QUESTIONS TO
*THINK* ABOUT WHILE READING
These questions will not
be discussed in class. They are to aid your understanding of the
text. You only have to think about them if you want
to.
Shakespeare
and Ben Jonson
(John Dryden)
1.
How does Dryden respond to the criticism that
Shakespeare lacked learning?
2. According
to Dryden, what was missing from English drama before Ben Jonson started
writing?
3. Dryden
doesn’t exactly accuse Jonson of plagiarism; instead, what does Dryden say
about his borrowing from classical writers?
The
Great Plague
(Samuel Pepys)
1.
In
the entry for September 3, 1665, Pepys tells a story of the saddler’s family;
what is the story of the last living child?
2. When does Pepys first learn of
the Great Fire? When
Pepys looks out his window at seven in the morning on September 2, 1666, what
does he observe about the fire?
3.
What
does Pepys recommend to the King and the Duke of York? What is the reply?
Source:
Literature: The British Tradition, Prentice Hall;
An
Essay Concerning Human Understanding
(John Locke)
http://www.rbjones.com/rbjpub/philos/classics/locke/cib4c10.htm
This website is a condensation or the bare bones
philosophy of what you’ll be assigned to read; read up until point 12. Do
not click on the links; just read what is underlined in blue.