|Coursework Assistance: Essay Suggestions |[pic] |

|Birdsong |
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|PERSONAL INFORMED INTERPRETATION |
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|Students who decide to write this type of essay should be aware of what is meant by the term ‘personal informed |
|interpretation’. Think of this phrase as three separate words: |
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|‘Personal’ - What does the novel mean to you? How does it make you feel? This does not have to be a positive feeling - just |
|because someone you know loves this novel above all others, does not mean that you have to! However, do not just write your |
|essay in the form of a ‘rant’ - your reasons, whether you love or loathe the novel, must be reasoned and reasonable, but |
|above all, personal. |
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|‘Informed’ - Your essay must demonstrate that you have understood the novel. In addition, you will be required to endorse |
|this understanding with wider, relevant reading, showing that you have selected and studied appropriate texts in order to |
|support your arguments. |
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|‘Interpretation’ - You need to explain your understanding. In other words, you cannot just write ‘When Sebastian Faulks |
|says ‘He felt himself grow cold’, he is telling us that Stephen has become isolated from his environment’, and leave it at |
|that. You must go on to explore Stephen’s isolation; how it came about; how his experiences with Isabelle affect the rest of|
|his life; why these experiences meant so much to him. So, whatever topic you have chosen to discuss or explore in your |
|essay, you should show that you have thought about the subject in hand and reasoned through your explanations, reinforcing |
|these with highly relevant and specific references to the text. |
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|Birdsong lends itself mainly to essays which focus on themes, structure, language, or characters. Students need to choose a |
|task which enables them to answer all of the assessment objectives required, concisely and accurately, demonstrating that |
|they have understood the text. The following are just a few suggestions for possible essay titles and content, together with|
|ideas for specific further reading: |
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|(a) ‘Explore the portrayal of male relationships in Birdsong.’ |
|Here the student should pay attention to the friendship between Weir and Wraysford and could compare this, briefly, with |
|Wraysford’s dealings with other characters in the novel. |
|Examine how each of these two characters treats the other. Weir seems to depend more on Wraysford than on anyone else, while|
|Wraysford appears more independent. Weir’s death, however, changes the readers perspective of their friendship. |
|Stephen’s notebook is used by Faulks to demonstrate his innermost thoughts and it is noteworthy that in this, Stephen seems |
|to focus on Weir and the other men who have died. |
|Reading other novels in this genre would enable students to see how different authors have dealt with this topic. Good |
|examples can be found in All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque) and Strange Meeting (Susan Hill). |
|How realistic is this friendship? Today, two heterosexual men would be more than reluctant to admit to such an extremely |
|close friendship, but in the First World War, such relationships were not at all unusual. Good references for this context |
|can be found in 1914-1918: Voices and Images of the Great War or 1915: The Death of Innocence, both by Lyn MacDonald or |
|Forgotten Voices of the Great War by Max Arthur. |
|Additional information and guidance on this topic, both in Birdsong and other novels, can be found in this Study Guide, in |
|the Chapter entitled Themes and Comparisons - Male Relationships. |
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|(b) ‘Explore the portrayal of love in Birdsong.’ |
|Within this topic, one could examine Stephen Wraysford’s liaisons with Isabelle and Jeanne. |
|Explore how these two relationships are portrayed by Sebastian Faulks. The first is clearly a passionate, intense and sexual|
|affair, with far-reaching consequences for everyone involved. The second, while more calm and chaste, is no less important |
|and it is Jeanne with whom Stephen spends the rest of his life. |
|Focus on Faulks’s use of language in describing these two relationships - not just in his descriptions of what actually |
|happens, but in how he shows the characters reactions to each other and the events surrounding them. |
|Look at the emotions of each woman towards Stephen. Jeanne feels concern and pity, which deepen into love. Isabelle feels |
|desire and love, which changes into guilt. There are many reasons why their feelings change. See the chapter in this study |
|guide which focuses on Characters for a more detailed explanation. |
|To examine the portrayal of heterosexual love in other novels in this genre, one could look at A Long Long Way (Sebastian |
|Barry). |
|How authentic are these relationships to the time in which they are set? If you remove the lurid sexual descriptions of the |
|affair between Isabelle and Stephen, then this scenario is perfectly feasible. Reading any literature of the time - or |
|earlier - demonstrates that adultery is not a modern invention. Jeanne’s relationship with Stephen is equally understandable|
|in the context, given its beginnings and its slow progression. In writing about love and relationships in the context of |
|war, one should always remember the temptation to ‘seize the day’, rather than moralise from a 21st century perspective. |
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|Additional information and guidance on this topic, both in Birdsong and other novels, can be found in this Study Guide, in |
|the Chapter entitled Themes and Comparisons - Portrayal of Love and Sex. |
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|(c) ‘Explore the portrayal of battle scenes in Birdsong.’ |
|Remember that, in reality, most of the time spent in the trenches, was spent waiting for something to happen. The first |
|requirement, therefore, is to create an atmosphere of tension prior to the battle scenes. It is for each reader to decide |
