Syllabus Fall 2011

English IV & AP

Syllabus: Major British Authors I

Mr. Coon; Fall 2011

I. Goals

The goal of this course is to develop students’ ability to read, write, and create meanings from a series of related pieces of literature drawn from over 1000 years of British literary history. Our work will center around the following series of questions; all texts, assignments, projects, and discussions will help develop our answers to these questions.

1. What are the essential qualities of a good story? Are they different from the requirements for a great story? Why do some stories have a shelf life of 6 months while others last 1000 years?

2. What value do historical texts have for our lives today? Are “old” stories less meaningful or more boring just because they’re old? Or do they still contain relevant meanings for the 21^st centuruy?

3. Why do both old and new stories contain superheroes and monsters? What purpose do characters with super-powers serve? Are there reasons why they “have to” exist? Are all monsters inherently evil? Are modern comic books and ancient tales more alike or unalike?

4. What qualities other than super-powers make a character heroic? For instance, what is honor? What is integrity? What is courage? How do characters hold onto or lose their honor, courage, or integrity?

II. Materials and Course Requirements

This fall-semester course examines the origins of literature in English and traces the development of the English language from its Germanic roots to the eighteenth century. Readings include the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, the medieval romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, John Gardner’s novel Grendel (AP only), excerpts from the literary epic Paradise Lost, and shorter pieces of poetry. A supplemental text develops a historical understanding of the growth and development of the English language.

Some students in the course have the AP designation attached to their enrollment. These students, chosen on the basis of their interest, prior achievements, and motivation level, supported by the department’s recommendation, are expected to meet slightly higher academic standards. AP students write one additional paper (examining the novel Grendel in light of the questions above), write slightly longer papers, and take occasional quizzes based on practice materials drawn from previous AP English Literature examinations. Also, students enrolled with AP designation are required to take the second half of the Major British Authors sequence in the spring semester and sit for the AP exam in English Literature and Composition in May.

III. Texts

The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Major Authors, Eighth edition, Volume A

Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Grendel, John Gardner (AP only)

IV. Additional texts

1. Vocabulary for Achievement, 6^th course

2. Oure Faire Englische Tung: A Brief History of the English Language

3. Selected novels for summer reading

V. The Daily Book

An essential part of the class is the regular use of your daily book. The daily book is a 7½ by 9 ¾ notebook in which you record all the writing you do during class sessions. The daily book, which never leaves the room except with my personal permission, will contain examples of the following kinds of written work:

· Daily check-ins (inside the front cover of your daily book), giving yourself credit for arriving in class on time, bringing your textbook and writing utensil, and doing the reading or other daily assignment.

· Take Fives (short 3-5 minute writings) done as you come in the door while I am taking attendance and organizing that day’s materials. A Take Five is a mental check-in, often beginning with a sentence like “Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about . . .” or “I’ve been wondering why. . .” and containing content which may or may not be directly related to the content of English class.

· Passages of the day—brief answers to questions about short passages of poetry or prose, first written in your daily books, then shared with the members of your team in round-robin style.

· Response journals—see instructions below—the alternative to pop quizzes as a means for you to show your level of engagement with the assigned reading and help yourself interact with that reading on a deeper level. RJ entries will be shared with teammates, used as discussion items, and form the basis for short critical essays posted to your blogs.

· Closers—2-3 minutes at the end of class, time for you to process and reflect upon what happened in that day’s class: what was the most interesting or important thing you learned today? What do you need to remember from today’s class? What left you feeling confused or with a sense of incompleteness? What should we be sure to do next time we meet?

Since your daily book never leaves the room, any notes you wish to take about our discussions or new material should be kept in a notebook of your own or on your laptop.

Daily books will receive a “process” grade; this grade complements your work in your discussion teams as the “participation” component of your performance in the class. I will check your daily books approximately every seven days.

Daily book grades are based on both quantity and quality:

• Quantity: all entries are present (if you are absent from class it’s your responsibility to come in during a free and make up the Response Journal entry), and entries show the effort to answer the questions thoroughly (rather than writing a single sentence, saying “I’m done” and sitting there while others write).

•Quality: Content shows a sincere effort to take the questions seriously and write thoughtful answers which are responsive to the assigned readings.

Take Five starters:

Lately I’ve been thinking about . . .

I’ve been wondering why . . .

(Monday) The best/worst thing about this weekend was . . .

(Friday) I’m looking forward to/worried about this weekend because . . .

(Morning class) Today should be a really good/bad day because . . .

(Afternoon class) Today has been a really good/bad day because . . .

I’m looking forward to/dreading because . . .

The best movie I’ve seen lately was . . . .

Lately I’ve been really enjoying the time I spend . . .

So far I think the new longer periods are good/bad because . . .

My favorite thing to do outside of school is because . . .

I will read whatever you write, so don’t describe the fight you had with your mother/boyfriend/best friend last night unless that’s something you want me to know about. And of course my confidentiality is limited by law not to include anything you say that sounds dangerous, harmful to yourself or others, or illegal.

Response Journals

We often use reader response journals as in-class activities to accompany our study of literature. There are a number of different topics you can use in a reading response journal:

• Copy down a quote from a character and tell why you think it’s meaningful.
• Ask questions about things that confuse you or that you wonder about.
• Describe your feelings about the events.
• Describe your feelings about characters.
• Copy down a brief passage and tell why you think it’s important.
• Describe your favorite part.
• Make a prediction about what will happen next.
• Tell how you would react if you were one of the characters in the story.
• Describe a part that surprised you.
• Does the author use any strong imagery in the story (similes, metaphors, etc.)? Give examples.
• Write down interesting vocabulary words, look them up, say how they add to the passage.
• Talk to the author or a character (or one write of them a letter).
• Draw pictures or create graphic organizers.

Below is a list of prompt starters:

General Observations

• I noticed…
• I was really surprised…
• What I found interesting…
• The author is saying…

Preference

• I like the way…
• I didn’t/don’t like…
• My favorite part…

Element of the Text is Unclear

• I didn’t understand…
• A question I have…
• I’m guessing that…
• Something new I learned…
• I felt _______ when…

Discuss Surprising Element

• I couldn’t believe…
• I never thought…

Hypothetical Thinking and Predictions

• If I were [character]…
• What I think will happen is…
• What I thought would happen was…
• I think _____ will become important because…
• I began to think…
• I predict…

Personal Connection to Past Experience

• This reminds me of…
• I began to think of…
• I know the feeling…

Imagining

• I can picture…
• I can imagine…

Purposes and Rules

Response journals serve two important and related purposes. They allow you to experience the readings for yourself, ask your own questions, and search for your own meanings rather than attend classes where I tell you what the text means to me while you write it down. They also allow me to see the evidence that you are reading the assigned texts and thinking about what you read. Therefore, there are two very specific, non-negotiable rules for a response journal entry. 1. Entries must include specific references to pages, lines, numbers, and passages covering the whole text assigned. 2. Entries that contain only general comments or plot summary without specific questions, quotes, and references will be assumed to be the product of Spark-note thinking and are therefore not acceptable and will not receive passing grades. Finally, for safe-keeping, your response journals are part of your daily books and therefore never leave the classroom.

