Friday 13 July 2007

Topics for Assignment on VICTORIAN PERIOD - II BA English

Points to Note before you start working on your Assignment:

The essays should be about 12 to 15 pages in length, proofed, and well thought-out. I see these assignments as a chance for you to explore more thoroughly some of the topics we have discussed / we will be discussing in class. Also, when you write the essays, be sure to use examples from the text of the novel concerned. JANE EYRE, A TALE OF TWO CITIES etc., have some very usable quotes: use them to your advantage. I would like to see these on Monday 17 August in the Department on my table. No further extension is permissible under any circumstances.

Creativity, Neatness and Originality will be rewarded suitably. I would also like to add that I really enjoy reading your essays.


A Point to Remember: You should be able to make a presentation in class, in about five minutes on your assignment.

Paper: VICTORIAN PERIOD

Cleeta - In what ways might Jane Eyre be considered a feminist novel? What points does the novel make about the treatment and position of women in Victorian society? On a modern parallel, imagine Jane Eyre belonged to the present generation. What would have been the modern Jane Eyre's reactions to the atrocities against her? Discuss.

Jayanthi - One of the questions in the background of the book Jane Eyre is, What makes a lady? Is it birth, breeding, experience, money, or something else? What is the novel's answer? And what is your personal answer?

Kamatchi - . Discuss Jane as a narrator and as a character. What sort of voice does she have? How does she represent her own actions? Does she seem to be a trustworthy storyteller, or does Brontë require us to read between the lines of her narrative? In light of the fact that people who treat Jane cruelly (John Reed, Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst) all seem to come to unhappy endings, what role does Jane play as the novel’s moral center?

Mercy - Discuss the resurrection theme in A Tale of Two Cities. Which characters are “recalled to life”? How?

Rinila - Discuss Dickens’s attitude toward the French Revolution. Does he sympathize with the revolutionaries?

Shipporah - Compare and contrast some of the characters who serve as foils throughout Jane Eyre: Blanche to Jane, St. John to Rochester, and, perhaps, Bertha to Jane and so on. How do these contrasts aid the development of the book’s themes?

K.K.Sujatha - Discuss Jane as a narrator and as a character. What sort of voice does she have? How does she represent her own actions? Does she seem to be a trustworthy storyteller, or does Brontë require us to read between the lines of her narrative? In light of the fact that people who treat Jane cruelly (John Reed, Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst) all seem to come to unhappy endings, what role does Jane play as the novel’s moral center?

Allan - . Keep a list of all the major female characters. What is each like? How is she like or unlike Jane? In what sense may she serve as a role model, either positive or negative, for Jane? What parallels are there between Jane and any of these other characters?

Bestin - If you were directing a film version of JANE EYRE, how would you depict Jane, the heroine? How would you make the ending? Imagine an Indian location for Jane Eyre and develop a film version of Jane with textual overtones interspersed.

Dhanansekar - How does Dickens reconcile his distaste for the Revolution with his identity as a social crusader? Does he believe in the people's right to revolt under an oppressive government?

Karthik - Attempt a character sketch of Jane Eyre.

Richard - Imagine two cities in India, and rewrite A Tale of Two Cities with a similar story line.

Shyam - What are the things you like about Jane Eyre, the girl, and what do you dislike about her. Discuss the good things that society can learn from a novel like JANE EYRE.

Thomas - Imagine you are JANE EYRE. Write a letter to posterity (the future) telling them about your experiences as a neglected child and what experience has taught you. You can also advise the future based on your experiences as JANE. Textual parallels (allusions) are a must.

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