John Buchan and The Thirty Nine Steps

John Buchan wrote The Thirty Nine Steps while he was sick in bed.  This short novel combines a personal story with some political intrigue.  Buchan called in a "shocker," a story that's barely believable.

Some interesting resources:
Wikipedia article on the book
A review of the novel
The text of the book online
Another book review
Filming the movie in Scotland
Full audio book of The Thirty Nine Steps

British Literature Class Notes -- April 24 (Week 13)

Greetings!

Another good week!  We finished George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion this week.  Each student was assigned to bring 3 discussion questions to class. We discussed all 9 of their questions and then some.  They've done a thorough and thoughtful reading of this play.  We discussed relationships, morality, a person's value, education, and social status. 

Our final book is John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps.  Set in May and June of 1914, Europe is just weeks from war, and spies are everywhere.  This novel is one of the first man-on-the-run stories and has been made into a variety of film versions.  Since it's a rather short book (88 pages), we're going to read the whole book this week.  Since one student will be gone on the last week of classes, we've decided to have some treats next week as we discuss the book.  On the last week, we'll close the class with some more literary discussions.

Assignment for Next Week:

-- Read ALL of The Thirty-Nine Steps

-- Be prepared for class discussion with 3 questions

-- Bring treats if you'd like

This week's blogs

Class Notes

Information on John Buchan and The Thirty Nine Steps

Have a great week!

Mrs. Prichard

British Literature Class Notes -- April 17 (Week 12)

Greetings!

And, again, another great class.  We might be a small group, but we have wonderfully insightful discussions.  We're reading Shaw's Pygmalion, the play from which My Fair Lady was based.  They are finding piece of literature much easier to read.  We discussed the characters and some of the dramatic elements.  Although written as drama, the "stage directions" and prose background material is just as essential.

Assignment for Next Week:

-- finish Pygmalion, including the sequel portion

-- Come up with 3 Discussion Questions

This week's blog

Class Notes

Have a Great Week,

Mrs. Prichard

Introduction to Pygmalion

What’s Up With the Title?

Shaw wrote Pygmalion in 1912, but he took its name from something way, way older: an Ancient Greek myth. The most famous of its many versions can be found in the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses.

In the myth, Pygmalion, a sculptor from Cyprus, hates women, and especially hates the idea of getting married. Still, he gets tired of lying in bed alone at night, and decides to carve a beautiful woman out of ivory, a woman so beautiful that he can't help but fall in love with her. Which is exactly what he does. After making the sculpture, he can't help himself, and he kisses her and starts dressing her up and doing anything he can to make her seem more human. None of that helps to turn her into a human being, but he can't let her go. So, when the feast of Venus rolls around, he prays and begs and pleads with the goddess Venus to please turn this statue into a real live woman. Venus, sympathetic, or maybe just sick of Pygmalion's whining, grants his wish. When Pygmalion tries kissing the sculpture again, she starts turning warm and fleshy, and soon enough she is a real live woman. Pygmalion and his statue/woman get married, have a kid, and live happily ever after.

Pygmalion (Shaw's play) isn't a simple retelling of the myth, but it's pretty clear who's who here: Henry Higgins is the sculptor, Eliza Doolittle his creation. Shaw adds a lot more to the mix – stuff about British society, and women – and it's science, not Venus, doing the transforming, but the basics are the same. Just remember: there's a reason it's called Pygmalion and not My Fair Lady. It's about the relationship between Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, but we have to pay attention to the old sculptor as much as we have to watch the beautiful statue coming to life.

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Below are some study questions for the play, Pygmalion.  Read through them and be ready to discuss in detail 4 of the questions.

1.    In his preface to the play, Shaw writes that the figure of Henry Higgins is partly based on Alexander Melville Bell, the inventor of Visible Speech. How does Shaw utilize this idea of "Visible Speech"? Is it an adequate concept to use to approach people?

2.    It has been said that Pygmalion is not a play about turning a flower girl into a duchess, but one about turning a woman into a human being. Do you agree?

