Ahem. We will be having an essay in class on Friday 30^th over the first three chapters of Bram Stoker's Dracula. For your preparative pleasure, here is the prompt:

How does Stoker use diction, detail, and imagery to create a suspenseful narrative?

An outline will be due with your essay tomorrow. If you would like to get a head start, here is a copy of the outline sheet.

You should use quotations from Stoker's book to support any argument you make (note the "Evidence" sections of the outline).

Also, six days until MGRP Presentations.

Also also, Disney shoes.

If you missed class today, please answer the following questions and bring them tomorrow.

We will be writing an essay in class on Friday 30^th over the author's use of imagery, diction, and detail to create a realistic and (possibly) frightening novel.

1. "Transylvania" means "the land beyond the forest." ln what ways does Stoker create the impression that Jonathan is travelling to a part of the world beyond the reach of an ordinary Victorian reader?

2. What do we learn about Jonathan from the observations he makes about his exotic surroundings?

3. How does Stoker create an atmosphere of suspense in the opening sections of the first two chapters?

4. How does Jonathan react when faced with sights for which he can find no rational explanation?

5. How do the descriptions of Castle Dracula fit in with Gothic Literature conventions?

6. How does Stoker describe the Count? What are the effects of this description?

7. "l think strange things which l dare not confess to my own soul." What is the significance of this statement?

8. What two strange things happen when Jonathan is shaving?

9. How does Jonathan respond to the realization that he is a prisoner? What does it mean that he considers his crucifix to be "a comfort and a strength"?

If you were absent, or would like to review the programs we listened to in class, check out these links:

Here, from You Tube (originally NPR) is the history of Welles's radio broadcast.

From MercuryTheatre.info, the original CBS production by Orson Welles.

The essay on Friday will focus on the realism employed by both the novel and the radio broadcast. As you read/listen, look for diction, imagery, and details that make the novel/broadcast seem believable. How did Wells and Welles's use of realism create dramatic tension in their pieces?

Quick reminder for all classes: Bring your chosen book or novel over your MGRP to class on Monday. You will have time to read/do further research in class. If you have questions this weekend, email me.

Dracula Reading Schedule

The classes reading War of the Worlds (3rd and 4th, I believe) should follow this reading schedule:

I will update this if something changes, and continue the schedule through the rest of the book as we move into December.

Your assignment for this weekend is to write your own modest proposal in the style of Swift's . . . erm, "Modest Proposal." I want sarcasm; I want irony; I want scathing, acerbic wit. It can be about whatever you like; I know you all hate it when I say this, but this should be a personal reflection.
Requirements (essays will be returned to you if not in this format):

• 500 word minimum, 750 word maximum.
  
• Typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, header, and a really good title.
  
• No obscenities or profanity (we will be sharing them in class).
  
• Have fun. Really. Do it.
  

As always, post your questions for the good of the community.

We have decided to read H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds [online text] for our first novel this session. This will be an exciting unit, as we will be covering not only the novel, but the radio presentation of 1938 [download audio file from The Mercury Theatre on the Air] and its subsequent impact on American listeners. We will be discussing the novel on Monday, so you should either buy a copy this weekend or bring your laptop to class to access the online text. I will post a reading schedule in a day or so.

Okay, the project is off to a shaky start, so we need to do a re-organization. Starting with what worked with the final project last semester (Let me know if I missed anything, good or bad):

We started with a list of works (novels) then added to it as needed.

We worked in groups (this worked for about 2/3 of you, so you will have the option to do this this time around.

We had worksheets, a due date, and a presentation plan formed ½ way through the book. (This means you had an idea what you were working with before you planned your project.)

And then what didn't work:

Some people did all the work for the group, some did none. (Solved by the group-or-solo option.)

We had only two weeks to read and prepare for a presentation. (Actually, for the most part you pulled this off. Well done.)

There were no examples for presentation options. (Again, you pulled this one off, blew me away, and finished the projects exactly as I hoped. Doubly well done.)

Good and bad, we learn, and continue. No worries. Here are the parameters for this project. Your topics should be over something from British History. I know I said we could do "whatever," but this should not be a problem for most of you. If you have an idea that you cannot connect with Britain, let me know and we can work with it. Here are some topic examples (slyly culled from your own suggestions, modified to fit the new parameter):

For your final presentation, you must have at least 10 sources:

Two from:

Audio-Radio programs, speeches, podcasts, music, interviews, live broadcasts, etc.

Two from:

Digital-Internet articles, online periodical articles, etc.

Two from:

Print- magazines, newspapers, articles, essays, etc.

Two from:

Books over your topic

Two from:

Visual-Television, movies, diagrams, flow charts, signs, symbols, posters, photographs, etc.

Our first presentations will be on December 5th and 6th. By this time, you should have found one book and one other source for your topic read and understood. We will discuss how you will be presenting your material later, but keep in mind: You are presenting to teach the class about your topic, not interpret it as we did with the final for last session. Again, come see me and we can brainstorm if you get stuck. The most important thing is for you to have fun and learn about your topic.

If this is your first visit to the site, have a look around. I try to post at least three times per week, but that fluctuates with the class. If there is ever a major concept covered, though, you can be sure to find an explanation posted within a day. Email me, or add a comment to another post if you need more information. Also, if you are able to receive Word documents, I usually have a copy posted here in case you lose yours. Let me know if you need a copy of something I haven't posted.

Homework for tonight:

Bring a topic or topics to class tomorrow, and a genre you feel comfortable working within.

We will begin looking for works on our topics this week, so if you already know what you want to do (and have run it by me), go ahead and start looking.