On the Road in the British World: A Forum (Section 4)

Creating an Outline: Due Tuesday, May 6

2008-04-30T13:10:00.004-04:00

Brothers,

You are to type an outline in which you construct an organizational pattern for developing your respective topics/theses. It is due in class on Tuesday, May 6 in standard MLA Format:

Header with page number
Heading: Your Name; My Name; ENG 141.04; Due Date
Times New Roman or Georgia Ref 12 pt. font
All double-spaced
1 inch margins all around

Please organize your outline using "subordinative logic" (that is, the general to the specific). An example of such is given below.

For your outline, please write your THESIS PARAGRAPH separately, before you begin the outline. Again, consider what we have discussed in class and the example given below as to the logic of creating an outline.

1. Subordination - How do I accomplish this?

The information in the headings should be more general, while the information in the subheadings should be more specific. Example:

Describe an influential person in your life

Favorite high school teacher
Grandparent

(A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific examples of influential people.)

2. Why and How to Create a Useful Outline

Why create an outline?

Aids in the process of writing
Helps you organize your ideas
Presents your material in a logical form
Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing
Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
Defines boundaries and groups

How do I create an outline?

Determine the purpose of your paper.
Determine the audience you are writing for.
Develop the thesis of your paper.

Then:

Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper.

Organize: Group related ideas together.

Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.

Label: Create main and sub headings.

Remember: creating an outline before writing your paper will make organizing your thoughts a lot easier. Whether you follow the suggested guidelines is up to you, but making any kind of outline (even just some jotting down some main ideas) will be beneficial to your writing process.

3. Sample Outline

Here is an example of an outline that a student might create before writing an essay. In order to organize her thoughts and make sure that she has not forgotten any key points that she wants to address, she creates the outline as a framework for her essay.

What is the assignment?

Your instructor asks the class to write an expository (explanatory) essay on the typical steps a high school student would follow in order to apply to college.

What is the purpose of this essay?

To explain the process for applying to college

Who is the intended audience for this essay?

High school students intending to apply to college and their parents

What is the essay's thesis statement?

When applying to college, a student follows a certain process which includes choosing the right schools and preparing the application materials.

The College Application Process

Choose Desired Colleges

Visit and evaluate college campuses
Visit and evaluate college websites

look for interesting classes
note important statistics

student/faculty ratio
retention rate

Prepare Application

Write Personal Statement

Choose interesting topic

Describe an influential person in your life

favorite high school teacher
grandparent

Include important personal details

volunteer work
participation in varsity sports

Revise personal statement

Compile resume

List relevant coursework
List work experience
List volunteer experience

tutor at foreign language summer camp
counselor for suicide prevention hotline

Ammended Schedule of Term Paper Assignments

2008-04-16T10:06:00.000-04:00

ENG 141 Sec. 04, 05

Bro. ROBERT PEACH, FSC

Thesis Statement due: April 22

Outline due: April 29

Index cards due: May 8

Paper due: final exam date

Topic Proposal: Due APRIL 4

2008-04-01T19:19:00.002-04:00

ENG 141 Sec. 04, 05

Bro. ROBERT PEACH, FSC

Topic due: April 4

Narrowing the focus (with list of 15 questions) due: April 11

Thesis Statement due: April 18

Outline due: April 25

Index cards due: May 8

Paper due: final exam date

Brothers,

For your topic proposal, due in class APRIL 4, I would like you to type a paragraph in which you explain an issue that you would like to address in relation to a specific piece of British Literature that we have covered in this course, or that you have read on your own and would be interested in covering. Please use the proper MLA heading and type in 12 pt. Times New Roman font or 11 pt. Georgia font.

Select a meaningful subject that reflects your personal interests (and of course meets the requirements of the assignment). Shape your thoughts about this subject to understand it better by focusing on a specific part of the subject that you would like to write about. (See reverse for an example of a prospectus from my own experience as student—attached is feedback from my professor at the time.)

If you’ll recall, the requirements of the assignment are as written below:

Develop a research topic that involves some theme on which you would like to focus for the purpose of completing a five page term paper due the day of your final exam in May. The paper is to be done in MLA format, 12 pt. Times New Roman or 11 pt. Georgia font with one inch margins all around. You must include a Works Cited page (as a sixth page).

You are required to use at least:

You must have one book with research on the topic

You may, but do not have to include a popular literary medium related to your topic such as song, magazine article, film, newspaper article, etc.

You must have two scholarly articles (may come from an online source)

Below is a list of works compiling literary criticism that may be helpful for you in establishing a firm, specific research focus. They are available in the library. Ask the new librarian for aid in conducting your research. You will also want to check a local college library (Pitt or CMU) to research their catalogue and their online databases for scholarly articles (namely: JSTOR if they have it). Otherwise, take advantage of using the library’s tools for researching the online card catalogue. It will point you in the right direction as regards criticism. Sources like GoogleScholar and Wikipedia are OK to get started, especially if they provide decent bibliographic references to works that would help you in your own research. But they are not the end of the research; they are the MEANS to an end. That said, I will not accept any citations from Wikipedia. However, if you find a decent scholarly article through GoogleScholar, then I will accept that as legitimate.

See Ref 820 (+)

British Writers

Masterplots

A Library of Literary Criticism

Modern British Literature

The New Moulton’s Pre-Twentieth Century Criticism of British/American Literature to 1904

Twentieth Century British Literature

Poets of Great Britain and Ireland

Chaucer A to Z

British Novelists since…

Shakespearean Criticism

See Ref 700 (+)

Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, etc.

'The Blood is the Life; The Blood is the Life!': Chapters IX-XVI

2008-03-25T20:43:00.003-04:00

In order to foster your close reading of the text, I would like to you cite at least one example of the literary techniques or themes listed for each of the following chapters. For Chapters XIII through XVI, I would like each of you to make one talking point, a thesis statement if you will, related to a specific theme or literary element that enhances our sense of the plot conflict for EACH chapter. So…break OUT that DESK LAMP and write that $#%& down in your QUESTbooks.

