Product Description

In "Vintage Living Texts", teachers and students will find the essential guide to the works of Louis de Bernieres. "Vintage Living Texts" is unique in that it offers an in-depth interview with Louis de Bernieres, relating specifically to the texts under discussion. This guide will deal with de Berniere's themes, genre and narrative technique, and a close reading of the texts will be accompanied by likely exam questions - as well as providing a rich source of ideas for intelligent and inventive ways of approaching the novels. Also included in this guide are detailed reading plans for all four novels, questions for essays and discussion, contextual material, suggested texts for complementary and comparative reading, picture essay, extracts from reviews, a biography, a bibliography, a reading list of literary criticism and a glossary of literary terms. Whether a teacher, student or general reader, the "Vintage Living Texts" series gives you the chance to explore new resources and enjoy new pleasures.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #294296 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

The English Magazine, no.47 Winter 2002/3
This is a terrific series… The tone is authoritative but never dogmatic, while the style is enthusiastic and approachable.

From the Author
Each Vintage Living Text starts with an interview with the author, conducted for the series. After that, the emphasis is on you, the reader, and on your developing response to the novel. This innovative approach retains the excitement of reading for oneself: this guide is definitely not for readers who like to be lectured or who want a substitute for reading the novels. If on the other hand you want a well-informed, accessible guide that will introduce you to an author’s work, set it in context, and suggest lots of intelligent ways into the novels themselves – then here it is.

About the Author
In Vintage Living Texts teachers and students will find the essential guide to the works of Louis de Bernieres. This guide will deal with his themes, genre and narrative technique, and a close reading of the texts will be accompanied with likely exam questions, and contexts and comparisons - as well as providing a rich source of ideas for intelligent and inventive ways of approaching the novels.

Customer Reviews

Doing this for A-Level?? BUY IT
Brilliant study guide. As i am sure you are aware A-Level asks for a lot of wider reading. Using this study guide gave me a lot of important knowledge for the novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, not only raising interesting points in question form, but by an interview with Louis de Berniéres, expressing his views on the text and how he came up with some of the ideas. Other texts by de Berniéres are also covered in this guide, which can be used to compare when studying the novel (especailly in the A-level coursework side of things). I would recommend this guide to anyone interested in de Benieres' novels and/or studying Captain Corelli. Another great guide for studying Captain Corelli's Mandolin is the official Captain Correli guide also sold on Amazon. However over all, I would recommend this one above the other (both are really helpful though, also reading Greek myths is advised, as often these run parallel with characters from Corelli, i.e Mandras and Achilles)

Excellent
This guide takes you through de Berniere's novels in a way that makes you think about them in new ways. The best thing about the guide is that you never feel you are being lectured at. It starts with an overview of de Berniere's work and a good interview. The reading guides for each novel have lots of contextual information and questions which open the text up in interesting ways. It's a really well-informed and stimulating guide - reading it is a bit like being taught by someone who knows the novels well but wants you to develop your own responses. Unusual and very effective.

Excellent
This is a brilliant guide and a bit of a revelation. I used it when reading Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and it really opened the novel up for me in ways I hadn't expected. The interview is interesting, but the best part is the reading guide. It focuses your reading in ways that are revealing and sometimes surprising. It's authoritative but not intimidating - using it is a bit like being taken through the novel by a friend who knows it well but wants you to discover it for yourself. You are continually asked to think and think again without ever being told what to think, and at the end of it you realise that it has made you read the novel for yourself. Fantastic - I recommend it.