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8' SECTION 5 LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
Footpath and Freedom of Thought — >
Dear Editors,
1 think anybody would agree that to start something new is not easy. When there are many people involved, it is even more difficult. That is why we, all of us - the participants of the OXFORD-RUSSIA FUND project - can be proud of ourselves. We did it!
1 am holding the first issue of Footpath in my hands. The very first impression is that the journal is definitely a part of the project. The way it looks, its style reminds of that of the commentaries done for the books we read with the students. This feeling of recognizing is very pleasant.
I read about the history of footpaths in England in Karen Hewitt’s editorial. Isn’t it a wonderful example of cross-cultural communication when submerging into the implications of a single word we find out so much about the country, its people and traditions?
1 enjoyed reading how it all started in the second editorial by Boris Proskurnin. 1 myself joined the project in 2007 and didn’t know much about the very beginning.
I think all the articles demonstrate a profound approach to the subject described. 1 found many new titles of the books I would like to read. I am sure it is a very good start.
But... the intention to change and improve something is in human nature. Despite the Russian saying “Better” is the enemy of “good”, this desire is irresistible. Since the journal is a part of the project it should reflect it and contain the variety of opinions concerning the literature we read. At least 1 understand it like this. 1 think the project itself - being a literature project - is very lively. We read the books by modem English writers, discuss them, argue and express our ideas and opinions. 1 always tell my students to feel absolutely free to say what they think while discussing books. Any approach is
right and worth expressing. Books teach us to live. In this respect we all are students who keep learning. It is this fact that gives us an opportunity to experience a wonderful feeling of freedom while thinking and speaking. Life is so complicated and finds its reflection in good literature. And these books are good literature.
So to my mind our journal should present this liveliness and freedom of thought. I remember what a great pleasure it was to be at the seminar: new people, interesting discussions and unexpected views! I do want to experience this delight reading our journal.
Natalia Tambovtseva
University of the Russian Academy of Education ' ■ .
Chelyabinsk
What about Drama? -
Dear Editors,
For several years already we, teachers of English for Russian university students, have taken part in the project about contemporary English Literature. We feel gratitude to the organizers who have chosen fifteen novels for us to use with our students. However there is a tangible gap in what has been chosen by the directors of the project. I would like to draw their attention to the genre of drama, so far unduly disregarded. The texts of theatrical plays have a number of advantages, or at least peculiarities, against pieces of fiction. The principal feature of dramatic literature is that the material any play consists of is, with the exception of the author’s remarks, colloquial speech, that is the speech of the characters who argue and agree with each other, express their emotions, evaluations, attitudes, and so on. In most cases the language used by a personage is a means employed by the author to give him or her additional, and rather vivid characteristics. The personage’s speech, and language in general, marks the speaker’s social status, age, gender, perhaps background, and here is the principal value for us to teach our students how to distinguish all this information hidden inside cues. .
