Syllabus starting April 20
WE FINISH PART TWO of Great Expectations this week. What do you suppose Dickens says about social class through Pip's education and experiences in London? Is, as Pip seems to think, Estella destined to become his wife? And if so, what awaits them in marriage: blissful family life akin to the social-climbing Pockets or the laboring day-to-day survival of the Gargarys?
MONDAY / GREY DAY—OFFICE HOURS
Today is a grey day, and you can meet with me during Zoom office hours 12:50 and 1:50 pm.
Check Canvas for the link to Zoom.
TUESDAY / BLUE DAY (NO CLASS)
We will be adding to the reader’s questions on the shared google sheet, So stop in and post questions for chapters
WEDNESDAY / GREEN DAY
Brief check in on zoom.
We will start with your questions about Pip’s increasingly difficult financial position, as well as the death of Mrs. Joe and his return home. Revising the class divides suggested by Victorian Slum House. Apart from his connection to Newcastle Gaol and Mr. Jaggers's profession as lawyer, Pip would be insulated from the lower-class plebeian life of London's East-End. Is Pip being educated for something better? Or for something more exclusive?
We will also review the reader’s questions posted on the google sheet. We will have a second question sheet for second half of the novel.
Read chapter 39 (to the end of part two…pages 280-291)
THURSDAY / BLUE DAY (NO CLASS)
FRIDAY: / GREEN DAY
Is the good fortune which has befallen Pip actually good fortune? Class discussion on the revelation of Pip's true benefactor. How does this change our view of Pip's fortune yesterday? How does the benefactor's identity change the story? How does that change Dickens's readers' experience?
HW: (Starting part three) Chapters 40-45 (291-333). Remember to add your reader’s questions to the google sheet as you make progress.