LIFE IN LETTERS:
Exploring the Connection between an Author's Life and Work

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  Global History, Language Arts

Related New York Times Article
"J. M. Coetzee Wins Nobel Prize for Literature, By ALAN RIDING", October 3, 2003

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students consider the relationship between an author's life and his or her work. By researching the historical and personal events surrounding a Nobel Prize winning author, students will gain insight into how these events inspired, and were reflected in, the author's writing.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:
1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

1. Consider the role that an author's life plays in his or her texts.
2. Learn about J.M. Coetzee's recent Nobel Prize by reading and discussing the article "J. M. Coetzee Wins Nobel Prize for Literature."
3. Research a Nobel Prize winning author, and create a timeline that makes the connection among his or her life, local and world events during his or her lifetime, and text publication dates.
4. Write short stories revealing the influence of their "homelands."

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

• pens/pencils
• student journals
• classroom board
• copies of the article "J. M. Coetzee Wins Nobel Prize for Literature" (one per student)
• computers with Internet access (one per group)
• poster board
• markers

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: Students respond to the following prompt in their journals (written on the board prior to class): "Do you think it is better to know about an author's life while reading his or her work, or not? How might knowing about an author's life change your understanding of his or her writing?" After giving students a few minutes to write, have some students share their writing with the class.
2. As a class, read the article "J. M. Coetzee Wins Nobel Prize for Literature," focusing on the following questions:
   1. What did J.M. Coetzee win? Which other African Americans have won this prize?
   2. What were some of the praises that the academy cited in presenting Coetzee with the prize?
   3. What is a "fundamental theme" in Coetzee's work?
   4. Name some of the significant events in Coetzee's life.
   5. Why does Coetzee feel like he has a "split personality"?
3. Divide students into groups of three of four, assigning each group a Nobel Prize winning author (a list of authors is available at http://www.nobelprizes.com). Have groups research their authors and the time period in which they lived in order to create timelines based on the authors' lives. The timelines should be two-tiered. The top line should trace significant events in the author's life, as well as world and local events that occurred during the author's life. The bottom line should provide the publication dates of the author's books as well as short summaries of each text. If time allows, the two tiers should be connected with commentary hypothesizing how the personal, local, or world events on the top timeline may have influenced each work. Finished timelines should be displayed in the classroom.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: For homework, students write a short story in which "homeland" plays a central role. Students may choose to set their stories in the homeland itself, using the landscape, the people, and the events to shape the narrative. Or, alternatively, they may choose foreign settings for their stories, but still addressing the notion of "homeland," and the influence it has on one's life in a distant land.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Do you think that apartheid could happen anywhere? Why or why not?
• Have you ever felt like one of Coetzee's characters, "stand[ing] behind [yourself], motionless, incapable of taking part in [your] own actions"?
• Do you think that a text can stand alone as a work of art, without an understanding of the author's intentions or motivations? Why or why not?
• Have you ever found out something about a famous person that you wish you hadn't? How did this information shape the way you perceived this person?

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated on completion of journal, participation in class discussions, participation in group research, completion of group timeline, and completion of "homeland" story.

VOCABULARY:
apartheid, bleakness, laureate, pregnant, scrupulous, rationalism, cosmetic, disintegrates, uniformly, indolent, existentialist

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

1. Read one of J.M. Coetzee's novels and write a review, focusing on some of the aspects of his writing addressed in the article, such as the South African influence and existential themes. Also comment on the academy's description of Coetzee's prose as containing "well-crafted composition, pregnant dialogue and analytical brilliance".
2. Learn about the history of apartheid both through historical accounts and through the fictional accounts of South African authors. Create a poster highlighting some of the major themes and events found in both types of sources (making sure to note which images or quotes are from historical sources and which are historical fiction). Make sure to use quotes from each of the author's cited in the article, including Alan Paton, Dennis Brutus, Athol Fugard, and Nadine Gordimer.
3. Learn about how a person is chosen to receive the Nobel Prize. Then chose one of the Nobel Prize categories and write an essay nominating someone who you think would be worthy of the prize. Explain how this person and his or her work reflect the nature and values of this coveted honor.
4. Read an excerpt from the work of the author you researched in class. Then write a reflection on how your knowledge of this person's life influenced your understanding of the text. Do you think your reading was enhanced or inhibited by this information?

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Economics- Create a chart comparing the sales of books by Nobel Prize winning authors over the last ten years. How many of them made bestsellers lists? How many of them made a profit and how much? Also compare sales pre and post- Nobel Prize.

Science- Consider how the personal lives of psychologists such as Sigmund Freud or B.F. Skinner influenced their psychological theories. Write an essay considering the following questions: How much do you think personal events shaped this person's theories? Do you think this influence renders the theories improperly biased, or are they sound theories regardless of the life events of their authors?

Social Studies- Consider apartheid as a case study for segregation, and write an essay reflecting on Coetzee's thesis that the values and conduct of apartheid could arise anywhere. In writing, consider the following questions: Why do people segregate themselves? What benefits and drawbacks exist in segregation? What other traits, besides race, do people use to segregate themselves? How does segregation influence conduct, both personal and in an entire society?

Copyright 2003
The New York Times Company