A glimpse of the 70’s – Group 1
- This episode spans from year ______________ to year _____________
- Economic context (problems and origins)?
- Social context?
- Study the evolution of the social situation.
- Did the social situation improve in the 80’s?
- What is the relationship between young and adults in the early 70’s?
- Who are the “two peoples” living in England?
- The news VS. the News: why is there a capital letter to the word
“News”?
The Attic – Group 1
- in this extract we can read that “the house was full to the attic”. There
are several references to the word “attic” throughout the novel.
a) “just right for the children when they had got to the age for secret
magical games”→ What does the narrator mean by “magical
games”?
b) Ben in the attic episode (p.140): what is the symbolical meaning of
this passage?
- How has the representation of the attic evolved?
a) What does this evolution tell about the evolution of the atmosphere
in the house?
b) What could be the symbolical meaning of a social(relation between
people) and philosophical (human nature) point of view?
What is happiness? – Group 2
- What does the sentence “this was happiness in the old style”
meanstrop belle!
- The word “play “is repeated twice when describing the children: what
does the narrator try to show us?
- “happiness. A happy family. The Lovatts were a happy family.”
a) Why is the word “happy” repeated?
b) What is the tone of these sentences?
c) What can you notice about the form of these three sentences?
What meaning does this have?
- “Christmas came and went, people came and went, people travelled up
with David and came back with him”: what idea or impression is the
narrator trying to convey through these repetitions?
- “It was what they had chosen and what they deserved”: Did they do
something special to deserve this happiness? If so, what did they do?
- “And how was all this paid for?” What is the narrative speech here”?
Whose point of view is it? What is the tone of the question?
- “Others had lost their jobs and he was lucky”, “Harriet didn’t believe it
was bad luck”: For Harriet, what is the role of destiny in the life we
lead?
The Lovatt’s attitude and personality – Group 3
- What do these three references to the text have in common? What do
they tell us about D&H?
a) “they defended a stubbornly view of themselves, which was that they
were ordinary and in the right of it”, “ stubborn beliefs”, “determined
intention”
b) “Helen was born in 1970, when Helen was two. Much too fast scolded
Dorothy”
c) “He said he thought this was silly hysterical thinking: Harriet sulked
and they had to make up”
- The Lovatts and the others:
- A) “their, themselves, them, their best selves, individuality of theirs”:
what does the use of all these words tell us about D&H and their
relationships to others?
- “ the young Lovatts made themselves read the papers”: from the use
of this phrase what can we deduce about the attitude the Lovatts have
towards the outside world?
- To what extent does the metaphor of the “kingdom” reveal their
attitude to the events of their times?
The Attic – Group 3
- in this extract we can read that “the house was full to the attic”. There
are several references to the word “attic” throughout the novel.
c) “just right for the children when they had got to the age for secret
magical games”→ What does the narrator mean by “magical
games”?
d) Ben in the attic episode (p.140): what is the symbolical meaning of
this passage?
- How has the representation of the attic evolved?
c) What does this evolution tell about the evolution of the atmosphere
in the house?
d) What could be the symbolical meaning of a social(relation between
people) and philosophical (human nature) point of view?
Harriet and Sarah / Ben and Amy – Group 4
How many babies has Harriet had in this period?
- Sarah & William VS Harriet & David:
a) What is their family situation? What could be the causes of their
family problems?
b) What is their financial situation?
c) Compare Sarah/William and Harriet/David. To what extent are their
situations identical/different?
d) Does Harriet deserve happiness more than her sister? Why or why
 not?
- Amy and Harriet:
a) “the mongol child – yes, yes of course she knew one shouldn’t call
them mongol… Genghis Khan, didn’t she?” What is ironical in this
passage?
b) SEE Ben’s Birth (p60): compare the description of newborn Ben
with Sarah’s fourth baby (Amy)
c) In this extract Harriet says that “Sarah and William’s unhappiness,
their quarrelling, had probably attracted the mongol child”. Could
we say that Harriet also deserved to have a baby like Ben? Did she
also do something wrong to deserve this child?