Uses

Reader response journals will be written for at least 5 minutes each day a reading assignment is due. They will be shared, round-robin fashion, with the other members of your class team. They may also be used to respond to passages I have chosen for the class to discuss. From there, RJ (response journal) entries can be used to generate Discussion Items (DI’s) for either your team or the class as a whole. Finally, RJ entries can become the basis of short individual critical essays on aspects of the literature. These essays (approximately 300-500 words depending on your level of ambition) are posted on your blogs and will receive specific written comments from your teammates and from me. Thus reading and writing become entwined as basic learning activities. You read, you write, you discuss, you choose a piece to refine, and you write further.

We will also use daily books to record our responses to the passage of the day or the question of the day, to record our thoughts about the meaning of a short poem, an example of a literary technique, or to think about poetic or prose style analysis. These brief responses will be shared in your teams.

(Thanks to Mr. Scott at Hughes Academy for his list of journal starters and to Dan Kirby and Tom Liner, authors of Inside Out and my mentors on the use of class journals.)

VI. Blogs

Aside from your daily book, the primary forum for sharing short critical essays and content for oral presentations is your blog. Instructions for starting your blog may be found on mrcoonsenglish.blogspot.com and will be reviewed in class. I will occasionally ask you to select an entry from your Response Journal to be revised and expanded into a short critical essay (the equivalent of 1 to 2 typed pages). These revised journal entries will be read for content by members of your discussion teams and by me. We will look for ways to make your writing clearer, more specific, and more informative. Some of these blog posts will be further revised to be turned in as papers. Your ability to keep your blog current and thorough is another important component of your “process” grade.

In addition, you will each be asked to post the results of short research assignments on topics related to our literature study and the history of English. This information will be shared orally in class. Whether individually or with a partner, you will present two of these assignments each semester.

VII. Turnitin.com

In addition to submitting hard copies of your papers this year, you are required to submit electronic copies of all papers to turnitin.com. These instructions will help you submit your papers. Use your PCDS e-mail address and the same password for turnitin.com that you use for your account at blogger.com.

• On your web browser, go to turnitin.com. Register as a new user or login to the personal home page you created last year. You must give your PCDS e-mail address and a personal password which contains both letters and numbers to register. Click “student” as your user type. Give whatever other information may be necessary as you move through the required fields.

• When you reach your personal home page, click “join new class.” Then enter a class ID and a class enrollment password. For AP students, the class ID is 4223549 and the password “apeng” (case sensitive); for English IV students (non-AP) the class ID is 1875359 and the password is “engIV” (also case sensitive). Click “submit” when you finish. N.B: You only need to complete this step once.

• Then submit your paper. When you click on the class title, you will go to the class history page. Click on the word “submit” in the middle navigation bar. Enter the title of your paper and select the assignment with the correct date from the pull down menu. Assignments are listed by the title of the work and the date an assignment is due.

• After entering your title and selecting the correct assignment, paste your essay into the box marked “main text.” (In my experience, the copy and paste method works better than the upload method. You may, of course, find otherwise). You may ignore the boxes marked abstract and bibliography unless otherwise instructed. When your paper has been pasted into the “main text” box, click “submit.”

• Remember to put your digital receipt number on the assignment before you give it to me. Otherwise your assignment will be marked late and penalized accordingly.

VIII. Participation and attendance

• Class participation is a crucial part of the course. Therefore, it is imperative that we all treat one another with respect and behave in such a way as to contribute to, not disrupt, an atmosphere conducive to maximum learning.

• Participation in class is mandatory. I understand that the introverts have difficulty speaking in front of your peers and me; nevertheless, I expect you to contribute meaningfully to class activities and discussions. Often, these contributions take forms other than speaking in front of the entire class. For example, the entries in your daily book are one important way for you to show your engagement with the material and willingness to exert yourself. Another important factor is the quality of your contributions to your team activities. In these ways and through your oral presentations, you show that you have come to class having done the reading assigned and are prepared to discuss the material, answer questions, venture informed opinions, and articulate personal responses.

• Participation grades are assigned as follows and account for 20% of your grade in the class: "A" students are fully engaged, on time for class with the necessary books and supplies. They display obvious enthusiasm for the tasks of the class: reading, talking, listening, working in a group, thinking about a problem. Their daily books are thorough, thoughtful, and always kept up to date. They participate in all team activities and remain on task throughout class. "B" students' engagement varies slightly, sometimes at "A" level, sometimes not. "C" students are generally involved but with noticeable lapses. They may arrive late to class or frequently forget materials. They spend time on things other than the work at hand: chatting with friends, doing homework for another class, catching up on sleep, or staring off in space. "D" students exhibit these behaviors to an even greater degree, becoming a distraction to the work of the class, having a negative impact on the group's ability to get its work done, regularly coming to class unprepared.

• Absences and lateness will have detrimental effects on performance and grades. With longer breaks between classes, I expect you to tend to personal business—going to the bathroom, finding your backpack, picking up a paper from the printer in the lab, and so on—on your own time. Be in class at the beginning of the block and don’t leave. Lateness will also be reported to the Dean of Students for detention.

IX. Vocabulary

• Two new lessons in the vocabulary book are assigned for quizzing every fifth class (5, 10, 15, etc). We will look briefly at the new words two classes prior to the quiz (#s 3, 8, 13, and so on), so please bring your books to that session. Quizzes will take place the first 10 minutes of class after “check-in” on sessions which are multiples of 5 unless otherwise notified.

• For first semester, we will cover lessons 1-14; for the second, lessons 15-30. Quizzes will contain all 20 words from the two lessons. There may be occasional cumulative quizzes as well containing selected words from a larger number of lessons.

• Missed vocabulary quizzes must be made up at your earliest possible convenience. After three class days, barring extraordinary circumstances, missing scores will be entered as zeroes.

X. Grading policy

• Grades are determined on a point system in which each assignment is weighted by the number of points it contains. Points will be totaled at the end of each quarter and semester and grades determined in accordance with the percentages contained in your student handbook.

• Grades from individual assignments fall into categories weighted approximately as follows: daily books and blogs (30%), papers and projects (40%), vocabulary and quizzes (20%), participation and attendance (10%).

• Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Written work turned in during or after class is considered late and will be penalized. Late work is eligible for a score no higher than 75%, depending on the quality of the assignment and the degree of lateness. If you are absent the day an assignment is due, either have a classmate turn it in or fax the assignment to the Upper School office (602-224-6177).

• Students who miss quizzes or tests because of excused absence must make arrangements for make-up immediately upon returning to school. Missing work (quizzes or assignments never turned in or made up) will result in an incomplete grade for the quarter or semester.

