Homework for Thursday, 8/24

Write for 10 minutes or so on one of the following questions relating to chapters 18–31. Incorporate as much specific detail from Pride and Prejudice as you are able, quoting chapter and page number when it makes sense.

• Discuss Elizabeth and Jane’s sisterly regard and friendship––In what ways is it remarkable? How does it affect each character’s ideas and/or choices (and possibly the plot)?
• What can we learn by comparing Elizabeth’s reaction to Charlotte accepting Mr. Collins vs. Wickham pursuing Miss King? How does she view these two potentially “mercenary” relationship choices differently, and why (in your view)? [If you choose this question, be sure to go beyond the ideas and details we’ve already discussed in class]
• What can we make of the interactions between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy? What do their conversations in these chapter show us about each of them?
• What do you think Austen’s narrator thinks of Lady Catherine? How can you tell?
• What is Miss Bingley up to in these chapters, and how do we know? (There may be more than one thing, as the span of the chapters goes on, but you can also just focus on one.)

Characterize Elizabeth Bennet with a quotation!

Characterize Elizabeth Bennet with a quotation from chapters 18–31 here.

Class work for Monday, August 21

Pride and Prejudice group work chapters 12–17

Get into groups of 3 or 4. Have one group member open a googledoc, list all of your names, share the doc with my gmail address, and then discuss the following questions. Take turns recording brief answers to each question that reflect the main conclusions or most interesting highlights of your discussion for each. (You can either share the doc with everyone and take turns on your own devices, or just pass the device the doc was made on.)

1. Why is Mr. Collin’s at the Bennet’s house? From the perspective of the Bennet family, why is he there?
2. In what ways is Mr. Collins ridiculous? What do we learn about the different members of the Bennet clan from their interactions with him?
3. What do you think of Mr. Wickham so far? Do you like him better than Mr. Darcy? How does he compare to Mr. Bingly? How does he seem to affect Elizabeth?
4. Does Mr. Wickham’s story about Mr. Darcy make sense? Why or why not?

Once you’re done discussing and recording these questions, you can get started quietly reading the long assignment for Wednesday.

Welcome

This is I Am All Astonishment*, the online annex for the Nineteenth-Century British Novel class at Uni High. One purpose of this blog is to provide a place where students can access the most important documents and information relating to the class. Significant handouts given in hardcopy during class will also be linked in the upper right-hand corner of this blog.


Another purpose of the blog is to offer a place where I can share potentially interesting resources and links relating to the books and period we're studying. Occasionally I'll mention these in class, and you can check here if you're interested in exploring further. Please feel free to share resources you think your classmates might like to know about, either by emailing me, linking them in a comment to any post on this blog, or talking to me in person.

* Keep your eye out for this reference. It's coming up before too long...