1. “If” by Rudyard Kipling
• Rudyard Kipling, in full Joseph Rudyard
Kipling (born December 30,
1865, Bombay [now Mumbai], India—
died January 18, 1936, London, England),
English short-story writer, poet, and novelist
chiefly remembered for his celebration of
British imperialism, his tales and poems of
British soldiers in India, and his tales for
children. He received the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1907. You may be familiar with two
of his novels Kim and The Jungle Book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSSqc1qG238
6. Use quotation marks when you are quoting one character and the
passage is three lines or less, as shown in this sample essay on
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House:
Nora makes a fruitless attempt to reassure Torvald before she leaves when
she says, “I’ve heard that when a wife deserts a husband’s house just as
I’m doing, then the law frees him from all responsibility. In any case, I’m
freeing you from responsibility. …There has to be absolute freedom for us
both” (3.442-445) or (110)
It is not necessary to use ellipses at the beginnings or
endings of quotes or paraphrases to indicate that words
have been omitted.
7. If you quote more than one character or more than three lines, set off the
quotation by indenting one inch. Begin with the character’s name typed in
all capitals followed by a period. Indent subsequent lines a further 1/4
inch:
Mrs. Linde pressures Nora to reveal the source of her
loan. Nora, however, remains resolute:
MRS. LINDE. Now don’t try to hide it, Nora. You
think I can’t guess who loaned you the forty -
eight hundred crowns?
NORA. Are you out of your mind? How could you
think such a thing? (2.201-206) or (55)
9. Literary Style: Romantic Comedy
Common in Shakespeare's romance plays (A Midsummer Night's Dream or
Twelfth Night, for example), the plot of a standard romantic comedy
involves a seemingly perfect pair of lovers who confront obstacles in their
quest to be together. Though parents, social circumstances or conventions
seem destined to keep them apart, eventually, the lovers transcend (or
avoid in some way) the hurdles they face, and manage at least a temporary
reprieve from from conflict in a “Garden-of-Edinish” world. Characters pair
up, people end up happy, often married, the good are rewarded and the
bad receive their just desserts.
The Importance of Being Earnest certainly fits this description, but it also
fits into several other comedy genres, including comedies of manners,
farces, and parodies.
10. Comedy of Manners
A Comedy of Manners is usually set in sophisticated society. It is comedy
for the intellectual and emphasizes clever dialogue and witty characters
over plot; nevertheless, it likely offers complicated problems concerning
lovers and couples, both faithful and not, which plays into plot comedy.
This kind of comedy is focused on the manners, behavior, and even
fashions of the upper class world. The story is, for the most part,
presented realistically, but there is often a character or two that mimic
a stereotype: the fool, conniving servant, or jealous spouse. Generally,
there is a character who stands in for the audience, that is, one who
understands how foolish people, and the situations we get ourselves
into, can be.
11. Farce
Farce is “low comedy.” (In Shakespeare, we think “Comedy
or Errors.” Later, we laughed at the Three Stooges). This
kind of comedy relies on physical violence and coarse wit.
The humor comes in exaggerated characters, caricatures of
people from different classes, as they extricate themselves
from improbable, and sometimes ridiculous situations. Farce
often includes disguise, gender role deviation, or identity
confusion. Algernon's indulgence with food and his short
attention span qualify him as a farcical character, as does
Miss Prism's bumbling mix-up with her novel and the infant
Jack.
12. Parody
Parody is “a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or
work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule” (Merriam
Webster). Generally the serious work that is the base for the parody is
widely recognized by style or genre. Still, to be successful, parody
must assume an informed audience. If we don’t recognize the original
work, the parody is lost. Examples of contemporary parodies include
Austin Powers, a parody of James Bond movies; Spaceballs, parodies
Star Wars movies) and Scary Movie, which, of course, parodies all
horror movies).
In Earnest, Wilde parodies love at first sight by having his characters
fall in love before they ever see each other.
14. Discussion Questions
1. In what ways is Oscar Wilde mocking Victorian society in his
drama The Importance of Being Earnest?
2. What does the dialogue between Cecily and Gwendolen in Act II
show about their personality and their manners?
