British Literature from 1800, "The Mythmakers"

Gustave Dore, illustration from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (the poem quoted more than once throughout Frankenstein) For Thursday's class, we'll have an in-class response/question at the beginning of class to start us off, so I won't give you a set of questions to answer. However, the ideas below are things to consider for Thursday's reading, and we might write about something related to them.  Some ideas to consider: * How does Elizabeth change over the course of the novel, especially once the tragedies start occurring? Does Victor notice this? * How does the Creature's narrative differ from Victor's? Does it sound like a completely different narrator? Or like Walton, is he merely another version of Victor himself? * Why does Shelley never really explain the science of creating the Creature, nor of why the Creature is so superhumanly strong and resistant?  * Are there any gaps or inconsistencies in Victor's (or Walton's) narrative that make you ques...

In case you lose it, or just want to see it conveniently on the blog, here is the assignment sheet for the Three Art Papers. Read it carefully and let me know if you have any questions about due dates (they're all on the syllabus). Also, I'll be posting links and images to artists throughout the semester to help you, so keep checking the blog!  THE THREE ART PAPERS   INTRO: For each book we read, I’ll begin our discussion with an examination of a pivotal artist whose works I feel are in dialogue with the book in question. We will always do an in-class writing to get us thinking about the work, and then we’ll continue to use the artists’ work and ideas as a frame for our class discussions. Ideally, this will help you see the many of the themes of the novel visually, which will also remind you that different forms of art aren’t created in a vacuum. Writers are looking at paintings and listening to music and living in a world that continually inspires them. It quickly becomes a...

NOTE: Be sure to read the opening Letters as well as Chapters 1-5 for Tuesday's reading (some people skip them, thinking it's not the 'real' book). Use the questions below as a reading guide, since they'll help you see things or at least think about some of the chapters as you do. But you only have to answer any TWO of the questions for Tuesday's class (bring them to class if possible, but you can also e-mail them to me).  ALSO: Please avoid using AI or internet summaries to answer these questions. It will be obvious, because your answers will sound stilted and generic, and worse, you won't learn a thing or enjoy the reading! 'Nuff said?  Q1: Most first-time readers of Frankenstein are surprised to find that the novel begins with a frame narrative: that of Walton, the Arctic explorer, who is writing home to his sister, Mrs. Saville. Why do you think Shelley found this a necessary intro to the story? Why not simply open up with Frankenstein’s story? Als...

This is the course blog for British Lit from 1800, so come here to find all your reading assignments/questions, the Art Paper assignment, Mid-Term and Final information, and links related to literature and art. Everything here is supplementary, and you don't need to comment on this site or really do anything with it. It's just a virtual bulletin board so you can find material you might have lost or forgotten about, and where I can offer you some 'behind the scenes' material in case it helps you along the way. Be sure to buy the SIX book for class in any edition: Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, Alice in Wonderland, The Importance of Being Earnest, Heart of Darkness, and Fellowship of the Ring. And please be prepared to dig into this books and explore them with the class. Don't rely on internet or AI summaries, since then you're only reading someone else's point of view, and you'll never discover your own.  If you have any questions or concerns, feel fr...

NOTE: Try to read as much of Part Two as you can, though I understand if you don't have time to finish it. Since we only have two days left, I want to read slightly larger chunks of the novel than we normally would. But again, I'm not worried about you finishing the book--just getting most of it ready before Thursday.  Remember the Final Exam Paper is in the post below this one if you lose your hard copy.  Answer two of the following: Q1: What do you think drew Julia to Winston in the first place? Is she truly in love with him, as the original note says? Are we meant to trust her words and motives, considering that she's clearly a very accomplished actor? Q2: For all his attraction to Julia, there are a few things that trouble Winston about her, namely that she takes no interest in history or anything about the Party that doesn't immediately relate to her. Why does this trouble him, and what might this say about the younger generation that grew up with the Party in char...

Eng 2653: British Lit from 1800 Final Exam Project: Judging a Book By Its Cover “A book cover demands our initial engagement with a work. You may not think a cover reflects your own thoughts of a book, but it evokes a response and inspires a reader’s imagination to begin building the world within the pages created by the author…A book cover is a key with which we open a world of storytelling…one page at a time, cover to cover.” ( Elda Rotor, Classic Penguins: Cover to Cover) This final exam is very simple: I want you to find new cover art for each of the 6 books in our class. The art can be come from the artists we discussed in class (or ones you wrote about in 3 of your papers), or can be something completely different, whether ancient or modern (or your own). However, instead of writing a paper about it, I want you to make a six-slide Powerpoint (or whatever visual aid you choose) that shows the work of art, lists the book and author, and contains a “book blurb” quote from the...