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Regency Teens, Same Issues as Today
The Dashwood sisters Seldom have I enjoyed a course more than my current first year seminar on Jane Austen—specifically “Jane Austen and the Challenges of Being a Regency Teenager.” The title of the...
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Harry Potter, Teenage Hero’s Quest
During Christmas week we get to imagine being children again so I’ve decided to write about student responses to Harry Potter. Members of my British Fantasy Literature class could write essays on...
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Schools Cowed by the Religious Right
St. Mary's production of Mother Hicks Holly Blumner had a vision. A member of the St. Mary’s theater department, Holly wanted to stage a young adult play and then take it into area schools. This post...
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Kiki Ostrenga as Sister Carrie
Jennifer Jones as Sister Carrie Kiki Ostrenga Last Thursday I commended David Brooks of The New York Times as one of the few Republican conservatives willing to call out the insanity occurring in parts...
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When Werther-Fever Upended Europe
Wilhelm Amberg, "Reading Goethe's Werther" These past couple of weeks my Theories of the Reader class has been giving presentations upon “a literary work that became an event.” Rather unexpectedly, we...
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Parents, Kids, Schools & Banned Books
Stills from "Perks of Being a Wallflower" In their final project for my Theories of the Reader course, my students had to choose a book that became an “event” and figure out why. A number of them chose...
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The Dark Knight and Adolescent Gloom
Film Friday After watching The Dark Knight a couple of years ago—that’s the Batman film with the Joker—I left the theater so depressed that I resolved to watch no more films in the series. But I was...
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Fanny Burney Bolsters Young People
Before I entirely leave last semester behind, I want to look back at some of the essays I received in my “Couples Comedy in the British Restoration and 18th Century” class. Especially I want to share...
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Novels for When We Need Them the Most
Charles Dickens On our way to my aunt’s memorial service in Acton, Massachusetts this past weekend, Julia and I listened to several chapters from David Copperfield, a book I haven’t read since the...
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How Jane Eyre Is Not Twilight
Fritz Eichenberg, “Jane Eyre” Among the gifts I received from my students last semester was a new understanding of how Jane Eyre provides a healthy relationship model for young women. I particularly...
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Reading Novels for Moral Instruction
Finney and York in “Tom Jones” Today on “Recovered Blog Posts” I reprint a lost essay that originally appeared on November 4, 2009. As it turns out, it could have been written yesterday, which is when...
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500 Days of Marianne & Willoughby
Deschanel, Gordon-Levitt in “500 Days of Summer” In a recent post I discussed how, in my Restoration and 18th Century Couples Comedy class, I encourage my students to compare the works we read with...
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Schools Cowed by the Religious Right
St. Mary's production of Mother Hicks Holly Blumner had a vision. A member of the St. Mary’s theater department, Holly wanted to stage a young adult play and then take it into area schools. This post...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kiki Ostrenga as Sister Carrie
Jennifer Jones as Sister Carrie Kiki Ostrenga Last Thursday I commended David Brooks of The New York Times as one of the few Republican conservatives willing to call out the insanity occurring in parts...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When Werther-Fever Upended Europe
Wilhelm Amberg, "Reading Goethe's Werther" These past couple of weeks my Theories of the Reader class has been giving presentations upon “a literary work that became an event.” Rather unexpectedly, we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Parents, Kids, Schools & Banned Books
Stills from "Perks of Being a Wallflower" In their final project for my Theories of the Reader course, my students had to choose a book that became an “event” and figure out why. A number of them chose...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Dark Knight and Adolescent Gloom
Film Friday After watching The Dark Knight a couple of years ago—that’s the Batman film with the Joker—I left the theater so depressed that I resolved to watch no more films in the series. But I was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fanny Burney Bolsters Young People
Before I entirely leave last semester behind, I want to look back at some of the essays I received in my “Couples Comedy in the British Restoration and 18th Century” class. Especially I want to share...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Novels for When We Need Them the Most
Charles Dickens On our way to my aunt’s memorial service in Acton, Massachusetts this past weekend, Julia and I listened to several chapters from David Copperfield, a book I haven’t read since the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Jane Eyre Is Not Twilight
Fritz Eichenberg, “Jane Eyre” Among the gifts I received from my students last semester was a new understanding of how Jane Eyre provides a healthy relationship model for young women. I particularly...
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