Humanities Homework Help

Students in HIS 1401E will write two discussion papers which consider how fiction can be a

mirror into the past. Each paper will deal with a novel a] from the period prior to 1850 and b]

from 1850 until the Second World War. The first paper will be from the earlier period, and the 

second paper from the later period.

In these short papers [1000-1250 words] you will begin by reviewing briefly the plot of the novel, 

giving two or three brief quotations which exemplify the writing style and intentions of the 

author, and will continue by discussing the context in which the author wrote, noting his/her 

intentions if these are known. The most important part of the paper will be an assessment of 

what the author can directly or indirectly tell the reader about the history of the period. How 

does the book illustrate the social norms, gender relations, family connections, religious 

beliefs, possibilities for employment, economic challenges, legal dangers and political 

ideas of the period? Obviously, not every book will deal with all these issues. Each student will

determine which are the most important themes in the novel being studied.

Resources for writing this paper need not be numerous. The novel itself, the text books 

for the course, and a few easily found background details which may well come from such 

sources as The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, which can be accessed on -line 

through the Weldon library catalogue, or from encyclopedias/dictionaries of authors found on 

the reference shelves.

These are not research papers. Rather they demand that students read thoughtfully 

and consider the underlying information which can be gained from a work of fiction considered 

as a primary source.

It is probably easiest to use English novels, and I suggest some below, but you may

also choose translations of novels from French or other European languages. If you

choose another novel from the period, please contact me and get my approval before you start.

Possible List of English Novels from which to Choose

Charles Dickens, Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Old Curiosity Shop, Little Dorrit, Hard Times

George Eliot, Middlemarch, Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner

Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure, Tess of the d’Urbervilles

Aldous Huxley, any novel 

James Joyce, Dubliners

D. H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, Lady Chatterley’s Lover

William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, The Newcomes

George Orwell, Animal Farm, 1984

Anthony Trollope, one of the novels in The Chronicles of Barsetshire or one of the Palliser 

novels.

Evelyn Waugh, Decline and Fall, Vile Bodies, Scoop, Brideshead RevisitedWhen I mark your paper, it will be on a chart such as the one below. In the centre portion

of the chart I will review how well you fulfilled the requirements which I have written in the chart. 

Please consult this as you write, since the relative importance of the various parts of the paper 

should be obvious from the marks assigned to each.

Marking Chart: HIS 1401E Discussion Papers

Student Name: Text:

Review of plot [10%] Approx. 2 paragraphs introducing the protagonists and explaining the plot. 10

A good explanation will mention all the important characters, the plot twists

and the final resolution. This should lead easily into the historical

significance

Illustrative quotations Two or three quotations will show how the author makes a point and 5

[5%] illustrate his/her literary style

Historical context & This section will place the life of the author into the British historical context. 15

intentions of author Here the author’s gender, class and education may all be of importance.

[15%] What is happening in Britain at the time of writing? How does the author

respond to contemporary events? Is the author overtly commenting on the

society of his time, or is the criticism more subtle? Do we have any

information about his/her intentions in writing this book?

Historical significance of A good answer will discuss just how the text is significant from a historical 50

text [50%] perspective. Does it give the reader insight into the 18

th

century world of the

rural gentry or into the dirt of the Victorian city? Does it consider issues of

class, of employment, of law and punishment? How are men and women

depicted in their relationships with each other, and with authority in general?

Is the picture of marriage or of childhood at odds with today’s norms? How

do the protagonists react to the political and religious demands of their day?

What do these reactions tell us about the period?