The works of George Orwell, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien have arguably more influence today than when they were first published. 1984, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings have also been turned into movies as has that other icon of British fiction: Harry Potter.
This is Leadenhall Market, an old-fashioned Victorian market that's still popular today, and I've been told that if I walk over here, something rather magical will happen... because this is also the location of Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter films where wizards come shopping.
Evanesco!
…..
The Harry Potter films were adapted from the children’s novels of J.K. Rowling. She is a world-class leader in modern literature and one of the most successful authors of her generation. Over 450 million copies of the Harry Potter books have sold throughout the world. They’ve been translated into 72 different languages.
Amanda Craig is a novelist and The Times critic for children’s literature.
Richard: Amanda, what impact has J.K. Rowling had on literature?
Amanda: I think above all she's reminded the world that the British are great storytellers. She's made people in every country laugh, cry and sit on the edge of their seats.
Richard: What about other British authors, then?
Amanda: Well, there are fantastic children's authors, like Philip Pullman, whose Dark Materials trilogy I'm sure will be familiar, and Anthony Horowitz, who reinvented the James Bond spy novel for teenagers, and for younger children, there's Cressida Cowell's How to Train your Dragon. All of these are fantastic stories.
Richard: Why is Britain such a breeding ground for writing talent?
Amanda: Well, we've had over 200 years of practice at the novel and 600 years at the play. We've got people like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare to draw upon, we've got the wonderful English language and I think we are full of curiosity about other people. We want to entertain them, we want to make them laugh, we want to make them feel shivers up their spine. We just love literature.
.....
Well, I’m excited about the classics and the future of modern British literature. They say there’s a book in everyone and I feel so inspired, I'm going to start writing straight away. I just need a pen...
Comments
Thank you very much for this great opportunity to learn English! Fantastic!
I think the Harry Potter books are so popular because of their colourful but simple, immediate language and for the originality of the story. The author has been very clever in mixing up magic and reality in a proper balance. When I finished the books, I was able to see magic here and there in the real world. I think every act of kindness can bring some sort of magic, in the end.
I did not read the books mentioned by Richard in the video, except for the Harry Potter's saga. Actually I do not like fantasy books such as Tolkien's etc. I watched "How to train a dragon 2" at the cinema and I liked it. I didn't know it had been adapted from a book. I think I could try and read it.
I don't think I would be able to write a story, I'm very fond of books but I'm not so good at writing down things... I prefer to tell them, instead.
wow! such many new phrases! " such a breeding ground for writing talent", "get sb to draw upon", "shivers up their spine". Would you mind explaining these phrases (i think) for me?
Hello kristina26,
Have you tried using the Cambridge Dictionaries Online search window for this? You can find the information you need for these phrases there. Try typing into the window (on the right) each of these:
'breeding ground'
'draw on'
'shiver up your spine'
As you can see, you can get definitions and examples using the search tool. You can also get example pronunciation of the phrases, which is something we can't do for you in the comments here.
I hope that helps you.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
Could you please explain ".. sit on the edge of their seats..." (at 03:22)? Does it mean 'these novels make people silent and enjoy reading' with the meaning of 'sit on'? If so, what about 'edge'? I mean, for example, 'that novel makes her sit on her seat' is possible?
Hello Aung Thet Naing,
If you are on the edge of your seat then you are extremely excited and can't wait to find out what is going to happen next. We often use it when we're talking about films, stories, or even anecdotes:
'And what happened next? Come on, tell me, I'm on the edge of my seat here!'
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
amazing video but unfortunately i can't understand everything they said....
Hello widad widi,
I'm glad you like the video but it is quite challenging and perhaps some of the other videos on the site might be a little easier for you to start with. Remember also that there are some things you can do to make videos, including this one, easier. For example, you might try using the transcript to help you? You can find it just below the video window and it you can try listening and reading at the same time, or read the transcript first, looking up some of the vocabulary if necessary, and then try listening.
Let us know if these suggestions help you, and keep going with your English studies!
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello. I come from Portugal.
I Discovered this site in the last Sunday, and I love it. Now i hope improve my english, essentially the listening, the speanking and the writing. Thank for all!
I am not harry potter fan, but its incredible its success. I never read any books that you mentioned, because I prefer Portuguese literature like Fernando Pessoa, Luís de Camões or more recently Virgilio Ferreira ou José Luís Peixoto.
I couldn't write a novel because i have no capacity to write big texts :S
Hello Adam,
Could you please explain the meaning of "as has" in the sentence "...The Lord of the Rings have also been turned into movies as has that other icon of British fiction..."?
Looking forward your reply,
Aung Thet Naing
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