• Any student who establishes a clear pattern of failing to complete the assigned reading according to the prescribed schedule will receive a semester grade of D or F, regardless of that student’s scores on other assignments. Repeated missing or poor written work, response journal entries which cannot be distinguished from SparkNotes summaries, or the inability to respond to basic factual information in class will be taken as signs of not reading.

• All assignments must be completed in accordance with the school’s honesty policy. See your handbook for details and be certain you know the difference between plagiarism and acceptable use of source material.

XI. Contact information

• In person—room 311. Stop by to talk or ask a question anytime I’m free. My schedule is posted on the door of my classroom. To make up a quiz, go over an assignment, a speech draft, or a college essay, please make an appointment first.

• By voice-mail—602-956-0253 x4296

• By fax—602-224-6177

• By e-mail—Lance.Coon@pcds.org

Important Reminder

All sections:

Remember to give me both a hard copy of your poetry papers (and your novel papers next week),
and to submit an electronic copy to turnitin.com. Both assignments are now listed for English IV & for AP.

Thank you.

Schedule April 7-29

Section 1:
Friday, April 8--Read Ozymandias, p. 1741 (Matt P)
Monday April 11--read La Belle Dame Sans Merci, p. 1840 (Ivaylo); also read "My Last Duchess" p. 2058
Tuesday April 12-- also 3-sentence written exercise due
Wednesday April 13--Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, p. 2610 (Ian)
Friday April 15--Read When You Are Old p. 2392 (Ryan D); Read The Unknown Citizen, p. 2696 (Matt B); also vocab quiz 23-24
Monday, April 18--Read Do Not Go Gentle, p. 2710 (Annie)
Tuesday, April 19--I wandered lonely as a cloud, p. 1537 (morgan)
Wed, April 20--Sonnet 43, p. 1927 (Zahid)
Fri, April 22--Crossing the Bar p. 2035 (Alex B)
Mon April 25--Class starts at 7:40--multiple choice test--60 minutes
Tues April 26--bring drafts of papers for editing
Wed April 27--papers due
Fri April 29--vocab 25,26; review information for exam
Mon May 2, Tues May 3, Wed May 4--review packets; independent review of novels and plays
Thurs May 5--AP English Literature and Composition Exam, 7:45 AM, Dorrance
Friday May 6--Equation Analysis finals--contestants to be announced

Section 2:
Friday April 8--Read When We Two Parted p. 1678 (Sara) & It is a beauteous evening 1549 (Nithin)
Monday April 11--The World is too much with us 1550 (Kirea) & My Last Duchess 2058
Tuesday April 12--Read She Walks in Beauty 1676 (Latina); 3 sentence exercise due
Wed April 13--Read The Unknown Citizen 2696 (Cindy) & Hap 2318
Friday April 15--Read God's Grandeur 2160 (Pallavi); vocab quiz 23-24
Mon April 18--Ozymandias p. 1741 (Alex K)
Tues April 19--Kubla Khan p. 1632 (John); exercise due
Wed April 20--When You Are Old p. 2392 (Dylan)
Fri April 22--Do Not Go Gentle p. 2710 (Nick); also To His Coy Mistress p. 677 (Jacques)
Mon April 25--Multiple choice test 60 minutes
Tues April 26--bring drafts of papers for editing; also The Poison Tree 1424 (Keshav)
Wed April 27--papers due; I wandered lonely p 1537 (Sybil) & Homage p. 2715 (Conor)
Fri April 29--vocab 25,26; review information for exam
Mon May 2, Tues May 3, Wed May 4--review packets; independent review of novels and plays
Thurs May 5--AP English Literature and Composition Exam, 7:45 AM, Dorrance
Friday May 6--Equation Analysis finals--contestants to be announced

Section 3:
Friday 4/8--Read It is a beauteous evening 1549 (Majik)
Mond 4/11--Read Ozymandias 1741 (Keenan) & My Last Duchess 2058
Tues 4/12--My Last Duchess; 3 sentence exercise due
Th 4/14-- Crossing the Bar p 2035 (Neha) & To His Coy Mistress p. 677 (Sophie)
Fri 4/15--Read The world is too much with us 1550 (Ryan M); vocab quiz 23-24
Mon 4/18--When we two parted 1678 (Lindsay) & When You Are Old p. 2392 (Ashley B)
Tues 4/19--Do Not Go Gentle 2710 (Mike K)
Thurs 4/21--The Poison Tree 1424 (Nikita)
Fri 4/22--I wandered lonely 1537 (Gordon)
Mon April 25--Multiple choice test 60 minutes--don't go off for lunch unless you are free block 4--class begins at 12:05
Tues April 26--bring drafts of papers for editing;
Wed April 27--papers due (no class)
Thurs April 28--Sonnet 43 p. 1927 (Christine) & Piano p. 2605 (Michael Y)
Fri April 29--vocab 25,26; review information for exam
Mon May 2, Tues May 3, Wed May 4--review packets; independent review of novels and plays
Thurs May 5--AP English Literature and Composition Exam, 7:45 AM, Dorrance
Friday May 6--Equation Analysis finals--contestants to be announced

Section 4:
Friday 4/8--Read Sonnet 14 p. 624 in vol A (Liz)
Tues 4/12--Read It is a beauteous evening 1549 (Rachel E) & My Last Duchess 2058
Wed 4/13--Read La Belle Dame Sans Merci 1840 (Shannon); 3 sentence exercise due
Th 4/14--Read Kubla Khan 1632 (Nabeer) & Hap 2318
Fr 4/15--When we two parted 1678 (Jeremy); vocab 23-24
Tues 4/19--Ozymandias p. 1741 (Adelar) & The world is too much with us p. 1550 (Ryan P)
Wed 4/20--Dover Beach 2105 (Allison)
Th 4/21--The Unknown citizen p. 2696 (Kathie)
Fri 4/22--I wandered lonely p. 1537 (Ashley S)
Tues 4/26--Bring paper drafts to class for editing
Wed 4/27--papers due; Multiple choice exam--60 minutes
Thurs 4/28--Sonnet 43 p. 1927 (Rachel C) & The Poison Tree p. 1424 (Tom)
Fri 4/29 vocab quiz 25,26 and review information for exam
Mon May 2, Tues May 3, Wed May 4--review packets; independent review of novels and plays
Thurs May 5--AP English Literature and Composition Exam, 7:45 AM, Dorrance
Friday May 6--Equation Analysis finals--contestants to be announced

Importance of Being Earnest Performances

Who: Southwest Shakespeare Company
Where: Mesa Arts Center, corner of E. Main and Center St (1 E. Main) downtown Mesa
When: Friday, March 18, 7:30 (possibly sold out?)
Saturday, March 19, 2PM and 7:30 PM
Thursday, March 24, 7:30 PM--I plan to attend this performance
Friday, March 25, 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 26, times???

Box office 480-644-6500
Link to web site with further information

What does the Magistrate learn?

My answer to today's  question.

