ten-dollar note, and purchases a Wonka Bar at the local candy store. At the exact moment it was revealed that the Russian ticket was forged, Charlie discovers the real fifth ticket inside the wrapper. Although two other customers offer to buy it from him, Charlie runs home to tell his family and decides to bring Grandpa Joe to accompany him on the factory tour.

Charlie and the other ticket holders are greeted by Wonka outside the factory, who then leads them into the facility. During the tour, each of the bad children disobey Wonka's orders after being tempted by something related to their individual character flaws, and suffer various consequences: Augustus is sucked up a chocolate extraction pipe after falling into a chocolate river from which he was drinking, Violet is turned into an oversized blueberry after chewing unstable three-course-meal gum, Veruca is pushed into a garbage chute by worker squirrels after she tries to take one as a pet, and Mike is shrunk with a teleporter that he uses on himself. Wonka's employees, the Oompa-Loompas, sing a song of morality after each elimination. The children later leave the factory with an exaggerated characteristic or deformity related to their demise – Augustus covered in chocolate, Violet blue-colored, Veruca covered in garbage and Mike overstretched.

Wonka then invites Charlie to come live and work in the factory with him, and reveals that the purpose of the Golden Tickets and the tour was to make the "least rotten" child the heir of the factory itself. The only catch is that Charlie must leave his family behind, because Wonka believes family is a hindrance while a chocolatier needed creative freedom – a philosophy Wonka developed due to his dentist father, Dr. Wilbur Wonka, denying his son candy because of the potential risk to his teeth. After sneaking over a piece of candy, Wonka was instantly hooked, and ran away to follow his dreams.
As his family is the most important thing in his life, Charlie refuses Wonka's offer. Charlie and his family are living contently a while later, however Wonka is too depressed to make candy the way he used to, and turns to Charlie for advice. Charlie decides to help Wonka confront and reconcile with his estranged father; Wonka finally realizes the value of family, while his father learns to accept his son for who he is, and not what he does. In the end, Charlie has the chocolate factory, and Wonka has patched up with his family.

«Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone» by Joan Rowling

The most evil and powerful dark wizard in history, Lord Voldemort, murdered married couple James and Lily Potter but mysteriously disappeared after failing to kill their infant son, Harry. While the wizarding world celebrates Voldemort’s apparent downfall, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and half-giant Rubeus Hagrid place the one-year-old orphan in the care of his surly and cold Muggle uncle and aunt, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, with their spoiled and bullying son, Dudley. Ten years later while living at number Four Privet Drive, Harry is tormented by the Dursleys, treated more like a servant than a member of the family and forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs. Shortly before his eleventh birthday, a series of letters addressed to Harry arrive, but Vernon destroys them before Harry can read them, leading only to an influx of more letters. To evade the pursuit of the letters, Vernon first takes the family to a hotel, and, when the letters arrive there too, he hires a boat out to a small island. On Harry’s eleventh birthday at midnight, Hagrid bursts through the door to deliver Harry’s letter and tells him what the Dursleys have kept from him: Harry is a wizard and has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid takes Harry to a hidden London street called Diagon Alley, where he is startled to discover how famous he is among the witches and wizards, who refer to him as «the boy who lived.» He also finds that his parents’ inheritance is waiting for him at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Guided by Hagrid, he buys the equipment he will need for his first year at Hogwarts and receives a pet owl. A month later, Harry leaves the Dursleys’ home to catch the Hogwarts Express from King’s Cross railway station. There he meets the Weasley family, who show him how to pass through the magic wall to Platform 9¾, where the train that will take them to Hogwarts is waiting. While on the train, Harry meets two fellow first years, Ron Weasley, who immediately becomes his friend, and Hermione Granger, with whom the ice is a bit slower to break. Harry also makes an enemy of yet another first-year, Draco Malfoy. Draco offers to advise Harry, but Harry dislikes Draco for his arrogance and prejudice and rejects his offer of «friendship». At Hogwarts, the first-years are assigned by the magical Sorting Hat to houses that best suites their personality. While Harry is being sorted, the Hat suggests that he be placed into Slytherin which is known to house potential dark witches and wizards, but when Harry objects, the Hat sends him to Gryffindor. Ron and Hermione are also sorted into Gryffindor. Draco is sorted into Slytherin, like his whole family before him. Harry starts classes at Hogwarts School, with lessons including Transfiguration with Head of Gryffindor, Minerva McGonagall, Herbology with Head of Hufflepuff, Pomona Sprout, Charms with Head of Ravenclaw Filius Flitwick, and Defence Against the Dark Arts with Quirinus Quirrell. Harry’s least favourite class is Potions, taught by Severus Snape, the vindictive Head of Slytherin who seems to loathe Harry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione become far more interested by extracurricular matters within and outside of the school, particularly after they discover that a huge three-headed dog is standing guard over a trapdoor in a condemned corridor. They also become suspicious of Snape’s behaviour and become convinced that he is looking for ways to get past the trapdoor. Harry discovers an innate talent for flying on broomsticks and is appointed as Seeker on his House’s Quidditch team, a wizards’s sport played in the air. His first game goes well until his broomstick wobbles in mid-air and almost throws him off. Ron and Hermione suspect foul play from Snape, whom they saw behaving oddly. For Christmas, Harry receives an invisibility cloak from an anonymous source and begins exploring the school at night and investigating the hidden object further. He discovers the Mirror of Erised, in which the viewer’s sees his deepest desires becoming true. Thanks to an indiscretion from Hagrid, Harry and his friends work out that the object kept at the school is a Philosopher’s Stone, made by an old friend of Dumbledore named Nicolas Flamel. Harry is also informed by a centaur he meets in the forest that a plot to steal the Philosopher’s stone is being orchestrated by none other than Voldemort himself, who would use it to be restored to his body and come back to power. When Dumbledore is lured from Hogwarts under false pretences, Harry and his friends fear that the theft is imminent and descend through the trapdoor themselves. They encounter a series of obstacles, each of which requires unique skills possessed by one of the three, and one of which requires Ron to sacrifice himself in a life-sized game of wizard’s chess. In the final room, Harry, now alone, finds Quirrell, who admits that he had tried to kill Harry at his Quidditch match against Slytherin. He also admits that he let the troll into Hogwarts. Snape had been trying to protect Harry all along rather than to kill him, and his suspicious behaviour came from his own suspicions about Quirrell. Quirrell is one of Voldemort’s followers, and is now partly possessed by him: Voldemort’s face has sprouted on the back of his own head, hidden by his turban. Voldemort needs Harry’s help to get past the final obstacle: the Mirror of Erised, but when Quirrell tries to grab the Stone from Harry his contact proves lethal for Quirrell. Harry passes out and awakes in the school hospital, where Dumbledore explains to him that he survived because his mother sacrificed her life to protect him, and this left a powerful protective charm on him. Voldemort left Quirrell to die and is likely to return by some other means. The Stone has now been destroyed. The school year ends at the final feast, during which Gryffindor wins the House Cup. Harry returns to the Dursleys’ for the summer holiday but does not tell them that under-age wizards are forbidden to use magic outside of Hogwarts.

