Despite the fact that the curriculum no longer specifically mentions older literature, we have included some short excerpts that we feel deserve a place in a course book of this type. There are good film versions of all of these works.
Version A is a very simple description of what takes place, whereas Version B follows the original dialogue quite faithfully, but in modern English.
There is a short video of this scene here.
The opening sentence is probably one of the most well-known in English literature, and the excerpt gives a vivid portrayal of the Bennets and their relationship.
In this episode Gulliver saves the Emperor of Lilliput’s palace when a fire is threatening to destroy it completely. However, although desperate times call for desperate measures, the Empress was far from happy with the way in which Gulliver extinguished the flames.
In this excerpt, Oliver asks for more gruel and is punished for his perceived insolence and ingratitude.
There is a short video of this scene here.