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9GT Romance 2009-2010
Romance:
1. Wild Irish Girl by Sidney Owenson, Lady Morgan I. (18th. c. Ireland)
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen E. (18th c. England)
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte E. (ditto)
4. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen E. (ditto)
1. Wild Irish Girl by Sidney Owenson, Lady Morgan I. (18th. c. Ireland) (read the book online at http://www.sydneyowenson.com/TheWildIrishGirl.html )
http://www.irishhistorylinks.net/Irish_History_Timeline.html (read Ulster, Cromwell, and 18th Cent. timelines)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/nations/medieval_ireland_01.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Owenson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism (Intro., principles, ethnic, romantic, cultural)
1. Why does the novel end with a letter from Horatio's father rather than one from him?
2. The little we know about Horatio's London life before the story begins centres around his disgust with women: see e.g. pp.30-3, 67,82-4, 119, 165-7. What is the significance of this opposition between
Glorvina and metropolitan women of his former life? See especially the dream of the Gorgon at pp.61-2: what is going on here? What makes him change his mind? Is he sexist? Does he become more modern in his thoughts or is it just hormones?
3. Is this a romance or is it more of a political novel (let my people go/viva Ireland)? Which is the “real” story?
4. Why does the author have G. almost marry the dad at the end? What’s the point of that?
5. Is Glorvina a good role model for girls at the time?
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen E. (18th c. England)
http://www.austen.com/costumes/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_England
http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pridprej.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism (Intro., principles, ethnic, romantic, cultural)
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/
1. How does this novel portray social class? Why is it important for the girls to marry the “right” kind of men? Why is it okay for an upper class man to marry a wealthy middle-class woman but not for a middle-class woman to marry a working class man? Is this a type of prejudice? Are there other types of prejudice in the story?
2. According to Austen, what qualities should the idealwoman have? The ideal man?
3. How is this story nationalist? How is it pro-England? What other parts of the world are looked down on in this book?
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte E. (ditto)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Bronte
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuthering_Heights
1. is the reader supposed to like any of the characters? If so, which ones? Why do Catherine E. and Heathcliff have to be so easy to hate in order for the plot to work? Do you think their marriage would’ve been a happy one if they had married?
2. What is this books saying about race and class? Heathcliff is probably a gypsy child, and certainly is not of the same socio-economic status as the Earnshaws and Lintons. Is Bronte supporting the idea that he is nasty because of what he is by nature, or is she showing that how he is treated makes him nasty and evil?
3. What is Bronte saying about the role of women? How is a woman supposed to act? Are any of these characters supposed to be good role models for young female readers?
4. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen E. (ditto)
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_England
http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pridprej.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody (Intro)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northanger_Abbey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_novel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysteries_of_Udolpho
1. How is this book a parody? What does it make fun of?
2. What is frustrating about Catherine? How is she trapped by social manners and views of women at the time? (Think of how modern girls would respond in her situations.) What parts of the book have direct parallels in current times?
3. Does Austen want you to like Catherine or not? How can you tell?
5. kind doesn’t? Will Mary’s work or not?