3. How do Gwendolen and Cecily react to Jack's and Algernon's plan
to be christened as Ernest? What do they all think about
Christening, or baptism, on the one land, and the name Ernest
on the other?
4. What does Lady Bracknell's inquiry about Cecily reveal about the
former? What is the most important thing that makes her agree
with Cecily's marriage with Algernon?
15. 5. What importance does Miss Prism have in The Importance of
Being Earnest?
6. The characters in the play are paired. Compare and contrast
Jack and Algernon, Gwendolen and Cecily, Lady Bracknell and
Mr. Prism.
7. What do the main characters think about the lower class, or
class society? (E.g. Ms. Prism reminds Cecily that watering
Bracknell's disagree with universal education; Gwendolen is
happy that she has never seen a spade.)
8. The subtitle of the play is A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.
What are the superficial or trivial things that are considered
serious by the characters? What are the serious things that get
trivialized? What, do you think, are the serious problem these
characters have? Does the play itself suggest that we should be
serious about anything?
9. What is the importance of being earnest?
16. QHQs
1. Q: Are the attributes and characteristics of the
characters dictated by their names? Why or Why
not?
2. Q: What is Wilde saying about marriage and
engagement in this story?
3. Q: In what ways might Oscar Wilde mock people
in our current society?
4. Why is German culture and education being
praised while anything French is being hated on?
18. Fill in the blank:
It was in the nineteenth century that England reached its height as a world
imperial power, both economically and culturally, supplanting ________ as the
hub of European culture.
Name the Writer, using both his or her first and last names.
In January 1845, this writer received a letter that begins with “I love your
verses with all my heart” and culminates with “I do, as I say, love these books
with all my heart—and I love you too.”
Name the Character:
___________is one of the narrators of a story. She works as a servant at two
estates.
Passage Identification: Name the work and the writer (Complete Titles and
full names)
“But who eats tripe?” said Mr. Filer, looking round. “Tripe is without an
exception the least economical, and the most wasteful article of consumption
that the markets of this country can by possibility produce.”
Exam #1
19. Name the speaker
“knocking my knuckles through the glass, and stretching an
arm out to seize the importunate branch: instead of which, my
fingers closed on the fingers of a little, ice-cold hand. The
intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw
back my arm, but the hand clung to it”
Long answer/short essay questions, at least three to pick
two.
Discuss two or more characters from different texts that
reflect Victorian righteousness. Explain who they are and how
they demonstrate that culture.
20. Thomas
Hardy
Thomas Hardy is second only to Charles Dickens
as the most read and most discussed writer of
the Victorian era. In terms of volume and
diversity of work, Hardy is a towering literary
figure with two highly respected careers—one as
a novelist and one as a poet. He is also
representative of the Victorian trauma of the
loss of God and the search for a new order.
Hardy is an interesting blend of the old-
fashioned and the modern. His career began in
the Victorian era but did not conclude until
after World War I, which made him a
contemporary of both the representative
Victorian writer Matthew Arnold and the most
frequently cited representative of the modern,
T. S. Eliot. Because of his unique position in the
literary world, he will be our pivot point from
the Victorian to the Modernists.
21. To Watch Out For in
“On The Western Circuit”
The Erotic
Impulse and Desire
Love and Irony
Marriage
22. Homework
Assigned Reading: “On the
Western Circuit” by
Thomas Hardy
Suggested Reading: Michael
Field (Katherine Bradley
and Edith Cooper), “Maids,
not to you my mind doth
change” 1672
“To Christina Rossetti” 1674
HW: Discussion Question #9
![“If” by Rudyard Kipling
• Rudyard Kipling, in full Joseph Rudyard
Kipling (born December 30,
1865, Bombay [now Mumbai], India—
died January 18, 1936, London, England),
English short-story writer, poet, and novelist
chiefly remembered for his celebration of
British imperialism, his tales and poems of
British soldiers in India, and his tales for
children. He received the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1907. You may be familiar with two
of his novels Kim and The Jungle Book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSSqc1qG238](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/elit46cclass9-171023172530/85/Elit-46-c-class-9-1-320.jpg)
