Stranger Than Fiction-An Urban Tale

Similar authors to follow

---

The Guardian liked the stories so much that the editors decided to publish them in a weekly column.

Healey and Glanvill published their first collection of urban myths in book form in The book was very successful and led to three more collections being published over the next few years. The authors have now collected more than 1, urban myths from all around the world.

They use the Internet as a means of collecting new stories and opinions from their readers, and they receive hundreds of letters detailing new urban myths from around the world. In addition to writing their column in The Guardian newspaper, Healey lectures at Middlesex University in London and Glanvill writes newspaper articles about football and music. Summary Stranger than Fiction: Urban Myths contains twenty-three short stories outlining strange or interesting happenings that were collected by the authors, Phil Healey and Rick Glanvill, during the s.

The stories are grouped into four themes: Background and themes Unknown origins: Urban myths represent one of the mysteries of modern-day urban living. They are stories that are told as true tales, but their origins are always unknown. In other words, neither the person telling the story nor the person hearing about it know for certain if the events described in the tale actually happened.

Pearson English Readers Level 2

It can be argued that the themes of urban myths are real even though the details are most likely made up. Healey and Glanvill have a theory to explain why urban myths exist and why they are so popular. They believe that they give people a safe way to express their politically unacceptable prejudices against other people, such as social climbers, bosses, criminals, etc.

In the same way that fairytales enable people to explore their deepest fears and desires, urban myths allow them to confront some of their secret feelings about other people Stranger than Fiction: Urban Myths and the world that they live in.

By helping to pass along urban myths, people can share thoughts, opinions and feelings that would otherwise remain unexpressed. Many psychologists argue that this kind of story-telling fulfils a useful function in society. They maintain that telling urban myths allows people to think about dangerous situations, helping them mentally to prepare for — and thereby defend against — a reality that might confront them one day. For example, the story The Hair on Her Hands deals with a commonly held fear that strangers may not be what they appear to be, and it enables people to consider how they would cope if they found themselves in the same situation.

It gives them a chance to prepare for the worst — before the worst actually happens. Other stories in Stranger than Fiction: Urban Myths serve as useful warnings guarding against the dangers of modern life, such as being too trustful of strangers and driving at night when you are very tired. Looking on the bright side of life: Many of them convey tales of practical jokes or amusing coincidences.

Instead of making readers shiver with fear, they give them a reason to laugh at the absurdity of life. The enormous success of Stranger than Fiction: In the end, the important thing is that the individual reader can decide if the urban myths appeal to him or her — and whether or not he or she will pass the stories along to someone else. Discussion activities Chapter 1 Before reading 1 Pair work: Put students into pairs and ask them to look at the cover of Stranger than Fiction: Get them to write down the people, animals and things that they can see on the cover of the book.

When they have finished, some of the pairs should read out their list to the rest of the class. Then write the following combinations of letters on the board — they are anagrams of the people, animals and things that can be seen on the cover of the book. Finally, ask students to spell the words correctly. Put students into pairs and have them look up the word myth in a dictionary.

Navigation menu

Then get them to think of as many examples of myths as they can. When they have finished, some of the pairs should stand at the front of the classroom and describe the myths to the rest of the class. What do you think the title means? Why do you think this?

What do you think the chapter will be about? After reading 4 Discuss: Write these questions on the board and get students to discuss them in small groups. When they have finished, some of the groups should stand at the front of the class and share their answers with the rest of the class. Get students to look at the picture on page What is Mr Taylor doing in the picture?

How do you think he is feeling? What do you think he is thinking about?

How do you think the other men are feeling? What do you think they are thinking about? Chapter 2 Before reading 6 Discuss: In leaving the religion, she was able to find the person she truly wanted to be and start a new, fulfilling life. The Sun Does Shine: This Oprah Book Club pick follows the harrowing journey of Anthony Ray Hinton, a man who was wrongfully accused of a crime and sent to death row, through the justice system.

Awaiting his death, Hinton found ways to embrace his heinous situation and uplift those around him before his release in , all covered in his debut memoir. Moving to an entirely new urban landscape at 6 years old, young white girl Leah Reinhart had to find a way to fit into a predominantly black neighborhood. Through her years in Oakland, Leah comes to find herself and learns important lessons about acceptance and belonging. This thrilling true tale recounts the crime of Edwin Rist , a man who stole a copious amount of expensive bird skins from a museum.

Stranger than Fiction: Urban Myths (Book)

Johnson dives into the world of this deranged man, collecting shocking information about this bizarre heist and the motives behind the man who pulled it off. In this fiery book, the members of one small town must face a an ever-growing string of arsons that would forever change the community.

Old in Art School by Nell Painter. After spending years teaching at Princeton University, Nell Painter shocked everyone around her by spending her retirement in school. A Higher Loyalty by James Comey. From the Hillary Clinton email investigation to prosecuting the Mafia, this memoir covers the many shocking cases Comey encountered while in the FBI. Edith Stuyvesant Dresser never expected that her marriage into the Vanderbilt family would lead to her ownership of the largest home in the United States.

A Memoir by Porochista Khakpour. While learning to cope with late-stage Lyme disease, Porochista Khakpour tries to untangle what was making her sick for years.

• Harry Milvaine, or, The Wanderings of a Wayward Boy (Illustrated)
• Roaring Boys: Playwrights and Players in Elizabethan and Jacobean England
• The Klondike clan : a tale of the great stampede
• Fortune Faded
• Ouch! How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Assume the Position