he period in prose and poetry. What books of this period are, in your
judgment, worthy to be placed among the great works of literature? What
effect did the discoveries of science have upon the literature of the age?
What poet reflects the new conception of law and evolution? What historical
conditions account for the fact that most of the Victorian writers are
ethical teachers?

2. _Tennyson_. Give a brief sketch of Tennyson's life, and name his chief
works. Why is he, like Chaucer, a national poet? Is your pleasure in
reading Tennyson due chiefly to the thought or the melody of expression?
Note this figure in "The Lotos Eaters":

Music that gentlier on the spirit lies
Than tired eyelids upon tired eyes.

What does this suggest concerning Tennyson's figures of speech in general?
Compare "Locksley Hall" with "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After." What
differences do you find in thought, in workmanship, and in poetic
enthusiasm? What is Tennyson's idea of faith and immortality as expressed
in _In Memoriam_?

3. _Browning_. In what respects is Browning like Shakespeare? What is meant
by the optimism of his poetry? Can you explain why many thoughtful persons
prefer him to Tennyson? What is Browning's creed as expressed in "Rabbi Ben
Ezra"? Read "Fra Lippo Lippi" or "Andrea del Sarto," and tell what is meant
by a dramatic monologue. In "Andrea" what is meant by the lines,

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what's a heaven for?

4. _Dickens_. What experiences in Dickens's life are reflected in his
novels? What are his favorite types of character? What is meant by the
exaggeration of Dickens? What was the serious purpose of his novels? Make a
brief analysis of the _Tale of Two Cities_, having in mind the plot, the
characters, and the style, as compared with Dickens's other novels.

5. _Thackeray_. Read _Henry Esmond_ and explain Thackeray's realism. What
is there remarkable in the style of this novel? Compare it with _Ivanhoe_
as a historical novel. What is the general character of Thackeray's satire?
What are the chief characteristics of his novels? Describe briefly the
works which show his great skill as a critical writer.

6. _George Eliot_. Read _Silas Marner_ and make a brief analysis, having in
mind the plot, the characters, the style, and the ethical teaching of the
novel. Is the moral teaching of George Eliot convincing; that is, does it
suggest itself from the story, or is it added