During this semester, we will explore nineteenth-century European writers:

Jane Austen –Northanger Abbey

Charles Dickens – Pickwick Papers, Tale of Two Cities

George Eliot – Silas Marner

Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre

Poetry – William Blake, Christina Rossetti, Alfred Lord Tennyson

Fyodor Dostoevsky – An Honest Thief

Leo Tolstoy – Death of Ivan Illich, Father Sergius

I realize this is primarily English writers (with two Russian writers). We will also be focusing on writing and revising essays. Hopefully, by the end of the semester, students will have a better knowledge of writing in this period and will be cultivating good habits of editing and revising their writing.

January 11

Next week – Start reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Try to read about halfway through the novel this week if possible. I’ve posted links below.

Today – We explored the backdrop of the nineteenth century through the lens of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the various movements that developed during this period. This is the most lecturing I will be doing all semester. Most of our classes will be discussion based. 

The videos below should help to provide background information on those topics if you are interested in exploring further.

Links and Videos for January 11

PDF – http://www.freeclassicebooks.com/jane_austen.htm

Background – http://www.jasna.org/austen/works/northanger-abbey/

Audiobook – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gllC8r_7tI

Full Movie – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqrfXsDshqg

French Revolution – https://youtu.be/lTTvKwCylFY

Napoleon Bonaparte – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVZ4R4L_t2U&t=22s

Congress of Vienna – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtDlWW6Qpc4&t=3s

Industrial Revolution – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhL5DCizj5c

19th Century -isms – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWvtr6HYhtU

January 25

This week we discussed Northhanger Abbey. Written when Jane Austen was only 16 years. The world was living under the threat of the French Revolution/Napolean.  Austen focuses solely upon the small villages and middle class families of her world and yet manages to make universal statements about the human condition.

Writing for February 1 – Write a short essay (about 5 paragraphs on Northhanger Abbey. It can be a book review, a characters study, a comparison of Isabella and Eleanor, or something else. Email it to me at dougfloyd@me.com. Note – There are a bunch of good videos discussing this novel.

Reading for February 1 – Read the first ten chapters of Pickwick Papers. Come ready to discuss scenes you like, read quotes you like, and offer your opinion on book.

Pickwick Papers on pdf or Kindle – https://www.goodreads.com/ebooks/download/229432?doc=777

February 1

Writing for February 8 – You paired up in class. Now try to read through one another’s paper by start of week and offer a few suggestions or questions. I will also try to offer a few suggestions. If you have not sent me your paper yet, please do so. Then next week when you start revising, you can review the comments from your partner, from me, and someone in your family (if they want to join in). These comments can help you improve your draft. Next week, you’ll email me the revised version, and I’ll keep a record of both versions.

Reading for February 8 – This week we begin “Tale of Two Cities.” if you have problems understanding any passages, you should be able to find some annotations online. I’ll look and try to send some myself. If we are to finish the book in three weeks, we need to read through the end of at Part Two, Chapter 9. I’ll get a sense of where everyone is at next week to see if we can keep this pace. That would give us time to explore more good books. There is a pdf, Kindle, and pub version of the book at Goodreads (see https://www.goodreads.com/ebooks/download/1953?doc=498). Also, Goodreads is a great place to keep track of your reading school and otherwise. I use it to read reviews, find quotes from books and see what friends and family are reading.

February 15

This week we reviewed Part One of Tale of Two Cities. I’ve attached some study guides that may help in the reading of this text. By next week, try to complete Part Two. If you are having troubling following the story, you may find it helpful to watch the film version.

Movie version
Writing Assignment – This week you are preparing to write by collecting stories, songs, jokes, characters, places and other aspects of the imaginative world where you have grown. Charles Dickens and Jane Austen both filled their stories with places, people, and stories of their world. You might find some interesting stories that have been passed down, common sayings within your family, places that are special (or scary or magical), and any other details that might inspire you to think of stories. We will discuss our findings next week, and maybe these will inspire a story within your imagination.

