Author Archives: JSylvor

Posts: 25 (archived below)
Comments: 19

Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Man”

Posted on February 12, 2019 by JSylvor

1.  Pope describes the purpose of his poem as “to vindicate the ways of God to man.”  What do you think he means by this?

2. Choose one metaphor that Pope uses to describe the universe and explain its significance.

3.  What would it mean to believe that “whatever is, is right?”  How would that affect one’s outlook or behavior?

4.  According to Pope, what place do human beings have in the universe in relation to other creatures?

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Akinari, “Bewitched”

Posted on February 9, 2019 by JSylvor

1. Why do you think Toyo-o continues to be involved with Manago even after he suspects that she is a demon of some sort?
2. Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
3. Does “Bewitched” have anything to teach its readers? If so, what? What is Akinari’s message in this text?
4. The text describes Manago as”bewitchingly voluptuous.” What does Akinari’s representation of Manago tell us about feminine beauty?

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Moliere, Tartuffe

Posted on January 31, 2019 by JSylvor

— Discuss the theme of appearances or masks in Tartuffe? How does the issue of appearances vs. reality connect with the central concerns of the play?

— Discuss the role of Dorine, Mariane’s lady maid. What kind of servant is she? What role does she play in the action of the drama?

— How is the institution of marriage treated in Tartuffe? What are some of the models or ideals of marriage that are raised by Moliere or his characters?

— Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?

— Can you think of a contemporary example of the kind of religious hypocrisy exemplified in Tartuffe?

— Describe one aspect of the play that seems very modern to you and one that seems very dated or old-fashioned.

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Feng Menglong, “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger”

Posted on January 28, 2019 by JSylvor

Respond to one of the following questions by commenting on this post.  You may also feel free to respond to comments posted by your classmates!

-What’s the connection between the broad historical material about the Ming Dynasty that begins the story and the narrative about Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship that follows?

-What kind of person is Li Jia?  Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise?  Why or why not?

-How are courtesans represented in the story?  Why do you think Feng Menglong chooses to depict them this way?

-Money plays a central role in the story.  What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?

-Feng Menglong was interested in using literature to teach morality.  What lesson is being imparted by this text?

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Welcome

Posted on January 28, 2019 by JSylvor

Welcome to our course blog for English 2850: Great Works in World Literature II!

This blog will be an important adjunct to our classroom this semester.  You will be referring to the blog to access reading, locate assignments, respond to discussion questions, give feedback to your peers, post assignments and much, much more.  To that end, be sure that you have made a note of the url of this blog and have the capacity to access it easily.

Your first assignment is simple.  Create a post on the blog in which you introduce yourself to the class.  It’s up to you what you choose to share in this post, but your introduction should be approximately 350-500 words.  Together with this brief introduction, please take a minute to upload a photograph of yourself to your blogs@baruch account.  This way, your face will replace the default bearcat avatar!

Introductions should be posted by Sunday, February 3rd!

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