Chapter IX

Triangulation

Homoeroticism

Christocentric parallel (think Van Helsing as claiming, or taking on messianic powers

Chapter X

Objective Correlative: a sequence of events, cluster of images, setting, etc. employed in a literary work to express a certain emotion and evoke it in the reader or viewer

Secrecy (withholding information for the sake of protecting a third party)

Knowledge as power

Medically authorized vampirism

The unreliability of human memory (which calls us to question narration)

Power of positive thinking as healing method

Van Helsing as a man of extra-sensory perception (ESP)

Gender role reversals (think in terms of care-taking)

Literary allusion to Macbeth

Matrimonial union through blood transfusion (almost implying adultery)

Homeopathic healing as advantage over modernized medicine

Repression (think air-tight room)

Supernatural range of human awareness and capability (which enhances gothic theme of making the improbable possible)

Chapter XI

Allusion to Macbeth

Thin line between sanity and insanity

Inversion (hint: “bersicker” or “berserker”)

Allusion to Christ’s blood

Dreamlike surreality/ supernaturalism

Allusion to the evil of St. George’s Day

Chapter XII

Triangulation

Secrecy as protection

Androgyny (in this case: feminine becoming masculine)

Spiritual adoption

Virginal purity and innocence

Close Reading DRACULA: Chapters V-VIII

2008-03-12T13:13:00.001-04:00

Some themes/images of which you should be aware:

Gothic imagery of light contrasted with darkness

Sexuality

Christocentrinc parallels

Triangulation

Seduction

Reverse colonization (fear of)

Xenophobia

—noun

an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

Psychology of self-identity

Human psyche

—noun

1.	Classical Mythology. a personification of the soul, which in the form of a beautiful girl was loved by Eros.

2.	(lowercase) the human soul, spirit, or mind.

3.	(lowercase) Psychology, Psychoanalysis. the mental or psychological structure of a person, esp. as a motive force.

4.	Neoplatonism. the second emanation of the One, regarded as a universal consciousness and as the animating principle of the world.

5.	a female given name.

Inversion

Gender

Secrecy

Repression

—noun

1. Psychoanalysis. the rejection from consciousness of painful or disagreeable ideas, memories, feelings, or impulses.

Misogyny

—n oun

1. hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women.

Androgynous self-identity (with regard for societal stereotypes of what makes “man” and “woman”)

—adjective

1.	being both male and female; hermaphroditic.

2.	having both masculine and feminine characteristics.

3.	having an ambiguous sexual identity.

4.	neither clearly masculine nor clearly feminine in appearance: the androgynous look of many rock stars.

5.	Botany. having staminate and pistillate flowers in the same inflorescence.

Chapter V

Explain how Mina Murray represents the ideals of an independent woman. How does she contrast with Lucy Westenra’s character?

Three is a significant number to vampires, as it is in fairy tales and Christian iconography. What do you think it represents? Where do we see it in this chapter and elsewhere in what you’ve read from Dracula?

Why does Dr. Seward feel so depressed? What does Dr. Seward treat as a distraction from despair?

Notice Dr. Seward’s description of R.M. Renfield at the end of this chapter. Paraphrase the description of Renfield and Seward’s subsequent philosophy on “the self.”

Chapter VI

How is Whitby, a port city in Yorkshire, on the North Sea coast of England, described? Why do you think it would be an appropriate place for Dracula to begin his invasion?

In what color is Lucy Westenra often garbed?

Notice the prominence of the mysterious old man named, Swales, who goes on about the surrounding cemeteries. What does he say about the grave sites? What does this suggest about the setting of Whitby?

What label does Seward give Renfield in his diagnosis? With whom is Renfield therefore paralleled?

Chapter VII

Notice that the ship in which Dracula arrives is a Russian schooner that is described with the words “strange” and “foreign” suggesting what literary theme? What does Mina say of the ship’s officers as the schooner was first spotted off the coast of Whitby?

How is Dracula’s arrival on the ship perceived as a sort of miracle?

What is the legal term associated with the passing on of private property, such as the Russian schooner, to insitutions such as government or Church? How does this legal concept apply to Dracula's grand scheme?

Notice that the transference of the ship to the Russian "consul" is called the "nine days" wonder. To what theme is this related?

Notice the name of the Russian schooner: Demeter. Please research the source of this name. How does it apply to Dracula's victimizing schemes?

How does the captain of the Russian schooner die a martyr? Who else dies according to Mina's August 10th journal entry?

Chapter VIII

Lucy's sleepwalking resembles what other literary figure whom we have studied?

What is the name of the church that is obscured by clouds on the East Cliff where Lucy is first abducted by the mysterious dark figure? How does this apply to Lucy's seduction?

How is the theme of secrecy evident in this chapter?

How is Dracula portrayed as a sort of salvific Christ figure in this chapter?

Dracula: Chapters I-IV (Through Harker's Eyes)

2008-03-05T11:47:00.001-05:00

Chapter One
o Please cite an example of the following from chapter one
§ Gothic imagery
§ Inversion (the attribution of animal-like traits to humans)
§ Seduction
§ Dreamlike surrealism

o What words does Harker hear muttered from the mouths of some townspeople as he loads the coach to hit up Dracula’s mansion?

Chapter Two
o How is Jonathan described physically? Cite the page number in parenthesis, followed by a period.

o How is Dracula described physically? Cite the page number in parenthesis, followed by a period.

o Why do you think physiognomy (the outward appearance, particularly of the face) is important to the story of any fiction involving complex characters?

o What is Dracula’s method of infiltrating London?

o What is the explanation give for the blue light that burns over a mountain pass in Romania near Dracula’s castle?

o How is the London estate described? Why is its atmosphere appropriate to Dracula’s character?

o How is Dracula an atavistic (reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type) threat to the teeming humanity of London?

Chapter Three
o What effect does Harker’s sleeplessness have on his perception of reality?

o What does Dracula’s translucent reflection in the mirror say about his spiritual state?

o Cite an example of inversion in this chapter.

o What is the significance of the crucifix around Harker’s neck?

o Dracula gives a history of his people, the Szekelys race. They are considered a warrior race conveniently allied at various parts of Romania’s history with great conquerors such as the Hungarians and the Turks. What does he say about the Draculas? What does he say about blood? Dracula brags about the unique blood of the Szekelys race as a way of hinting to what other distinct race?

o How does Harker begin to feel inside Dracula’s castle?

o Note Harker’s terror of sleep. With what Shakespearean character is he paralleled in this instance? What is preventing him from sleep?

o Cite examples in brief phrases (with page number) of hetero and homo-eroticism in Harker’s dreamlike encounter with both Dracula and Dracula’s three sisters.

o How do the women assert themselves in their encounter with Harker? How does Dracula assert himself? What does this say about gender stereotypes according to Victorian England at this time (1900s)?