February 25

This coming week we are wrapping up the Dickens novel and moving to a new novel. Finish reading the novel this week, and we’ll discuss why this is plot is considered a masterpiece.
If you haven’t sent a copy of the final essay on Northanger Abbey, be sure to send it.
Also, send a copy of your list of characters, places, stories and such from the exercise last week. This week, I want you to think about how your raw materials from last week could fit into an overall plot outline. The links below might help:
or try it in storyboard form – https://www.storyboardthat.com/

March 1

This week we begin reading Silas Marner by George Eliot. Let’s try to finish the book in two weeks. It should be much easier to read than A Tale of Two Cities. We begin discussing this book next week. If you have questions, make a note and we can discuss those first.
Writing assignment – You have two options this week. Choose one of the following and email me a completed copy by class next week. Also, come prepared to talk about your work.
a. Use your characters, phrase, settings, and plot outline to write the first chapter of your story. If you can write the whole story in a few pages, do so; otherwise use those pages to lay out the beginning of your story. Think about how plot works. You’ll want to introduce setting, characters and initial conflict in your chapter.
b. Write an analysis of Tale of Two Cities. Focus on one of the characters, key themes in the text, why this is a perfect plot, or some other key element.

March 8

Have a great break next week. This would be a good time to get caught up on any writing assignments.

Reading – Finish Silas Marner by our next class on March 22. Also, think more about the nature of myth. Here is a little article that expands on Tolkien’s understanding of myth (http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2015/05/the-truth-of-myth.html). Give it a read and let’s discuss in the next class.
Writing – If you’re not sure about the assignments so far this semester review my class page – http://www.douglasfloyd.com/high-school-english-2017-2018/spring-2018-european-writers/.
If you have any questions, please email dougfloyd@me.com.

March 22

Today we discussed the background themes in Silas Marner like the class system, realize vs fairy tale, being rejected by community and being accepted by community, the craftsman vs the factory, and gold vs human love.
Here is a link to a video version of Silas Marner if you want to watch – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7THUBwEJus
You can also rent the Steve Martin version on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Twist-Fate-Steve-Martin/dp/B004IAIXTI
Writing – Please write a five to six paragraph essay on one of the themes from story. If you have any questions, email me (dougfloyd@me.com).
Reading – This coming week we are going to read a Russian story. I originally suggested a tale from Dostoevsky and one from Tolstoy, but I’ve decided that we’ll drop the Dostoevsky tale for now. Read Leo Tolstoy’s short story, “Father Sergius.” Tolstoy’s stories are filled with rich quotes, so keep your eyes out for a gem or two. You should easily be able to find an audio copy of this story as well. I’ll read it again this week along with you.

March 29

As I mentioned in class, we are going to read short stories for the rest of the semester instead of the novels I planned. I don’t think we’ll have time to finish the novels. Also, we will read some William Blake. As a reminder, I will be out next week but my friend will be leading a provocative discussion with you.

Reading – We are going to revisit Tolstoy again the coming week. I am sending two pdfs and will give you an option between “The Death of Ivan Ilych” or “What Men Live By” and you might want to read both. The first one is about a man dying and it is both funny and poignant. The second is more like a fable. Also, there are a few other Tolstoy short stories in the “What Men Live By” pdf. Hopefully, Tolstoy will whet your appetite for more Russian writers in the future.

Writing – Chose one of the follow for your essay theme:
1. Why should we read fiction? – Write a convincing argument with examples on the value of reading stories.
2. Analyze the story Father Sergius

April 5

Writing – This week, I’d like you to write a review of one of the Tolstoy stories and what you like or dislike about it. Or, you can choose to write about another story or film that you like or dislike.
Reading – I want to read some of William Blake’s poetry and look at some of his pictures. He is an odd, amazing poet and artist. Pay attention in particular to the Songs of Innocence and the Songs of Experience. http://www.gailgastfield.com/Blake.html