CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND WRITE A 500 OR MORE WORD RESPONSE. DO NOT WRITE A SUMMARY OF THE READING, KEEP THE ESSAY IN CONTEXT WITH THE QUESTION YOU CHOOSE. Keep your response directly connected with the context of the class and the specific question being asked.Reviewing the assigned materials will be essential, but going on the internet to look something up will not be helpful. Furthermore, it goes directly against the assignment guidelines. Outside research is not permitted. Produce responses that demonstrate your ability to think things through. Also, use your own words. Quotes, if used at all,should be properly cited and used very sparingly — at most a few words from the assigned text.
1. Jane Austen’s Persuasion is an example of Romantic writing during the early 19th century. Some of the elementsusually associated with this sort of writing that might be particularly noticeable in our study of Volume 1 includean emphasis on emotions and the inner life of a person, reflections on the past and its significance for the present, the details of sensory experience and the sensual aspects of life, an admiration for natural surroundings as opposed to industrial settings, and the power of rebellious individuality. Select one (or two or three) of these elements and describe how they present themselves in the first half of Persuasion. Explain how they might give us insight into the ways of thinking and values of Romantic culture.
2. Jane Austen’s novels are sometimes described as examples of female empowerment and early feminist ideas.From our limited study of Persuasion perhaps it is difficult to appreciate that, but perhaps not. Describe the way female roles in society are presented, and through the particular events and characters we encounter in this story, explain what we might be led to think about women, girls, and feminine nature in relation to the way men and manly pursuits are understood in 19th century England.
3. Consider some of the Modern theories we have studied about the human mind and personal identity, the emergence of scientific thinking and medical treatments, and the importance of faith or religion in a person’s life. What evidence of these things do we see in our reading of Persuasion? Explain how one or more of these elements is present in the novel, and how it helps enrich our understanding of the characters as well as the culture of the time.
4. Through our reading of Volume of 1 of Austen’s Persuasion, we are given insight into the societal and moral values of the early 19th century. Describe what these are and how they are presented in the particulars of this novel.