|whether they feel this has been achieved. If so, how was it done; what was it that made you feel tense. If not, what do you |
|feel was lacking? |
|Sebastian Faulks has chosen to portray the battle and its consequences very graphically, but also very poetically. His |
|description of the Battle of the Somme is both brutal and lyrical. The poetry of Wilfred Owen (especially Dulce et Decorum |
|Est) or Isaac Rosenberg (Dead Man’s Dump) reinforces how well this contrast can work. |
|The letters which the men send prior to the battle show the personal side of warfare, demonstrating each man’s thoughts and |
|reminding us how much they have to lose. This hits the reader much harder when many of the letter-writers later die. |
|Another narrative tool, namely Elizabeth Benson’s personal journey to discover more about her ancestry, reveals some of the |
|statistics and facts behind the battle. Her visit to Thiepval, for instance, serves as a reminder to the reader that so many|
|lives were lost during the battle which has just been described. |
|Other authors have dealt with this subject, including Erich Maria Remarque in All Quiet on the Western Front. Students could|
|also read some of the memoirs of the First World War to discover how the real combatants recalled their own experiences. |
|These could include General Jack’s Diary, edited by John Terraine or The Last of the Ebb by Sidney Rogerson, among many |
|others. |
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|Additional information and guidance on this topic, both in Birdsong and other novels, can be found in this Study Guide, in |
|the Chapter entitled Themes and Comparisons - The Depiction of Battle Scenes. |
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|(d) ‘Explain how the structure of the novel Birdsong affects the reader’s interpretation.’ |
|Firstly you need to decide whether, and to what extent, the structure of the novel has impacted on your interpretation. If |
|the answer is ‘It hasn’t’, then this clearly is not the task for you! If, however, you feel that Part One is an irrelevant |
|sexual romp, or that the modern sections serve no purpose, or equally, that all seven parts are required in order for the |
|whole piece to work, you could consider this as a topic. |
|Whichever viewpoint you take, this must reflect your own feelings about the novel. It is no use repeating something which |
|you have read somewhere else as you will not be able to conclusively argue your point. |
|If you decide that Part One is unnecessary, you must give a reasoned argument as to why. Is this because you feel that it |
|has no impact on the main point of the novel? If so, then what is the main point of the novel? Is it meant just to be a |
|study of war; or is it really an examination of people? |
|If, on the other hand, you can find no purpose for the modern sections of the book, think about why you feel like this. |
|Remember that their purpose is, essentially, to inform. This is really a narrative tool, employed by Sebastian Faulks to |
|fill in the gaps. Do you feel that this works, and if not, what else could Faulks have done to perform the same task? |
|Those who feel that the whole structure works perfectly could examine why others (and there are many others), disagree. Why,|
|for example, do you think that some people dislike Part One and/or the modern sections of the novel? And what makes them |
|work for you? |
|Reasoned arguments are required. You cannot simply say ‘I like/hate this because...’. You must, instead, decide upon how you|
|feel about the novel’s structure and whether you believe it works. Then evaluate why you have reacted in the way that you |
|have. You must assess how Faulks has created that reaction, rather than just your reaction itself. |
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|Additional information and guidance on this topic can be found in this Study Guide, in the Chapter entitled Critical |
|Analysis - The Structure of the Novel. |
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|Other possible topics... |
|Students could choose to explore Faulks’s use of language, possibly making comparisons between his portrayal of battle |
|scenes, wounds and death with his descriptions of sexual intercourse and birth, focusing on the impact of these narratives |
|on the reader. |
|The representation of the home front, although not featured heavily in Birdsong, is nonetheless, represented. However, |
|Faulks gives just one, unfavourable perspective. Students could, therefore choose to examine this, discussing its |
|authenticity and how others have treated this topic. |
|An examination of the portrayal of faith within the novel could be chosen, with students exploring the importance of faith |
|to the characters involved and whether - or how - their beliefs change as the story unfolds. The context and authenticity of|
|these portrayals should also be explained. |
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|CREATIVE TRANSFORMATIONAL WRITING |
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|As the title suggests, this option gives the student more scope for creativity - within certain limitations. Here, rather |
|than writing a piece which clinically analyses one or more aspects of the novel, you could choose to become the author |
|instead. Do not be fooled into thinking that this provides you with an ‘easy’ option, however. Your essay MUST demonstrate |
|that you have understood not only the content, language, structure and narrative viewpoint of the novel, but also that you |
|have completely absorbed the author’s style and purpose in writing it in the first place. |
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|Within the restrictions of the permitted word-count and the fact that the assessment objectives remain the same, you have to|
|adopt the style - both narrative and linguistic - of Sebastian Faulks, retain the characterisations which he has already |
|created, focus on the context of the novel and make your piece believable and realistic. |
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|There are several possibilities within this choice of essay: |
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|(a) Stephen’s Notebook |