3.    What is the Pygmalion myth? In what significant ways, and with what effect, has Shaw transformed that myth in his play?

4.    Why does Eliza start speaking in her old manner when she gets emotional? What does this say about her training? Or about Higgins's abilities as a teacher?

5.    Higgins and Pickering tell Mrs. Higgins that Eliza is an incredibly quick learner. They even call her a genius. Who, then, deserves more credit for Eliza's transformation: Eliza herself, because of her potential intelligence, or Higgins, for bringing it out?

6.    Why is Higgins so keen on teaching Eliza? Can we ever really understand his real motives? If so, what are they?

7.    We watch Eliza change in a number of ways throughout Pygmalion: she learns how to speak properly, she begins dressing differently, etc. But does she ever lose her old self, her old identity? Can we really say what her old identity is anyway?

8.    What are the different ways in which the characters define themselves? For instance, do they compare themselves to other groups? Do they allow their class to define them, or their jobs? Are they even conscious of their own identities?

9.    At the end of Act 4, Eliza tells Higgins that she doesn't want the clothing and jewelry that was given to her. Why does this anger Higgins so much?

10.         Throughout Pygmalion, Eliza is repeatedly objectified, compared to everything from a pebble to a piece of trash. Is there any reason why Shaw compares her to the things he does? Is there a better way to describe the way she is treated?

11.         The mythical Pygmalion was a sculptor who fashioned his ideal woman out of stone. Shaw is clearly making a comparison between Pygmalion and Higgins, but does that comparison really hold up?

12.         Shaw was a lifelong socialist, and wrote many essays on the subject. Can Pygmalion be interpreted as a socialist text?

13.         In the play, we are introduced to members of a number of different classes and areas of society. That said, does Shaw leave anyone out? Or, to put it another way, does he offer us a view of it in full?

14.         Shaw addresses a lot of problems concerning women, and allows us to hear a number of different opinions on them, many spoken by female characters. Does Shaw's position as a male author prevent him from directly addressing these issues? Or is he able to present an unbiased view?

15.         Although Higgins is able to win the bet, and teach Eliza to speak and act correctly in the process, Eliza's dream of working in a florist's shop is not fulfilled or even addressed. Why do you think this is?

16.         Doolittle ends the play with plenty of money, he's on his way to get married, and he seems to have patched things up with his daughter. In most plays, this would be cause for celebration, but he doesn't seem all that thrilled about it. What does this say about our usual expectations for happiness and success?

17.         Does Alfred Doolittle's theory about the "undeserving poor" have any merit? Is he just a good speaker, or is he simply addressing a problem that most people ignore?

Lord Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott"

Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott" is loosely based on the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat who dies of her unrequited love for Lancelot.  In Malory's 15th century verses, Le Morte d'Arthur, Lancelot does not return her admiration, and she dies of heartbreak.  She instructs her family to place her body in a boat that floats down to Camelot.

In the context of this story (adjusted to fit Tennyson's themes), the poet explores the ideas of how art is created and how artists live.  Is art produced in solitude from the reflections or shadows of life?  What kind of artistic license or filter is needed for art?

Artists have painted some wonderful pieces to illustrate this poem.  Enjoy!

“The Lady of Shalott”

 

PART I

ON either side the river lie       

Long fields of barley and of rye,           

That clothe the wold and meet the sky; 

And thro' the field the road runs by       

          To many-tower'd Camelot;                  5

And up and down the people go,         

Gazing where the lilies blow     

Round an island there below,   

          The island of Shalott.     

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,    10

Little breezes dusk and shiver   

Thro' the wave that runs for ever          

By the island in the river           

          Flowing down to Camelot.         

Four gray walls, and four gray towers,     15

Overlook a space of flowers,   

And the silent isle imbowers     

          The Lady of Shalott.      

By the margin, willow-veil'd,    

Slide the heavy barges trail'd       20

By slow horses; and unhail'd    

The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd 

          Skimming down to Camelot:      

But who hath seen her wave her hand? 

