August 21: Where is my summer going? Just wanted to say how pleased I am with your observations and comments, as well as your willingness to interact with each other about the book. Your work here certainly has gotten me excited about class! If you posted early and haven't revisited, please do so, and check out some of the discussions. If you want to add a comment, don't hit "Reply to author" unless you want to send a private message; just hit "Reply" and your response will be posted, inspiring us all with your insight and brilliance!One final reminder about school work: please recheck the letter (ahem; yes it's posted to the left if you just possibly lost it) for the final assignment (the close read) that's due the first day of class, either Sept. 7 or next semester. The hard copy I gave you at the required meeting had a sample copied onto it; the posted version does not. Ah, the benefits of being organized. . .Enjoy these next few weeks, and I'll see you quite soon! August 11-16: Mr. Arnold Saves the Day. . . We have a new option for our online discussion of Volume III and our closing comments and observations. We'll be participating in a Google Group, commenting on a page dedicated just to that topic. The good news is that Google is not likely to pack up and go away. The bad news is that you need to have a Google account to participate. Some of you already have Gmail accounts, which you can use to join; those of you who don't have them yet--it's an easy process to make one, just DON'T forget your email address or your password! (Yes, I speak from experience. Stop snickering.)
Here's the link: click here to join!
PS: Now that you've finished reading GE, you're probably driving your parents crazy, moaning, "I have nothing to do!" "My brain is shrinking!" "What can't a kid find quality entertainment today?" Well, fear no more. I highly recommend that you take your family to see fantastic live Shakespeare in Stonington--it's a lovely drive, there are lots of great restaurants on the way and there, your brain will be stimulated, and you'll support live theater.
Go, go, go!
Stonington Opera House is putting on "Measure for Measure" this summer. I saw "Midsummer Night's Dream" there last summer and it was outstanding, so I highly recommend attendance. It's not cheap, but it's a great experience.
Check out this link, and maybe I'll see you there!
Note: attendance at this play is not required for class, just highly recommended as a great experience. Also, I do not receive any kickback from your ticket purchases. Honest.
August (gasp!) 6: Catching My Breath!
Greetings, all! Good to read your latest set of posts. Please remember that we're not just looking at the plot--you should also be looking for other aspects of what Dickens is doing as an artist: themes, conflict, characterization. Several of you have discussed his use of language and his creation of memorable folk like Wemmick and Jaggers. . . keep it up!
At the moment, Threadbox is down (I hope it's regularly scheduled maintenance, not interruption of service for an unknown amount of time), but once it's up I'll invite you all to Thread #3. Consider checking back in occasionally to Vol. II discussion as well, since some people came late to the party but have offered interesting ideas.
BIG SCARY NOTE: THREADBOX MAY HAVE DONE US WRONG! BETA SERVICES HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED. WE'RE WAITING TO FIND OUT WHAT THAT MEANS. EMAIL ME YOUR RESPONSES INSTEAD OF TRYING TO POST UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. I LOVE TECHNOLOGY, I REALLY DO. IT JUST MAKES ME CRAZY SOMETIMES. . .
We have been spending a lot of time getting our house ready for our new "son," Silas, an exchange student from Denmark who arrives on August 14. At the same time, I'm getting ready for a final blast of planning, meetings, and prep for the upcoming year--and trying to wedge as much fun as possible into the days as well. Hope you all have found that mix of relaxation and productivity for yourselves!
Again, contact me with any problems or questions (667-6681; rleamon@mdirss.org), and enjoy this time!
July 8: Thanks to Mr. Arnold, A Present For You!
July 6, Overview of the First BLAST of GE Responses Well, I spent a huge amount of time on line yesterday, reading all your input about Volume I and Pip, Estella, Miss H, and various other characters and plot lines. A few lingering technical hiccups aside, I am delighted by the way this has worked. Your questions, comments, insights, guesses, and ideas have been terrific, and I'm very excited about where we will be when we meet in September or late January. Some small bits of info: --I discovered, while reading background info, that Dickens seems to have invented the name Estella in GE. No one can find any use of it before this novel! --There is, as I mentioned to Audyn, a great book called What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. If you are someone who likes to have the whole background picture, or if you're an Anglophile who loves literature from the 1800's, it might be fun to read. I have a copy and plan to dip in, inspired by Andrew's questions about cleanliness! --Lastly, I'll be at school working with Mr. Arnold on Thursday and Friday, and I hope to be sure that our next comment blast (Vol. II) will go more smoothly, with fewer people being blocked at first. Ideally, we'd all just be a series of linked comments on one thread. HOWEVER, I need to be sure every valid email address is linked to that one thread, so you may be getting a few 'invites' over the next few days. Feel free to comment at will, or when you find a particularly "AHA!" moment in the book, and don't feel you have to be done with the next Volume to comment. However, let's not reveal key plot points till the day before the next deadline, okay? If possible, at least. . .
Thanks for your enthusiasm. I have been telling everyone how fantastic your responses have been, how excited I am. . . and it's true!
Ms Leamon
PS: One final plea: apostrophes! Please: use 'em!
CHECKING IN!--UPDATE ON JULY 5: HEY! There's been a lot of activity on the Threadbox site (where you should be posting your comments on Volume I, due today), but some people have been having trouble doing so. If you can't seem to get onto the thread, email me (rleamon@mdirss.org) your comments, and I'll cut and paste them into the thread myself. In addition, be sure to include your 100% correct email (most of the sign-in issues come from the wrong email address) and I'll add you to the list for the volume II discussions. You are not "dead meat" if you can't post, but I do expect to hear from you if you're having issues!
This click =>Click here to join the discussion!<= will take you to the "checking in" thread, and the one below will take you to the thread focused on Volume I. You may post on either one!
Entry #1: Volume 1, p. 3 - 159: due by Monday, 7/5
Remember, your fourth post may be done at any time and on any chapter or volume before August 16th!