Feb 16 - Country Wife - 2nd half - Group A

1) Is there any of what is traditionally called “character development” in the latter half of The Country Wife? That is, tragedies often are said to have “dynamic characters,” who undergo changes or revelations, while comedies often are said to have “static characters,” who are little more than stereotypes or single character traits. Is this true in The Country Wife?

Or

2) The last scene is a whirlwind of revelations, concealments, and last-minute decisions. Do you have any questions as to what exactly happens in this scene? For example,
- Why are the ladies upset, and what do they decide to do?
- What does Horner decide to do vis-à-vis Alithea?
- What does Mrs. Pinchwife ultimately decide to do?
Discuss one or more of these moments in your response … especially if it seems unclear to you.

Or

3) Feel free also to answer #1 or #2 by taking a look at the latter half of the play in the BBC adaptation (1975, starring Helen Mirren and Anthony Andrews as Horner --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnqwh344eT8)

Or

4) Discuss another part of the final action that seems to be in need of exploration, elucidation, or comment.

Feb 9 - Marvell's Horatian Ode - All students

For this, the first reading response, we're taking a look at Marvell's "Horatian Ode Upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland." This will be somewhat anomalous in the class, since we'll mainly be reacting to dramatic scenes, characters, plot-lines, genres, and other elements of Restoration and 18th-c. drama.

Nevertheless, the poem is a fascinating one, as we started to see in class. Here are some potential areas to write about:

1) Tone -- choose a moment in the poem that you think is either tonally complex or tonally confusing. (Tone refers to the speaker's apparent attitude toward his subject, so genres like satire often have a clear and distinct tone, while other genres may or may not be clear.) Comment on what you think is complex or confusing.

or

2) Ending -- How does this poem end? Why does it end this way?

or

3) edited vs. unedited -- what difference does it make, as a reader some 350+ years removed from this poem, to have a version with notes versus without? Select a specific spot where this difference is made clear or has a potential impact. OR, to what degree does the subject matter and poetic mode of this poem still matter? Does a revolutionary poem from England's failed experiment in republicanism have anything to tell us in today's political climate?

or

4)  As with every reading response, you can always respond to something not covered in the prompts above. Did any lines seem particularly interesting or memorable to you? Does this poem remind you of something else? Feel free to react in any free-form way you choose.