Or at the casement seen her stand?         25

Or is she known in all the land, 

          The Lady of Shalott?     

Only reapers, reaping early      

In among the bearded barley,   

Hear a song that echoes cheerly              30

From the river winding clearly, 

          Down to tower'd Camelot:         

And by the moon the reaper weary,     

Piling sheaves in uplands airy,   

Listening, whispers ''Tis the fairy              35

          Lady of Shalott.'

PART II

There she weaves by night and day      

A magic web with colours gay. 

She has heard a whisper say,   

A curse is on her if she stay         40

          To look down to Camelot.         

She knows not what the curse may be, 

And so she weaveth steadily,   

And little other care hath she,   

          The Lady of Shalott.         45

And moving thro' a mirror clear

That hangs before her all the year,        

Shadows of the world appear. 

There she sees the highway near           

          Winding down to Camelot:            50

There the river eddy whirls,      

And there the surly village-churls,         

And the red cloaks of market girls,       

          Pass onward from Shalott.         

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,        55

An abbot on an ambling pad,   

Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,          

Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,     

          Goes by to tower'd Camelot;     

And sometimes thro' the mirror blue        60

The knights come riding two and two:   

She hath no loyal knight and true,         

          The Lady of Shalott.      

But in her web she still delights 

To weave the mirror's magic sights,         65

For often thro' the silent nights  

A funeral, with plumes and lights,          

          And music, went to Camelot:     

Or when the moon was overhead,        

Came two young lovers lately wed;         70

'I am half sick of shadows,' said           

          The Lady of Shalott.      

PART III

A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,     

He rode between the barley-sheaves,   

The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,    75

And flamed upon the brazen greaves    

          Of bold Sir Lancelot.     

A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd      

To a lady in his shield,  

That sparkled on the yellow field,            80

          Beside remote Shalott.   

The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,

Like to some branch of stars we see     

Hung in the golden Galaxy.       

The bridle bells rang merrily        85

          As he rode down to Camelot:    

And from his blazon'd baldric slung      

A mighty silver bugle hung,       

And as he rode his armour rung,           

          Beside remote Shalott.      90

All in the blue unclouded weather         

Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,           

The helmet and the helmet-feather        

Burn'd like one burning flame together, 

          As he rode down to Camelot.       95

As often thro' the purple night,  

Below the starry clusters bright,

Some bearded meteor, trailing light,      

          Moves over still Shalott. 

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;            100

On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;         

From underneath his helmet flow'd       

His coal-black curls as on he rode,       

          As he rode down to Camelot.    

From the bank and from the river          105

He flash'd into the crystal mirror,          

'Tirra lirra,' by the river 

          Sang Sir Lancelot.         

She left the web, she left the loom,       

She made three paces thro' the room,    110

She saw the water-lily bloom,  

She saw the helmet and the plume,       

          She look'd down to Camelot.     

Out flew the web and floated wide;      

The mirror crack'd from side to side;     115

'The curse is come upon me!' cried       

          The Lady of Shalott.      

PART IV

In the stormy east-wind straining,         

The pale yellow woods were waning,   

The broad stream in his banks complaining,       120

Heavily the low sky raining       

          Over tower'd Camelot;  

Down she came and found a boat        

Beneath a willow left afloat,      

And round about the prow she wrote    125

          The Lady of Shalott.      

And down the river's dim expanse—    

Like some bold seer in a trance,           

Seeing all his own mischance—

With a glassy countenance        130

          Did she look to Camelot.           

And at the closing of the day    

She loosed the chain, and down she lay;           

The broad stream bore her far away,    

          The Lady of Shalott.       135

Lying, robed in snowy white     

That loosely flew to left and right—      

The leaves upon her falling light—        

Thro' the noises of the night      

          She floated down to Camelot:     140

And as the boat-head wound along      

The willowy hills and fields among,       

They heard her singing her last song,     

          The Lady of Shalott.      