Two links about the "special forces" in South Africa

First, the infamous 90 day detention act, later replaced by the 180 day detention act:


Journalist Ruth First was the first white person imprisoned under the provisions of this act. The film A World Apart, from a memoir written by First's daughter, tells the story of her imprisonment, from her daughter's point of view. This is the trailer for that 1988 film:

Textbook order

The next book IS listed on the order for English IV, spring semester, but the problem is that there is NO list for AP, second semester. But if you received Pride and Prejudice with your order, you should also have received Waiting for the Barbarians.

Still, if you don't have this book, here is the information:

Waiting for the Barbarians-Great Books of the 20th Century Edition
Edition: 1980 • Coetzee, J. M. (author)
ISBN: 9780140283358, Penguin Books
List Price: $14.00

We will need it very soon; please acquire it post-haste. It is the only available print edition, since the author is still alive and the book protected by copyright law.

Final paper for April 2011

English IV and AP
Final paper 2011
Reading List

AP students: Select a novel from the list below for independent reading during the month of April. With approval, you may also consider a novel from the second list below. Also, locate three critical analyses of the novel (Mr. Thommen has some excellent sources). Write a paper of 1500-2000 words (5-7 pages) developing in some depth one key aspect of the novel’s meaning, using both direct quotations from the novel and your 3 outside sources. You must bring five typed pages to class Monday, April 25. Papers are due Wednesday, April 27, both hard copy and turnitin.com.

Handmaid’s Tale or Cat’s Eye, Margaret Atwood
Emma, Jane Austen
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevski

Middlemarch, George Eliot

Joseph Andrews, Henry Fielding
A Passage to India, E.M. Forster

The Vicar of Wakefield, Oliver Goldsmith
Return of the Native, Thomas Hardy
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce
Obasan, Joy Kogawa
Sons and Lovers, D. H. Lawrence

Cry the Beloved Country, Alan Paton
Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
Mrs. Dalloway or Orlando, Virginia Woolf

English IV students: Select EITHER one of the novels from the list above, or one from the suggested reading list from last summer (reprinted below, with a few overlaps to the list above). Your assignment is to write a paper of 3-4 pages, with the same due dates as the assignment above, but without the required research component.

Richard Adams, Watership Down (1972)

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (1986) (F)

Pat Barker, Regeneration (1991) (H)

Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (1962) (F)

A.S. Byatt, Possession (1990)

Peter Carey, The True History of the Kelly Gang (2000) (H)

Roddy Doyle, The Van (1991)

Nadine Gordimer, July’s People (1981)

Graham Greene, The Quiet American (1955)

George Hagen, Tom Bedlam (2007) (H)

Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (1995)

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1932) (F)

Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day (1989) (H)

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (1942)

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (2009) (H)

Yann Martel, Life of Pi (2002)

Ian McEwan, Atonement (2001) (H)

Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance (1995) (H)

Patrick O’Brian, Master and Commander (1969) (H)

Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient (1992) (H)

George Orwell, 1984 (1949) (F)

Graham Swift, Waterland (1983)

Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger (1992) (H) or Morality Play (1995) (H)

Pride and Prejudice essay

AP English/ English IV
Mr. Coon
Pride and Prejudice essay
Write an essay of approximately 600-750 words (2-3 typed, double-spaced pages), in which you discuss in as much detail as space permits the significance of the following passage to the work as a whole. In your discussion you may focus on an appropriate combination of the following elements:

• How does the passage characterize its participants and demonstrate Austen’s methods of characterization?
• What is the relationship of this scene to the “action” of the novel? Does it contribute to either the complication of the action or to its resolution?
• How does it embody or advance themes important to the novel?
• In what sense is the scene “comic”?
• How does it most significantly illustrate Jane Austen’s style?

Essays are due Tuesday, February 15 both hard copy and electronically to turnitin.com (Pride and Prejudice 2011). Consult NO outside, internet, or spark sources in preparing this assignment, and do not discuss it with classmates. Here is the link to remind you of formatting requirements for papers in this class.

Passage:

“Tell me once for all, are you engaged to him?”

Though Elizabeth would not, for the mere purpose of obliging Lady Catherine, have answered this question, she could not but say, after a moment’s deliberation, “I am not.”

Lady Catherine seemed pleased.

“And will you promise me, never to enter into such an engagement?”

“I will make no promise of the kind.”

“Miss Bennet, I am shocked and astonished. I expected to find a more reasonable young woman. But do not deceive yourself into a belief that I will ever recede. I shall not go away, till you have given me the assurance I require.”

“And I certainly never shall give it. I am not to be intimidated into anything so wholly unreasonable. Your ladyship wants Mr. Darcy to marry your daughter; but would my giving you the wished-for promise, make their marriage at all more probable?” . . . .

Her ladyship was highly incensed.

“You have no regard, then, for the honour and credit of my nephew! Unfeeling, selfish girl! Do you not consider that a connection with you must disgrace him in the eyes of everybody?”

“Lady Catherine, I have nothing further to say. You know my sentiments.”

“You are resolved then to have him?”

“I have said no such thing. I am only resolved to act in that manner which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me.”

“It is well. You refuse, then, to oblige me. You refuse to obey the claims of duty, honor, and gratitude. You are determined to ruin him in the opinion of his friends, and make him the contempt of the world.”

“Neither duty, nor honour, not gratitude,” replied Elizabeth, “have any possible claim on me, in the present instance. . . .”

“I take no leave of you, Miss Bennet. I send no compliment to your mother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased.”

Pride & Prejudice presentations

Assignment: a brief blog entry in a series of bullet points, accompanied by a short oral presentation (3 minutes), due in class February 14 (Tuesday for section 4), covering the following information:

1. What is the writer's thesis?
2. What are one or two key points the writer makes in support of the thesis?
3. Were you persuaded? Do you agree with the writer's thesis? Why?
4. In what way(s) does this information give you new or increased understanding of the novel or of Jane Austen as a writer?

Readings (Criticism)
Whately and Oliphant, pp. 289-293
Simpson & Harding, pp. 293-299
Van Ghent, 299-306 ***
Duckworth, p. 306
Tave, p. 315
Butler, 319
Auerbach, 326
Johnson, 348
Kaplan, 368
Wallace, 376
Birtwhistle, Conklin, and Nixon, 384-392
Spring, 392
Ahearn & Gray, 399-406
Morgan, 338

(Biography)
Austen, Austen-Leigh, and Tomalin 257-264
Nokes & Honan, 264-269

Letters, p. 270

Schedule--February 1 - March 4

Week 5: January 31 - February 4
Day 1: Pride & Prejudice, finish volume 1, chapters 18-23; quiz
Day 2: Begin volume 2, chapters 1-6
Day 3: Volume 2, chapters 7-12
Day 4: Finish volume 2, chapters 13-19; Multiple-choice scoring exercise

Week 6: February 7 - 11
Day 1: Volume 3, chapters 1-4
Day 2: chapters 5-8
Day 3: chapters 9-13
Day 4: chapters 14-18, vocab quiz (vocal quiz) lessons 17-18

Week 7: February 14-17
Day 1: Oral reports due
Day 2: Papers due, continue oral reports
Day 3: Begin Heart of Darkness, Norton, volume B, 2326-2341
No school Friday February 18, President's Weekend break

Week 8: February 22 - 25
Monday: No school, Presidents' Weekend break
Tuesday: Heart of Darkness, Norton volume B, pp. 2341-2350
Wed/Thurs: pp. 2350-2368 (chapter 2)
Fri: pp. 2368-2387 (chapter 3); vocabulary lessons 19 & 20
Note: these are very unequal divisions, so I strongly recommend that you use a bit of time over Presidents' Weekend to read ahead; that way you'll have less difficulty staying caught up.

