Oscar Wilde

a cura di R. Aimo e L. O'Connor 
 An American family buys an old English castle with all the furnishings, ... including its ghost. At first they don't believe it exists but then, when the super-natural being appears to the family, they treat him with indifference and the terrible twins even play nasty tricks on him. The only person who respects him is Virginia, who manages to talk to him and sets him free from his long-standing curse.
 In this amusing story, Oscar Wilde portrays the cultural clash between a 16thcentury traditional English ghost and a modern (end of 19th century), stereotyped American family.
 A comic-strip version accompanied by inserts on the 'existence' of ghosts in famous castles, literature and cinema.
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Summing-up Activities
 
 Una famiglia americana compera un castello con tutti gli arredi, compreso… il suo fantasma. Quando l’essere soprannaturale si rivela, viene trattato con molta indifferenza e persino fatto oggetto di scherzi. L’unica persona della famiglia che lo tratta con rispetto è Virginia, che gli permetterà di liberarsi della sua maledizione secolare. Il più umoristico dei racconti di Wilde è stato realizzato a fumetti, con approfondimenti sulla ‘esistenza’ di fantasmi in castelli famosi, nella letteratura e al cinema.
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Chapter 1 – Canterville Castle

• Extension:  Castles and ghosts: Glamis Castle

Chapter 2 – The ghost appears

• Extension: Ghost parties around the world

Chapter 3 – Life at the castle

• Extension: Ghosts in literature

Chapter 4 – Virginia

• Extension: Ghosts at the cinema

Chapter 5 – The garden

Summing-up activities

Glossary

3 AFTER READING   Life at the castle Chapter WORKING ON SKILLS: Listening 6 6 Who says what? Listen and fill in the table by ticking ( ) the character who is speaking. RECORDINGS Virginia The ghost The twins Mr Otis Recording 1 .......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... Recording 2 .......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... Recording 3 .......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... Recording 4 .......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... Recording 5 .......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... Recording 6 .......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... WORKING ON SKILLS: Speaking 7 Go to page 33 and describe the scene with the ghost in the corridor. Say what he is doing and what he is wearing. WORKING ON SKILLS: Writing 8 Write a brief description of the place you are in now and write what you and the people with you are doing. GAME 9 The secret message. Can you read this secret message? Each symbol is a letter. I: n H:   E: u A: £ L: l O:   T:   R:   N:   n  m   u  u£l g  s  ........................................................................................................................... lu  s muu  n    u ...........................................................................................................................   wu  £  mnd   ng  !! ........................................................................................................................... 36 

E X T E N S I O N GHOSTS IN LITERATURE The word ghost comes from the Old English word gast and means  a spirit without his body . Famous writers use  spirits without their bodies  in their works. In Odyssey, Odysseus travels to Hades1 and sees the spirits of his friends and then he finds Tiresias who helps him in his voyage2. In Shakespeare s play Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet s father appears to Prince3 Hamlet one night and tells him terrible things about his death4. Julius Caesar s ghost appears to Brutus in Shakespeare s Julius Caesar and also in Richard III the ghosts of two boys appear to King Richard. In The Castle of Otranto (by Horace Walpole) we can find a ghost who creates5 an atmosphere of mystery and fear6 with his actions. The American writer Edgar Allan Poe is interested in ghosts and spirits: his stories often have ghosts and stories of death are often present in his works. Another example is Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It is a story with four ghosts: Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Gertrude, Hamlet and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come7. Hamlet s Father (J. H. F ssli, 1773). 1. Hades: in Greek mythology a place under the Earth where people s spirits go after their death. 2. voyage: journey. 3. Prince: a male member of a royal family who is not king, especially the son of the king or queen. 4. death: opposite of life. 5. creates: produces. 6. fear: the feeling you have when you are in danger. 7. yet to come: future. 37 

Narrativa inglese, livello A1 principianti. Il più umoristico dei racconti di Wilde. Una famiglia americana compra un castello abitato da un fantasma.

The Canterville Ghost - Collana RAINBOWS

Level A1 • Beginner - Collana RAINBOWS

The Canterville Ghost

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