All entries for the EFL curriculum (newest first)
List of entries
A Gothic novel about advances in science and moral responsibilities they bring about. Victor Frankenstein is a gifted young scientist living and studying in Switzerland. Through the recently discovered ‘wonder of electricity’ he is able to give life to his own creation – a monstrous creature. However, Victor does not take responsibility for the monster […]
A young-adult novel on the loss of innocence, isolation and alienation, morality, mental health, sexual confusion, youth and the painfulness of growing up. The Catcher in the Rye tells a story of teenage frustration and the way 17-year-old Holden perceives the world. Expelled from his private school, he goes to New York City, wandering the […]
A dystopian coming-of-age novel about trust, education and children coming to terms with their special place in the world. Protagonist Kathy tells the story of her childhood attending a private school in England. There, living healthily is the most important rule. She and her friends already feel that they are special in some way but […]
An eco-critical story on friendship, survival and environmental pollution reminding us to keep trash out of the sea. Tally, a little Turtle, and her friend Ara, a red lobster, are swimming through the Pacific Ocean when they come upon some funnily-shaped, colorful objects floating by. What seems like a dream turns into a nightmare: Tally […]
This little story on environmental pollution follows Stanley – who is no ordinary jellyfish but a little plastic bag that was thrown into the ocean. Foregrounding the dangers for sea creatures who want to take a bite of Stanley, this story makes clear that plastic bags do not belong in the sea. As the story […]
This classic tale is based on a true story featuring the loyal and faithful dog Bobby: Over a hundred years ago in Edinburgh, the little Bobby would return for fourteen years, day by day, to his master’s graveside. His story is retold from the perspective of Tom and Becky, two children who are on a […]
A rhyming, eco-critical story about the relativity of prejudices and stereotypes, the importance of friendship and environmental protection: “This is a tale of a tiny snail and a great big, grey-blue humpback whale…”
A collection of Wilde’s tales of true beauty, the celebration of loyalty, selfless love, wit and aestheticism published in The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) and A House of Pomegranates (1891). In “The Selfish Giant”, a giant chases children playing in his garden off and builds a high wall to keep them out. From […]
A comedy of manners on the constraints of morality, the importance of lineage, Victorian values and hypocrisies. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff are two wealthy gentlemen who invent fictional characters as an excuse to leave their respective home – a strategy known as ‘Bunburying’. Jack intends to marry Algernon’s cousin Gwendolen Fairfax. To see her […]
A coming-of-age novel about emotional distance and proximity, friendship and family, responsibility and peer-pressure. 12-year old Marcus lives alone with his mother, who suffers from depression. Will is a 36-year old bachelor, living off his father’s fortune and rejecting any responsibilities. When Will attends a single parents support group, simply in order to pick up […]
A dystopian novel on social hierarchies, the progress of science and technology and psychological manipulation. In the year 2540, society has grown into a caste system that seeks to attain absolute perfection: People are no longer born, but genetically modified and conditioned to behave as perfectly functioning members of society. For most, happiness is controlled […]
An allegorical novel on civilization and savagery, the power of religion, identity, and youth. A group of young boys survive a plane crash and find themselves on an uninhabited island. They quickly establish a governmental structure, rules, and order and elect one boy as chief. However, not long after conflicts erupt, their group splits in […]
Orwell’s classic fable-like allegory to Stalinism. Feeling suppressed and exploited by the farmer, a group of farm animals plot a revolution. But soon after the revolutionary takeover of the farmyard, their leaders become corrupted by power and turn into the ones they once chased away.
A social problem novel on changes and challenges in industrialised England – following ‘the progress of a parish boy’ from London’s impoverished underworld to a fortunate life. Growing up in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver asked for more food and is sold to an undertaker to become his apprentice. Oliver runs away and travels to […]
In this sonnet, the speaker tells the story of a relationship between a man and a woman problematising traditional gender roles. Due to seemingly insignificant household problems, they both feel stressed in their relationship. This causes him to get drunk and complain about his relationship and her to write bad protest poems and “torment” her […]
A song by Saul Williams critically investigating the US American military and inhuman past, present and future. In the style of a preacher, the speaker reflects on the USA’s history and its current state. He complains about a lack of ancient spirituality and the worship of a male god that causes violence and destruction.
A spoken-word poem by Darryll Suliaman Amoako aka ‘Suli Breaks’ about the limitations of institutional schooling and the strictures of formal education. The speaker critically reflects upon the necessity to achieve academic degrees and encourages the audience to reassess their definition of education, as “there is more than one way in this world to be, […]
An autobiographical coming-of-age novel on the dangers of religious enthusiasm and the power of love. Jeanette grows up within a fundamentalist Christian family. Her adoptive mother dominates her life educating her at home in isolation until a letter from the government arrives – ordering her mother to send her daughter to school. Jeanette struggles in […]