June 14th--Deadline Date

Hi Folks,

It's 10:30 on Wednesday and, so far, I've received projects from the following:

Jake Ayres
Bonnie Gordon
Jenny Ngo
Steven Gordon
Grant Sukchindasathien
Jared Grano
Clay DeLong


Mr. Kelso

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING GOOD SPORTS AND GETTING THE WORK IN. I WILL GRADE THESE AND EMAIL EACH OF YOU YOUR SEMESTER GRADE IN AP ENGLISH 2.


BEST WISHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Preparing Your Final Project

Well, I think 15 strong journal entries should do the trick for your unit on The French Lieutenant's Woman.

Once you've got all 15 entries done, be sure to go back and polish the writing to a crystal-clear shine. Be sure that each entry begins on a separate sheet of paper with the journal number/title at the top, centered. Be sure to double-space your writing. When you've printed out your entries, attach a cover sheet. Make this final project a truly professional one.

You will need to drop off the finished project to the main office (or you can mail it to me at SRHS). Please do not email me the project as I don't have time to print each one out, collate, and staple. Plus, my printer is on its last legs at school.

The deadline for the project is Wednesday, June 14th.

Please be sure to meet this deadline as I will not be able to accept late papers. Sorry, but no excuses. I've got your projects to grade as well as both AP classes, so I'm going to be swamped in the final week of school.

Because of the size of this project and the amount of time you've had to work on it, I will be weighing the project grade heavily. Think of it as worth about 6 major essays (I'm thinking in the 600 point category); therefore, please know that your grade on this final project will pretty much determine your grade in the class.

In essence, the pressure is on with this one, but then that's the nature of independent study. I'm assuming that each of you has used your time wisely during this final quarter: the proof will be in the quality of this project. This is your final English class in high school, so go out on a high note.

Best wishes. I look forward to reading your projects.

When they are graded, I will mail each of you a printout with your final grade for the class. I'm counting on each of you to do a stellar job!

Mr. Kelso

Journal 15: The Film Version of French Lieutenant's Woman

As soon as you have finished reading the novel, you will need to rent the film version of this novel (available at most rental places). Now that you have read Fowles' novel (and have considered his ending), watch the film and see how its director, Karel Reisz, handles the "multiple nature" of Fowles' masterpiece. This journal entry will be a critique of the film. What do you think the director gets right? What doesn't work for you. In this entry, be sure to consider how the director handles "the ending" of the film version.


Have fun with this amazing film.

Journal 14: Where Does Sarah Rank Among Literary Female Characters?

I would like you to consider the character of Sarah and then consider how she fits in along the continuum of female characters that we've read about this year. When we think about the overall year, we have such characters as Hedda Gabler, Tess Durbeyfield, Vivian Bearing, Lady Macbeth, Mother (from Ragtime), Mrs. Ramsey (To the Lighthouse), Clarissa Dalloway (Mrs. Dalloway), and Mary Tyrone. As you consider this spectrum of characters, where would you place Sarah? What qualities does she share with some of the other women from our literature? What qualities set her apart? I look forward to reading your insights.

Journal 13: The Double-Ending

Talk about the last two chapters of the novel. After reading each carefully, discuss what you feel John Fowles is attempting to do with these two chapters. What atmosphere is created for the novel as a whole? Do you think the last two chapters work? Explain.

Journal 12: A Favorite Scene

Based on the second half of the novel, select what you feel is a key or memorable scene and talk about its importance to the overall mood/thematic texture of the novel. It will be interesting to see what scenes resonate with each of you.

Journal 11: Revelations and Illuminations

What have you discovered about Sarah's true nature? What "deception" did she play on Charles and how does he react to the real Sarah? Talk about the epiphanies/realizations that take place in the second half of the novel.

Journal 10: Dr. Grogan

Talk about Dr. Grogan, the head of the hospital in Lyme Regis. Describe his personality and his interests. What information does he reveal about Sarah? In this section of the novel, what do we learn about "the psychology of character" and mental illness. What do you think this character adds to the work?

Journal 9: Charles and Sarah

Consider "the moment" between Charles and Sarah at the family hotel. What aspects of their personality are revealed here? What do we learn about each character at this point in the novel?

Journal 8: Charles vs. Mr. Freeman

In this entry, talk about what happens to Charles when he "breaks" from Ernestina. What "threats" are made by Mr. Freeman and what must Charles "sign" when the two meet with lawyers? What will be the effect of this "break" in terms of Charles' reputation?

Journal 7: Sarah and Charles

Based on your reading, what effect does Sarah have on Charles? You've seen how he relates to Ernestina, but what is it about Sarah that obsesses and possesses him? Are they an equal match? At this time, does Sarah's character remind you of other literary characters?

Journal 6: Ernestina Vs. Charles

What, in your opinion, is the relationship between Ernestina and Charles? What does she see in him? Likewise, what does he see in her?

Journal 5: John Fowles Website

I would like you to visit a great website dedicated to John Fowles. Be sure to read through the biography of the author and a transcript of his interview with Melvyn Bragg. Explore some of the links to find out about one of our century's great British authors. Then, in a page of bullets, jot down some of your findings.

Website: http://www.fowlesbooks.com/

Journal Entry 4: Great Lines from The French Lieutenant's Woman

What I love about this novel, and John Fowles in particular, is his amazing use of language. Like Hardy, Fowles gives us memorable sentences that sing out--both in terms of their style and their substance. Here are a few--with chapter numbers in parentheses:

1. "Her father was a very rich man; but her grandfather had been a draper, and Charles's had been a baronet." (2)

2. "Charles felt immediately as if he had trespassed; as if the Cobb belonged to that face, and not to the Ancient Borough of Lyme. It was not a pretty face, by any period's standard or taste. But it was an unforgettable face, and a tragic face." (2)

3. "But for Charles, and for almost all his contemporaries and social peers, the time signature over existence was firmly adagio." (3)

4. "There his tarnished virginity was soon blackened out of recognition; but so, as his father had hoped, was his intended marriage with the Church." (3)

5. "He had, in short, all the Byronic ennui with neither of the Byronic outlets: genius and adultery." (3)

6. "Most British families of the middle and upper classes lived above their own cesspool. . . ." (4)


As you read this delightful novel, keep on the lookout for great sentences that dazzle your intellectual senses. Mark them down or place them on a post-it note.

For this entry, have at least 10 key lines (with a parenthetical reaction to the line--in essence, what you like about the line). Be sure to cite the page number where you found the line.