British Literature from 1800, "The Mythmakers"

Remember that we'll be watching a short excerpt of Alice in Wonderland in class on Thursday, so we can decide in what ways the modern myth of Alice is different than the original (we might look at a few other examples as well).  Also, because I couldn't get the screen working today, here's the announcement for the play that two of your fellow students (and one professor, to remain nameless) will be starring in this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Remember that admission is free at the show starts at 7:30 in the Halley Brown Ford Arts Center--in the smaller black box theater, not on the mainstage (you'll see where it is when you get there). Here's the university's press release: https://www.ecok.edu/news/almost-maine-take-stage-ecu See you on Thursday! 

Magritte, The Portrait (1935) Sorry for the delay--I forgot to post these yesterday! But go ahead and try to finish the book for Tuesday since it's pretty short, and we'll have one more set of questions to round it out. On Thursday, we'll watch an excerpt from a recent adaptation of Alice in Wonderland  to discuss ideas associated with your Mid-Term Paper.  Answer two of the following: Q1: How subversive should we consider the book, especially as it consistently parodies monarchs (this is written under Queen Victoria, after all), moral poetry, social norms, education, and even the courts of law. Is this all just cheeky nonsense to amuse children? Or is it also aimed at getting a chuckle (or a gasp) from the adults reading it aloud to their sons and daughters? An example that might support this? Q2: How does Alice's approach to Wonderland change throughout the novel? As she grows in size, does she also 'grow' in other ways as well? Is there a hidden moral lesson ...

English 2653 Mid-Term Paper: The Original vs. the Myth INTRO: One of the most common statements a reader can make upon encountering Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes¸ or Alice in Wonderland in the original is, “I didn’t know it was like this!” Even though both are iconic works of literature that have spawned dozens of ‘sequels’ in books, films, comics, and elsewhere, relatively few people experience the original—or know how it differs from its modern-day mythology. And yet, the book is what remains, and what we ultimately have to return to so we can understand who these characters are and why their stories so captivated their audiences’ imaginations. PROMPT: For this paper, I want you to explore the difference between the original and the myth with at least ONE of these works. To do this, consider what you knew, or thought you knew, about the work before you read it, and what surprised you, excited you, or confused (even annoyed) you about the real thing. Compare this to at least ONE...

For Thursday's class, read at least through the "Pig and Pepper" Chapter (VI), though read more if you like. However, we're going to break this into two parts, so we'll finish the rest for next week.  Answer TWO of the following: Q1: How might Alice in Wonderland be a satire of a Victorian childhood? From what we read here, what might have been expected of young girls or children in the 1860's? What is Carroll specifically making fun of or parodying through Alice's adventures? Q2: When Carroll originally wrote the book for Alice Liddell (the daughter of a friend), he included his own illustrations throughout. When the book was properly published, the publisher insisted on more professional illustrations, and John Tenniel (a popular artist) was hired to provide illustrations throughout. Why are the illustrations as important as the text of the story? What do they add to the experience of reading Alice in Wonderland ?  Q3: Writing about Magritte's painti...

REMEMBER, no questions this time around, since we'll have an in-class writing response over the two stories. Below are some ideas to consider for Thursday... * How do racial stereotypes and fears creep into these stories as well, esp. "The Speckled Band"? * What taboos do these stories uncover about the "civilized world" of English high society? What horrors are being conducted behind closed doors? Or under respectable professions? * Does Holmes follow a moral code like many superheroes in modern comics & film? Like Batman, does he refrain from killing his victims? Does he go too far? * How does Holmes' egotism get in the way of his work? Does Watson notice this? * Why does Holmes fear the country more than the city? What makes the country more dangerous and a greater nest of crime?  * What role do women play in these stories? Are they still mute victims, like Elizabeth in Frankenstein ? Or are they granted more agency (like Irene Adler)? 

Since time is pressing, we'll read three stories for Tuesday, but I'm not worried if you don't get all three read. Read as much as you can, but at least read two of them. Or read them all! :) We just don't have time to discuss each and every one, sadly. Answer TWO of the following:  Q1: In “The Five Orange Pips,” Watson recalls a list he once made (in an earlier Holmes novella, The Sign of Scarlet), of Holmes’ skills and defects, admitting that he knows only a little Botany, random Chemistry, but everything possible about criminal literature. We also see Holmes resorting to an encyclopedia to learn about the Klu Klux Klan. Is Watson (or Doyle) trying to demystify Holmes in these stories? Is he becoming more of a man and less of a myth?  Q2: In “The Red-Headed League,” Holmes tells Watson, “the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious is proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficu...

Answer two of the following for Thursday's class: Q1: Like Frankenstein , the Holmes stories all frame narratives related by Holmes’ assistant, Dr. Watson, who is telling them long after the fact (presumably, when Holmes is no longer around for new advenftures). Why do you think Doyle adopted this approach? Is it similar to the Walton-Frankenstein connection? Is Watson a kind of Walton? Or is there more to the frame narration? Q2: Both stories are about the dangers women in the late-19th century face while trying to be independent. While Irene Adler is much more aggressive and clever than Miss Sutherland, what makes each one especially vulnerable? Is Holmes sympathetic or oblivious to their situation? Q3: Iain Pears, a critic and mystery novelist, wrote of Sherlock Holmes that he “is the archetypal ‘new man’ of the Victorian age, a meritocrat, living solely off his brains, dislocated socially and scornful of the society in which he lives.” Where do we see this in the stories? W...

If you missed class today (Thursday) because of the icy roads, no big deal--I didn't count you absent. However, we did finish our discussion of Frankenstein (a lot of fun!) and will be moving ahead next week. See the post below this one for the revised schedule, barring any more snow/ice days!  For Tuesday, we'll do another in-class writing to a painting by the Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch, who complements some aspects of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The painting above is one of his famous ones, and might be a depiction of the streets of Holmes' London itself, "Evening on Karl Johan Street," though I won't be using that one in class on Tuesday. However, it might be one you decide to use in your Art & Literature Paper, should you chose to do it. For Thursday, we'll be reading the first two stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , which are "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "A Case of Identity." So feel free to read ahead. I...

NOTE: Class seems to be on for Thursday (the 2nd), so come if you think you can safely make it. The roads should be okay in many places, but maybe not in your neck of the woods.  I've posted a revised schedule for the next few weeks so we can get back on track. The due date for the paper is the same, and only a few minor dates changed. So be sure to follow this schedule until Spring Break, at which point it the old schedule will resume. I'll assign the Mid-Term paper next week, so stay tuned!    R 2                   Shelley, Frankenstein, last chapters [rescheduled]    T 7                   Art Response #2: Edvard Munch  R 9                   Doyle, Sherlock Holmes TBA   14                 ...