V. Preconcieved Notions

Comment on what you already know about either of these novels? Have you read one before? Do you know anything about the authors? Have you ever seen one of the movies? Which one do you think you will like best?

IV. Final novel argument

1. I can only choose one of these novels to read and teach during the school year. After careful, thoughtful consideration, create a 250-word post in which you argue for which novel you think has the most value in my classroom - not necessarily which one you like the most. Please consider this your first essay for my class; it should be formal and well-written. You may reference outside sources - check out this and this if you haven't already - as long as you credit them properly (MLA format), and, because the best arguments always acknowledge their opposition in some way, you should account for what your opposition might say in some way during your response. Choose your words carefully; 250 words will go quickly. Make sure that this is a "new post" and not a comment. You create a new post from your dashboard screen.

III. Literary Criticism and content discussion

After reading this article, create at least two comments in which you discuss what you believe to be the most interesting, controversial, and/or incorrect thing Goldstone says. Why do you think we should read Wuthering Heights? Here is the article again: "Wuthering Heights Revisited"

III. Literary Criticism and content discussion

After reading this article, create at least two comments in which you discuss what you believe to be the most interesting, controversial, and/or incorrect thing Kneedler says. Can you locate holes in her argument? Does she leave anything out? This article was written in 1998; do the issues she discusses still apply in 2008? Here's the article again: "The New Romances in Pride and Prejudice"

III. Literary Criticism and content discussion

Referencing (even quoting from) this article, create at least two comments in which you discuss why you think we should read Pride and Prejudice? Here's the article again: "How to Read Jane Austen"

II. Pride and Prejudice pre-reading

Look at the opening lines of the novel. Paraphrase them. Create at least two comments in which you discuss how might these lines might be considered satirical? What do they mean? Could they give us a clue as to what Jane Austen disapproves of so much?

II. Pride and Prejudice pre-reading

1. Satire is a literary convention in which human folly and vice are ridiculed; it is often created with irony and sarcasm. While satire is often funny - think Saturday Night Live at its best - its primary goal is to highlight a flaw in society that the author deems important and in need of change. Create at least two comments in which you discuss where is the satire in this novel? About what in her society is Jane Austen being most critical? What character do you believe is most ridiculous?

I. Wuthering Heights pre-reading

1. This novel takes place in two indoor settings: the two houses at the edge of the moor, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Bronte develops the theme of the conflict of opposites by comparing and contrasting these settings and the people who live in them and, therefore, embody (or reject) their characteristics. Create at least two comments on the ways that these two places contrast in location, appearance of the houses, appearance of the residents, emotions of the residents, activities of the residents, etc. This would also be a good place to note elements of social class and how they affect the characters' relationships with one another.

I. Wuthering Heights pre-reading

1. After reading about the Byronic Hero at this website, create at least two comments in which you discuss in what ways can Heathcliff be considered a Byronic hero.

I. Wuthering Heights pre-reading

1. A gothic romance (think horror + romance) is a mystery that involves the supernatural and often elements of horror. Generally they use dark settings, such as castles or haunted houses to create a "pleasant" type of terror - both psychological and physical. Create at least two comments in which you discuss in what ways this novel can be considered a gothic romance? Link any relevant web sites to your comments.

I. Wuthering Heights pre-reading

1. Read the info below about frame narratives in general. Discuss the structure of WH as a frame story. Create at least two comments in which you discuss how point of view changes in the story? How does this change affect the reader’s perception of the story? Link any relevant web pages to your comments.
   

Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature.

frame story also called frame tale translation of German Rahmenerzählung

Overall unifying story within which one or more tales are related. In the single story, the opening and closing constitutes a frame. In the cyclical frame story--that is, a story in which several tales are related--some frames are externally imposed and only loosely bind the diversified stories. The Thousand and One Nights, in which Scheherazade (Shahrazad) avoids death by telling her royal husband a story every night and leaving it incomplete, is an example of a frame story. Other frames are an integral part of the tales, as in Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, in which the stories are woven together by a common theme. Another famous example is Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, in which the pilgrimage frame brings together the varied tellers of the tales.