«Oliver Twist» by Charles Dickens

Workhouse years Oliver Twist was born into a life of poverty and misfortune in a workhouse in an unnamed town (although when originally published in Bentley’s Miscellany in 1837, the town was called Mudfog and said to be within 70 miles north of London – in reality this is the location of the town of Northampton). Orphaned by his mother’s death in childbirth and his father’s unexplained absence, Oliver is meagrely provided for under the terms of the Poor Law and spends the first nine years of his life living at a baby farm in the ‘care’ of a woman named Mrs. Mann. Oliver is brought up with little food and few comforts. Around the time of Oliver’s ninth birthday, Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, removes Oliver from the baby farm and puts him to work picking and weaving oakum at the main workhouse. Oliver, who toils with very little food, remains in the workhouse for six months. One day, the desperately hungry boys decide to draw lots; the loser must ask for another portion of gruel. The task falls to Oliver, who at the next meal tremblingly comes up forward, bowl in hand, and begs Mr. Bumble for gruel with his famous request: «Please, sir, I want some more». A great uproar ensues. The board of well-fed gentlemen who administer the workhouse hypocritically offer £5 to any person wishing to take on the boy as an apprentice. Mr. Gamfield, a brutal chimney sweep, almost claims Oliver. However, when he begs despairingly not to be sent away with «that dreadful man», a kindly old magistrate refuses to sign the indentures. Later, Mr. Sowerberry, an undertaker employed by the parish, takes Oliver into his service. He treats Oliver better and, because of the boy’s sorrowful countenance, uses him as a mourner at children’s funerals. However, Mr. Sowerberry is in an unhappy marriage, and his wife takes an immediate dislike to Oliver – primarily because her husband seems to like him – and loses few opportunities to underfeed and mistreat him. He also suffers torment at the hands of Noah Claypole, an oafish but bullying fellow apprentice and «charity boy» who is jealous of Oliver’s promotion to mute, and Charlotte, the Sowerberrys’ maidservant, who is in love with Noah. While trying to bait Oliver, Noah insults Oliver’s biological mother, in which he called her «a regular right-down bad ‘un». Oliver flies into a rage, attacking and even beating the much bigger boy. Mrs. Sowerberry takes Noah’s side, helps him to subdue, punch, and beat Oliver, and later compels her husband and Mr. Bumble, who has been sent for in the aftermath of the fight, to beat Oliver once again. Once Oliver is sent to his room for the night, he breaks down and weeps, upset at the events which he had faced. The next day, Oliver escapes from the Sowerberrys’ house and decides to run away to London instead. London, the Artful Dodger, and Fagin During his journey to London, Oliver encounters Jack Dawkins, a pickpocket more commonly known by the nickname the «Artful Dodger», and his sidekick, a boy of a humorous nature, named Charley Bates, but Oliver’s innocent nature prevents him from recognizing any hint that the boys may be dishonest. Dodger provides Oliver with a free meal and tells him of a gentleman in London who will «give him lodgings for nothing, and never ask for change». Grateful for the unexpected assistance, Oliver follows Dodger to the «old gentleman’s» residence. In this way, Oliver unwittingly falls in with an infamous Jewish criminal known as Fagin, the so-called gentleman of whom the Artful Dodger spoke. Ensnared, Oliver lives with Fagin and his gang of juvenile pickpockets in their lair at Saffron Hill for some time, unaware of their criminal occupations. He believes they make wallets and handkerchiefs. Later, Oliver naïvely goes out to «make handkerchiefs» (because there is no income) with the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates. Oliver realises too late that their real mission is to pick pockets. Dodger and Charley steal the handkerchief of an old gentleman named Mr. Brownlow, and promptly flee. When he finds his handkerchief missing, Mr. Brownlow turns round, sees Oliver running away in fright, and pursues him. Others join the chase and Oliver is caught and taken before the magistrate. Curiously, Mr. Brownlow has second thoughts about the boy – he seems reluctant to believe he is a pickpocket. To the judge’s evident disappointment, a bookstall holder who saw Dodger commit the crime clears Oliver, who, by now actually ill, faints in the courtroom. Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver home and, along with his housekeeper Mrs. Bedwin, cares for him. Oliver stays with Mr. Brownlow, recovers rapidly, and blossoms from the unaccustomed kindness. His bliss, however, is interrupted when Fagin, fearing Oliver might «peach» on his criminal gang, decides that Oliver must be brought back to his hideout. When Mr. Brownlow sends Oliver out to pay for some books, one of the gang, a young girl named Nancy, whom Oliver had previously met at Fagin’s, accosts him with help from her abusive lover, a brutal robber named Bill Sikes, and Oliver is quickly bundled back to Fagin’s lair. The thieves take the five-pound note Mr. Brownlow had entrusted to him, and strip him of his fine new clothes. Oliver, dismayed, flees and attempts to call for police assistance, but is ruthlessly dragged back by the Artful Dodger, Charley and Fagin. Nancy, however, is sympathetic towards Oliver and saves him from beatings by Fagin and Sikes. In a renewed attempt to draw Oliver into a life of crime, Fagin forces him to participate in a burglary. Nancy reluctantly assists in recruiting him, all the while assuring the boy that she will help him if she can. Sikes, after threatening to kill him if he does not co-operate, sends Oliver through a small window and orders him to unlock the front door. The robbery goes wrong, however, and Oliver is shot and wounded in his left arm at the targeted house. After being abandoned by Sikes, the wounded Oliver makes it back to the house and ends up under the care of the people he was supposed to rob: Miss Rose and her guardian Mrs. Maylie. Mystery A mysterious man named Monks has found Fagin and is plotting with him to destroy Oliver’s reputation. Monks denounces Fagin’s failure to turn Oliver into a criminal, and the two of them agree on a plan to make sure he does not find out about his past. Monks is apparently related to Oliver in some way, although it’s not mentioned until later. Back in Oliver’s home town, Mr. Bumble has married Mrs. Corney, the wealthy matron of the workhouse where the story first began, only to find himself in an unhappy marriage, constantly arguing with his domineering wife. After one such argument, Mr. Bumble walks over to a pub, where he meets Monks, who questions him about Oliver. Bumble informs Monks that he knows someone who can give Monks more information for a price, and later Monks meets secretly with the Bumbles. After Mrs. Bumble has told Monks all she knows, the three arrange to take a locket and ring which had once belonged to Oliver’s mother and toss them into a nearby river. Monks relates this to Fagin as part of the plot to destroy Oliver, unaware that Nancy has eavesdropped on their conversation and gone ahead to inform Oliver’s benefactors. Now ashamed of her role in Oliver’s kidnapping and fearful for the boy’s safety, Nancy goes to Rose Maylie and Mr. Brownlow to warn them. She knows that Monks and Fagin are plotting to get their hands on the boy again and holds some secret meetings on the subject with Oliver’s benefactors. One night, Nancy tries to leave for one of the meetings, but Sikes refuses permission when she doesn’t state exactly where she’s going. Fagin realises that Nancy is up to something and resolves to find out what her secret is. Meanwhile, Noah has fallen out with the undertaker Mr. Sowerberry, stolen money from him, and fled to London. Charlotte has accompanied him — they are now in a relationship. Using the name «Morris Bolter», he joins Fagin’s gang for protection and becomes a practicer of «the kinchin lay» (kidnapping of children), and Charlotte (it is implied) becomes a prostitute. During Noah’s stay with Fagin, the Artful Dodger is caught with a stolen silver snuff box, convicted (in a very humorous courtroom scene), and transported to Australia. Later, Noah is sent by Fagin to «dodge» (spy on) Nancy, and discovers her secret: she has been meeting secretly with Rose and Mr. Brownlow to discuss how to save Oliver from Fagin and Monks. Fagin angrily passes the information on to Sikes, twisting the story just enough to make it sound as if Nancy had informed on him. Believing Nancy to be a traitor, Sikes beats her to death in a fit of rage and flees to the countryside to escape from the police. There, Sikes is haunted by visions of Nancy’s ghost and increasingly alarmed by news of her murder spreading across the countryside. He returns to London to find a hiding place, only to die by accidentally hanging himself while attempting to flee across a rooftop from an angry mob. Resolution Monks is forced by Mr. Brownlow to divulge his secrets: his real name is Edward Leeford, and he is Oliver’s paternal half-brother and, although he is legitimate, he was born of a loveless marriage. Oliver’s mother, Agnes, became their father’s true love after Monks witnessed his parents’ divorce. Mr. Brownlow has a picture of Agnes, and began making inquiries when he noticed a marked resemblance between her face and the face of Oliver. Monks has spent many years searching for his father’s child – not to befriend him, but to destroy him (see Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones for similar circumstances). Brownlow asks Oliver to give half his inheritance (which proves to be meagre) to Monks because he wants to give him a second chance; and Oliver, being prone to giving second chances, is more than happy to comply. Monks later moves to America, where he squanders his money, reverts to crime, and ultimately dies in prison. Fagin is arrested and condemned to the gallows. On the eve of his hanging, in an emotional scene, Oliver, accompanied by Mr. Brownlow, goes to visit the old reprobate in Newgate Gaol, where Fagin’s terror at being hanged has caused him to lose himself in daydreams and come down with fever. As Mr. Brownlow and Oliver leave the prison, Fagin screams in terror and despair as a crowd gathers to see his hanging. On a happier note, Rose Maylie turns out to be the long-lost sister of Agnes, and therefore Oliver’s aunt. She marries her long-time sweetheart Harry, and Oliver lives happily with his saviour, Mr. Brownlow. Noah becomes a paid, semi-professional police informer. The Bumbles lose their jobs and are reduced to great poverty, eventually ending up in the same workhouse where they originally lorded it over Oliver and the other orphan boys. Charley Bates, horrified by Sikes’s murder of Nancy, becomes an honest citizen, moves to the country, and works his way up to prosperity.

