Friday 9/6

Hello Comp Lit students,

I apologize for my absence this Friday morning, but fear not - I do have a two-step plan.

Step 1:

In your Quad groups, discuss the following three questions concerning chapters 12-16 of the novel, Pride and Prejudice (don't write anything down, just discuss for 5-10 minutes):

1) How does Austen use the character of Mr. Collins to make a social commentary?
2) What occurs when Wickham and Darcy run into each other? What does the narrator do to complicate this encounter for the reader?
3) According to Wickham, what happened between him and Darcy?

Step 2:

After discussing these three questions, here is your first scored group activity of the year:

Jane Austen begins Pride and Prejudice with the following lines:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.”

As previously discussed in class, Austen purposely uses an ironic narrative voice in these opening lines to make a social commentary on her society’s obsession with marriage and social class.

Using these opening lines as a guide, create your own ironic take on a current societal topic that you believe needs its own satirical analysis.

For example:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a newly born infant must be in want of visual publicity on Instagram.

However little understanding this infant has of his or her newfound fame on publicized social media sites, not to mention however unsightly and unphotogenic this bald and chubby baby may be, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of his or her modest and humble parents that this infant can do nothing but rejoice in this responsible method of being introduced to society.”

Requirements:

·       Make sure that your opening statements begin with the line “It is a truth universally acknowledged…”

·       It must be at least 60 words in length and address a topic of relevance to our current times.

·       Share your group's final work with me via google docs (dachimore@djusd.net)