Opening passage :

Page 3 "Harriet and David met each other at an office party neither had particularly wanted to go to"... page 6 "They were made for each other."
Here's a link to Andrew Marr's Modern History of Great Britain :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzrFT4yGnvs 

Opening passage of the novel where the main characters are presented. The story is set in the Swinging Sixties and most young people at the time were into entertainment and music. They wanted to have fun and enjoy new-found freedom.
The novel starts with Harriet and David's first meeting. It gives the reader a detailed description of this meeting which aims at showing us that "they were made for each other."
Your presentation should be organized around the following issues :
- the setting : where / what / when - what is typical of the Swinging Sixties
- the way Harriet and David are described (observers / list of adjectives used which contribute to the reader's imagining them as very old-fashioned and contrasting with their times...)
- the way we are made to understand what Harriet and David have in common
- the way we are made to understand that their meeting is not only due to chance but that there is also an element of "fate" in it.

Done in class November 16th :

The Fifth Child

Passage 1

-Opening passage

-We discover Harriet & David

-They meet at an office party (New year's Eve party)

- This is where their love story begins

-The scene takes place in the 60's, in the suburbs of London

-                     People are dancing / looking happy

-                     They're wearing very colourful clothes

-                      They all seen very free + open-minded

-                      They are drinking which makes them tipsy and   extravert

-Harriet & David do not seem to be happy to be there

-                      They aren't dancing

-                      They are just watching people « observers »

-                      They seem to be excluded from the party

-This offers a contrast with the rest of the people.

-What we understand about Harriet & David is that :

-                      They are similar (both old-fashioned) -soul mates

-                      Rejected - not adapted to their time - different, “freaks”,”eccentrics”

-                      They refuse to conform to the values of the 60's

-We know from the beginning that they will end up together – mutual attraction.

-                       The things that make them different are :

-                       Their clothes / the way they dress

-                       Their attitude / behavior during the party. Harriet, unlike other people, doesn't try to attract everybody's attention.

-                       Their attitude concerning sex is very traditional.

-                       They have chosen to be different and they are made for each other = element of fate