Chapter Four
o Can we trust Harker as a reliable narrator? Explain.

o The Szaganies outside of Dracula’s castle are gypsies who obey all of Dracula’s commands. To what kind of political leader is Dracula compared with regard to them? (meanwhile, I spell-checked the word, Szaganies, and “Satanists” was one of the corrections…interesting).

o Cite an instance of infanticide (the act of killing an infant).

o How can Dracula be compared to the mythological conception of Satan?

o In his June 29 journal entry, Harker calls the Dracula’s three sister’s, “weird sisters” (51). In what other literary work do we see a specific reference to “weird sisters”?

o What is Harker’s revelation regarding Dracula’s move to London?

Off the 'heazy with Macbeazy: An In-Class Essay

2008-02-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

In his Poetics, the fourth century (B.C.E.) philosopher Aristotle discusses the nature of tragedy in terms of plot, character, and audience. He writes, “For tragedy is not an imitation of men but of actions and of life. It is in action that happiness and unhappiness are found” (747-48). In other words, both plot and character are rooted in conflict. Without conflict there is no plot and of course without character there is no conflict. Thus the relationship between the three is what we would call symbiotic (or interrelated).

The messages embedded in plot, meanwhile, must be communicated to someone. Plays, after all, are not performed without an audience that reacts in some way to the action being presented in verse, dialogue, and events. According to Aristotle, the events of a tragedy involve what he calls “recognitions” and “reversals.” A reversal is “a change from one state of affairs to its exact opposite” and recognition is a “change from ignorance to knowledge, leading either to friendship or to hostility on the part of those persons who are marked for good fortune or bad” (749).

Aristotle adds, “The best form of recognition is that which is accompanied by a reversal” (749). This reversal consists in a change from “prosperity to misfortune, occasioned not by depravity, but by some great mistake” on the part of a man who is average in both virtue and justice (749). This great mistake is meant to evoke both pity and fear—that is, sympathy—on the part of the audience who learns some moral lesson as a result of a character’s “tragic flaw” (from the Greek, hammartia).

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which follows Aristotle’s conception of tragedy, we are dealing with a list of complex personalities, characters who are more than simply “good” or “evil.”

That said:

In a well-developed essay, explain how both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fit the mold of Aristotle’s tragic character—the person who makes a “great mistake” as a result of some poor decision. Be sure to explain how these characters experience a reversal of fortune from “prosperity to misfortune” in light of some “great mistake.”

You will have to explain both the virtues and the vices of these characters respectively, and go into detail as to what reasons—based off of some sort of recognition or knowledge—they have for making the decision which leads to their tragic fall.

Lastly, Does the tragic outcome of their actions evoke pity or fear in you? Explain why or why not. Are these characters in any way still respectable (worthy of respect) at the end of the tragedy?

Include plot details and quote important dialogue where necessary.

Example: Macbeth’s virtue is in his initial anxiety over the possibility of killing Duncan, which lets the audience know that he has a conscience. He is worried about the consequences of his actions as he states in the opening soliloquy of Act Three, scene four. Yet any virtue in his anxiety is overtaken by the vice of blind ambition. As Macbeth says, “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other—” (3.iv.25-28).

Macbeth: Acts IV and V

2008-02-25T11:53:00.000-05:00

Name:___________________
Bro. Robert K. Peach, F.S.C.
ENG 141 British Literature
February 2008
Critical Thinking, re: Macbeth due: Thursday, February 28

Acts IV: Translation Exercise

Please translate eight (4) of the following passages into common, everyday speech. You may paraphrase for brevity. In other words, in order to keep it brief, you do not have to translate word-for-word, but give a basic impression or synopsis of what is being said.

IV.i.50-61

IV.i.68-94

IV.i.94-103

IV.i.112-124

IV.i.144-156

IV.ii.6-13

IV.ii.14-25

IV.ii.71-77

IV.iii.8-17

IV.iii.18-24

IV.iii.38-49

IV.iii.66-90

IV.iii.102-137

IV.iii.147-59

IV.iii.164-73

IV.iii.220-227

Act V: Review and Assess
Please answer the questions on page 388 in complete sentence
Acts IV, V Vocabulary: Please define the following list of words as written in your textbook on page 354, 374

Pernicious

Judicious

Sundry

Intemperance

Avarice

Credulous

Perturbation

Pristine

Clamorous

Harbingers

Macbeth: Act III

2008-02-21T10:49:00.001-05:00

Name:___________________

Bro. Robert K. Peach, F.S.C.

ENG 141 British Literature

February 2008

Critical Thinking, re: Macbeth

Act III Scene 1 (III.i)

Briefly summarize the events of Act II. What do you predict will happen in light of Macbeth’s deceitful actions to gain kingship? Can Macbeth expect to rule in peace? Explain?

Explain Banquo’s opening speech. Why might Banquo have kept the information about the witches to himself?

What is ironic about Macbeth’s invitation to Banquo and Banquo’s response to the invitation based upon what we know about their mutual suspicion of each other? (cf. lines 13-17).

In lines 18 and following, Macbeth questions Banquo about his afternoon ride, when and where he is going. Why do you think Macbeth might want to know this?

Who are the “bloody cousin’s referred to by Macbeth in lines 29-32? What do we learn about these “cousins”?

Briefly explain the first part of Macbeth’s soliloquy from lines 49-57. Then briefly explain the second part that runs from the middle of line 57-72.

What is Macbeth saying in his speech, lines 75-84? Why do you think he might have told the murderers this?

How is manhood portrayed based off of what Macbeth says in his speech, lines 92-108, and what Lady Macbeth says in Act I, vii, lines 49-54 (p. 316)?

What kind of conflict does Macbeth express in lines 116-126? Who is worried about offending?

Do you believe the reasons Macbeth gives for not killing Banquo himself? What reasons might he really have for not wanting to kill Banquo himself? (cf. lines 116126)

What is ironic about Macbeth’s seeming dismissal of Fleance’s (Banquo’s son) importance in the grand scheme of his kingship? (cf. lines 134-139)

What does Macbeth ask the murderers to do?