Week 9: February 28 - March 4 (only day that's a command!)
Day 1: No assignment, continue Heart of Darkness discussion
Day 2: Read Waiting for the Barbarians, chapter 1
Day 3: WFB, chapter 2
Day 4: WFB, chapter 3 + Practice AP multiple-choice quiz

THIS WEEK IN VARSITY ENGLISH
WEEK 10: MARCH 7 - 11
Monday: Mini-research day: "emergency powers;" South African law 1960's & 70s; "political prisoners;" Argentina in the 70's; use of torture; Ruth First (Diana Roth); martial law; apartheid; etc. Post link (beyond Wiki), photograph, and 3-sentence summary on your blog
Tuesday: WFB, chapter 4 (p. 119 or 139 depending on edition)
Wed/Th: WFB chapter 5 (p. 140 or 165); ABODA jazz festival Wednesday
Friday: Finish WFB, vocab quiz lessons 21 & 22; 7th grade courage retreat

WEEK 11: March 14 - 18

Day 1: Blog "What are the two most significant or important lessons the magistrate learns during the year in which the novel takes place?" Don't waste words on openings closings, or vague generalities; get to the meat from the first sentence and stay there. Two paragraphs will suffice.
Day 2: In-class essay test: Heart of Darkness and/or Waiting for the Barbarians
Day 3: The Importance of Being Earnest, act 1, (volume B, pp. 2221 - 2237)--look for absurd statements, wit and word play, and characters who confuse the trivial and the important in life
Day 4: Earnest, act 2, pp. 2237-2254; multiple-choice passage quiz.

WEEK 12: March 21-25
Day 1: Finish Earnest, act 3, pp. 2254-2263; reservations for independent reading novels accepted beginning Sunday morning, March 20, no more than 3 readers per title.
Day 2: Our Faire Englische Tung, chapter 5, pp. 43-55
Day 3: Final declaration day for novels for independent reading
Day 4: Capt. McHonett's Day of Adventure; IFF

Spring break: March 25-April 3: Read independent novels; begin poetry unit upon returning, Monday April 4

Jane Austen's style--class exercise

Locate a passage which illustrates one aspect of Jane Austen's style: look for one of the following:

• significant diction (vocabulary choice);
• syntax (e.g. parallel structure within balanced sentences, use of relative clauses)
• verbal irony used for satiric effect, esp toward a character
  
• character revealed through dialogue
• character revealed through narrative statement
• a passage whose tone you can identify and comment upon
• figurative or rhetorical devices

Create a brief comment on the significance of the passage you have chosen. How does it add to the overall "effect" of the writing at this point in the novel?

Final options--Hamlet

Hamlet
Final options

1. Test—of the kind you’ve seen from me before: ID’s, passages, short essay.

2. Essay—three pages on a topic chosen from one specific aspect of the play: a discussion of the stages and phases of Hamlet’s state of mind, drawn from his soliloquies; the purposes and functions of the roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia, the significance of one scene to the play as a whole, or a similar topic of your devising, chosen in consultation with me.

3. Performance—EITHER a monolog memorized and performed for the class, approximately 25 lines: one of Hamlet’s soliloquies, Claudius’ prayer, the Player King’s monolog during the play-within-the-play, Gertrude telling Laertes of Ophelia’s death. OR a video of a scene (20-25 lines times the number of characters), with approximately equal measures of dialog for each of the participants. The only caveat for this option is to avoid turning tragedy into comedy by creating a deliberately exaggerated or distorted version of your scene. In either case, the performance must be accompanied by a written copy of the scene, with subtext identified to show the goals of the performance.

Due Day 1 of next week for tests and essays (Monday for sections 1, 2, & 3, Tuesday for section 4), day 2 for performances.

Subtext Assignment--Hamlet

English IV & AP
Hamlet subtext assignment
January 2011
1. After reading Kenneth Branagh’s screenplay and viewing the scene between Hamlet and Ophelia, write the subtext for Act 3, scene 4 of the play.

2.Full text of the play may be found on the internet. Go to Google and enter something like Shakespeare MIT (here’s the link ). This will take you to the MIT website directly to Act 3, scene 4 of Hamlet. Download the scene onto a word-processing document and change the name of the queen from Margaret to Gertrude. You are responsible for the portion of the scene beginning with “enter Hamlet” and ending with “exit ghost.”

3. The goal of your notes is to make the subtext explicit. Subtext refers to all those elements of a scene’s meaning which are implied but unspoken in the text. It includes the characters’ motives, thoughts, emotions, gestures, movements, and tone of voice. (See handout defining subtext).

4.Add your subtext to the scene. Put your notes in a different type style from the text itself (italics / roman, boldface / roman, etc) to make them easier to identify and read.

Due Friday January 14.

Two Hamlet links

First, the more serious, about a juvenile prison in South Africa where young inmates are performing Hamlet;

And second, an old comedy skit by the British group Blackadder (House fans will recognize Hugh Laurie), in which Shakespeare negotatiates with his producer over a new play he is writing.

Assignments, January 2011

Week 1: January 4 - 7
Day 2: Hamlet, act 1, scenes 1 & 2
Day 3: Hamlet, act 1, scenes 3, 4, & 5
Day 4: Multiple choice quiz, begin Hamlet act 2

Week 2: January 10 - 14
Day 1: Hamlet, finish reading act 2
Day 2: Hamlet, act 3, scenes 1 & 2
Day 3: Hamlet, act 3, scenes 3 & 4
Day 4: Vocab quiz lessons 13 - 14, Hamlet subtext assignment due for act 3, scene 4, hard copy and turnitin. com (title: Hamlet subtext)

Week 3: January 17 - 21
No school Monday January 17--MLK holiday
Day 2: Hamlet, act 4, scenes 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5
Day 3: Hamlet, act 4, scenes 6 & 7, act 5, scene 1
Day 4: Hamlet, act 5, scene 2 (can you guess in advance which characters won't die?) Multiple choice quiz

Week 4: January 24- 28
Day 1: Hamlet test, paper, or project (your choice)
Day 2: Pride and Prejudice, chapters 1 - 6 (please use the Norton Critical edition,
    ISBN 0-393-97604-1, as it contains background material we will use for
    class presentations.
Day 3: Pride and Prejudice, chapters 7 - 11
Day 4: P & P, chapters 12 - 17; vocal quiz, lessons 15 - 16

Week 5: January 31
Day 1: P & P, chapters 18 - 23

Second semester readings

1. Hamlet, William Shakespeare (purchase a paperback copy today, if possible)
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (you should have received a copy with your books in August)
3. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad (in anthology, volume 2)
4. Waiting for the Barbarians, J.M. Coetzee (paperback)
5. Lyric poetry (in anthology, volumes 1 & 2)
6. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde (in anthology, volume 2)
7. Selected novels for final paper (list will be provided prior to spring break)

Tentative exam formats

Although I have only written portions of each exam, my PLAN is to use the following formats (subject to change if these don't work out the way I think they will).