1 слайд: Здравствуйте, меня зовут Шабанова Карина, я ученица 8 «А» класса ФКОУ СОШ имени А. Н. Радищева.

Хочу представить вам свой проект на тему: «Роль английской классики среди подростков.»

2 слайд: Объект исследования – учащиеся ФКОУ СОШ  5 – 11 классов

Предмет исследования – уровень читательской активности учеников

Цель исследования - определить, какое место занимает английская книга в жизни современного школьника

Задачи:

1. Изучить литературу по теме

2.Провести анкетирование среди учеников 10-11 классов

3. Обобщить и систематизировать наблюдения

В процессе работы мною были использованы следующие методы:

· Теоретические (анализ литературы)

· Практические (анкетирование, интервьюирование)

Гипотеза: исследование факторов снижения читательской активности детей и подростков поможет привлечь внимание сверстников и их родителей к проблеме формирования читательских интересов.

3 слайд: Введение

Д. Дидро однажды написал о том, что люди перестают мыслить лишь в том случае, когда перестают читать. И это действительно правильное утверждение. Каждый человек прекрасно понимает, что чтение расширяет кругозор, повышает интеллектуальные способности, заставляет мыслить и анализировать (и это лишь незначительная часть положительного влияния, которое оказывает на нас художественная и другая литература).