Act III Scene 2 (III.ii)

What kind of conflict is Lady Macbeth dealing with in lines 4-7? What has she realized about her actions?

What is Macbeth saying in response to Lady Macbeth’s uncertainty in lines 13-26? How have they “changed places” so to speak in terms of their perception of the crime?

To what does Macbeth compare death in lines 13-26? What is ironic about what he says of Duncan, who now “sleeps well”? What does this imply about the internal conflict with which Macbeth is dealing?

Dramatic irony occurs when the words or actions of a character take on a meaning different from the one the character intends. What is ironic about the way Macbeth intends to treat Banquo at the banquet that night?

In brief, explain what Macbeth is saying in lines 45-56.

Act III Scene 3 (III.iii)

Please give a brief review of the events of scene iii.

Why does Fleance’s escape create an external conflict for Macbeth? What was he trying to do in light of the witches’ prophecy regarding the succession of his throne to Banquo’s descendents and not his own?

Considered by many to be the climax of the story, why do you think Fleance’s escape so important to the drama?

Act III Scene 4 (III.iv)

Explain Macbeth’s aside in lines 29-33.

What is ironic about Lady Macbeth’s correction of Macbeth’s behavior in light of what has transpired regarding Duncan and Banquo?

What is ironic about Macbeth’s statement in lines 41-42 regarding Banquo?

Explain the following concept using examples from the plot: Macbeth is prisoner of his fears. (cf. lines 22-26 for Macbeth’s statement on “fear” up to this point of the plot)

What might the appearance of Banquo’s ghost tell us about Macbeth’s feelings regarding the murder?

How is fear tied up in Macbeth’s illusion of the “floating dagger” in Act II and now with the illusion of Banquo’s ghost?

Explain Macbeth’s view of the murder based off of what he is saying in lines 76-84.

Explain Macbeth’s feelings based off what he says in lines 112-117.

Explain Macbeth’s inner conflict based off of lines 131-141. What is now willing to do to keep himself alive? (cf. “We are yet but young in deed.”)

Act III Scene 5 (III.v)

Hecate (pronounced hekaty) is the chief goddess of magic and spells. This scene serves to summarize the conflict up to this point of the play. What exactly is she saying about Macbeth’s character and fate in these lines? (cf. lines 10-17 and lines 30-33).

Act III Scene 6 (III.vi)

Based off of what Lennox says in his opening speech, how do you think he views Macbeth? Identify the specific word he uses to describe Macbeth.

How does the Lord perceive Macduff, Duncan’s son?

Who is the “son of Duncan” who deserves the throne? Where is he, according to Lord?

Based off of this dialogue, what is to happen in the coming scenes? What does the Scottish nobleman, Macduff, plan to do with the help of the King of England?

Vocabulary: Please define the following list of words as written in your textbook on page 336.

Conflict

External conflict

Internal conflict

Dramatic Irony

Indissoluble

Dauntless

Jocund

Infirmity

Malaevolence

Imagery as Poetry in Film: Koyaanisqatsi (A Reappraisal)

2008-01-24T13:28:00.000-05:00

(n. 1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil. 3. life disintegrating. 4. life out of balance. 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.)

In her aptly title chapter, “Imagery,” renowned American poet Mary Oliver does well to explain figurative language, enlightening her readers with examples of metaphor, personification, allusion, and images found in poems from the likes of Elizabeth Bishop, Walt Whitman, and more. Oliver pays close attention to the idea of the image itself, that thing which becomes the centerpiece of a poem, opening up a window of opportunity for the writer to describe in full detail what lay before him in the natural world or in the world of his imagination. With some conscious consideration for detail, the poet’s world becomes a line of verse.

That said, I would like you to watch the film called, Koyaanisqatsi, a title taken from the Hopi Indian word for “Life out of balance.” Directed by Godfrey Reggio and scored by famous “minimalist” composer, Philip Glass, the film presents a collage of images taken from both the natural and industrial worlds, juxtaposing (that is, pairing) pictures together in a way that reveals the stark ironies of the over-technologized society in which we live today.

The images in the film should hopefully inspire in you, not only a sense of paradox, but also of metaphor in general. The question you should ask yourselves as you view the film is: What do the images flooding my mind from the film represent?

And so the directions are as follows:

Watch the film. Listen to the music.
Pay close attention to the details of the images presented in the film and the music that is interfused with those images.
Jot down as you view the film your basic impressions of the images and the music. What mood does it create? What emotions are expressed through the interfusion of music and image?
Once you (we) are finished viewing the film, create a poem—free form or in a specific meter of your own choosing—that recreates the imagery presented in the film with new meaning, new life, new metaphor.

"The Hero's Adventure": A Mid-Term Narrative

2008-01-08T11:50:00.000-05:00

In his interview with Bill Moyers on the power of myth in the modern cultural imagination, famed historian Joseph Campbell discusses the hero’s adventure as an archetype for the psychological growth of man into maturity. At the outset of the interview he says that to evolve out of the position of psychological immaturity to “the courage of self-responsibility and assurance requires a death and resurrection.” He adds, “That’s the basic motif of the universal hero’s journey—leaving one condition and finding the source of life to bring you forth into a richer or more mature condition.” This of course involves the conscious decision to move forward.

That said, I would like you to choose one of the following two options for your mid-term challenge:

1. Craft an autobiographical narrative in which you discuss a significant “coming of age” experience related to at least three key insights Campbell makes regarding the hero’s journey. Typically, a “coming of age” experience involves some sort of conflict or problem that is resolved by a decision which the subject makes. Feel free to drop any references to characters, conflicts, or events in the texts we’ve read thus far. As you write, keep in mind the following question: What changes—psychologically, spiritually, or physically—occur in the subject that reflect the “stages” of the hero journey on the literal and/or figurative level: a going and returning; a death and resurrection; a departure, fulfillment, and return? (for formatting guidelines see pp. 214-17)

2. Craft a literary review in which you synthesize at least three major works we’ve read, analyzing each in its relationship to three key aspects of the hero’s journey according to Campbell. You must be sure to cite specific references from the text of each work while incorporating important quotes into your review from Moyer’s interview with Campbell. Keep in mind the following question: What changes—psychologically, spiritually, or physically—occur in the subject that reflect the “stages” of the hero journey on a literal and/or figurative level: a going and returning; a death and resurrection; a departure, fulfillment, and return?

