Wilt v Angela's Ashes

[Donna Ferentes]

What a strange comparison! But it's not my choice.

I have a pupil who needs to improve her English considerably over the next year, since she wants to teach it and has a year left on her teaching course. Anyway, we need to read a book together and knowing that her course teacher would be offering some novels to her class for the year ahead, I said we'd read one of them.

Naturally I assumed we'd be looking at the classics so I was anticpating Jane Austen or maybe Thomas Hardy. Even Graham Greene.

What, as Pete Shelley sang, do I get?

Tom Sharpe or Frank McCourt.

I've read neither of these two novels and would therefore welcome your opinions, informed and otehrwise, on the subject. Which should I choose?

 

[DotCommunist]

Wilt is funny and I haven't read angelas ashes, So i vote wilt


does the student appreciate farce? cause if so Sharpes yer man

 

[Idris2002]

Limerick people are really huffy about Angela's Ashes, if memory serves.

Thing about Wilt is, Sharpe has some really funny (not funny ha ha) attitudes to women. All that went over my head when I first read him (at 17?) but it might not be the best choice if your pupil is female.

 

[girasol]

I read Wilt when I couldn't speak English very well, and I read Angela's Ashes when my English was much better.

Can't she read them both?

I think Angela's Ashes makes for a better read actually, depends on what she likes doesn't it? I like a good old story of struggle against difficult circumstances with some history thrown in.

 

[sojourner]

Neither, considering the reason why she wants to read them


I have to admit I'm struggling to think of a replacement though

 

[Radar]

Limerick people are really huffy about Angela's Ashes, if memory serves.

Angela's Ashes is a bit grim, from the last time I read it. Grinding poverty, childhood disease, putting up with life at the shit end of stab city.

At least Wilt is a laugh..

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Can't she read them both?

No, because I'm too tight to buy them both.

Is the narration and dialogue in McCourt likely to be linguistically difficult for a foreigner used only to "standard" English?

 

[girasol]

No, because I'm too tight to buy them both.

Is the narration and dialogue in McCourt likely to be linguistically difficult for a foreigner used only to "standard" English?

I don't really know, I'd been in England for a few years when I read Angela's Ashes, so my English was good by then... Also I had gone out with an Irish guy for years, so I knew the lingo...

 

[girasol]

Angela's Ashes is a bit grim, from the last time I read it. Grinding poverty, childhood disease, putting up with life at the shit end of stab city.

At least Wilt is a laugh..

There are very funny moments in Angela's Ashes too.

 

[soulman]

I'd say go for Angela's Ashes. McCourt was an English teacher for 30 years so the narration and dialogue shouldn't be difficult.

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

Angela's Ashes is a bit grim, from the last time I read it. Grinding poverty, childhood disease, putting up with life at the shit end of stab city.

At least Wilt is a laugh..

yes angels ashes is all of those things, but its also beautifully written, warmly and irishly written it has a converstational tone and quite a few interesting phrases and sayings that would be great discussion points
its on e of my all time favourite books in the world so of course i vote andgelas ashes

i lived in limerick and it is as grey as its described. stone buildings with rain sloping off them, a big grey castle by a grey bridge across a grey river running through a grey town.

 

[spanglechick]

wilt is pretty rude (the main character gets his cock stuck inside a blow-up doll at one point, and continues in a similar vein). It depends on the relationship you have with this girl, but there might be some embarrassment.

 

[maomao]

Yes, not Wilt with a female student. Is there no other choice?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Unfortunately not.

Angela's Ashes it is.

The Spanish don't really have a problem with rude stuff (and this Spaniard not at all) but being an uptight Englishman, I do. Besides, I prefer misery and death to comedy any day.

 

[Sweet FA]

Good choice - if your student's that bothered about Wilt, you can get her the 'hilarious' dvd starring Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith and Alison Steadman.

"Now you listen here, if anyone's going to murder my wife, it's going to be me!" Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha etc etc.