English IV
Vocab--25 matching
Literary terms--10 matching
Characters--10 matching
Englische Tung--10 Matching
12th Night ID's--10 matching
Quotations--10 matching

1 Essay--50 to 60 minutes, using examples and ideas from multiple works to discuss a common theme or a connection between the works themselves and their historical periods.

AP
Vocab--25 matching
3 of the 5 matching sections listed above
Multiple choice--2 passages, 25 to 30 questions

1 essay--40 to 45 minutes--using information and examples from one work read this semester to discuss a topic from an earlier AP Literature exam.

Exam review

English IV & AP
December 2010
Exam prep--first draft--more to follow when I get further in the writing process

1.    Lessons 1 – 12 in the vocabulary workbook. Definitely review those words and definitions for the exam. Probable format: matching. Probable length: 25 or so words with 35 or so definitions to choose from.

2.    History of English, chapters 1, 2, & 3. Eras: Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, Renaissance. For each period, think about the major themes of language we have discussed. Which historical, political, or cultural factors most influenced the language at each stage of its development? What were the results of each of these historical forces? What examples from the language itself best illustrate the operation of these historical influences? Probable format: unknown

3.    Beowulf
Key themes & terms: epic, hero, fate, honor, tribal values, kinship, kingship, leadership, warrior culture, wisdom, feuds, alliterative verse, kennings, role of women, political marriages, blending of pagan and Christian influences, boasting, revenge, loyalty, oral tradition, imbedded narratives (bards), historical importance, elegiac quality

4.    Paradise Lost
Themes and terms: literary epic, blank verse, the fall, innocence, lust as innocence lost, temptation, rebellion and disobedience, free will, knowledge as Godliness, ambition, Satan as sympathetic antagonist?

5.    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Themes and terms: knighthood, courtly love, chivalry, alliterative revival, romance, courage, contest, Pentangle, honor and obligation, temptation and human weakness, hospitality,

6.    General Prologue
Themes and terms: estates satire, iambic pentameter couplets, four humours, ideals, corruptions and abuses, uses of irony, humor, double entendre, tradition of pilgrimage, make-up of 14th century English society, social change, use of stereotypes, examples of various professions, frame narrative

7.    Miller’s Tale
Themes and terms: Fabliau, narrative structure, plot and subplot, relationship between tale and teller, Miller’s personality revealed through tone and details, satire of courtly romance, idealism and justice, attitudes toward sex and gender

8.    Pardoner’s Tale
Themes and terms: Exemplum, style of preaching, relationship between tale and teller, relationship of prologue to tale, relationship of Pardoner and Host, uses of irony

9.    Twelfth Night
Themes and terms: Genre of comedy, relationship between serious and playful, relationship of plot and subplot, love, self-love, madness, revenge, duty, friendship, word play, gender roles, order and disorder, exaggeration, coincidence, disguise, probability of event

10.    Multiple-choice reading comprehension
For AP students only. Probable format: Multiple choice (Duh!); probable length: 30 questions, 30 minutes

Twelfth Night performance

For those interested and available, this week's performances of 12th Night are 7:30 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 2 PM Saturday, and 3 PM Sunday. I plan to attend Sunday. Currently (as of 11 AM Wednesday) there are 40 seats available for that performance.

This is the box office link for ordering tickets. Or call 480-644-6500.

Tickets are available at the student rate, with no service charges, if you purchase them at the box office the day of the performance, but you have to show your student ID to get the discount ($15).

Mesa Arts Center is located at 1 E. Main St Mesa (SE corner of Main and Center Streets).

I hope some of you will be able to attend.

2nd semester elective choices

Remember, if you are in AP English, you are automatically enrolled in the 2nd semester of Major British Authors.

However, if you are either not enrolled in AP, or if you are and are still looking for a 5th (or 6th) course, please consider the following options:

Literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy (Mr. Guthrie)
The Art of Compostion (Mr. McHonett & Ms. Thompson)
Shakespeare (Mr. Burns & Mr. Coon), a performance/literature course offered for English or Theater Arts credit

Not all these courses received sufficient pre-enrollment last spring; however, I'm wondering if perhaps some of your circumstances have changed and you now find yourselves needing another class. Ideally, I'd like to see all 3 of these electives offered.

If you have any questions, please see me. Mr. Flanagan-Hyde will do a short presentation at morning meeting the 29th and ask those interested to complete a course request form at that point.

Blog #7--I-Search assignment

For this blog, write the draft of what will become the first page of your paper. Write a couple of paragraphs on what you already know about your word. Answer whichever of the following questions you find most applicable:
What does your selected word mean to you going into this assignment?
What do you already know about your word?
Why did you choose it?
Is there a specific moment or incident or association you have with your word?

Also, keep looking at the sources, both print and online, for further understanding of your word's meaning(s). The next portions of your paper will include an overall description of your search, any difficulties you experienced, any surprises you encountered, and specific insight into the information you find about your word. In the body of the essay, you will combine an analysis or interpretation of what you learned (including direct citations from your sources), along with personal commentary and reflection on that information.

The last page (or so) of your paper will contain your final reflection on your search, focusing both on the process and on what you learned about your word from the various sources.

N.B. You will include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper, so be sure to keep records of the full bibliographic information for each source you consult.

N.B. Keep track of your notes, printouts, and photocopies. These all go in your binder along with the draft and final copies of your paper.

I-search resources

Biblos, a bible study tool. I suggest in particular comparing the King James (KJB) and Revised Standard (RSV) bibles to see if and where your word occurs.

Open source Shakespeare, an excellent way to search the plays for individual words.

One Look, a dictionary search engine listing all the online dictionaries in which a word appears. Useful for comparing different definitions. One of their links is for Noah Webster's original 1828 dictionary, the first distinctly "American" dictionary. Check it out.

American Verse Project, part of University of Michigan's vast array of online resources (Go Ohio State!). Its limitation is that it only cites American poems published prior to 1920 (still, very good for Whitman, Dickinson, Poe, John Greenleaf Whittier, other 19th century American poets.)

A slightly facetious, but perhaps useful site called word detective.

An online etymological dictionary, not a scholarly work, but a fascinating project being done by an ambitious amateur.