Major Works Read

Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Seafarer (16)
The Wanderer (21)
The Wife’s Lament (25)

Beowulf (38)

Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
The Prologue (94)
The Nun’s Priest’s Tale (119)
The Pardoner’s Tale (141)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (162)

Malory’s Morte d’Arthur (176)

Spenser’s Sonnet 1, 35, 75 (236-38)

Sydney’s Sonnet 31, 39 (239-40)

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29, 106, 116, 130 (253-56)

Donne’s Holy Sonnets (see handout)

Herbert’s metaphysical verse from The Temple poems (see handout)

Imagery as Poetry in Film: Koyaanisqatsi

2007-12-20T10:03:00.000-05:00

(n. 1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil. 3. life disintegrating. 4. life out of balance. 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.)

That said, I would like you to watch the film called, Koyaanisqatsi, a title taken from the Hopi Indian word for “Life out of balance.” Directed by Godfrey Reggio and scored by famous “minimalist” composer, Philip Glass, the film presents a collage of images taken from both the natural and industrial worlds, juxtaposing (that is, pairing) pictures together in a way that reveals the stark irony of the over-technologized society in which we live today.

The images in the film should hopefully inspire in you, not only a sense of paradox, but also of metaphor in general. The question you should ask yourselves as you view the film is: What do the images flooding my mind from the film represent?

And so the directions are as follows:

Watch the film. Listen to the music.
Pay close attention to the details of the images presented in the film and the music that is interfused with those images.
Jot down as you view the film your basic impressions of the images and the music. What mood does it create? What emotions are expressed through the interfusion of music and image?
Once you (we) are finished viewing the film, create a poem—free form or in a specific meter of your own choosing—that recreates the imagery presented in the film with new meaning, new life, new metaphor.

Recreating the Mystery of the Shakesperean Sonnet: An Imitation

2007-12-07T13:05:00.000-05:00

Brothers:

Over the course of the week, we will be finishing up discussion on the Elizabethan poets Edmund Spenser and Sir Philip Sidney, relying on the text questions to help us find and provide each other with insight regarding the deeper meanings of their sonnets.

As we do this, we keep in mind the importance of structure in such poetry for establishing cadence (that is, tone), rhythm, and meaning. We also keep in mind the importance of learning to read poetry by writing it ourselves.

That said, I ask you to take on the Shakespearean sonnet formula (iambic pantemter; ABAB CDCD EFEF GG) while modifying the text to suit your own needs and subject matter related to the deeply emotional experiences presented in Shakespeare’s sonnets:

· Time
· Death
· Love
· Friendship

Your focus should be centered on issues of RELATIONSHIP! Thus, you will want to evoke a whole range of emotional experiences from joy to despair; love-loss to the fulfillment of love; from loneliness to peace; from depression to happiness. Be sure to pay attention to how Shakespeare uses the sonnet to “bring the fundamental experiences of life—time, death, love, and friendship—into tight focus" (TV 250).

DUE TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2007 by class time: blog or hard copy (typed)

Below is an example from my own in-class writing on the theme of spiritual transformation (from life to death to life):

The promised land awaits in the silent
Growth of the fruits of God's great love.
On this Western front all time is thus spent
In the white mist of reverie above

Wherein I seek only what's beautiful
In scope of truth in sound that sings a song--
This melody is a momentary lull
Into scapes of dreaming so deep and long,

Where human deserts become oases.
Barren and dry hearts are like thirst quenched.
Where sullen countenance of death ceases
To sahde all that was once prefigured

In the advent of your second coming--
A story of death to birth succumbing.

Creating your own tale; Creating your own moral

2007-11-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

Brothers,

We've discussed a lot with regard to The Canterbury Tales in terms of irony, mock-epic, rhyme scheme (i.e. heroic couplet), maxim, exemplum, the archetypal elements of a moral tale.

That said, let's throw the class activity on Aesop Rock's "No Regrets" aside for now and flex, instead, our creative muscles.

Create an at least 50-100 line tale about a specific person, event, or thing that involves the following: a "couplet" rhyme scheme; a moral; and all four of the archetypal elements that we've discussed in class and read about in the text (cf. 140).

Please incorporate at least ten (10) vocabulary words from pages 91, 118, and 140 into your tale.

If you are having trouble trying to be creative, consider Aesop Rock's own tale of Lucy in "No Regrets" as a modern-day spin-off of a Canterbury tale. Perhaps his work and of course that of Chaucer will inspire you to create!

This assignment is due by class-time on Tuesday, Nov. 13. You have plenty of time to begin writing and to start asking questions.

Otherwise, please read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for class on Monday (Nov. 5).

BRobPeachFSC

The Canterbury Tales: A Journey through the Human Condition

2007-10-18T19:47:00.001-04:00

Brothers,

Below is the assignment that I administered to you in class on Thursday.

Due this coming Tuesday, October 23 by class-time is a full, well-developed (at least five paragraph) essay in which you elaborate upon what you have already written in class.

If you can access and sign into the blog, please publish online.

If you cannot, then please hand in a typed essay (Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, double-spaced).

Please follow the MLA style of documentation that I have modeled for you in my assignment.

Peace,
BRobPeachFSC

Br. Rob Peach, FSC
ENG 141.Sections 04, 05
18.X.2007
Journal, re: The Canterbury Tales

In his satirical[1] The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer takes us with twenty-nine random peeps for a little dialogical[2] trip to the shrine of the unfortunately assassinated Thomas a Becket.[3] While the initial motive of these “cats” is to touch the shrine of the martyr-saint, they are challenged to tell some tall tales by the host of Tabard Inn—the place of rest before they begin this “divinely inspired” pilgrimage to an area outside of London. In his prologue to these tales, Chaucer, or the narrator, takes the role of an at once distant and close observer, absorbing details about these idiosyncratic[4] characters whose true colors show not only in their outfits, but in their words and actions as well. It is through such indirect characterization that Chaucer enters into a subtle dialectic[5] with the world, displaying through character and dialogue truths about the human condition.

