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Recommended: Literature in English
Eighteenth Century Literature in Secondary Education As a undergraduate student, I have just realized my passion for literature and teaching. In high school, however, English was not my favorite subject. I enjoyed the subject and cherished my challenging teachers, but making a career out of literature was not something I had planned to do. Now, in my senior year as an English major, I am eager to record the ideas I have for teaching while I am learning, hopefully providing a fresh approach to literature from which future students may benefit. There are different levels of difficulty in secondary literature; most students comprehend and enjoy the horror of Poe’s "Tell-tale Heart" and the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but eighteenth-century British literature is a different story. The style of writing, the subjects the authors choose, and the obscure references to unfamiliar places and people in government and society all present difficulties for understanding this genre of literature. The challenge is to present the material using the via media or middle-way – a combination of history, style, literary terminology, and entertainment value of the literature writers like Pope, Swift, and Defoe create. William C. Dowling, in his article "Teaching Eighteenth-Century Literature in the Pocockian Movement (Or, Flimnap on the Tightrope, Kramnick to the Rescue)," says "students…do not on first encounter like eighteenth-century literature…Every teacher of eighteenth-century literature knows that if you can get bright students past the initial barrier, they will likely be hooked for life…" (Dowling 524). The idea behind this paper is to present ideas, discussion questions, thoughts, and teaching strategies that will make eig... ... middle of paper ... ...adapted into the eighteenth-century unit. With any luck, the ideas for writing, discussion, and projects presented in this paper may spark the interest of future high school students in eighteenth-century literature, so they too can enjoy the wonderful works of writers such as Swift, Defoe, and Pope. Works Cited Dowling, William C. "Teaching Eighteenth-Century Literature in the Pocockian Moment (Or, Flimnap on the Tightrope, Kramnick to the Rescue)." College English 49 (1987): 523-532. Evler, Mescal, ed. Elements of Literature. Sixth Course: Literature of Britain with World Classics. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston: Austin, 1997. Prentice Hall. Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. The British Tradition. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1999. Shaw, Shelia. "Shopping for Couplets: Pope at the Supermarket." CEA Critic 39.3 (1977): 27-31.
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
Roberts, Edgar V., Jacobs, Henry E. “Literature.” The Lesson. 470-475. Toni Cade Bambara. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. 2001
Updike, John. "A&P." Thinking and Writing About Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001. 981-86. Print.
Updike, John. “A&P.” Literature Craft and Voice. Ed. Nicholas Delbanco and Alan Cheuse. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 2013. 141-145. Print.
Jokinen, Anniina. "Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. N.p., 1996. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. http://www.luminarium.org/
Charters, Ann & Samuel. Literature and its Writers. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. 137-147. Print.
Perkins, Geroge, and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Perkins George, Barbara. The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
Meyer, M. (2013). Bedford introduction to literature: Reading, thinking, writing. Boston: Bedford Bks St Martin’s.
Ford, Boris, ed, The Pelican Guide to English Literature volume seven: The Modern Age, third edition, Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1973
It is the aim of this piece to consider how two elements are developed in the opening chapters of three classic novels written by 19th century English women: Emma, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre, respectively. The elements to be considered are a) character; and b) character relationships. Consideration will be given to see how each opening chapter develops these two aspects, and the various approaches will be compared and contrasted as well.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2013. Print.