English 202

Welcome. You're probably here because you're taking a directed study in World Literature II.

This course is a sort of experiment in conducting a class online. The way I anticipate things will work is that students will go over the reading assignment for the day, write up a reaction paper and email it to me, and then come here to interact. I'll post background and some of my thoughts on the reading selection, and you'll have the chance to interact with each other via the comments section. Post at least two comments or questions each day - at least one of those comments has to be in response to another post in the comments section.

The first reading assignment is Act I of Tartuffe. Some issues to consider as you think about making comments:

- Every successful play has tension in it. Something is not right. As Hamlet opens, for example, there is something rotten in the state of Denmark - there's a potential war with Norway looming, and the king has died unexpectedly and has been replaced by his brother, who has also married the king's widow. Looking at Tartuffe, what are the elements of tension in this play? What problems have to be resolved? What issues are characters in disagreement about?

- What's Orgon's worldview in comparison to that of other members of his household, such as Dorine or Cleante? In Act I, Scene V, for example, as Orgon and Cleante are discussing Tartuffe, the man who is staying in Orgon's house, they're also talking about underlying issues: How should people approach life? How ought a religious person to act? Should religious people operate strictly on faith, or should they combine faith with reason? What are Orgon's views on these and other issues? Why do other characters disagree?

I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts and questions.