The MISSION

Re-write the thesis statement and back it up with a synopsis of each character in the prologue and what each “cat” represents as regards the human condition. Pinpoint any, shall we say, “ironies”[6] in the characters. You may spend an entire essay developing a thesis on one character, or you may consider the nature and condition of three different characters (writing a paragraph on each). You may use the introductory paragraph I have already provided for you as a way to segue into your topic. However, be sure to create your own ideas and conclusion.

For instance, consider the monk’s character (cf. ii 169-211). He is truly a man of great hypocrisy—a type of irony. For a man who is supposed to be living simply and humbly, the monk flaunts an outfit with “sleeves…garnished at the hand / with fine gray fur, the finest in the land, / and on his hood, to fasten it at his chin / He had a wrought-gold cunningly fashioned pin; Into a lover’s’ knot it seemed to pass” (ii 197-201). Such a display suggests contradiction; what he practices is not the austere way of monastic, cloistered living, but “the modern world’s more spacious way” (ii 180). And so it is by way of such subtle observations that Chaucer’s narrator pinpoints a truth of the human condition called, hypocrisy.

[1] Adjective, exposing human folly to ridicule

[2] Adjective, of or pertaining to dialogue

[3] In case you didn’t know, Becket was commissioned by King Henry II in the 1160’s CE to rock the diocese of Canterbury in true shepherd style. However, his friendship with the king was strained by a mutual struggle for power—you know the deal: church vs. state. Apparently, though it is not verified by reliable data, KHII voiced some desire to have Becket killed—a threat voiced in conversation with four of his supposedly noble knights one day. So the four armored men took KH literally and, shall we say, “finished the job,” killing Becket, who, as a quasi-martyr, was canonized a saint by Pope Alexander III in 1173 CE.

[4] Adjective, of or pertaining to idiosyncrasy: a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.

[5] Adjective, of, pertaining to, or of the nature of logical argumentation; noun, the art or practice of logical discussion as employed in investigating the truth of a theory or opinion.

[6] Noun, plural: “ies” a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.; (esp. in contemporary writing) a manner of organizing a work so as to give full expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc., esp. as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion.

An Elegy for a Hero: Beowulf in Context

2007-10-09T09:59:00.000-04:00

Brothers,

Alas, we have discussed much in regard to themes in Beowulf: a little existentialism, a little journey, a little crossing the threshold, a little divine illumination, a little pride, a little humility, a little Christianity, a little mysticism, a little alchemy...you know the deal.

That said, pick a theme and write a substantive, well-developed essay in which you delve into a theme of your choice. Below you will find an example of an essay on the theme of "duality" which I wrote as a model for your own writing. Despite the elevated language I use, I think it provides a decent explanation of how to go about developing your own essay on a theme in Beowulf.

This assignment is due in class on Monday, October 15.
It is to be typed, double-spaced, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font
Your format for header and title should follow the format I have set for you below
Remember that, when quoting lines from the text, you want to transition into the quotation with--not whackness--but SMOOTHNESS.
Find a flow and stick with it.
Also, notice the parenthetical style of documentation: each line break of the epic poem Beowulf that I quote is marked by a slash; the lines are noted using "ii" and then the numbers.
Remember, the parentheses go AFTER the quote.
Remember, the period goes AFTER the parenthesis.

Br. Rob Peach
Br. Rob Peach
ENG 141.04,05
October 2007

An Elegy for a Hero:
Beowulf in context

Thesis statement/introductory paragraph:
(From the get-go, I cite the work and imply the outline of the discussion that ensues in the body paragraphs):

The Anglo-Saxon classic, Beowulf, is an epic that, in both theme and literary technique, harkens back to the stuff of German folk-lore which so influenced British culture of the eighth century. The theme of vengeance is central to this elegiac work of poetry that relies on the deep significance of kinship, and the moral obligation to avenge the life of a slain friend. In this case, the hero Beowulf intercedes on behalf of the Danes he has come to save from the sinful monsters and descendants of Cain: Grendel and his mother. The story suggests that this code of vengeance, otherwise known as wergild (i.e. man-price), is seemingly futile (i.e. pointless), perpetuating an unending cycle of violence that results not in victory, but in death. However, in Beowulf’s dual role as violent aggressor and temperate savior, the end is not death, but redemption.

Body, Part 1
(defining some key terms before segueing into historical context and so on):

Before delving into the theme and ironical nature of the text, it would befit us to consider the general nature of Beowulf as both epic and elegy. In other words, we must define the meaning of epic and elegy, keeping in mind their implications for the theme of vengeance and cyclical violence.

On Beowulf’s hands hang the fate of an entire nation of Danes, best demonstrated by his declaration of God-willed war against the agent of evil, Grendel. After claiming that he has come to “purge all evil from [Herot],” (i 261), he boastfully—yet not without some humble resignation to his own mortality—states: “…my hands / Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life / Against the monster. God must decide / Who will be give to death’s cold grip” (ii 267-69). Hinged upon such a statement as a door to its frame is the epic nature of this poem, centered as it is on a quasi-divine figure such as Beowulf; his adventure to slay the beast constitutes the long narrative verse and serious subject matter of a typical heroic epic.

In the end, this quasi-divine figure is eulogized; he is given his formal farewell in true elegiac style by which the noble life of this mortal man is lauded while his death is lamented. Despite his gigantically heroic stature, Beowulf’s life fades like a passing shadow, signifying the centerpiece of elegy: change, loss, and transience. Beowulf’s life becomes but a story told by other great men, brave Geats telling “their sorrow, telling stories / Of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, Praising him for heroic deeds, for a life / As noble as his name…Crying that not better king had ever / Lived, no prince so mild, no man / So open to his people, so deserving of praise” (ii 858-69).

It is this same man who, though mild, though seemingly ordained by God to save his people from evil, slays a deadly beast in a spirit of hellish vengeance. Such paradox, irony, and duality most certainly deserves further exploration, an investigation set against an historical backdrop of both pre-Christian pagan traditions and the Christian faith itself.

Body, Part 2
(setting up the historical background of the text, while incorporating some summary of the text):

Parts of Beowulf resound with pre-Christian (pagan) and Christian undertones. Though rooted in Germanic mythology and folklore, the tale’s gradual incorporation of Christocentric elements stems from its transliteration from oral to written form, concurrent with the development of the Christian tradition as preserved in monasteries in England after the Franco-Norman invasion. It was, in fact, the Christian church that allowed much of the Germanic literary tradition to survive in written form. Consequently, Beowulf fulfills the need for a national epic in England, representing its national origin.

