British Literature-Fall 2021 Assignments

THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND WILL BE 20% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE

Consider the book you chose for your banned books project. Who benefits from censoring that book? Who sufferers? explain in 10-15 complete sentences using quotes from the video. 

In order to dismiss Sybil's death, Dorian says "What's done is done. What's past is past" (96). Is he right? Do we need to feel remorseful or grieve for a length of time in order to be moral? 10-15 minutes

Compare and contrast the main ideas (you don't need to find a common theme) in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" with what we've read so far in Dorian Gray. Who has killed the thing he loves? How? Write at least one page double spaced times new roman, 12pt, 1" margins. Use at least 2 quotes from each work. 


Note: Be mindful of being reductionist and/or anachronistic. Yes, Wilde was imprisoned for his sexuality, but over-reliance on the persecution of LGBTQ+ folks will distract you from the deeper themes (biographical readings have their place but are limited) . If this is a reminder to read Dorian Gray carefully, that's ok, you can go back through the book and tune in well for the second half! 


Challenge: Write a common theme and use that for your c/c

What about that change in the painting was so compelling to Dorian that he vows to "...not see Lord Henry anymore..."? Why is this more upsetting to Dorian than Sybil's reaction? 10-15 sentences. 

On page 71, Lord Henry says: "Pleasure is Nature’s test, her sign of approval. When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy.” Explain the meaning and the moral implications of that statement. 10-15 sentences. 

How do artists' lives influence their art? Is art necessarily autobiographical? 10-15 sentences. 

Choose one or more of the following and explain whether it is a social construct using evidence from the Philosophy Tube video (that means you probably have to take a couple notes!):


- Self
- Soul
- Morality
- Truth
- Beauty


10-15 sentences. 

Dorian quotes Henry on page 53, "It is personalities, not principles, that move the age." In what ways to personalities and/or principles move our own culture? 10-15 sentences.

Henry wonders: "Was the soul a shadow seated in the house of sin? Or was the body really in the soul, as Giordano Bruno thought? The separation of spirit from matter was a mystery, and the union of spirit with matter was a mystery also." Summarize and respond to that quote. 10-15 sentences.

What does the choice Wilde makes to make Lord Henry's misogyny blatant do for the character? for the novel? 10-15 sentences. 

Henry thinks of Dorian as "the son of Love and Death." Explain what that means both in a literal and figurative sense. 10-15 sentences.

Evaluate both the level of truth, and the level of morality in Lord Henry's statement:


"But the bravest man amongst us is afraid of himself. The mutilation of the savage has its tragic survival in the self-denial that mars our lives. We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poisons us. "


10-15 sentences. 

Is there such thing as moral or immoral art? 10-15 sentences 

In what way do people read their own meanings into art? 10-15 sentences

Choose one of the following questions (10-15 sentences):


1. Compare and contrast how blood is represented in one of the previous texts we've read (Macbeth, Carmilla, Goblin Market, Dracula) vs. Oscar Wilde's "The Nightingale and the Rose." 


2. Explore the Victorian relationship with interior vs. exterior spaces within the body using examples from the texts we've read. 

What is the point of fairy tales in a society? What does it say about Wilde that he wrote them? How does that match up with Wilde's persona? 10-15 sentences.

Using the brief biography of Oscar Wilde on pages 810-811 in our Norton Anthology (the pink book we used for Goblin Market), explain the significance the themes and ideas in "The Happy Prince" have in Wilde's life. What led him to write this fairy tale? Can you connect Wilde's ideas to any of his contemporaries (Stoker and Browning)? This should be the length of a long journal so 30-45 sentences and you must include quotes from the fairy tale. 

Why was Van Helsing caught up in a fit of laughter and tears after Lucy's funeral? What makes him laugh? What is Seward's reaction? What is the point of this in the novel, and what larger message(s) does it have?


10-15 sentences

Why do you think Stoker chose to have Van Helsing almost succeeded, but then ultimately fail repeatedly? Why did it take so long for Lucy to die? 


10-15 sentences

What is the connection between vampires, bats, cats, and wolves? Why does Dracula change into bats and wolves but Carmilla turns into a cat? 


Other ideas: What kind of animal do you think Lady Macbeth would turn into and why? What about the women from Goblin Market? 


10-15 sentences. 

The archetype of the all knowing person who swoops in and restores order is still common in literature. Can you think of one character in modern media that fits this description? 10-15 sentences. 

Write me three paragraphs (15-20 sentences each) comparing/contrasting two characters of your choosing from this course (Macbeth, Goblin Market, Carmilla, Dracula). You don't need an introduction and conclusion, but you do need evidence (Mecbeth is in your class materials on GC). Your characters can be from the same or different texts. Happy writing! 

What does it say about the values of the novel that only the men can donate blood to Lucy? Can you connect these ideas to anything in other things we're read? 


10-15 sentences

What do you think is the value of dramatic irony, particularly in a horror story? You may use examples from anything we've read to support your argument.


10-15 sentences

Do you have to tell your significant other everything? What makes a secret moral to keep and what makes it immoral? explain. 10-15 sentences. 

How are shame and secrecy both dangerous? Can you connect those ideas to the book? 


10-15 sentences 

In what ways are Victorian ideals of purity connected to violence (think of Dracula, Carmilla, and Goblin Market). In what ways are these views detrimental to the women in these texts? 10-15 sentences. 

Make a copy of the linked Google doc and use the graphic novel version of Dracula to fill in the worksheet. You may work in groups of up to 3 people, but each person must submit their own worksheet.

What can blood be a metaphor or symbol for? Why do writers talk about it so much? Can you connect these ideas to Macbeth or Carmilla? 10-15 sentences.

How do the two characters in "Goblin Market" reflect the two archetypes, The Angel in the House and The Fallen Woman? Can you connect this to Carmilla or Macbeth? 10-15 sentences.

What similarities can you find between Carmilla and Lady Macbeth? What about Laura and Lady Macbeth? 10-15 sentences. 

Why do people choose to stay ignorant of things that are true? 


10-15 sentences

How does withholding knowledge allow those in power to maintain control? 


10-15 sentences

Can you think of any modern media that utilizes the "Victorian Angel in the House vs Fallen Woman" archetypes? 


10-15 sentences

What is a vampire? Why do you think we have so many stories about vampires in our culture? 


10-15 sentences 

Why do people feel guilt? When is guilt a good thing vs a bad thing? If someone does something truly evil, is there ever a way for them to absolve themselves of their guilt? 

Do you think Macbeth is going crazy, or is he actually being haunted by Banquo's ghost? Explain. 


7-10 sentences

Can you think about doing a bad or even a truly evil thing but not do it and still be a good person? Explain. 


10-15 sentences

How much is it healthy to influence a person? Is it ok to push a friend, family member, or partner to do something they don't want to do? If so, when? Explain.

Choose one of the linked passages and complete the short essay.

What is ambition? Is is a good thing? When does it become detrimental or dangerous? 


10-15 sentences

Tell me a story that shows me who you are. It could be something funny you did, something important that happened to you, or a story about a moment that taught you something important. 


10-15 sentences