Year 9 - English
Reading Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly' (1922)
Literary perspectives from the First World War
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils explore and compare texts written about the First World War. They first read Beck's 'Propping up the line', Mansfield's 'The Fly' and Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter home to his mum. They finally read Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', and then plan and write a comparative response.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain what happens in Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' including exploring some of its major themes.
Key Notes
- Mansfield (1888-1923) was a New Zealand writer and critic.
- Mansfield was part of the modernist movement: she rejected traditional ideas about what literature should look like.
- 'The Fly' presents two men, both of whom lost their sons in World War One.
- 'The Fly' (1922) was perhaps inspired by her own experiences of loss in World War One: her brother was killed in 1915.
Vocabulary To Learn
- modernism: a literary movement in which writers rejected traditional ideas about what poetry and other forms of literature should look like
- universal: applicable to all people regardless of circumstance
- experimental: new, innovative, untested
- theme: an important idea in a text, often this idea is universal, for example, love
- nihilism: the idea that life is meaningless
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Mr. Woodifield intentionally tries to upset the boss.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Mansfield (1888-1923) was a New Zealand writer and critic. Mansfield was part of the modernist movement: she rejected traditional ideas about what literature should look like.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'modernism'
a literary movement in which writers rejected traditional ideas about what poetry and other forms of literature should look like.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Mr. Woodifield intentionally tries to upset the boss. Correction: Mr. Woodifield seems unaware that he has upset the boss, and his cruelty in mentioning his son's grave in Belgium is thoughtless rather than deliberately cruel.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing the presentation of the gas attack: Ian Beck's 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One in comparative analytical paragraphs Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One using comparative topic sentences Study Guide
- Creative writing in the third person inspired by Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Exploring the presentation of the boss in 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield Study Guide
- Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line': Alice's experiences on the Home Front Study Guide
- Improving a letter: deliberate verbs and precise adjectives Study Guide
- Improving the style of a letter: sentence structure and rhythm Study Guide
- Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' as stimulus Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter as stimulus Study Guide
- Reading 'Propping Up the Line', a short story about World War One by Ian Beck Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: 'Testament of Youth' by Vera Brittain Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter to his mother Study Guide
- Symbolism and motif in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up The Line' Study Guide
- The presentation of trauma in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Understanding why people write about war Study Guide
- Using sentence structure to create rhythm in writing about World War One Study Guide
- Vivid descriptive writing using Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line' as stimulus Study Guide
- World War One: propaganda and trench warfare Study Guide
- Writing a letter as a soldier in the trenches of World War One Study Guide
- Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose Study Guide
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