Meanwhile, it upholds certain ideals relative to the Christian tradition that is not necessarily or overtly subsumed by ecclesiastical authority at the point the epic was written in the 11^th century. That said, it seems that Beowulf focuses on the role of God—not the institutional Church—in man’s life as it is God’s will that controls man’s destiny. At the heart of man’s fate is a deeply religious experience that is integral to his understanding of God’s role in human history. This is most blatantly apparent in Beowulf’s will to rid the Danes of the monster, Grendel, who has consistently terrorized Hrothgar’s courts. Beowulf undertakes his mission as though ordained by God to exact vengeance upon the demonic beast, Grendel: a descendent of his biblical predecessor, Cain.

Body, Part 3 and so on
(getting to the meat of the matter: demonstrate the irony of Beowulf’s dual nature as man of violence; man of peace, using examples from the text, some summary, and some reference to outside research. Notice how each paragraph begins with a claim that is backed up by evidence. Notice, also, the use of transitional phrases to begin a new thought that continues upon one previously developed):

But like the “universal man” he represents, Beowulf is more complex than the “goody-goody” hero as seen in the seeming dualities of this multi-dimensional protagonist. Beowulf is a man fueled by dual forces that are not mutually exclusive but different nonetheless: God and kinsmen; vainglory and humility; honor and riches. It is difficult, at times, to determine the sincerity of his actions based off of the conflicting aims of his ventures. For instance, we are introduced to Beowulf as a warrior who has been ordained by God to fight evil, a force represented by Grendel, who is a descendant of Cain and a manifestation of the demonic forces that possessed a brother to kill his kin (ii 380-83). Yet by the same token, Beowulf boasts of his “awesome strength” perhaps indicating that this quest to alleviate the Danes of their suffering (at the hands, or claws of a monster) is more of a personal quest than one inspired by divine forces—a journey to uphold the reputation of his strength and the strength of his reputation as a man of “great triumphs” (ii 409-416).

Yet Beowulf is not excessively proud, either. Rather, he accepts the possibility that he may very well die by confronting Grendel in hand-to-hand combat, exhibiting his humility in light of the force with which we must all reckon and thereby perish: death, “which is not easily escaped from by anyone: all of us with souls, earth-dwellers and children of men, must make our way to a destination already ordained where the body, after the banqueting, sleeps on its deathbed” (ii 1001-1007). Beowulf is no exception to this rule and he knows it, which again, is a mark of humility on his part. But then if he has to die, he is determined to die honorably. Thus, he will die fighting—an act on behalf of a people scorned, and a testament to honor. He proves his loyalty to both God and kinsmen (the Danes as represented by Hrothgar), by standing up to the challenge of defeating Grendel and his mother in battle. Beowulf undoubtedly displays this same resignation to fight and die with honor in defeating the Dragon with the help of his faithful younger companion (and literary parallel), Wiglaf.

Extended/Extensive Conclusion
(here, I come to make some final statements with some textual back-up to assert the final claim that Beowulf is a man of integrity, making the parallel between him and Christ more definitive. Notice the use of conclusive words such as “ultimately” and transitional words such as “though”):

Ultimately, Beowulf is a man of mixed motives, and that’s okay. His agenda is clear and even consistent despite the variety of reasons he has for “going into battle.” Whether he is working for personal or spiritual glory, honor, vengeance, material wealth, or by necessity—as the Norton editors suggest with regard to his fight against the winged fire-breather—Beowulf is a benevolent man and hero. Through his actions, we see that “the truth is clear: Almighty God rules over mankind and always has” be it for better of for worse (ii 700-202). Beowulf, as ruler and warrior, is symbolic of such power and wisdom, though he is himself subject to the God who rules him. Through Beowulf’s adventurous deeds we can understand better what it means to live for a calling that demands much of us in this life in the way of personal suffering—a cause that is essentially much greater than the sum of our own existence. And so, we can say with the poet that: “Past and present, God’s will prevails. Hence understanding is always best and a prudent mind. Whoever remains for long here in this earthly life will enjoy and endure more than enough” (ii 1055-1061).

Though a man of great strength in pursuit of glory through violent revenge, Beowulf is essentially gentle and kind. Thus Beowulf takes on the perceived “goodness” of Christ, whose ultimate self-sacrifice was a fundamentally violent way to exact vengeance upon the evil of original sin as represented in the epic by Grendel. Beowulf, too, is self-sacrificing in his actions and a male symbol of divine authority, referencing a monotheistic God as he follows through with his epic mission. Beowulf is a type of Christ whose blood redemption ends an ongoing cycle of violence that presents itself not only in the form of a sub-human (Grendel), but also in the form of a fire-breathing dragon at the story’s end.

By his kindness and generosity, Beowulf ultimately takes on the role of the “prince of peace.” With specific focus on man’s personal relationship with God as he contends with the forces of nature that are ultimately out of his control, the story of Beowulf exemplifies the commonplace belief in God’s omnipotence and the punishment of hell. It recreates a religious myth that greatly parallels the central myth of the Christian tradition regarding a different hero: Jesus Christ.

Recreating Beowulf

2007-09-25T21:49:00.000-04:00

Brothers,

You have three options so as to guarantee the peaceful fate of this Viking-land we call Central Catholic. Should you choose to accept one or the other, know that the task is of epic proportions; the destiny of Oakland rests on your shoulders. You must choose to live despite the reality of your own mortality--by doing so, you are worthy of the highest praise and the greatest of elegiac sympathies. The surmountable obstacles are as follows:

OPTION ONE:
Choose any passage of at least 20 lines from the epic Beowulf and recreate it, using your own words, your own, modern-day idiom to spice things up. Be sure to type in the original, line-for-line, before transliterating it into your own dialect.

OPTION TWO:
Imitate the alliterative style of at least 20 lines from the epic Beowulf and recreate the passage using your own subject matter (as we did with the imitation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Be sure to type the original, line-for-line, before imitating it with your own subject matter in place of the original.

