Each of the prompts should be answered by at least 1 member of the blog group. Please confer amongst yourselves as to who will write which prompt. Responses should be at least 250 words and posted by 11 am the day of class.
CONNECT: Chapter 3 of the novel moves through a couple new locations: the tower where Theodore is initially imprisoned, and the forest/cavern where he fights a knight.
Connect one of these locations to either the virtual cathedral or the prison described in “Caleb Williams.” Compare and contrast the emotions conjured by the settings. Are these sites of “sublime” experience? If so, does that experience tend towards the majestic or macabre side of the spectrum?
CLUE: Throughout ch. 3-5, we learn new revelations about the familial lines and marital alliances that govern these characters lives. Frederic’s family history is described in ch. 3-4; Theodore’s in 4-5; and Manfred’s full history in ch. 5. These bloodlines are integral to the competing claims of power in the novel.
Pick one moment where a family history is revealed. Reflect on how it might offer a clue as to Walpole’s political subtext. Is he attacking or affirming the hereditary system of power? In other words, what does the evidence reveal about Walpole’s attitude towards the tradition of land ownership?
CREATE: The novel has featured no shortage of supernatural phenomena. Ch. 4-5 include more apparitions: Frederick’s vision, which leads him to the prophecy about “Alfonso’s blood”; a giant hand that puts Bianca off of spying on Isabella; and, of course the giant ghost who resolves all conflicts at novel’s end. Pick one of these supernatural phenomena, and write a first–person description of it from one of the characters’ point of view. Try to show the character’s emotional and psychological responses. Include a direct quote after this paragraph as evidence.