The Middle English Dictionary, another (gulp!) resource from University of Michigan.

Dr. Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary.

Updated word list

Here is the updated list I promised yesterday. I also sent it to your school e-mail. Hope you're having a good weekend.

•    Anger
•    Atonement
•    Beauty
•    Belief
•    Bliss
•    Brave
•    Burden
•    Calm
•    Chance
•    Chaos
•    Charity
•    Charm
•    Confusion
•    Courage
•    Cruel
•    Cunning
•    Curious
•    Curse
•    Darkness
•    Despair
•    Destiny
•    Doom
•    Doubt
•    Ecstasy
•    Envy
•    Evil
•    Faith
•    Fame
•    Fate
•    Fear
•    Fortune
•    Freedom
•    Friend
•    Generous
•    Genius
•    Glee
•    Glory
•    Glutton
•    Good
•    Grace
•    Greatness
•    Greed
•    Guile
•    Guilt
•    Happiness
•    Hatred
•    Heart
•    Hero
•    Holy
•    Honor
•    Hope
•    Human
•    Idea
•    Ignorant
•    Illusion
•    Imagination
•    Inspiration
•    Jealousy
•    Journey
•    Joy
•    Justice
•    Kindness
•    Knowledge
•    Love
•    Loyalty
•    Luck
•    Lust
•    Mercy
•    Mind
•    Miracle
•    Natural
•    Normal
•    Pain
•    Passion
•    Patriot
•    Peace
•    Pride
•    Quest
•    Rational
•    Reality
•    Reason
•    Redemption
•    Revenge
•    Riches
•    Righteous
•    Sacrifice
•    Savage
•    Serene
•    Shame
•    Sin
•    Sorrow
•    Soul
•    Spirit
•    Success
•    Terror
•    Trust
•    Truth
•    Valor
•    Vanity
•    Wealth
•    Weird
•    Wisdom
•    Wit
•    Wonder

Chaucer test

4 parts

1. Identification--The Hundred Years War. Courtly Love. Canterbury Cathedral. Exemplum.

2. Paraphrase--rewrite a brief passage from CT in modern English. Stay as close as possible to the meaning of the original but express that meaning in sentences that make clear sense in contemporary style.

3. Match the pilgrims--a list of pilgrims and a list of descriptions from the GP

4. Passages from the Miller's Tale and the Pardoner's Tale--identify the speaker or situation or a key word or a central irony. Each passage will contain some context clue relevant to the question being asked.

I-Search a Word--paper assignment #3

Assignment: Write a paper of 5 to 8 pages (5 to 6 for English IV, 7 or 8 for AP) containing an extended definition of a single word, a commonly used word, but one with an abstract or intangible quality to its meaning. In your paper you will make references to the sources you have consulted, but the style of the paper will be a first-person account of your search for the word’s ultimate meaning and an analysis of what you learn along the way.

Sources: Consult the following sources to include all the necessary information in your paper:

1. The Oxford English Dictionary in our library—what are the earliest uses and contexts for your word recorded in the English language. Does the OED mention the word occurring in either Sir Gawain or Chaucer?

2. A good unabridged or international dictionary—what key definitions does the dictionary give for the word? What is its etymology?

3. A print or online thesaurus—what are the most important synonyms for your word? Include a list from the thesaurus in the sources section of your folder.

4. A Concordance to Shakespeare—in which plays does the word occur? Copy the speeches containing the word and the plays in which they are found.

5. A Concordance to the Bible—list the verses containing the word and copy these verses onto a page in your sources section.

6. A statement of what the word means to you, both before and after you conduct your research.

7. For AP students, two of the following: a poem in which the word occurs, a citation from an online quotations list, a work of art or music, a book about words and language, a work of history, a newspaper article, cartoon, television show, or movie. (One such source is optional for English IV.)

Process: Gather your findings in a binder. The first thing in the binder you submit will be the final copy of your paper, then your draft, edited by two peers and one other person (a third peer, a parent, a friend), and a section containing the printouts of all your research materials with sources clearly indicated in full MLA format.

Rationale: According to Edward Jenkinson and Donald Seybold, “it is extremely difficult for anyone to define a word that does not have objective [meaning]. Yet the ideas, feelings, and emotions that are most significant in our lives are conveyed [by such words]. . . .Everyone who uses such words as freedom, rich, or love has slightly different notions about what those words mean, [yet] we frequently act as if we are talking about the same thing when we use such words.” Thus, this assignment is to sift through our assumptions about one abstract word to find relevant historical information about its uses and meanings throughout the history of the English language.

Schedule:

·H Have your word chosen and approved by me by the beginning of class Tuesday, November 9. (Everyone must have a different word.)

· We will spend that day (Wednesday for section 4) in the library looking at the OED and other source material.

Your blog for Monday November 15 will include your previous understanding of the word along with a brief summary of what you have learned so far in your research. It may be incorporated in some fashion into your draft later.

· We will return to the library after our vocab quiz Friday November 19.

Monday, November 22, bring your drafts to class, five pages minimum to earn credit for this part of the assignment.

Binders are due in my classroom by 3PM, Tuesday, November 23. Final drafts must also be submitted by that time to turnitin.com (assignment title: I-Search a Word).

Style: Write your paper as a first-person account of your search for the ultimate meaning of your word. Use your sources to make your analysis of the word credible, but connect those sources to your personal quest for the word’s meaning, your previous understanding of the word, and what you learned along the way, both about the word and the research process. You should both summarize and analyze the information you gather from your sources in the body of the paper. Information should be cited parenthetically, linked to a list of Works Cited at the end of your paper.

Words: So far I’ve brainstormed 40-some words, but I need your help coming up with further ideas, so that everyone works with a different word for this assignment. Here is my list:

·A Atonement Beauty Belief Chaos Confusion Courage Darkness Despair Doom Doubt Ecstasy Envy Fear Freedom Friend Glutton Grace Greatness Happiness Hatred Heart Holy Honor Imagination Jealousy Journey Joy Kindness Knowledge Love Loyalty Mercy Natural Passion Quest Redemption Revenge Riches Shame Spirit Success Wealth Wisdom Wit

What word interests you sufficiently to spend two weeks researching and writing about its history and most important meanings? After I review this assignment in class Friday, November 5, I will accept email requests for words beginning Sunday morning at 9 AM. By class time Tuesday November 9 everyone must have selected a word to work with.

Miller's Tale discussion topic

How has Chaucer made the tale "fit" the teller? In how many ways can we identify the precise nature of the relationship between the tale and its teller?

Specifically, let us consider the following:
• the Miller's choice of material (does the fabliau match what we know of the miller's personality?)
• methods and depth of characterization (how much do we know about each character? how "dimensional" are they? why?)
• use of key details (find examples of little choices in keeping with the miller's interests and character. what are the most interesting facts about each character, at least to the miller?)
• use of language (what words does the miller especially like? what examples of puns can you find?)
• sense of humor/ tone (which parts are intended humorously? what kind of humor is it? Is the miller making fun of any of his characters?)
• "fabliau justice" (do the characters get what they deserve? If not in our eyes, how about in the miller's system of justice?)
• in what way(s) does the Miller's Tale "quite" the Knight's Tale?