OPTION THREE:
Choose any passage of at least 20 lines from the epic Beowulf and create a "spin-off" passage in which your write 20 lines of your own verse that extend the story as you see fit. Be sure to type the original, line-for-line, before spinning-off of it into a fiction of your own (using, of course, characters and themes from the poem itself).

This is due TUESDAY (10.02.07) by class time. Remember to head your submissions with MLA format:

Your Name
Teacher's Name
Subject Number/Section Number
Date Due

A Centered Title

In peace,
BRobPeachFSC

The End of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: An In-Class Essay

2007-09-20T10:24:00.001-04:00

The End of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde:

An In-class Essay

During the last three weeks, we have gone into some depth picking out themes of Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

You’ll recall that, in conjunction with our discussion on the theme of transformation, we read and reviewed an article by psychologist Judith Viorst entitled, “Childhood’s End.” Throughout the article, Viorst discusses the nature of adolescent experience as one involving a figurative death—in some ways murder—of attachment to old perceptions we’ve had of ourselves, of others, and our parents. It is a state of constant flux; change is the norm. As Viorst states, “…change is unstoppable at adolescence—changes in our body and in our head—and while we are making the trip from early to middle to late adolescence, normality is defined as a sate of disharmony” (150). She adds, “This disharmony need not be constant, and it need not even be visible; sometimes, indeed, it is quiet and covert” (150).

In the midst of this disharmony, meanwhile, we must all deal with that ever-urgent question: Who am I? This question is undergirded by the necessity to take responsibility for ourselves which, in turn, requires that we develop a greater sense of social responsibility to—in the words of developmental psychologist Erik Erikson—“ ‘pass through the crisis of identity’ ” (151). This crisis of identity is what Erikson coins, “identity confusion,” that takes us through flights of exultation and into the depths of isolation or despair. In many ways, this struggle to create a stable identity for ourselves involves a reconciliation of sorts, an assessment of what is realistic and what is merely an impossible ideal. Viorst puts it this way: “To hew [i.e. cleave] to unrealizable goals and impossible dreams of perfection is to guarantee a perpetual sense of inadequacy, is to guarantee that whatever we do will never be good enough, is to guarantee failure time after time after time” (152).

That said, I call to mind our lost friend, Dr. Jekyll (a.k.a. Mr. Hyde), suffering from an identity crisis that ultimately consumes his entire being. Keeping in mind all that we have read, all that we have discussed, and all that we have written in or out of class, construct a well-developed, five paragraph essay in which you consider the nature of adolescence and its application to the confusion in which Dr. Jekyll finds himself.

Make a thesis statement in which you form a general assumption that can branch into three specific ideas that address the issue above. Make your claims regarding adolescence by using Viorst as your guide. You are more than free to paraphrase her claims and use them as your own. Remember that with each claim you make regarding adolescence and its application to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you should construct a respective paragraph that revolves around that claim.

Each of your body paragraphs should include either a quote or paraphrase from both Viorst’s article and the novel. If you are quoting or paraphrasing an instance from the text, you can begin with a transitional phrase such as: For example; Jekyll says; Viorst states; Viorst puts it this way; For instance when; etc. Be sure to refer to all events from the novel in the dramatic present tense.

Lastly, end with a conclusion in which you consider your own adolescent experience and how your identity confusion or your own sense of growth or change ties in with Jekyll/Hyde’s struggle.

This will be an open-note, open book test. However, any notes you bring in should be on an index card. You may not write the essay ahead of time. Rather, you should jot an outline down on your note cards and transform your idea into a body from there during class time.

BRobPeachFSC

From Prose to Poetry

2007-09-14T14:56:00.000-04:00

Alright my Brothers,

It is time to flex your creative muscles and commit to some verse.

Pick a format: hip-hop, slam, stream of consciousness, free verse, blank verse, rhyme, or no rhyme scheme (if you don't know what the different styles are, then look them up).

Then write a poem in which you incorporate at least ten vocabulary words in context (that is, using their intended meanings) with a theme from the novel as we discussed (or perhaps did not discuss) in class.

Again, the heading format is as follows

Your Name
Teacher's Name
Course
Date Due (Tuesday)
Title of Poem

Play around with the idea of the theme, but do not be explicit as to what the theme actually is with which you are dealing in the poem. Let the reader guess. Consider what we did with illogic's lyrics. How might you shall we say, "spit a rhyme" that parallels with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Peace,
BRobPeachFSC

A Strict Imitation

2007-09-09T20:42:00.001-04:00

OPTION ONE:
This exercise is not to be less than one typed double-spaced pages.

It is due by class time on Tuesday, September 11, 2007.

Choose a passage from any one of the chapters in Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--a passage that has particularly moved, impressed, disturbed, perplexed, or even delighted you and do a strict imitation of it in which you keep intact Stevenson's sentence structures and rhythms, as well as the sequence of his sentences and paragraphs, but change the content so as to make the passage your own.

Please include with your strict imitation a citation of the page or passage you are imitating.

Please post with the following heading format:

Your Name
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
The Date
Title of your piece

OPTION TWO:
Spend some time exploring the text.

Find a passage in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that you think is powerful.

Write out the passage and explain why you chose it.
What does it have to say to you (what is the truth it offers you)?

This assignment should be no more than two double-spaced (12 pt. font) typed pages.

The format and due date are as listed above for OPTION ONE.

The Journey: A Faraway Land Discovered

2007-08-23T19:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome, my young brothers, to this dramatic field of existence called, literature—the backdrop of which is a land once known as Britannia, a faraway country discovered and conquered by invaders from present-day Ireland, Italy, Germany, France, and Scandinavia.

It is a land, green and gentle, that is rife with a rich history, a history that sets us on the road, a journey of exploration that will have us map the human experience as written about through the ancient ages in poetry, song, drama, and of course the novel.

It is an epic story of sorts, and you are the protagonists, the heroes engaging the authors and their works in a dialogue for truth, for beauty, for mystery.

Be prepared to enter into and discover eternity through the literature of England, spanning a vast timeline from the Old English and Medieval Periods through the Renaissance and Enlightenment through the Romantic and Victorian Periods on to the present-day stuff of the Modern and Post-Modern world.

It will be good, my fellow wanderers, but only so long as you choose to enter this arena willingly and with the intention to LIVE!!!