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.
February 25
March 1
March 8
Have a great break next week. This would be a good time to get caught up on any writing assignments.
March 22
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