Additional Chaucer links

1. The short piece we looked at in class about the Three Estates, by Professor Debora Schwartz of Cal Poly University English department.

2. The essay on "Medieval Estates and Orders" referred to on page 170 in our textbook.

3. Side-by-side modern English translation and original Middle English version of the General Prologue, courtesy Towson State University, Maryland.

Pronouncing Middle English--links

First, professor Jane Zatta, Southern Illinois University, reads the General Prologue. (The audio file is broken into units of about 12 lines, but her voice is quite clear)

Next, a YouTube file containing an audio reading and a phonetic transliteration of the lines. (The audio is better than the phonetics, which don't always match what the voice is reading.) I haven't identified the voice.

A page on the Harvard (pronounced Hahvahd) web site, which contains both the original text, a line-by-line modernized version, and a sound file.

Finally, a list of several available recordings, both from the General Prologue and some of the tales, provided by the English department at Virginia Military Institute. (You need the Real Audio Player software to listen to some of these recordings).

Listen to several recordings. Notice that not all ME (Middle English) readers pronounce words the same. Still, by listening to the opening lines several times, you can get a better sense of the sound of the English language 600 years ago. Practice repeating along with the voice of the reader; the more you do so, the more quickly you will be able to memorize the material.

"Shed jewel" October 12-December 15

Week 8: October 11-15

No School Monday--Fall Break
Day 1: No assignment--Bring Lit books to class for Intro to Chaucer
Day 2: Read pp. 165-171, up to line 42 ("at a knight thanne wol I first biginne")
Friday: Read pp. 171-177, to line 286; MCQz, RdgQz? (End 1st Marking period)

Week 9: October 18-22

Monday: Read pp. 177-183, to line544; blog 6 (topic from chapter 3 or a character from GP)
Day 2: Read pp. 183-190; bring vocal books to class
Day 3: Read pp. 191-196, to line 230 ("of farting")
Day 4: Read pp. 196-201, to line 492 ("go save oure lif'); vocab quiz lessons 7-8

Week 10: October 25-29 (revised)

Monday: Read pp. 202-207; perform memorized recitations of GP lines 1-18, with feeling
Day 2: Make a Difference Day
Day 3: Finish Miller's Tale; finish recitations, with feeling
Friday: Continue discussion of Miller's Tale; No Qz

Week 11: November 1-5 (revised yet again--3rd time's the charm?)

Monday: Read the Pardoner's Tale, pp. 235-249; probable RdQz (it's been a while); blog #6: locate 5 lines in the Pardoner's Tale which interest you but about which you have a question; blog about these lines; copy them, ask your question, pose a possible answer or personal reaction.
Day 2: Continue discussion of Pardoner's Tale
Day 3: Wrap up discussion
Friday: MCQz 5; Intro "I-Search Word" papers, 5 - 8 pages, due Tuesday, November 23

Week 12: November 8 - 12

Monday: Test #2, General Prologue, Miller's Tale, Pardoner's Tale, chapter 3 Faire Englische
Day 2: Read chapter 4, Oure Faire Englische Tung; library orientation and work day #1 for I-Search papers, including OED
Day 3: Read Twelfth Night, pp. 510-518; bring Vc books to class
Friday: Twelfth Night, pp. 518-526 + VcQz 9 & 10

Week 13: November 15-19

Monday: Twelfth Night, pp. 527-536; blog (#7) your word--what do you already know about your word, why did you choose it, what new information have you discovered so far, what resources have you used???
Day 2: Twelfth Night, pp. 536-545; bring vocab books to class
Day 3: Twelfth Night, pp. 545-556
Day 4: VcQz 11 & 12; library work day #2

Week 14: November 22-26

Monday: Bring drafts of I-Search papers to class, MINIMUM 5 pages
Tuesday: Papers due, all sections, hard copy and turnitin.com
Wednesday: Thanksgiving break--no class Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday

Week 15:November 29 - December 3

Monday: Twelfth Night, pp. 556-562
Day 2: Twelfth Night, pp. 562-72
Day 3: Wrap up
Day 4: Quotation quiz

Week 16: December 6 - 10

Monday: Blog 8: What is Shakespeare's message about love and how does it compare to or intersect with your own view? (You don't need to quote from the play for this assignment, but you must refer to specific characters and incidents in your discussion) 500-600 words

(N.B.--If you see the performance at Mesa Arts Center, you may substitute a blog focusing on 3 ways that seeing the play changed or enhanced your understanding or appreciation of the text or differed significantly from reading it.)

Week 17: December 13 - 17

Wednesday, December 15--Semester exam, 9AM, Hormel

Medieval Romance

I. • The hero is a knight, a member of a rare and select company, known for his courage and valor.
• The knight must respond to a challenge, often setting for himself, on behalf of his religion, his liege lord, or a captive lady, a difficult or seemingly impossible task.
• The heroic knight must perform noble deeds in the fulfillment of this challenge.
• The knight has a strong relationship, characterized by great chivalry on his part, often involving love, with a beautiful, sometimes mysterious lady.
• The adventures are set in vague, imaginary, unearthly, or exotic settings.
• The mystery and suspense of the adventure often derive from the existence of supernatural elements in the tale.
• Concealed or disguised identities often figure prominently in the pursuit of the adventure.
• Mystical numbers such as 3 or 5 are often used and repeated.
• The knight’s courage and faith will be sorely tested during his adventure, and he will experience moments of doubt and weakness.

source: http://www.loyno.edu/~MidAges/medievalromance.html

II.

• "romance" originally referred to the "vernacular" language in which courtly tales were composed, to distinguish them from "real" literature written in Latin.
• Eventually, the term referred to the kind of tales popular in Anglo-Norman courts, stories of the chivalric adventures of knights and their ladies, often set in the court of King Arthur.
• Early audiences were largely women, a queen or duchess and ladies of her court, who wanted to see women in more important roles than in the earlier male-bonding epics of the Anglo-Saxons. So the poets produced tales in which the knight is still a brave warrior but is now motivated by the desire to serve a lady in a chivalric way.
• Thus the tales developed a relationship later known as "courtly love," in which the knight serves his lady (usually NOT his wife) with obedience and submission (she controls the relationship), and is inspired by her love to do great deeds.
• Extramarital aspect is not inherently immoral but rather an idealized romantic relationship which can therefore not exist in the "real" context of medieval marriage (typically based on monetary, political, or dynastic goals, NOT love). Therefore the quasi-adulterous quality that bothers modern readers was probably at that time beside the point.

Source: Prof. Debora Schwartz, Cal Poly University (Link)

Questions:
What form do these characteristics of medieval romance take in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

How have these conventions been adapted, in exciting ways, in contemporary popular culture, such as books, films, graphic novels, or comic books?