Teachers Outlines for Studies in English | Page 4

the reader of history?
METHOD OF NARRATION.--Who tells the story? Would it be difficult to rearrange the plan so that Ivanhoe or some other character should tell it? Why?
Does the narrator speak from the standpoint of one who somehow or other knows all that the characters do and think and feel, or of one who recounts merely his own feelings and what he sees and hears?
Compare Ivanhoe in this respect with The Vicar of Wakefield, or with some other novel.
STYLE.--Does Scott attempt to reproduce the language of a time other than his own? Does he introduce dialect? Do the characters talk naturally as we should expect persons of different birth and education to talk, or do they talk alike?
Note how Scott describes an outdoor scene (p. 6); a man (p. 7); a scene of action (pp. 300-306). Try to imitate his methods in descriptions of your own.
Note the parts of the story where the movement of events is very rapid (pp. 322-330), and others where the author introduces description or exposition (pp. 148-152) to retard the movement.
Do you find the sentences natural and easy, or formal and hard to read? Are there many unfamiliar words?
THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR.--What are the main facts of Scott's boyhood? his education? his professional career? his success as a poet? his change from poetry to prose? his success as a novelist? his financial distress? his struggle to meet the demands of the law and of his own honor?
Would you judge from Ivanhoe that the author was a man of learning? a lover of nature? fond of social life? fond of animals? fond of children?
Write what you think we have reason to believe of Scott's character from reading this book.
OUTLINE FOR THE STUDY OF THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD
I. Preparation
It is well to suggest to pupils who have read Ivanhoe and now turn to the Vicar of Wakefield that the latter is not a romance, but a novel of life and manners; not an exciting story of heroic deeds and wonderful escapes, but a story that paints clear pictures of simple life, quiet humor, and true sentiment. A few facts of Goldsmith's boyhood and young manhood should be dwelt on in order to show his familiarity with the country, the church, and with other matters treated in the story. Other topics of interest are the circumstances that led to the publication of the book; the comparative newness of the novel in literature; eighteenth century essays, like the De Coverley Papers; similarity between such essays and this novel.
II. Reading and Study
To become familiar with the details of this story is simple, but students are likely to overlook little references to the customs and manners of the time, and to fail to use their imaginations in picturing the beautiful but simple scenes of country life.
III. Study of the Book as a Whole
SETTING AND SITUATION.--Find five or six references in the story that throw light on the time when the events are supposed to have taken place. (See customs of travel in Chapter III, of dress in IV and XII and of the punishment of criminals in XXX and XXXI.) Draw as definite a conclusion as you can from these references, and be prepared to defend it.
Where is Wakefield? Do we know whether the places described are English or French or Irish? Give reasons.
Could the scene have been laid in some other country or some other century without radically changing the story? What alterations would be necessary?
What do we learn from this book about customs in dress? means of travelling? education? other customs?
PLOT.--How long a time is involved from the beginning to the end of the story?
At what point did you discover the identity of Mr. Burchell? Could you have discovered it earlier if you had read more closely?
Are there frequent surprises, or do events occur as we expect them to?
Are all the events probable? Has the author succeeded in making them seem probable?
Is the plot simple or complex? How many chapters are used to introduce the story? What is the climax?
Is there, as in Ivanhoe, a series of scenes closely connected? Are there incidents that might have been omitted as superfluous? If so, would the story have been more, or less, interesting without them?
How far does Mr. Burchell influence events? How far does Mr. Jenkinson influence them? Squire Thornhill?
CHARACTERS.--Does the author make us acquainted with the various characters by what he says of them; or by what they say and do themselves; or by what they say of one another; or by all of these methods? Examine Chapters I, III, VII, and XI.
Is the Vicar a man of intelligence? of sincerity? of good judgment? Name his chief traits. Would he command our respect if he were our neighbor? Account for the fact that people have been charmed