Title

Societal Polyphony in Burney and Austen: Using Digital Tools to Invite Students into the Conversation

School/Department

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Publication Date

Fall 2019

Abstract

How can we invite our students to experience the social wit and wisdom of the eighteenth-century novel, on an interactive level? Addressing challenges faced by those who teach eighteenth-century novels in General Education surveys or seminar classes, this essay offers two lesson plans--easily adapted for different texts and courses--that use digital technology to engage students' imaginations and cultivate skills of reading comprehension and interpretation. The first, " Evelina Tweet Fest," invites students to participate in a collaborative conversation on a simulated Twitter platform, translating the literary polyphony of Frances Burney's epistolary novel into the language of our own, status-conscious milieu. The second, " Pride and Prejudice meets Myers-Briggs," taps into student interest in online personality quizzes and asks them to use Austen's textual clues to explain character quirks and relational dynamics.

Keywords

Frances Burney, Jane Austen; Myers-Briggs Type Indicator;

Publication Title

Aphra Behn Online : Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts 1640-1830

Volume

9

Issue

2

DOI of Published Version

10.5038/2157-7129.9.2.1200

Link to Full Text

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