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,   145

Chanted loudly, chanted lowly, 

Till her blood was frozen slowly,          

And her eyes were darken'd wholly,     

          Turn'd to tower'd Camelot;        

For ere she reach'd upon the tide          150

The first house by the water-side,         

Singing in her song she died,     

          The Lady of Shalott.      

Under tower and balcony,        

By garden-wall and gallery,       155

A gleaming shape she floated by,          

Dead-pale between the houses high,     

          Silent into Camelot.        

Out upon the wharfs they came,           

Knight and burgher, lord and dame,      160

And round the prow they read her name,          

          The Lady of Shalott.      

Who is this? and what is here? 

And in the lighted palace near   

Died the sound of royal cheer;   165

And they cross'd themselves for fear,   

          All the knights at Camelot:          

But Lancelot mused a little space;         

He said, 'She has a lovely face;

God in His mercy lend her grace,          170

          The Lady of Shalott.'

British Literature Class Notes -- April 3 (Week 10)

Greetings!

Rumor has it that it's snowed in Minnesota.  I"m spending a long weekend in Florida where it's sunny, and the beach is wonderful. Hopefully the snow will be short-lived and we, too, will have some warmth and sunshine.  Because I'm on a "vacation," my Class Notes will be brief.

For this week, the students read some Romantic poetry.  I know that none of them loved the poetry; since I had taken a semester-long class on this subject, I could have given them A LOT more poetry from this time period.  However, they did a wonderful job as we worked through Blakes "The Chimney Sweeper" poems, Byron's "She Walks in Beauty," and finally Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn."  We spent most of our time on this last one.  I poem brings up many existential, metaphysical, and philosophical ideas.  My head was spinning along with theirs by the time we finished.  I must say, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed thinking these "big thoughts" with this wonderful group of students.

Next week:  Victorian Poetry!

I hope I didn't forget anything.  I'll enjoy the sunshine and ocean here in Florida while you do your best to enjoy your snow!

Blessings,
Mrs. Prichard

British Literature Class Notes -- April 10 (Week 11)

Greetings!

We're progressing through our syllabus and discussed some fairly "heady" topics this week.  As Discussion Questions, I asked them to choose one of the following questions and write some thoughts about it:

1.  What place does art have with regards to humanity?

2.  What is art?

3.  What is beauty?

Many of the poets that we have read these past two weeks have explored the idea of the bigger picture of art.  Is art static and permanent (like a sculpture or a painting), or is it dynamic and fluid (like music or a poem)?  What role does art play in our lives?  Is it important?  Is beauty defined, or is it relative.  These are often questions that students talk about in art classes or in worldview classes.  Because many poets have explored the grander ideas of art, it was important for us to discuss them in our literature class.

This week's reading was of Victorian Poets.  This poetry is easier to understand since many poems tell stories.  We read line by line Lord Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott."  (see Wikipedia link)  Within the context of the poem, we also discussed rhyme schemes and rhythms and why these are important to a poem.  For example, enjambment (ending the sentences of poems mid-line instead of at the end of the line) can cause the action of the poem to move more quickly.  The rhythm, iambic tetrameter, also creates a sense of a steady pace and keeps our brains involved in the poetry, even if it's a bit hard to understand.  The other poem we worked through was Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess."

Our next assigned reading is more light-hearted:  Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.  From this play, we get the delightful My Fair Lady.  If students have seen this musical, they will notice that many lines are exactly as written by Shaw.  I gave them some handouts that they should read before starting the play.

I am thoroughly enjoying discussing these classics of literature with this group of students.  At first, I was concerned that such a small class would have a difficult time having enough to talk about for the allotted time.  So far, we've had enough to keep us going for the whole time.  They are a bright group of students who are willing to explore these challenging pieces of literature.

Assignment for Next Week:

-- Read the Preface and Acts I, II, and III of Pygmalion

This week's blogs

Class Notes

Information on "The Lady of Shalott"

Information on Pygmalion

Have a great week.  Winter has to end some time!

Mrs. Prichard