British Literature Spring 2017 Syllabus

	Literature Reading Assignment Due this Week	Writing Assignment Due this Week
Week 1 (1/19)	Brief timeline of British History; Introduce Beowulf
Week 2 (1/26)	Discuss Beowulf;	Read History of English Literature (I & II) Read p. 1 – 30; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 3 (2/2)	Discuss Beowulf; Introduce Much Ado About Nothing	Read History of English Literature (III) Read p. 30 – 57; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 4 (2/9)	Discuss Much Ado About Nothing	Read History of English Literature (IV) Read Acts I, II & III; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 5 (2/16)	Discuss Much Ado About Nothing Introduce Great Expectations	Read Acts IV & V; 3 Discussion Questions Read History of English Literature (VII)
February 23 – No CHAT
Week 6 (3/2)	Discuss Great Expectations	Read p. 1 – 96; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 7 (3/9)	Discuss Great Expectations	Read p. 96 – 191; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 8 (3/16)	Discuss Great Expectations	Read p. 191 – 286; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 9 (3/23)	Discuss Great Expectations; Introduce Poetry	Read p. 286 – 380; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 10 (3/30)	Discuss Poetry (Romantic & Metaphysical Poets)	Read History of English Literature (VI) Poetry selections TBD; 3 Discussion Questions
April 6 – No CHAT
Week 11 (4/13)	Discuss Poetry (Victorian Poets); Introduce Pygmalion	Read History of English Literature (VII) Poetry selections TBD; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 12 (4/20)	Discuss Pygmalion	Read Acts I, II & III; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 13 (4/27)	Discuss Pygmalion; Introduce 39 Steps	Read Acts IV & V; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 14 (5/4)	Discuss 39 Steps	Read p. 1 – 42; 3 Discussion Questions
Week 15 (5/11)	Discuss 39 Steps	Read p. 43 – 88; 3 Discussion Questions Reflection Paper

BEOWULF RESPONDS TO UNFERTH

Beowulf answered, offspring of Ecgtheow:

“My good friend Unferth, sure freely and wildly,

O friend Unferth, you are fuddled with beer, and cannot talk coherently.

Thou fuddled with beer of Breca hast spoken,

Hast told of his journey! A fact I allege it,

That greater strength in the waters I had then,

Ills in the ocean, than any man else had.

We made agreement as the merest of striplings

Promised each other (both of us then were

We simply kept an engagement made in early life.

Younkers in years) that we yet would adventure

Out on the ocean; it all we accomplished.

While swimming the sea-floods, sword-blade unscabbarded

Boldly we brandished, our bodies expected

To shield from the sharks. He sure was unable

He could not excel me, and I would not excel him.

To swim on the waters further than I could,

More swift on the waves, nor would I from him go.

Then we two companions stayed in the ocean

After five days the currents separated us.

Five nights together, till the currents did part us,

The weltering waters, weathers the bleakest,

And nethermost night, and the north-wind whistled

Fierce in our faces; fell were the billows.

The mere fishes’ mood was mightily ruffled:

And there against foemen my firm-knotted corslet,

Hand-jointed, hardy, help did afford me;

My battle-sark braided, brilliantly gilded,

A horrible sea-beast attacked me, but I slew him. 55

Lay on my bosom. To the bottom then dragged me,

A hateful fiend-scather, seized me and held me,

Grim in his grapple: ’twas granted me, nathless,

To pierce the monster with the point of my weapon,

My obedient blade; battle offcarried

The mighty mere-creature by means of my hand-blow.

British Literature -- Spring Grades

About the class, in general:
This British Literature class was a great pleasure for me.  Not only did I get to re-read some of my favorite pieces of literature, but I had the opportunity to discuss and “unpack” these with a wonderful group of students.  Each week they came prepared; not only had they read the sometimes challenging material, but they had insightful discussion questions that we used as a group to explore deeper meanings in the novels, poetry, and dramatic works; they all contributed to our discussions and added many perceptive opinions.

Because this class required a lot of reading, I didn’t assign any writing assignments.  At the beginning of the semester, I modeled the kind of discussion questions that would help us examine the assigned readings.  After those initial weeks, the students themselves were assigned to bring in questions for the class to consider and explore.  

Their grades are then somewhat subjective.  This was not a class in which a student could sit back, not read the assignments and refuse to participate.  A small class like this demanded much more interaction.  I don’t have any percentages or specific scores to use to determine a letter grade; however, as I considered each student’s grade for the semester, I asked myself these questions:

·         Did he/she come to class having read the assigned portions?  Could I tell the student’s comprehension via his/her comments and participation?

·         Did he/she bring thoughtful and insightful questions for the class to discuss?

·         Did he/she think carefully over the discussion questions and share individual comments?

·         Was he/she resistant to participating in the discussions?

·         Over the course of the class, did he/she grow in his/her abilities to analyze fiction, poetry, and drama?

Each of the students did marvelously, and my suggested grade for each is an “A.”  I hope they enjoyed the class as much as I did.   If they ever need some ideas for more good British literature to read, I’d be more than glad to help them find more good books, drama, or poetry to read.

Have a great summer!
Blessings,
Mrs. Prichard

British Literature Class Notes -- Week 15 (May 12)

Greetings!

We had a wonderful final class for our British Literature class.  We finished our last reading selection, The 39 Steps by John Buchan.  While the book is full of implausibilities, the action of the plot made it a fun read.  The discussion questions that the students brought not only had us talking about the book but about all of our literature selections this semester.

We only took about a third of our class time to discuss the book because I had planned a final exam.  It was a Jeopardy game and the class divided themselves into two teams..  (You can go here and play it for yourselves.)  The students did well and were rewarded with prizes.  