|You could take one episode in Stephen’s life and re-create a relevant notebook entry. Possible examples for topics might |
|include: |
|- Stephen’s war-time meeting with Isabelle; |
|- Hearing the news of Weir’s death; |
|- Recovering from the wounds received in the tunnel; |
|- Any of the battle/death/wounding scenes in which Stephen is involved; |
|- Stephen’s feelings upon returning to England on leave; |
|- The episode with the prostitute. |
|Remember that you must write in the style of Sebastian Faulks, but that you are writing from Stephen’s perspective. The |
|language and tone must reflect this. Use the notebook extract provided at the end of Part Five, although remember that by |
|the time he wrote this, Stephen’s character had become disillusioned and war-weary. Your piece should demonstrate your |
|interpretation of his state of mind at the time of writing. |
|You should include and refer to, but not repeat verbatim, the episode(s) as referred to in the text. Make yourself extremely|
|familiar with the events you have chosen to describe, so that you cannot miss anything out, but also remember not to include|
|scenes or experiences which Stephen has not witnessed himself. You may, of course, allow him to refer to incidents about |
|which he has later been informed, taking care as to how these are introduced and bearing in mind that Stephen’s character is|
|unlikely to ‘gossip’. |
|Relate Stephen’s feelings and reactions to his past and his previous experiences. This helps to demonstrate your |
|understanding, not only of the particular circumstances which form your topic, but of the whole novel and, especially, |
|characters involved. |
|Read other memoirs or narratives of the First World War, especially those that may relate directly to the events you have |
|chosen to describe. These will help you to understand how much detail is required. However, be careful to stick to the style|
|of Faulks, rather than adopting that of any of the other writers. Possible texts to study could include Undertones of War by|
|Edmund Blunden or Somme by Lyn MacDonald. |
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|Additional information and guidance on this topic can be found in this Study Guide, in the Chapter entitled Character |
|Analysis - Stephen Wraysford. |
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|(b) The missing years |
|You could choose to write an account of Stephen’s two years of silence following the end of the war. |
|We know that Stephen and Jeanne were married in 1919 and went to live in Norfolk with Françoise. Use this information as a |
|basis to write an essay explaining what happened to the family and how, eventually, Stephen began to speak again. |
|Explore Stephen’s likely reactions to the news of Isabelle’s death and the discovery that he has a daughter. Use Françoise’s|
|brief accounts to help understand her perspective of her father. |
|Remember that you are acting as a third-person narrator. In the case of Birdsong, the narrator has a certain amount of |
|insight into the thoughts and feelings of the characters. You could, however, use letters to enhance this. |
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|Additional information and guidance on this topic can be found in this Study Guide, in the Chapter entitled Character |
|Analysis - Stephen Wraysford and Jeanne Fourmentier |
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|(c) Letters |
|Correspondence between various characters form a part of the narrative structure, serving the purpose of explaining events |
|or reactions, from the sole perspective of the writer of each letter. Within this topic, you have several options available:|
|A letter, written in Munich, from Isabelle to Jeanne (found by Elizabeth amongst Françoise’s possessions), explaining her |
|actions in following Max to live in Germany. You could, perhaps, explore Isabelle’s feelings for Stephen, compared with her |
|stronger emotional link to Max. You might also hint at the beginnings of the influenza which would eventually claim |
|Isabelle’s life, and her request that Jeanne should bring up Françoise in her absence. |
|An imaginary letter, written from Isabelle to Stephen, explaining her departure in 1910. We know that Isabelle began to |
|write such a letter, but found it impossible to explain her actions. Using your knowledge of Isabelle’s character you could |
|try to write a feasible explanation of her decision, remembering that you must not reveal the fact that Isabelle is |
|pregnant. |
|Imagining that, following his rescue from the tunnel, Stephen has been sent to recuperate, you could write a letter to him |
|from Jeanne. In this, she might explain her love for him; her hopes for their future, offering him encouragement in his |
|recovery. She might also make the suggestion of marriage - being as she is the stronger of the two characters at this stage,|
|why should the proposal not come from her? It would also be in character for Jeanne to propose in writing, rather than in |
|person and might take the form of her suggesting that she could nurse him, but that she understands he might prefer to live |
|in England, away from the memories of Isabelle and the war. |
|Whatever your choice of character and letter, remember to write the correspondence from their perspective. You are not |
|narrating this essay, but are representing a specific character. Read the other letters in the novel and use them to help |
|create your own. |
|Keep to context in your letter. Remember the timeline of events and do not deviate, but also retain a wartime feel. So, for |
|example, although Jeanne may have shared Stephen’s joke that they will ‘shock the whole of Rouen’ by living together, does |
|this really strike you as something which Jeanne would find acceptable? This is not only dictated by Jeanne’s character but |
|also by the time and place in which she lived. |
|You may be able to demonstrate a deeper knowledge of the text by referring to unknown reactions to events. You could create |
|these reactions or thoughts using your understanding of the character(s) involved. |
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|Additional information and guidance on this topic can be found in this Study Guide, in the Chapter entitled Character |
|Analysis. |
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