Интеллектуальное и нравственное развитие детей и подростков напрямую связано с получаемой ими информацией. Огромную роль в формировании личности играют средства массовой коммуникации и книги. В нынешнее время статус чтения, его роль, отношение к нему сильно меняется.

Вхождение ребенка в книжную вселенную происходит в первую очередь с помощью литературы, специально созданной для детей. Именно детская литература питает ум и воображение ребенка, открывая ему новые миры, а также образы.

Чтобы интерес к чтению не угас у подростка, процесс чтения необходимо поддерживать. Поэтому книги должны быть доступны ребенку, а репертуар чтения широк и разнообразен.

4 слайд: В настоящее время одним из главных мотивов обращения к книге остаётся учебное задание, школьная программа.

Часть времени, ранее тратившуюся на чтение, заменили телепросмотры и компьютерные игры, а также социальные сети.

5 слайд: Интересные факты о чтении:

1. Книга снижает стресс.

Богатство и ритм языка имеет свойство успокаивать психику и избавлять организм от стресса.

2. Чтение защищает от болезни Альцгеймера.

Когда вы читаете, активность мозга увеличивается, а это благотворно сказывается на его состоянии.

3. Чтение придает уверенности.

Чтение книг делает нас более грамотными. Когда в разговоре мы демонстрируем глубокое знание того или иного предмета, то невольно ведем себя более собранно. Признание окружающими вашей эрудиции положительно влияет на личную самооценку.

4. Улучшает мозговую активность.

При чтении мы представляем много деталей: персонажей, окружающие их предметы. Поэтому необходимо запоминать множество вещей, которые нужны для понимания книги. Вот почему чтение тренирует память и логику.

Переход с 5 на 6 слайд: Английская литература погружает детей в языковую атмосферу и помогает самим использовать английский язык для общения. Знакомство с литературой англоговорящих стран имеет много общего с развитием подростков.

Во время чтения произведений английских авторов на языке происходит знакомство с разговорным английским языком; с литературой, традициями и обычаями англоговорящих стран; развитие навыков общения. Умение понимать произведения авторов именно на английском языке дают возможность подросткам почувствовать себя успешными.

При знакомстве учащихся с литературой Англии происходит развитие аналитического мышления, языковой догадки и интуиции, знакомство с культурой страны изучаемого языка; происходит лингвистическое совершенствование языковых навыков; вовлечение учащихся в диалог культур, их эстетическое и эмоциональное развитие. Чтение и понимание английских классических произведений подразумевает литературную эрудицию, образованность, способность учащихся понять неоднозначность и многофункциональность каждой языковой единицы художественного текста, формирующей неповторимый язык, стиль автора. Путем чтения англоязычных художественных произведений в оригинале можно не только улучшить свои знания языка, но обогатить свой внутренний мир.

6,7,8 слайды: Знаменитые английские писатели и их произведения

Уильям Шекспир (1564−1616 гг.) — английский драматург, поэт и актер. Считается самым известным драматургом мира. Самые известные произведения. «Ромео и Джульетта» ,«Гамлет» ,«Отелло» .

Редьярд Киплинг (1865−1936 гг.) — английский прозаик и поэт. Известен как создатель детских сказок о Маугли.  Самые известные произведения: «Книга джунглей» ,«Рики-Тики-Тави»,

Оскар Уайльд (1854−1900 гг.) — выдающийся англоязычный поэт, драматург, писатель, эссеист. Один из самых известных драматургов позднего Викторианского периода. Самым известным произведением считают «Портрет Дориана Грея»

Джордж Байрон (1788−1824 гг.) — английский поэт. Ввел в литературу «байронического» героя и термин «байронизм».Творческое наследие: «Паломничество Чайльда Гарольда» ,«Дон Жуан» ,«Роксана» .

Артур Конан Дойл (1859−1930 гг.) — английский писатель, известный своими произведениями о Шерлоке Холмсе. Творческое наследие «Белый отряд», «Собака Баскервилей»

Даниэль Дефо (1660−1731 гг.) — английский писатель и публицист. Известные произведения: «Капитан Синглтон» , «История полковника Джека», «Моль Фландерс», «Робинзон Крузо», «Роксана»

9,10 слайды:

Если все мы хотим жить в обществе знаний, нам необходимо осознать истину:

- чтение играет огромную роль в образовании, воспитании и развитии человека, это окошко, через которое дети видят и познают мир и самого себя;

- книга сегодня, независимо от формы ее представления (печатной или электронной), по-прежнему остается основой культуры и грамотности;

- важность книги и чтения неоспорима, и эта идея поддерживается мировым сообществом.