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Paper #1 Assignment


Choose ONE of the following:

O1: Austen’s wrote dozens of clever, incomplete works throughout her teenage years, and not until Lady Susan, and later, Northanger Abbey, was she able to complete a bona fide novel. Yet Lady Susan and Northanger Abbey are seemingly worlds apart in their style and technique, and many Austen fans don’t even like Lady Susan, which they find too different and ‘strange.’ Discuss what you feel is the primary difference between her first two novels, and what Austen revised in her approach to fiction from one to the other. Do you feel that Northanger Abbey is an improvement over her earlier fiction, or is it a necessary simplification?

O2: Austen is famous for recycling certain types of characters throughout her fiction, since she wanted her readers to learn the shorthand of good and bad characters, morals, and motives. Discuss a specific type of character you see popping up in a few of these works, and how Austen makes the similarities so obvious. Do their actions/motives change from one work to another? Or do they remain fairly consistent? Be specific and quote from each book so we can see the connections.

O3: Austen is known for her wit, which differs significantly from humor or even comedy. Wit is a form of satire, and can be distinguished by language which calls attention to itself and the playful way it mocks people or situations. Discuss what makes Austen’s wit so distinct in these works, and why such wit might have been shocking for a female author in the late 18th century /early 19th century. Again, be specific and quote so we can see how her language affects her meaning.

REQUIREMENTS

  • At least 3-4 pages double spaced
  • Close reading: this means quoting significant lines or passages from the text and discussing them for the reader. Don’t rely on summary or paraphrase. On the same hand, you don’t have to quote all the time—but when making significant points, help us see what you’re talking about.
  • Follow MLA style guides and include a Works Cited page with all the works you include in your discussion.
  • Due next Wednesday, June 30th by 5pm.

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