My goal is to have grades out by the end of the weekend..  I have to say that this is one of my favorite classes to teach. This year's group of students were especially loquacious, making the class discussions fascinating.  We have regularly unlocked out word-hoards!

Assignments for Next Week:

-- ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!

Links for this week:

Class Notes

Jeopardy Game

Have a wonderful summer!

Mrs. Prichard

Background to 39 Steps

Background

When John Buchan (1875 – 1940) wrote the novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps in 1915, he called it a “shocker, where the incidents defy the probabilities and march just inside the borders of the possible.” With secret ciphers, German conspiracies, ruthless foreign agents, and chance encounters, it fit this description: however, the book was written out of boredom as Buchan was confined to his bed in the winter of 1914 as he recovered from an ulcer. The Thirty-Nine Steps pits protagonist Richard Hannay, an ordinary guy, against a network of German spies preparing to storm Great Britain. The story can be seen as the battle between Good (the allies as represented by Hannay) and Evil (Germany and the Ottoman Empire as represented by the character of Professor Jordan). In 1935, the same year that author John Buchan became the Governor General of Canada,

 Alfred Hitchcock directed a film adaptation of The Thirty-Nine Steps, adding a love interest to the story. Alfred Hitchcock was a master of mystery and suspense. His films usually centred on either murder or espionage, with deception, mistaken identities and chase sequences complicating the plot. His film version of The Thirty-Nine Steps is no exception, including one of Hitchcock’s common themes of an innocent man, mistakenly suspected or accused of a crime, who must then track down the real perpetrator in order to clear himself.

John Buchan

The writer John Buchan was born the son of a clergyman in Perth, Scotland in 1875. He attended Glasgow and Oxford Universities, and started to publish his fiction whilst there. His career was as a barrister and later a very successful Civil Servant in the diplomatic corps. He ended up living in Canada as Governor-General and was honored with the title Baron Tweedsmuir. He wrote his stories primarily for his own entertainment, and The 39 Steps was begun during an illness in 1914 and completed 1915. Richard Hannay, hero of The 39 Steps, went on to feature in many later novels.

During WW1, and therefore at the time of this novel’s genesis, Buchan was a skilled propagandist for the British government. He will have been acutely aware of the atmosphere of mistrust and double-crossing pervasive during the period. The spy novel is the perfect way to express such fears of infiltration by the enemy, a key tool in the propagandist armory. In this context, one where the old world order is collapsing, and where central Europe is fighting the Allied powers, the novel The 39 Steps can be seen as a straightforward battle between good (the allies as represented by Hannay) and Evil (Germany and the Ottoman Empire as represented by professor Jordan).

About the Book

The Thirty-Nine Steps is one of the earliest examples of the 'man-on-the-run' thriller archetype subsequently adopted by Hollywood as an often-used plot device. In The Thirty-Nine Steps, Buchan holds up Richard Hannay as an example to his readers of an ordinary man who puts his country’s interests before his own safety. The story was a great success with the men in the First World War trenches. One soldier wrote to Buchan, "The story is greatly appreciated in the midst of mud and rain and shells, and all that could make trench life depressing."

British Literature Class Notes -- Week 13 (April 28)

Greetings!

We enjoyed another rousing discussion about our literature this week.  We've reached the end of a classic from the turn of the century, Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.  As we read  quality works, we not only discuss themes, character development, and plots as they appear in the literature, but we also talk about the same ideas and how we see them reflected in our own lives.  For example, our discussion today dove into realms of psychology and the good ol' nature vs. nurture question.

I appreciate the discussion questions that they bring to class.  Every week, each one of them has a good set of insightful questions that promotes our lively discussions and helps us unpack our reading selection.

We are beginning our final book for this class:  The Thirty-Nine Steps.  This adventure novel written by Scottish author, John Buchan, is one of the first espionage thrillers.  His main character, Richard Hannay, has been described as a cross between Sherlock Holmes and James Bond.  It first appeared in 1915 as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine.  According to one commentary, this book would not have been a success "without Buchan's brisk characterization, loving evocation of Scottish landscape and his switchblade prose."    

I forgot to mention in class that for the last week I will be assigning the students a reflection paper.  This is their only writing assignment for the semester.  Also, we will have a final test on the last day.  But no worries, it will be in the form of a Bingo game!

Assignment for Next Week:

-- Read p. 1 - 42

-- Write 3 Discussion Questions

Links for this week:

Class Notes

Pygmalion -- 1938 film

My Fair Lady (with Rex Harrison & Audrey Hepburn)

The Thirty-Nine Steps (Alfred Hitchock, 1935)

The Thirty-:Nine Steps (Full Audio Book)

The 39 Steps (BBC, 2008)

The Thirty-Nine Steps Teacher's Guide

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

British Literature Class Notes -- Week 12 (April 21)

Greetings!

We are once again in the realm of drama, reading George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.  The title of the play is taken from the Greek myth about the Pygmalion, a man who hated women.  However, he found himself lonely, so he carved a statue of a woman.  Then, he fell in love with the statue and whined to Venus to give the statue life.  Venus did, and Pygmalion and his lady statue lived happily ever after.

For this week we read the first three acts of the drama.  Unlike Shakespeare, Shaw includes lots of stage directions and editorial commentary.  Our discussion questions had us talking about what changes might happen to Eliza and what Higgins was like.  We read aloud a number of passages.  For next week, we'll read the the rest of the play.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Acts IV and V

-- Read the ending, p. 72 - 82.

-- Write 3 Discussion Questions

Links for This Week:

Class Notes

My Fair Lady Pronunciation

Why Can't the English Learn to Speak

Horse Race Scene (dialogue from Mrs. Higgins's visiting day)

"Wouldn't it Be Lovely?"

Pygmalion (1938)

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard