English Children's Literature(Week Three)

10.1.2015
Week 3: Charlotte's Web

1. Introduction: Charlotte's Web is a children's novel by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published in October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.

2. E. B. White: E.B.White is an American writer. He was a contributor to The New Yorker magazine and a co-author of the English language style guide The Elements of Style, which is commonly known as "Strunk & White". He also wrote books for children, including Stuart Little (1945), Charlotte's Web (1952), and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970). Charlotte's Web was voted the top children's novel in a 2012 survey of School Library Journal readers, an accomplishment repeated in earlier surveys.

3. Film Adaptation (2006 version)
Charlotte's Web is a 2006 American live-action/computer-animated feature film based on the popular book of the same name by E. B. White. It is directed by Gary Winick and produced by Paramount Pictures, Walden Media, The K Entertainment Company, and Nickelodeon Movies. The screenplay is by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick, based on White's book.
It is the second film adaptation of White's book, preceded by a 1973  version produced by Hanna-Barbera for Paramount Pictures.

4. Quotations
(1) “After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die.” 
(2) “Don't write about Man; write about a man.” 
(3) “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.” 
(4) “Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They'll believe anything they see in print.”
(5) “Never hurry and never worry!” 
(6) “Wilbur didn't want food, he wanted love.” 




5. Vocabulary
(1) some pig 了不起的猪
(2) terrific (adj.) 极好的；极其的，非常的
(3) humble (adj./v.) 谦逊
(4) mock (v.) 嘲笑 +at
(5) promise (v./n.) 承诺