talk on Scott's romantic love-story and his later courtship and
marriage. Give an account of his friendships, especially of that with
Marjorie Fleming, and read from Dr. Brown's book about her life. Tell of
the dogs Scott loved. Describe Abbotsford and Melrose; describe his
death and the burial at Dryburgh; use as many photographs as can be
obtained.
II--JANE AUSTEN
1. _The Story of Jane Austen's Life_--The county society; the material
for her novels; her method of composition.
2. _Emma and Mansfield Park_--Analysis of the plots and the characters.
Jane Austen's men and her women.
3. _Jane Austen's Masterpiece: Pride and Prejudice_--The story. The
author's sense of humor. Readings: The ball; Mr. Collins' letter, etc.
4. _The Place of Jane Austen in Modern English Literature_--The pioneer
novelist of modern society. Her realism. Estimates by Howells and
others.
BOOKS TO CONSULT--Life of Jane Austen, by her nephew, J. E. Austen
Leigh. Letters, edited by Lord Brabourne. Life, by Oscar Fay Adams.
Life, by Walter Pollock.
Miss Austen is a charming subject, with many points of interest. The
family life at Steventon is one; her letter-writing is another; her
meeting with Thackeray is a third. Read from her letters, her brief
unfinished comedy, and her poem. Describe her burial-place in Winchester
Cathedral.
III--CHARLOTTE BRONTE
1. _The Story of her Life_--The home on the moors at Haworth, father and
brother, the three brilliant sisters; boarding-school life; Brussels;
her literary career, marriage, death.
2. _The Professor and Jane Eyre_--The Professor: rejection by the
publishers. Estimate of it to-day. Jane Eyre: realistic and dramatic
qualities. England's disapproval.
3. _Shirley and Villette_--Shirley: First novel by a woman dealing with
the industrial problem. Its realism. Character of Shirley contrasted
with that of Jane Eyre. Villette: Local color. Character of Madame Beck.
4. _Her Personal Experience as Reflected in Her Novels_--The moors,
boarding-school experiences, life in Brussels, the manufacturing region
of England.
BOOKS TO CONSULT--Mrs. Gaskell: Life of Charlotte Bronte. T. W. Reid:
Life of Charlotte Bronte. Clement Shorter: Charlotte Bronte and Her
Circle.
The life of the three remarkable sisters, known at the time as Currer,
Acton and Ellis Bell, is full of deep interest. Illustrate the program
with readings from Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Emily's Wuthering Heights, and
Ann
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