Section outline

    • What can literary nonsense reveal about power relations and social norms in the real world?
    • How do I form a thesis? What makes a thesis statement "good" or "strong"?

      • MONDAY, Sept. 14

        • Before class:
        • 1) Prepare for class discussion:

        • Read pp. 99-144 and pp. 310-319 of the Norton Critical Edition of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll, edited by Donald J. Gray. The book is available for purchase in the Bryn Mawr bookstore.

          NOTE: we are not reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We're reading the sequel, Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There.

        • Digital: Carroll, Through the Looking-glass (1885) File

          Here's a digital copy of Through the Looking-glass for those who prefer not to buy the version in the bookstore. Note that the page numbers are not the same as the Norton critical edition's and you'll still need to read the excerpts of critical articles that I assigned.

        • Digital: Excerpts from Gubar and Sewell articles (pp. 310-319) File

          Skip Gubar; we're reading excerpts from Elizabeth Sewell, "The Game of Nonsense."

      • WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16

        • Before class:
        • 1) Prepare for class discussion:

        • Read pp. 145-75 of the Norton Critical Edition of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll, edited by Donald J. Gray. The book is available for purchase in the Bryn Mawr bookstore.

          NOTE: we are reading Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There, not Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

        • READ: Thesis handout File
        • READ: Three-Story Thesis handout File
        • 2) Read the assignment for the short paper due on Sept. 20 (see below). Have questions about the assignment? Ask in class.